Page 43 of Scent of Fear

Maybe she was right that it wasn’t up to him to question God’s plan. His life had changed dramatically since losing his parents, and if he were honest, he couldn’t say for sure if his relationship with Rebecca would have lasted. He’d cared about her, hoped to someday marry her, but he’d been young back then.

He was older and wiser now. And being with Libby was a reminder of what he could have if he was willing to open his heart to love again.

The trip to Greybull didn’t take that long. Warm summer weather meant the town was teeming with people. Most were likely tourists, but he knew the locals would also be outside, taking advantage of the bright sunshine and mild temperatures.

Winters in Wyoming were long, cold, and hard.

“I think the library is right here along the main highway.” Libby leaned forward in her seat. “I remember it being a single-story building... there! That’s it. Turn here!”

He pressed on the brake and pulled into the parking lot. He opened the back hatch for Bryce, then killed the engine. “I hope these people aren’t too strict on the no dog rule.”

She grimaced. “I hope not too.”

Shane went around to get Bryce. The dog was still wearing his K9 vest, which might help. Just in case, he grabbed a leash. Bryce wasn’t a fan of the thing, but he would tolerate it if needed. “Be on your best behavior, okay?”

Bryce wagged his tail as if to sayAren’t I always?

Libby led the way inside, clearly familiar with the place. Shane gave Bryce the command to heel, and the dog fell into step beside him. A woman behind the main checkout counter frowned when they walked in. But then she noticed the Sullivan ranch logo on Bryce’s vest, and her expression softened.

To his surprise, she didn’t comment on Bryce being there but quickly returned to her computer screen as if pretending she never saw them.

Fine by him.

Libby was already seated at one of the two computers. The other one housed an older woman who used one finger to type something into the screen.

“Lie down,” he told Bryce as he stood behind Libby. The dog stretched out on the floor, resting his head between his front paws. “Good boy,” he praised.

The older woman never looked over, and he wondered if she might be hard of hearing.

“Let’s see,” Libby murmured as she nimbly entered a series of search commands. He was surprised to see she entered the phrase: Suspects at large in case from 1975 to 1985.

The hits were numerous. He was surprised at how many cold-case murders were listed on the screen. He leaned forward. “Maybe you need to narrow the type of suspect. Murder versus robbery, that kind of thing.”

She glanced at him, then nodded. When she started with murder suspects, the links that popped up on the screen were mostly related to serial killers and old cold-case murders that had been solved using new and improved DNA testing. Libby’s shoulders were tense as she scrolled through the various sites.

“This could take a while,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not sure why I thought this would be easy.”

He shared her concern. He didn’t want to be there all day either. “Maybe enter unsolved cases where suspects are at large from that same time frame?”

She tried that, and again, murders were at the top of the list. She began opening the links one by one.

Bryce lifted his head and stared up at Shane. He didn’t bark or whine, but Shane belatedly realized the dog needed to go out. “I’ll be back in a few. Come, Bryce.”

The dog shot to his feet and trotted alongside him as they headed outside. Shane found a grassy area off to the side of the library building. He didn’t have to tell Bryce to get busy, the dog was sniffing the area with interest and then made a circle before deciding on the right spot to squat.

Shaking his head with amusement, he belatedly realized he’d left his baggies in the backpack. As soon as Bryce was finished, he headed to the SUV to grab them.

A large black truck rolled past the library. Shane frowned, thinking it looked similar to the one they saw yesterday, the one pulling a trailer. The vehicle moved too fast for him to get a good look at the license plate, though. Still, he pulled out his phone and looked at the picture.

Yep, same make and model. Then again, trucks were as common out here as elk roamed the forest. Without a license plate, or a good look at the driver, he couldn’t provide a positive ID.

He quickly cleaned up after Bryce. What did Paul Holland say the guy’s name was? Ward something. Eaton?

No, Engler. Ward Engler.

He was tempted to drive through town to check the guy’s license plate, despite the fact that Paul claimed the deputies had already crossed him off the list. What if Bryce alerted on the guy this time around?

It was worth a shot.

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