Page 57 of Scent of Fear

But it didn’t appear as if Bryce had locked in on Marvin’s scent.

He watched for a moment. Seeing no movement, he darted through the clearing until he was pressed up against the side of the house. Bryce stayed close to his side. Shane edged toward the front of the property and peeked around the corner.

Nobody was out front. He glanced at Bryce, who sniffed the air with interest. His K9 didn’t alert, but it could be they brought Marvin in from the back.

If they’d carried the man in, would Bryce alert on his scent? Maybe, maybe not. His dog was good, but scents didn’t linger in the air forever. Especially those outdoors where the elements caused them to dissipate relatively quickly. Wyoming was well known for its brisk wind.

Moving back to the center of the side wall, he peered into the closest window. The bedroom appeared to be empty, but the sheets on the queen-sized bed were left in a messy tangle. There were also clothes draped over a nearby chair and a lone cowboy hat sitting on top of a dresser. There was no doubt in Shane’s mind the items had been left behind by the homeowner, Ward Engler.

He eased along the side of the wall to the next widow. Peering inside, he was disappointed to realize this window offered a view of the same bedroom. It occurred to him that the house may be a split-ranch model, where the main bedroom was located on one side of the house, leaving the second and third bedrooms on the opposite side.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be easy to get to the other side of the house. Walking as quietly as possible, he headed to the corner. There he peeked around to check the back of the house. He noticed a pair of tall glass patio doors halfway down and surmised it was a similar setup to Marvin’s home, where the general living room and kitchen area were situated in the middle with a view of the outside overlooking the back patio.

Probably not a good idea to go that way. He turned and went back around to the front of the house, Bryce at his side like a silent shadow. This side of the property had a concrete step leading to the front door. There was also a large picture window. Shane crept toward the window and carefully peered inside, doing his best not to be seen. It didn’t take long to notice the main living space of the house was empty. All hope of finding Marvin inside faded as he scanned the kitchen and living room that were slightly larger than what Marvin had at his cabin.

Now what?

A hint of movement caught his eye, causing him to rear back to avoid being seen. His heart thundered against his rib cage for several seconds. Taking a steadying breath, he edged closer until he could see inside again.

A short, stout figure had entered the kitchen.

Not Ward Engler, he quickly realized. A woman, roughly Ward’s age or older based on the long gray hair pinned into a bun at the nape of her neck. He frowned. Somehow, he hadn’t anticipated Engler would have a wife. Not that it was unusual for folks to be married. More so that he hadn’t remembered Deputy Paul Holland mentioning a wife.

Clearly, she existed, as she was doing something near the kitchen sink. Maybe washing dishes? When she stood for several seconds with her back toward him, he decided to make his move.

Bending over, he quickly crossed the front of the house to reach the other side. Bryce started to follow but then stopped to sniff near the front door. Then the dog sat and turned to stare at him intently.

An alert? Most likely, and he was proud of the way his K9 didn’t bark. Shane lifted his finger to his lips again to reinforce the need to be quiet, then gave Bryce thecomehand signal. The dog bounded to his side, tail wagging as if anticipating he’d get to play with his rubber ducky.

As much as it pained him, Shane knew this wasn’t the time to offer Bryce his reward. For one thing, he didn’t want the dog to attract the woman’s attention. More importantly, he didn’t have eyes on Marvin.

In lieu of the ducky reward, he knelt beside Bryce and rubbed his hands over the dog’s head and ears, his torso was covered by the vest, and murmured encouraging words near his ears. The dog leaned into him, his tail wagging. After a long moment, he stood. Giving the dog the signal to heel, he made his way up to the next window.

As he suspected, it was another bedroom. One that appeared to be empty and unused. The bed was neatly made, and there was no clothing strewn about or shoes kicked into the corner. Clearly not a hiding spot.

He kept going until he reached the next pair of windows. As expected, this was the third and last bedroom.

This one wasn’t empty! There were some clothes on a chair, but he couldn’t tell if the shirt was the red plaid one Libby deduced her grandfather had been wearing when he’d been kidnapped. Shane narrowed his gaze, trying to see better. Someone was lying on the bed, a thin blanket drawn up over one shoulder as the person’s face was turned toward the wall. From this angle, he couldn’t tell if the person was male or female, much less make a positive ID.

Should he tap on the window to get the person’s attention? Or would the noise draw the woman into the room?

As he stood debating his next move, the figure on the bed abruptly rolled over so that they were lying on their back, staring up at the ceiling.

The older man’s features were drawn into a grimace, and there was a dark bruise on the side of his temple. Just to be sure, he pulled out his phone and quickly compared the image of the man on the bed with the picture of Libby’s grandfather that she’d shared with him and the police.

A match. He’d found Marvin Tolliver!

14

Waiting was agonizing. Libby tried not to stare at her watch but couldn’t seem to help herself. Each minute ticked by with excruciating slowness. To the point she’d wondered if the stupid watch was broken.

Only once a five full minutes had passed was she convinced time hadn’t stood still.

After Shane and Bryce had disappeared into the woods, she’d strained to listen, hoping to hear their path as much as possible. The rustling movements were somewhat reassuring.

But now the woods were eerily silent, leaving her imagination to run wild. Had Shane missed the house? Found the place empty and abandoned? Or had he been caught by the bad guys?

She paced a path along the length of the SUV. No, she couldn’t believe Shane had been caught. Not with Bryce on guard. The dog would alert him to danger, so she quickly pushed that possibility aside. Most likely, Shane was taking his time, creeping up to the house in silence. He’d find what they needed.

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