Page 14 of Valor

Maybe he’d read the scene wrong. They may not have set it up to look like a murder suicide. The intent may have been to frame him for a double homicide.

He ran down the two-track for as long as he dared before veering off into the woods. The wailing sirens grew louder, indicating the police response wasn’t far off.

Keeping to the thickest parts of the woods, he moved as slowly and silently as possible. It wasn’t easy considering he was carrying dog food and dishes, but he refused to leave the items behind. The puppy would need them.

After a full ten minutes, the sirens grew so loud he knew the police were on the two-track road driving up toward the house. Any minute they’d be on the scene, examining the Martins’ dead bodies.

He was running out of time! Either Emily would leave him behind, or the police would spread out, scouring the woods to search for the killer. He wasn’t that far from the house to avoid being caught and arrested.

Owen wasn’t a praying man. He’d been to church as a kid, but never as an adult. Yet he found himself hoping Emily would wait long enough for him to get there.

Please?his mind whispered as he picked up his pace.

The sirens stopped, which only caused his heart to pound harder in his chest. He could imagine the officers kneeling beside the dead couple, then standing and spreading out to search the area.

He caught a glimpse of something dark through the trees. The gray pickup truck? Using his elbows to push branches out of his way, he stumbled forward.

Then Emily was there, reaching for the bag of dog food. “You made it.”

“Yeah.” He had to fight the insane urge to pull her into his arms for a kiss. Instead, he hurried over to set the dog dishes in the truck.

“Did you hear the police car?” Emily asked as he dug the black electrical tape from his jeans pocket.

“Yes. This will only take a minute.” The urge to jump behind the wheel to drive away was strong, but they needed to make sure their plate number didn’t match any police alert for the stolen truck. If the owner even knew it had been stolen. He’d hoped the guy wouldn’t notice until he finished his shift at the hardware store.

Kneeling on the ground, he eyeballed the license plate. The first two digits were 11 indicating the truck owner was a resident in Park County. The following four digits were 3142. He used the black electrical tape to make the 3 into the number 8 and the number 1 into a 7. It wasn’t perfect, but he hoped the ruse would work long enough to buy them time.

He hurried around to the driver’s seat. Emily was already sitting inside, cradling the puppy on her lap. “Do you really think that will work?” she asked as he shoved the roll of tape in the glove box.

“You’d better hope so.” He started the truck and backed out of the brush. Thirty seconds later, they were back out on the highway. He’d debated pushing farther east toward the small town of Shell or returning to Greybull. Going backward didn’t seem logical. They could get food, gas, and water in Shell prior to heading into the Bighorn Mountains.

Decision made, he headed east. It took all his willpower not to go more than five miles per hour above the speed limit to avoid drawing undue attention. If his doctoring the license plate worked, the police would have no reason to pull him over.

Or so he hoped.

“I’m not sure what to call him.” Emily frowned as she stroked the puppy who’d fallen asleep in her lap. “He doesn’t have a name tag or a collar.”

“The dog dish I grabbed from the house has the name Bear inscribed on it.” He shrugged. “See if that works.”

“Is your name Bear? Is it?” The minute Emily said his name, Bear’s head popped up and his tail thumped. “Hi, Bear. You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?” Emily dropped a kiss on the top of Bear’s soft head.

Owen almost smiled. He couldn’t have left the puppy behind, but while Bear was cute, bringing him along only complicated things. They’d have to make frequent stops and consider places to stay that would allow dogs. He’d already risked being caught by the police just to grab the dog dishes and puppy food.

Maybe pretending to be a young married couple traveling with their new dog would help them fly under the radar. Yet he also knew it could have the opposite effect. That they’d be more memorable if the authorities came through asking questions.

He had no idea when the Martins had gotten Bear. The pup hadn’t been there while he’d recuperated from his infected injury. He’d left them roughly two weeks ago.

A glance at Emily reinforced how she’d already bonded with the pup. There was no way she’d leave him with someone else.

Swallowing a sigh, he followed the signs for the small town of Shell, one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it types of places.

Hopefully, the police wouldn’t be there waiting for them.

* * *

Bear was adorable.The way he burrowed into her arms and fell asleep warmed her heart. Emily was glad the puppy felt safe with them.

While she’d waited for Owen, she’d set Bear on the ground, waiting patiently for him to do his thing. He’d sniffed with interest, then finally went to the bathroom. She praised him like crazy, hoping that this was an indication he’d already been housebroken.

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