Page 83 of Hunting the Truth
Since she’d shot Blake, Maya guessed that it meant Abigail was at a breaking point. She needed to get rid of everyone who could be a witness against her. Did that include Eric? Maya had begun to believe him, but she still thought there was a possibility that he and Abigail were working together.
“Can you see who it is?” Josh asked, unable to turn because of his injury.
“It’s Abigail. She took out Blake.”
“Does she know we’re here?”
“I don’t know,” Maya said, her words lost by the noise of the chopper.
The grass was now starting to flatten down from the wind created by the helicopter. Sticks and dirt scattered and blew around. Maya had to either help the pilot land or get them to leave. She saw Abigail stop on the hill and aim the rifle toward the helicopter. Maya was about ready to stand up and wave the pilot off when she saw Eric come flying out of the willows near Abigail. He tackled her and pushed her to the ground.
They rolled around, each trying to gain control, and then Abigail managed to punch Eric in the face. She stood and took off towards the tree line, with Eric in pursuit.
“What’s happening?” Josh yelled over the sound of the helicopter.
“Eric surprised Abigail and they fought each other. She got away and took off.”
“Take Juniper and go after them,” Josh said. “Backup should be here any minute. Deputy Wilson was only a few miles away.”
“I’m going to stay with you until I know you’re safely out of here,” Maya yelled back.
Juniper lay down and flattened her ears. Maya knew the last time a medevac chopper had landed, Juniper had been injured and was airlifted out. She was probably worried the same thing was happening today. Maya petted her and reassured her that they were okay. Then she stood and waved at the pilot. He saw her and placed the skids down on the ground.
Two flight nurses came out of the helicopter with a carry litter for Josh. Before they reached them, Maya leaned over and gave Josh a slow, tender kiss. “You better be okay,” she said.
“I’ll be fine.” The flight nurses arrived and went to work lifting Josh on the litter and starting an IV. Before they picked him up, he reached out and took Maya’s hand. “I love you too,” Josh said. “I didn’t know if you felt the same way, but we’ll talk more, after you catch Eric and Abigail. You just come home, got it?”
Maya hesitated, not really sure how to answer, and then she said, “Got it. And always. I’ll always come home.”
“Find those two and make them pay for what they’ve done.”
“You know it,” she said.
The nurses loaded Josh in the chopper and closed the doors. Maya stood back so that she didn’t have debris thrown at her from the downwash.
The bird lifted off and she felt like she could breathe again when it flew over the trees, out of sight and danger from a rifle shot. As the noise of the helicopter dissipated, she turned and stared in the direction of where Eric had tackled Abigail.
There were no signs of them.
Maya looked down at Juniper. “You ready to find some bad guys? Maybe this time I won’t have to call you off a bite.”
Juniper wagged her tail and started dancing up and down with her front paws.
“Let’s go do this,” Maya said.
Chapter Forty-Two
Maya was ready to head in the direction Eric and Abigail had fled after their fight, but she realized that Blake’s body was still over near the willow bushes. She needed to check on him and make sure he really was deceased. If he wasn’t, she’d have to get more medical help. Although from what Maya saw, the shot was good.
Juniper followed Maya and changed direction toward Blake. When they were near, Juniper stuck her nose up in the air, taking in the scent. She wasn’t trained to find human remains, but that didn’t mean the dog didn’t smell the change in odor.
Blake was lying in the grass, his face pale, and his eyes had no life in them. The rifle was a large caliber and he probably hadn’t felt a thing once the bullet hit him. The shot was spot on target wise, center mass like all law enforcement was taught. If you hit someone in the central nervous system, they were dead. Maya took note of that. She had to be careful with Abigail.
Checking for a pulse, she confirmed that Blake was deceased. They would have to come back for him later. Right now, the two people who could answer her questions about her mother and grandmother were on the run.
Maya wanted to catch up with them. The odor would be fresh, and the day was still with very little wind—ideal conditions for Juniper to track.
“Okay, girl,” Maya said. “This is what you’ve been waiting for. Let’s go. Go find ’em.”
