Page 45 of Hunting the Truth
Where was her dog? Normally she wouldn’t have been holding a gun and the leash and would have had a stronger grip on Juniper. Maya had to trust that Juniper would take care of herself. Getting to the ridge would help her see the shooter and her dog. As hard as it was to leave Juniper, Maya continued down the bank of the streambed.
She would stop every now and then and duck behind a tree for cover, while she checked and cleared the area, gun out ready to fire at anything that moved. In the distance Maya could hear sirens echoing off the mountains as they came along the road. She checked her cell phone to see if she could get a call into dispatch.
No signal. The only reason Maya ever had any signal at her cabin was because she used Wi-Fi for calling or the good old-fashioned landline. Both her router and the landline phone were currently either being burned or had been destroyed by bullets.
Maya peered around her area, looking for her dog, hoping to see brown fur running through the trees. She didn’t want to whistle and give away her location, but she had to try to find Juniper. She let out the shrill noise and waited.
No Juniper.
Maya fought the panic rising in her. She couldn’t lose Juniper. She’d never forgive herself.
Smoke filled the air and Maya glanced at her cabin. Her chest constricted with anger and fury as she saw flames destroying her home. Her cabin. The cabin Nana had left to her and that held so many special memories.
Maya couldn’t think about it all right now. For now, she had to keep moving and stay safe. There was a man out there trying to kill her.
The Molotov cocktail was obviously used to flush her out. Or was it? Maybe it was a diversion to escape. Maybe Torres thought Maya was dead and of no use to him. Whatever the reason, Maya still wanted to make it to the ridge where she had a better vantage point. For all she knew, Juniper had Torres by now and was waiting for Maya to come help her.
Get to the ridge and find your dog.
Maya trekked a little farther and took cover behind a rock. She peered up over the boulder and looked for signs of anyone in the area. Scanning around, she couldn’t see any movement, but that didn’t mean that Torres wasn’t still there. And who knew if he was on his own? This could still be a trap.
Red and blue lights flashed through the trees as several sheriff’s vehicles pulled up. Maya saw Josh, Pops and another deputy park on the outskirts of her driveway, staging a safe distance away. They were being careful.
Good.
Her message had reached dispatch. She had to let them know she was okay.
She pulled her phone out and texted another message to 9-1-1. She held her phone up, hoping to find enough signal to send a text. If it went through, it would go to dispatch, and they could relay to Pops and Josh that Maya was okay and would be making her way to them and that she didn’t know if the suspect was still in the area. She sent her message and then started heading toward Pops and Josh.
They put their fingers up to their earbuds that connected with their radio. Maya hoped that meant they were getting the message she’d sent dispatch. Josh started looking around and was the first to spot her. He said something to Pops and pointed in her direction. Maya headed toward them as fast as she could.
Pops ran forward, hugging her. “Maya, thank God you’re okay,” he said.
Maya returned his hug and said, “I’m okay because Juniper warned me, but she’s missing. She took off.”
“Shit, we’ll find her,” Pops said.
Maya gave a shrill whistle again and peered around, straining to see anything moving in the woods. She was about ready to whistle again, when she spotted movement off in the woods from the direction she suspected Torres had run.
Is it...?
Maya held her breath, and sure enough, Juniper shot out of the woods straight toward her, looking pleased with herself.
Juniper proudly took her place by Maya’s side. Josh came over and joined them. Maya could see they were all, including Juniper, still scanning the area for a suspect waiting to ambush them. Her home was almost completely up in flames and she was glad she’d cleared out the trees last year for the defensible space. While it was meant to keep a forest fire from destroying her home, she hoped it would help firefighters keep the fire from spreading to the forest and creating a bigger issue. At least Juniper was okay.
“I’m glad she came back,” Pops said, putting a hand on Maya’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Everyone is okay and that’s what matters.”
“But Pops, the cabin that Nana left for me is gone. I feel like I’ve completely lost her,” Maya said.
“No.” Pops shook his head. “She’d only care that you’re okay. She’d say the cabin could be rebuilt.”
“Have you seen any signs of the suspect?” Josh asked. “The firefighters have staged a mile down the road. We need to clear the area before they can do anything.”
“No,” Maya said, shaking her head. “And Juniper hasn’t reacted. I think the person is gone. I came out my back door and along the creek and back up to the ridge. I didn’t see anyone, but I haven’t cleared the other side of the house that leads to the road.”
“Wilson,” Josh shouted to the other deputy. Maya recognized the young deputy from the day Kendra died. “We need to clear the east side of the woods so the firefighters can get in to do their jobs.”
“Yes, sir,” Wilson said.
