Page 13 of Scent of Fear

Bryce went around the backyard, lifting his leg. Then he finally found a spot to squat. He fished in the pack for his baggies, then cleaned up after his dog. “Good boy.”

Bryce wagged his tail, then padded to a spot in the shade, stretching out on the cool concrete.

Leaving his dog there, Shane rounded the corner of the house to check the road. No sign of either the deputy or his siblings. Both parties should be arriving soon.

He turned to head back to Bryce when he heard a scream.

Libby! Shane broke into a run as Bryce began to bark like crazy. As he rounded the corner, he saw a man sprinting away from the cabin.

“Bryce, get him!” The dog sprang up to chase his quarry when the fleeing man turned and fired several shots from a handgun.

“Bryce, down! Get down!” As much as he wanted to get that guy, he wouldn’t risk his K9’s life to bring him in.

Within seconds, the fleeing man made it to the woods. Another minute passed, and another.

Then he heard an engine roar to life. The assailant was getting away!

There was nothing Shane could do to stop him.

4

Seeing the man’s head popping up through her grandfather’s cellar had scared her to death. Libby had screamed, then wished she hadn’t when the guy broke into a run. As she bolted from her room to head outside, she heard gunfire.

“Shane! Bryce!” She wrenched the patio doors open.

“He’s gone.” Shane was crouched beside his K9, who stared intently at the location in the woods. He glanced over his shoulder to meet her gaze. “I couldn’t risk sending Bryce after him when he began shooting.”

“Of course not.” She didn’t blame him for protecting Bryce. “I can’t believe he was hiding in the cellar.”

“The cellar?” Shane rose to his feet and headed toward the side of the cabin. She joined him, reaching over to close the cellar door. “I didn’t notice this earlier.”

“I was shocked when I caught a glimpse of him as he emerged from the cellar.” She pointed to the window. “That’s the room I use when I’m visiting.”

Shane nodded thoughtfully. “I would have cleared the cellar, too, if I’d seen it. But why was he down there? I think he took off on the same four-wheeler we saw earlier.”

“But if that’s true, then where’s my grandfather?” Libby abruptly reached down to yank the door back up. “Grandpa? Are you there?”

“Hold on,” Shane said, but she shook off his arm and quickly clattered down the wooden stairs. The cellar was cool and dank.

And empty, except for the canned items her grandfather kept down there.

“He’s not here.” She felt Shane come down to stand beside her. Then she frowned as she realized the canned goods had been moved around rather haphazardly. “It almost looks like that guy was searching for something.”

“Yeah.” Shane’s scowl deepened. “That takes me back to my original question. Does your grandfather owe someone money?”

“No!” She tried to dial back her annoyance. It was a reasonable question based on the fact that they’d just stumbled over a stranger searching the cellar. “If Grandpa did owe someone money, he never said anything to me. And I would think he’d warn me, especially since he knows I come out to visit every week.”

“I don’t think that guy took anything with him,” Shane said. “The only thing I saw in his hand was the gun.”

She shivered, realizing how close they’d come to getting shot for the second time that day. “Do you think it’s the same man we saw earlier?”

“I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.” Shane turned to head back up the wooden stairs. Bryce stood to the side of the opening, his dark eyes watching as they climbed out.

Up close, Bryce’s teeth looked huge, but she swallowed her fear and offered a weak smile. “Good doggy.”

Shane smoothed a hand over Bryce’s fur, then reached over to close the cellar door. It dropped with a loud thud. In the distance, she heard a car engine.

“I hope that’s the sheriff’s department,” Shane muttered. “Come, Bryce.”

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