Page 69 of Chasing Justice
Maya was ready to answer when Juniper paused again. She worked a scent cone back and forth and then brought her head up, air scenting. Maya cast Juniper out again, directing her to areas where she had worked the odor to help her find it again. Juniper went between sniffing the ground and air scenting.
After working several different directions, her panting was becoming obvious. Maya was ready to pull her up and get her some water when Juniper took off again. After taking a couple sharp turns, they arrived at a dilapidated cabin. The windows were boarded up and some of the roof shingles appeared to be loose.
Juniper wanted to track up to the door, but Maya pulled her up at a safe distance. She praised Juniper, making sure she knew that the track she ran was perfect.
“What do you think?” Maya asked. “I don’t think this is national forest land. I’d have to look at a map, but I think this is private. There are little pockets of private properties around the forest.”
“Juniper took us here on fresh pursuit that pertains to drug trafficking and possibly the sheriff’s disappearance. Let’s clear it,” Josh said.
“You want to try to get a warrant?”
“I don’t think we have time for that.”
“I agree. Since Juniper took us here, we have probable cause, although since we’re not certified together that might not stand up in court,” Maya said.
“But I would say this is an exigent circumstance. The sheriff is missing. I say we enter and check only for your grandfather. If he’s not there, then I can work on getting a warrant for the rest of the house.”
“Works for me.” Maya gathered up Juniper’s leash and they started toward the cabin. Her heart pounded as adrenaline pumped. She loved these moments. She loved the rush. She also feared these moments because of the uncertainty.
Approaching the door, Maya and Juniper moved toward the side, Josh behind them. They all stayed away from the front of the door in case anyone was in there waiting to ambush them. Law enforcement called doors the fatal funnel because they were the most dangerous spot when making an entry. Ready to unleash Juniper to clear the cabin, Maya announced, “Forest Service Law Enforcement. Anyone here?”
Josh also identified himself, but there was no answer to either of them.
Maya yelled again, “Forest Service Law Enforcement! If anyone is here, come out with your hands up or I’m sending the dog.”
No answer.
Juniper sounded off. Maya yelled one more time over Juniper’s barks and yips that if anyone was in there, they needed to come out or the dog was coming in. Usually the K-9 barking inspired suspects to come out.
Still no answer.
Maya nodded at Josh and tried to ignore how easy it was to work with him. She shoved her thoughts aside.Don’t disregard what Sam said.She needed to know more about Josh before completely trusting him.
She unclipped Juniper’s leash and Josh did a couple donkey kicks to open the door. Maya told Juniper to “seek and go get ’em,” the command for clearing a cabin or building.
Maya and Josh stayed shoulder to shoulder as they entered behind Juniper, who was trained to follow her nose and search for the scent she’d been tracking. She would also go into each room and sniff for anyone else hiding in the house. Maya remained behind with her gun drawn, but made sure she kept Juniper in her sight. The hardest part of working a dog was that they went into danger first and could also be ambushed. But their nose and instincts usually beat a criminal.
She could hear the clicking of Juniper’s nails on the wooden floor. The cabin seemed small. Maybe just a couple rooms. On average it took a K-9 twenty seconds to clear a house. Juniper would work this cabin quickly.
Maya cleared the area around the front door first. Her training had taught her to stop and assess each direction and to break up the area into slivers like a pizza—one slice of space at a time. She started to her left and cleared everything in front of her, including behind the door.
After clearing the rest of the cabin, Juniper’s nail clicking stopped, replaced by a thumping noise. “What’s that?” she whispered to Josh. He shrugged.
Thump. Thump.
“Footsteps?” she whispered.
“Maybe, but doesn’t sound quite right.”
Juniper was stopped in front of a door leading to what was probably a bedroom. She panted and whined. Then she started digging at the door, telling Maya she wanted in there. Now.
Maya noticed Josh watching Juniper. “Keep an eye on me. I’ll watch my dog. Remember, you’re my cover officer.”
Maya gave Josh a hand signal that he should back her up. They remained shoulder to shoulder and once again announced themselves as law enforcement officers.
Thump. Thump.
Maya couldn’t tell if the noise was footsteps or someone trying to open a window to maybe escape. She reached the door, every sense on high alert. Staying off to the side, she grabbed the smooth, cold metal of the doorknob. She turned the handle, threw the door open and told Juniper to “seek and go get ’em.”
