Page 51 of Hunting the Truth
They were heading toward a wilderness area. Wilderness areas were special designations within national forests. They were meant to be exactly what they sounded like—wild. People were only allowed in on foot to camp. Motor vehicles of any kind were prohibited, along with no mining or logging and other restrictions. And they would be a perfect place to escape.
Juniper’s nose stayed close to the ground, and she kept up a solid pace. They headed into the trees, which were large and thick. Some of them had been decimated by pine beetle kill, but others seemed to be managing fine. The trees were close together, blocking some of the sun and casting dark shadows.
Maya pulled Juniper up for a minute and let her eyes adjust to the change in light. Juniper sat down and was panting, so Maya got them both some water. Not only would the water help Juniper with dehydration, but it would also keep her nose moist so she could scent better.
The bad thing about where they were was that it would be easy for someone to ambush Maya and Juniper. This was where a backup officer would have been a good idea. She thought about turning around and getting to an area where she could radio Josh and ask for his help, but she was already this far along.
“What do you think, girl? You up for this?”
Juniper wagged her tail in response. Maya pulled the bag with the scent article out of her pocket and let Juniper sniff it again just to keep her sharp on the odor.
“Track, girl. Let’s go. Let’s go find him.”
Juniper immediately put her nose back down on the ground and found the scent trail quickly. They picked up their pace together. Maya was glad to be moving again as she had worked up a sweat on the first part of the track; now, being in the shade of the trees, she had cooled off and felt chilled.
They came to a small stream. Juniper hesitated there and then turned to her left, following the stream from the bank. People often thought dogs couldn’t smell a track if a person ran through water. That was a myth. Dogs could smell just fine in water and Juniper proved that when she came up to an area that Torres must have used to cross the stream. Maya could see why. There were places to jump to that kept her feet from getting wet.
Juniper didn’t care about her paws getting wet—she kept her nose down and trotted through the water with no hesitation. Maya didn’t want to deal with wet boots and socks, so she took the path that she assumed Torres had also used.
They went back farther, and Maya swore she could smell smoke from a campfire. Juniper’s body language changed from the easy rhythm of following a track to indicating that a person might be near. She paused and a low growl came up in her throat.
“Quiet,” Maya said, not wanting the dog to sound off yet. She wanted the element of surprise. Juniper listened but stayed in front of her.
Maya peered around some of the trees blocking her view and saw a tent. There was a man outside of it who appeared to be cleaning up from breakfast over the campfire. He had dark hair, but without his hat on, she could see flecks of gray. He wore an old jacket and camouflage pants. Even though the man was older, maybe in his fifties, he was in good shape. He turned in their direction, and Maya pulled Juniper back with her into darker shadows. She held her breath. His eyes were exactly like she remembered—dark and snakelike, ready to strike. This man was definitely Eric Torres.
“You’re a good girl.” Maya rubbed Juniper’s head, proud of her for finding Torres. Now she had to figure out the best way to arrest him with the least amount of conflict since she was on her own.
Maybe it’s time to stop being stubborn and always on my own. I’m still at a point where I could radio Josh and ask for help. And if I arrest Torres, that could complicate prosecution in the case. It would be safer to have backup.
There was a thick stand of trees they’d come through when they had first approached the campsite. The trees would give them some concealment, so Maya and Juniper crept back that direction. They had to be careful that they didn’t make any noise and tip Torres off. Maya pulled out her satellite phone and sent Josh a text with all the information about where she’d found Torres. She put the phone back in her pocket and decided she would wait until Josh arrived before approaching Torres.
“We’ll just sit tight for now and wait for backup, okay, girly?” Maya said.
Juniper wagged her tail and gave a small whine. Maya hoped Torres hadn’t heard them. When she peered back around the tree, he was gone.
Where is he?
Crap, maybe he did hear us.
Maya remained concealed behind the tree, Juniper in front of her to also keep her hidden. When she took another look around the tree trunk, Eric Torres stood about fifteen feet away and he had his gun drawn, but it wasn’t pointed at them. Another person had arrived, and he and Eric were in a standoff.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maya quickly pulled her gun out and unsnapped Juniper’s leash.
“Stay,” she whispered to her dog. She wanted Juniper to be free in case they needed to go after either or both guys. The whole situation had changed and Maya wasn’t sure she could wait for Josh to arrive. She might have to intervene, but for now, she would wait and assess the situation.
At least she had Juniper in case she had to get involved. She and Juniper had worked on bite and redirect exercises to help take down two suspects by Juniper apprehending one, releasing the bite, and then under Maya’s direction, biting the other suspect. Juniper did well with the exercise, but Maya didn’t want to really test it out if she didn’t have to.
“Harold,” Torres said. “So nice to see you. I didn’t think you cared anymore. Nice of you to find me.”
Harold? Maya didn’t know for sure who he was, but he had similar features to Blake. Could this be the cousin that Denise had told her about?
“Cut the crap,” Harold said. “You know why I’m here. You’re getting in the way, but you’re not getting away with it. You can’t save her. No one can.”
Maya wondered if they were talking about her? Or maybe another witness? Could it be Abigail? Did she know more than she was letting on? Maya and Juniper remained hidden and kept watching.
“I will always protect her. I promised that. And I always keep my promises.”
