Page 35 of Scent of Fear

“Good for Bryce,” Alexis agreed. “Joel wanted you to know we’re hanging around the ranch in case you need us. Maya and Chase left bright and early for a search and rescue mission in Jackson; two groups of tourists got split up in the mountains. Don’t worry, Maya promised to be careful,” Alexis added. Shane knew his sister was referring to Maya being four months pregnant. “Because of the recent calls, we’ve put the ongoing search for our parents’ plane recovery on hold for a while. Trevor and his K9, Archie, are working a missing hiker northwest of Cody, and Justin has his K9, Stone, in Yellowstone. As you know, Jessica and Logan are still on their honeymoon, so that means you have me, Joel, and Kendra if needed.”

As the baby of the family, Kendra tended to be used in search and rescue missions as a last resort. Not that she wasn’t smart and capable. Her K9, Smoky, was a great tracker. It was partially because they sought to protect her. Especially after Kendra had taken a bad fall in November of last year.

Still, he also knew that keeping Kendra out of the search would hurt his sister’s feelings. “Thanks, but I think we’re good for now.” He didn’t want to waste his family resources in the height of tourist season. Summer was the easiest time for them to search for their parents’ plane or any of the remains from the crash, but it was also when their search and rescue services were needed the most. Having several searches going on throughout the state wasn’t unusual. “I appreciate you and the others sticking around the ranch for a while, though. If things change, I’ll reach out. And if you get a call out, let us know too.”

“Sounds good. Later.” Alexis disconnected from the call.

“I spoke with the sheriff’s department dispatcher.” Libby crossed over to join him. “She agreed to get the message to all local hospitals to be aware of a guy with a dog bite on his ankle or lower leg and to call the police if he shows up seeking treatment. However, she also warned me not to get my hopes up because a patient presenting with a dog bite wasn’t an automatic report to the police.”

“That’s true. The only automatic reports are knife and gunshot wounds. But maybe the doc will be worried about a dog bite enough to make a call to the authorities.” He eyed his watch. They’d set out with Bryce at six thirty, and it was barely eight fifteen now. How much of a head start did this guy have on them? Hopefully not too long. “If they can put the hospitals on alert, we still stand a good chance of getting him in custody. By the time he made it off the mountain to reach the road and his vehicle, the closest hospital is at least sixty to seventy miles away. And even then, with it being tourist season, there’s a good chance he might have to wait for a while to be seen.”

“I hope you’re right about that.” She didn’t look encouraged. “I keep thinking if he’s smart, he’ll choose to hit an urgent care clinic. If that’s the case, he could have walked in and already be out by now.”

“Hey, where’s that positive attitude I’ve come to appreciate?” he asked with a half smile. “We know more now than we did when we headed out. Especially the part where Bryce left teeth marks on the guy.”

“Yes, that’s true.” She managed to smile back. “I’m grateful for everything you and Bryce have done for me and my grandfather.” She tilted her head to the side, regarding him thoughtfully for a long moment. “You know, Shane, you should smile more often. You look very handsome.”

He twisted his expression into an exaggerated smile that felt more like a grimace. “Like this?”

She threw back her head and laughed. “No, now you look like a crazed maniac who chases people through the woods with an axe.”

Since that was his intent, he smiled for real. Her comment about his looks shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. Strangely, he enjoyed spending time with Libby. Even with the seriousness of her grandfather’s disappearance, her cheeriness was rubbing off on him.

Something he never would have thought possible.

The memory of her quick kiss on his cheek made the back of his neck grow hot. He’d liked that, too, a little too much. He had chosen this career of search and rescue. Libby didn’t owe him anything.

“We should keep going.” Now that they’d come this far, he was anxious to get back to the cabin. “Bryce, come!”

The dog bounded toward him, dropping the rubber ducky into his outstretched hand. Bryce was well trained compared to Chase’s Rocky who would drop the toy on the ground rather than handing it to Chase.

“Good boy.” He stuffed the ducky away and hurried down the trail. He glanced at Libby. “Paul hasn’t reached out with an update?”

“No, but I mentioned that to the dispatcher too. About how I’d like an update on the investigation,” she clarified. “She promised someone would get back to me.”

He nodded without expressing his concern that in this situation, no news was not a good thing. Okay, maybe it was a relief that they hadn’t discovered Marvin’s dead body tossed along the side of the road, but it seemed to him that the police were no closer to locating Libby’s grandfather than they were.

“I’m sure we’ll hear from Paul soon.” He forced himself to sound positive.

She shrugged. As they rounded a cluster of aspen trees, her expression brightened. “I can see Grandpa’s cabin from here.”

“Great.” He was glad to know they were close. He glanced over to where Bryce was nosing the aspen trees with interest. “Come, Bryce.”

The dog immediately trotted over, his tail swooshing from side to side. As they emerged from the woods to cross the grassy area of the backyard, Bryce abruptly began to growl.

“Stop, Libby.” He halted in his tracks, his hand going to his gun. “You better stay here with Bryce while I check it out.”

“Wait, take Bryce with you,” Libby urged. “I don’t want you facing off with this guy alone.”

Unwilling to put her or his dog in harm’s way, he shook his head. “Stay back.” Before she could mount another argument, he broke into a run. His goal was to cross the open area as quickly as possible.

When he reached the back side of the house without anyone shooting at him, he considered his mission to be a success. Taking a deep breath, he edged toward the patio doors. Then he ducked back when he realized one of them was open a half inch or so.

Hadn’t Libby locked them? He couldn’t remember.

Holding his weapon ready in his right hand, he reached out to open the patio door with the other. Then he quickly stepped over the threshold. The interior of the cabin looked about the same. The blanket Bryce used for a bed was still on the floor, and the pillow and blanket he’d left on the sofa were still there.

Shane quickly moved through the house, making sure nobody was hiding there. He was about to head outside to check the cellar when he noticed something was different.

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