Page 42 of Hunting the Truth
She managed to get the toy away from Juniper, then sent Lucas a text and arranged for him to come right away since she couldn’t collect the evidence herself and risk it being inadmissible in court. While they waited, she leaned in and carefully moved some tree branches so she could take a closer peek at the bracelet.
Maya gasped. She knew this bracelet and the good luck horseshoe charm that still hung off it.
It had belonged to her mother.
She leaned back against a tree and closed her eyes. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as she thought about the last time she’d seen this bracelet. She’d forgotten about it until now. The memory seemed so long ago, but Maya’s mother had worn the bracelet the night she’d died. Maya leaned over, breathless as the memory flooded back in.
She remembered her mother answering the door when the loud knocks had started. The man who had reminded Maya of a snake had come back after Zoey kicked him out. He’d pounded on the door again, demanding that Zoey open it up. She took Maya by the shoulders and told her to go hide, the bracelet dangling right by Maya’s face.
When Maya ran to the closet, her best hiding place, she remembered the man yelling at her mother. She hadn’t recalled exactly what he said, but it had been threatening.
Maya squeezed her eyes shut trying desperately to remember what he looked like. Was it Eric Torres?Can I trust this memory? Or am I wanting this to be what I remember?
She worked to control her breathing. Juniper, sensing that something didn’t seem right with her handler, came over and shoved her nose towards Maya’s face.
“You’re a good girl,” Maya said, reaching out and stroking the dog on her head. She struggled to stand back up straight, trying to compose herself, but the memory brought with it smells of the smoke and fire. The sound of a gunshot.That bastard shot her in cold blood. He’s going to pay for this if it’s the last thing I do.
Not only had he killed her mother, but he’d been callous enough to steal this too. Had he given it to Kendra as a gift? Sweat dripped down Maya’s face. A piece of her mother that would now have to be logged into evidence, but someday, when the bastard was behind bars, she would get it back.
Juniper continued to nudge her, and she sat down on the ground, petting the dog. She climbed into Maya’s lap and tried to lick her face. Maya ended up with dog slobber all over her.
“Thanks a lot,” she said with a laugh, wiping the slobber off. Juniper thumped her tail in response. Maya let the weight of Juniper calm her down and help get her breathing back under control.
A vehicle pulled into her drive. It was probably Lucas. Juniper hopped off Maya’s lap and they went to greet him.
“So you found some evidence?” he asked.
“I did. I was just doing a training session and Juniper alerted. It’s this way,” Maya said.
“A training session, huh? Glad to see you haven’t changed.” Lucas chuckled and followed them back to the tree. They waited while he took pictures and logged the location of the bracelet.
“That bracelet was my mother’s,” Maya said as Lucas bagged it.
Lucas paused what he was doing. He stared at Maya with a bit of surprise. “Really? How do you think it got here?”
“I have no idea. I’m still in shock. I haven’t seen it since the night my mother died.”
“Yet another piece of the puzzle that doesn’t make sense. I’ll take it to Miranda and see if she can find any prints or other evidence on it,” Lucas said. “Did you finish your ‘training’ track?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m here now. I’ll back you up. It’ll be like old times and you can see if Juniper finds anything else.”
“Works for me,” Maya said.
She started casting Juniper out again and they picked up the track. Juniper continued to head in the direction of the pull-off and, as Maya suspected, that’s where the track ended. She and Lucas inspected the area and found an oil leak. She wondered if Torres knew how bad his vehicle was dripping. It might give them the upper hand if they had to pursue him in a vehicle chase. Seeping that much oil, the truck might break down, especially if they were going up a mountain pass.
While Lucas took pictures of the area and the oil spots, she praised Juniper, who finally looked happy after working. She was proud of her dog. Because of Juniper, they had another piece of evidence tying Torres to her mother’s death, and now Maya knew where he parked. She was one step closer to nailing Torres and putting him in prison where he deserved to rot.
As Lucas took some more pictures, Juniper started to growl.
“What’s up with her?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t know.” Maya always trusted her dog. It was the number one commandment for dog handlers. She followed Juniper’s gaze. An old truck was coming down the road. It was a two-toned beige Ford, probably an early ’90s model.
The truck was slowing down.
She thought the driver was going to pull off and park, but then the driver shifted and the truck picked up speed. As it went by, creating a breeze that blew Maya’s hair back off her face, she realized the driver was a male with dark hair. She snapped a quick picture of the license plate. Was there any chance that had been Torres? Even if she wanted to pursue the vehicle and pull it over, by the time she got back to her patrol vehicle, this truck would be long gone.
