Page 11 of Scent of Fear

“If your grandfather is at the hospital, I’m sure they’ll contact you.” He glanced at her. “I assume you’re listed as his emergency contact.”

“I am! That’s true.” Her expression brightened. “I’ll call the hospital as soon as we get within cell range.”

He simply nodded as they continued hiking. He was about to call for another break when his phone vibrated with an incoming text. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he saw his brother Joel’s name on the screen.

Need help?

“We have cell coverage,” he announced while texting his brother back.Yes. I’ll call soon.

“That’s a relief!” Libby tucked her walking stick under her arm, pulled her phone from her pocket, and scrolled for a moment. Then she lifted the device to her ear. “Hello, this is Libby Tolliver, is my grandfather Marvin Tolliver there?” There was a brief pause. “No, not as a visitor, as a patient.”

Shane stopped near a fallen log, the same one they’d passed on their way up the hillside. He shrugged out of his pack and poured water for Bryce. His K9 lapped the water, then stretched out to rest.

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Will you please call me if he is brought in? I appreciate it.” Libby’s expression was one of defeat. “He’s not there.”

“Maybe they’re still en route.” Shane didn’t believe that for one minute, but he hated to see her so sad. “The four-wheeler may have taken him to a car. From there, it’s at least an hour or more to get to the hospital.”

“You’re right.” Her smile didn’t have the same brightness as earlier. “I had wondered if they’d taken the four-wheeler to a car or truck. I don’t suppose Bryce will be able to track Grandpa if that’s the case.”

He winced, wishing he hadn’t brought it up. “Probably not. It’s really difficult for any K9 to track a subject in a moving vehicle. There have been cases where human scent is shed through an open window, but usually those are shorter distances, like maybe from a house to a place of business. Not over dozens of miles.”

“I was afraid of that.” She lowered herself to the ground with a sigh. “There’s still time, though. The hospital promised to let me know if Grandpa is brought in.”

He almost told her not to hold her breath waiting on that. Again, she was depressed enough without his adding to it. Instead, he pulled out his phone. “I need to talk to my brother.”

“Go ahead.” Her eyes brightened at that.

Thankfully, his brother answered on the first ring. “Shane, what’s going on? I texted you an hour ago.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. No cell service. I’m with Libby Tolliver, and we’ve been tracking her grandfather through the woods. Bryce alerted on several locations, which is great, but it appears her grandfather was taken away by a four-wheeler.”

“Taken where?” Joel asked. “That seems odd.”

He didn’t want to provide a lot of detail with Libby within earshot. “I’d like you and Alexis to head here with at least three four-wheelers. Bring your K9s too.” He glanced at Libby who was clearly listening to his side of the conversation. “We can spread out and cover more ground with additional K9 support.”

Joel hesitated a beat. “You’re concerned the old man might be dead. That’s why you’re asking for Alexis to bring Denali.”

“I think anything is possible. Will you both head out? I’ll text you the address. We’re east of Greybull.”

“Of course, we’ll join you. We’ll pack additional supplies, too, just in case.” Joel, like the rest of the Sullivan family, believed in being prepared. It was a motto that had worked well for them, especially during searches that took place in winter. Heading into the wilderness in the summer had its threats, too, like close encounters with bears and bobcats. But he’d take wild animals over subzero temps any day of the week. Joel added, “Is there anything specific you need? I’m still not sure what level of danger you’re anticipating here.”

“Food would be great.” The half of protein bar he’d shared with Libby hadn’t lasted long. “And yes, you should make sure everyone is armed. I’ll text you the address. We’re probably less than an hour away from Libby’s grandfather’s cabin.”

“Sounds good. You know Anna will take care of us, and we’ll make sure we’re armed with handguns,” Joel assured him. “Alexis and I are on the way. Stay in touch, bro.”

“Thanks, Joel. Will do.” Lowering the phone, Shane couldn’t deny a sense of relief at knowing more resources were on the way. But his family wasn’t all they needed as far as additional support. “Libby, call the sheriff’s department. It’s time to make an official missing person report for your grandfather.”

“Okay.” It was his turn to listen as she made the call. She gave her name, her grandfather’s name, and briefly described how her grandfather had gone missing. “I called Shane Sullivan, and his K9, Bryce, tracked my grandfather to a location where we found his broken glasses. There were four-wheeler tire tracks, too, so we think he was taken away.” She paused to listen. “Yes, I understand that sounds strange, but it’s the truth. Please have a deputy meet us at my grandfather’s cabin.” She held Shane’s gaze for a moment. “We should be back in about an hour.” Another pause. “Thank you.”

He could tell she wasn’t encouraged by the conversation. “Hey, it’s going to be fine. Making the call was the right thing to do.”

“I know. The dispatcher sounded skeptical of my story.” She shook her head impatiently. “Like I’d make something like this up.”

Shane rose to his feet, then held out his hand to help Libby get to her feet. “We should go. I don’t want my family or the deputies sitting around waiting for us.”

“I’m ready.” She picked up her walking stick with a determined resolve. “I’m anxious to get back out here to search.”

“How’s the ankle holding up?” He watched her for a moment. She didn’t limp, which was good. But he could tell the joint was somewhat painful based on the way she leaned on the stick.

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