Page 1 of Chasing Justice
Chapter One
Pino Grande National Forest—June
A black truck with an old camper shell whipped around a switchback in the distance. Driving too fast for the dirt road, the vehicle fishtailed on the washboards. A plume of dust swirled behind it.
Maya Thompson, a U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement officer in training, sat in the passenger seat of the patrol Tahoe studying the truck speeding their way and debating if the driver might lose control. Her FTO, or field training officer, Doug Leyton, didn’t seem bothered about the vehicle careening toward them.
As the truck flew by, it kicked up a rock that smacked the windshield and bounced off onto the dirt road. Maya startled, but Doug’s hands sat steady on the steering wheel, completely unfazed while her heart pounded. Nothing about rocks hitting windshields or trucks passing on dirt roads had been the same since returning home from Afghanistan.
Give it some time, everyone said.
Time healed everything.
Maybe.
Maya took a deep breath and pulled her long red hair back in a ponytail, securing it with a hair band. “How far out are we?”
Doug shrugged. “Maybe another five minutes.”
In the back of the SUV, Juniper lay on the seat specially designed for K-9s, with rubber mats and a vent for air-conditioning or heat depending on the time of year. With her eyes closed, the Malinois rode with the relaxation of an experienced veteran, despite being two years old and new to the job. A black fur mask crossed her face, mixed with a light brown coat over the rest of her body. A white spot splotched her chest.
Juniper opened one golden eye, then closed it again, the picture of contentment.
“Wish I could chill like that,” Maya said.
“Me too. Although she’s not always like that at home. When she’s not working, she can be difficult.” Doug glanced at Maya. “How’ve you been doing?”
“Fine.”
“No, I mean, how are you really doing? You can tell me. I’m your best friend, right?”
“Seriously, I’m fine. There’s no need to worry about me.”
Maya turned her head to watch the trees passing by in a blur—a mixture of green and brown from the pine beetle kill over the last few years. The pine beetle was about the size of a grain of rice and native to Colorado. The beetle infestation had impacted over 3.4 million acres of forest. The trees had been dying before Maya left to join the military, but at that time, the damage wasn’t as widespread. Now she was back and the beautiful, lush forests she loved so much were partially dead, with trees cut up into slash piles waiting for winter snow to burn. The forest looked like Maya felt inside.
“You know if you ever need to talk, I’m here for you.”
Doug reached over and took Maya’s hand, giving it a squeeze. Maya interlocked her fingers with his, appreciating his strong and reassuring grip. Doug was right—not only was he her FTO, but he was her best friend. They’d grown up together and she was grateful for his help.
“I know you’re here for me. Thank you.” Maya released Doug’s hand and undid her seat belt as they pulled into the trailhead parking lot. She wanted out of the vehicle to breathe the fresh air and stop her chest constricting from panic rising through her body. The feelings came so often now, but she had learned to control them, or maybe ignore them, and keep going. Or so she told herself every day.No more war zone.
She had thought about telling Doug more. Without him she wouldn’t have this job as a Forest Service officer. Maya would probably still be drinking herself to death at the cabin her grandmother left to her.
But despite how much she wanted to, Maya couldn’t fully open up to Doug. She didn’t want him to know how much of her had changed from the war. Most of all, she didn’t want him to know about the feelings she had stuffed deep down and shut off. When she was in Afghanistan, Maya heard other soldiers talking to their loved ones. She’d stopped calling home—it was too difficult to speak with those she loved, especially her grandmother. Nana had had a way of knowing when Maya wasn’t telling the truth and sensed she was struggling. Now that Nana was gone, Maya wished she could go back in time and talk to her.
Maya knew she was broken, but Doug had stayed friends with her and for that, she was grateful. She feared she would never be the same again, but working with Doug helped her move forward. Someday she would talk to him more, but for now, she kept herself closed off.
Doug opened the back door and Juniper bounded out of the vehicle. She shook and then stretched, her brown fur glistening in the sun. A part of Maya wanted so badly to reach down and run her hands through her beautiful coat. She could imagine the feel of the soft fur that would dance through her fingertips, but even worse, she could hear the ringing in her ears from a bomb exploding. The yelping of a dog in pain. Brown eyes begging for help. The memories from Afghanistan that haunted her dreams every night.
Maya stared off into the horizon to gather herself. She never wanted to feel the pain of losing a K-9 partner again.
Maya’s love of dogs came from when she was a little girl. Her grandparents had adopted a Great Pyrenees German Shepherd mix puppy named Bear. Together, Maya and her grandmother trained Bear. Maya loved the loyalty and how Bear waited for her after school at the front door. They’d hiked together and Bear always slept with her, which helped with her childhood nightmares.
When Maya joined the military, she applied to be a K-9 handler, but while deployed in Afghanistan, she’d lost her military K-9, Zinger, and the pain cut deep.
Especially since she was at fault for Zinger’s death.
After discharging from the military, Maya resisted working alongside a K-9 again, but knowing she was desperate for a job, Doug had convinced Maya she could suck it up and work with him and Juniper. She would only have to ride with him for a short time and then she’d be out on patrol on her own, with no dog reminding her of the past. Maya had debated the choice. In the end having a job where she was supporting herself and acting like an adult who made money for essentials like food and clothing won out.
