Page 20 of Scent of Fear

Shane hesitated. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you later.”

“Sure thing.” Joel smiled at her. “It was nice meeting you, Libby. We’ll head back if you find any leads on your grandfather’s location.”

“Thanks.” She felt helpless as she watched the Sullivan siblings put the four-wheelers back on the trailer. They were leaving, too, just like Deputy Paul Holland.

She swallowed hard, knowing her plan to drive around the state searching for a four-wheeler trailer was probably useless. Yet she didn’t know what else to do. She was losing hope of ever finding her grandfather.

And this time, praying did nothing to ease the hollowness in her chest.

* * *

It botheredShane that Libby looked so defeated. Her normal sunny disposition had taken a beating, and there wasn’t anything he could say or do to bring it back. That was the only reason he’d agreed to her idea of driving around looking for a car pulling a four-wheeler. He gestured toward the cabin. “Let’s take a quick bathroom break before heading out.”

“Okay.” Libby led the way inside. Shane left Bryce sleeping outside, knowing they wouldn’t be long. Besides, having Bryce on guard duty wasn’t the worst idea. The dog would let them know if anyone came close to the cabin.

Deep down, he was convinced the pair of poachers were long gone. Why would they stick around the scene of the crime? Although he still couldn’t figure out why the one guy had come back to search the cellar.

He finished first and waited for Libby in the living area. He moved around the room but didn’t see anything unusual. Then his gaze landed on a file folder tucked beside the seat cushion in the overstuffed chair.

Shane glanced over his shoulder to make sure Libby was still in the bathroom before pulling the folder out and opening it. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but a DNA ancestry report was not at the top of his list.

With a frown, he scanned the results. There was the usual breakdown of ethnicity; 45% German wasn’t exactly a surprise. But then he noticed there was another page that displayed the DNA holder had a female sibling. Was that something Marvin hadn’t known?

He was tucking the folder back where he’d found it when Libby returned. “What are you doing?”

He flushed, caught in the act. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your grandfather’s privacy. I just wondered if the file folder was what the guy was searching for in the cellar.”

“Why on earth would anyone look for a file folder in the cellar?” Libby crossed the room to take the folder from his fingers. “Besides, this isn’t exactly a big secret. Anyone on the DNA site can probably find the information if they know where to look.”

He wouldn’t, but then again, he’d never bothered with any DNA testing. As far as he knew, none of his siblings had either. He gestured to the file. “Your grandfather didn’t know he has a sister?”

“Not until I told him.” Libby tucked the folder under her arm. “Let’s go. We need to search while we have daylight left.”

“Sure.” He dropped the DNA issue and led the way back outside. Bryce jumped to his feet when they headed toward his SUV. Using his key fob, he opened the back hatch. “Up, Bryce. Get up!”

His K9 gracefully leaped into the back crate area. He closed the hatch, then headed around to open the door for Libby, before jogging around the vehicle to get in behind the wheel.

“Your ranch is to the west, so maybe we should go farther east,” Libby suggested once they were settled. “I’m sure Joel and Alexis will keep an eye out for another four-wheeler trailer as they head home.”

“They will. And the deputies will be looking for it too.” He glanced at her as he took the driveway to the highway. “I’m happy to go anywhere you like.”

She sighed. “I know this is a long shot. But what else can we do?”

He understood her frustration. He and his siblings had been searching for their parents’ wrecked plane and their remains for the past five and a half years without success. There was nothing worse than not knowing what had happened.

Along with not being able to give them a proper burial.

When they reached the highway, he turned left, heading farther east toward the Bighorn Mountains.

“Why didn’t you tell me Denali is a cadaver dog?” Libby asked.

He shot her a surprised glance. “How did you know?”

She rolled her eyes. “Napoo? What kind of search command is that? To search napoo? That sounds ridiculous.”

He shrugged. “Napoo means finished, done, dead. I guess all cadaver handlers use that term rather than instructing the dog to search for dead bodies, as that’s rather grim.” He paused, then added, “I didn’t want to upset you more than you already were.”

“I feel like an idiot for not realizing what Alexis and Denali were up to until I heard her tell the K9 to search for napoo.” She turned in her seat to face him. “But I’ve decided to look on the positive side. Denali didn’t alert on anything out on the mountainside, which means it’s likely my grandfather is alive.”

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