Page 32 of Scent of Fear

“What did you find?” She couldn’t tell what he had in his hand.

He hesitated, then reluctantly showed her the narrow strip of plastic. She frowned, then realization dawned.

“A zip tie?” Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears. “You think it was used to bind Grandpa’s wrists together?”

“Could be.” He grimaced as he stood. “All we can do is bring it back to show the sheriff’s deputies.”

She swallowed hard, trying not to imagine her grandfather sitting with his wrists tied together. Turning, she glanced around the shallow opening of the cave. There appeared to be a small fire pit, but nothing else. “I’m trying to understand the timeline here. Grandpa’s glasses were found in the clearing where there were clear tire tracks from a large vehicle.” She threw her arm wide. “How long did they keep him here?”

“I was trying to piece that together too.” Shane stepped past her, leaving the cave. She followed, watching as he pulled the rubber ducky from his pocket and tossed it to Bryce. “Good boy!”

Bryce leaped into the air to catch the ducky, then ran around the woods. The dog’s antics never failed to make her smile.

Even now, despite knowing her grandfather had been confined with zip ties.

Shane pulled out his compass. “The clearing where we found the glasses is southeast of here.” He met her gaze. “We don’t know for sure when your grandfather was taken or lured into the woods. But I think he was brought here first. Then when the bad guys discovered we were searching for him using Bryce, they moved him to the clearing.”

“Two men for sure.” She could easily imagine the scenario Shane described. “One to bring the truck up to the clearing and the other to bring Grandpa from this cave down to meet him using the four-wheeler.”

“At least two men,” Shane agreed. “Maybe more. Although I have to admit, without knowing the motive, it’s difficult to understand why so many are involved.”

She shook her head. “I wish I knew why they took him too. The only thing of value that he has is the cabin and the land.”

“And you would be the one to inherit if something happened to your grandfather,” Shane said.

For a horrible moment, she thought he was accusing her of being involved. “I didn’t?—”

“I know you’re not responsible,” Shane quickly added. “I’m stating a fact. These guys must know about you, so taking your grandfather in some scheme to get control of his property doesn’t make any sense.”

She relaxed and nodded. “That’s true. Grandpa told me I would inherit the place when he was gone. I’ve been asking him to sell it outright to move in with me.” She abruptly turned toward Shane who was taking the rubber ducky from Bryce. “Could that be it? They took Grandpa to convince him to sell?”

“That’s a bit extreme.” Shane stuffed the ducky into his pocket. “And honestly, any legal transaction done under duress wouldn’t hold up in court.”

“Maybe the goal is to avoid court.”

“Hey, we’ll find him,” Shane said encouragingly. For a guy who seemed to expect the worst at every turn, he was strangely cheery. “I’ll give Bryce another search command. Maybe he’ll take us to another new location.”

She was so touched by his caring that she crossed to his side and lifted up onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Thanks, Shane.”

“You’re welcome.” His cheeks flushed, but he quickly turned toward his K9. He shrugged out of his pack, poured water into a bowl, and offered it to the dog. Bryce lapped at the liquid, then stared expectantly at Shane. After tucking the collapsible bowl away, he offered Bryce the scent bag. “This is Bad Guy. Search! Search Bad Guy!”

Bryce briefly sniffed the bag, clearly already having the scent locked in his mind. Then he lowered his nose to the ground and moved down the side of the hill. Shane stood, shouldered his pack, then headed after the dog.

Libby followed, searching the ground for signs the four-wheeler had gone this way. The ground was too covered with pine needles to reveal tracks. Lifting her gaze to the trees around them, she frowned when she saw several that appeared to be dead, which was why there were so many needles carpeting the ground.

Disease? Lack of water? She wasn’t sure.

Quickening her pace, she caught up to Shane and Bryce. They were moving faster now. The dog apparently was on a mission, sniffing intently as he trotted through the brush. Thinking back to the shallow cave they’d left behind, she realized that while the search was continuing, she’d know next to nothing about her grandfather’s disappearance if not for Shane and his K9, Bryce.

Reinforcing the incredibly valuable service the Sullivan family provided to the community.

They walked in silence for several minutes. The image of the zip tie flashed in her mind. It wasn’t easy to focus on the positive when she had no idea how these guys were treating her grandfather. If they wanted something from him—what she no idea—it made sense that they’d give him food and water at the very least.

When Shane signaled for a break, she let out a sigh of relief. She walked around town to stay in shape, but this was a whole new level of hiking. Maybe she needed to rethink her exercise plan.

“Down, Bryce,” Shane said. The dog lowered himself to the ground, his tongue lolling to the side as he panted. The expression made Bryce appear to be smiling.

“How much farther?” she asked as Shane handed her a bottle of water from the pack.

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