Page 2 of Hunting the Truth
She hadn’t told Pops or Josh. She didn’t want them to worry.
Maya kept Juniper by her side and stayed in the hallway for cover. She listened for any noise, but there was only silence. Peering around the wall, she strained to peek out the windows, but with the lamps on inside and the darkness outside, it was difficult to see. If only she’d shut off the lights when Juniper had started barking.
“Come on, Juniper. Let’s check outside.”
After tugging on a pair of jeans, she secured Juniper’s tracking harness and snapped on the leash. She grabbed her jacket and hooked on her duty belt with her Glock. That would be easier to handle than a shotgun.
The pair stepped out into the cool morning. The first hints of sunlight silhouetted some large fir trees. Juniper trembled by Maya’s side, waiting for her handler to give her a command. Maya stayed still and listened.
Outside the cabin was acres of forest. Not easy to clear as she could go for miles searching for someone and there were plenty of hiding places.
A black raven squawked in a tree. The creek that flowed behind the cabin gurgled and bubbled, running slow this time of year. Nothing unusual, yet Maya unholstered her Glock.
She and Juniper stepped off the front porch.I’m tired of being the prey. It’s time to figure out if someone is watching me.
Letting out the long tracking leash, Maya cast Juniper in different directions. “Seek. Go find ’em.”
Juniper stuck her nose to the ground and began working back and forth, looking for a scent. Maya directed her dog toward the end of the cabin and the window where Juniper first barked, keeping them close to the cabin wall. Juniper didn’t seem to be finding a scent to track. Maya kept an eye on her dog, watching for a change in body language. Together they crept toward the corner of the cabin.
Step by step, Maya worked to control her breathing. She had her Glock in hand and, despite the adrenaline, held it steady. Juniper crept with her, at times sticking her nose up in the air and at other times pushing it to the ground. Then Juniper’s tail came down. Her body was tense, but not tight and rigid like when she had caught a suspect’s odor. Maya didn’t see any signs of shoeprints, but she continued to follow her dog. Maybe Maya was imagining this. Maybe Nana’s case and the thought of someone watching her family was creating delusions.
They came up to the corner and paused. Then Maya and Juniper stepped around in unison, Maya with her gun pointed and Juniper growling.
Three pairs of eyes stared back at them.
A mother fox and her two kits sat across the stream, paws still wet from crossing. They were probably spooked from Maya and Juniper sneaking up on them. The mother fox had a dead rabbit in her mouth.
“Juniper,” Maya said, exasperated. “Come here. Sit.”
She holstered her gun. Juniper paused and stared at Maya and then at the intruders. She let out a low whine and ducked her head down.
“Come. Here. Now,” Maya said in a stern voice.
Juniper sighed and turned around, coming back to sit by her side.
“You all go on now and have your breakfast. And stay away from the neighbor’s chickens. Help yourself to more rabbits so Juniper has less to chase.”
The foxes scampered off into the trees.
Maya and Juniper headed back in. She had a broken coffee mug to clean up and a nasty headache starting. As she opened the door, a gentle breeze picked up, bringing with it a slight smell of cigarette smoke. Juniper stuck her nose up in the air. Maya studied her dog’s reaction. They could go out and try tracking again, but just as quickly as the scent started, it left.
Am I imagining things like the smell of cigarettes? It could be scent from a car passing by on the road.Maya noticed that Juniper had quit air scenting and shoved her nose toward the door, wanting in, ready for her breakfast. If Juniper didn’t show interest, then it probably was a passing car.
Get your act together, Thompson. Stop imagining things that aren’t there.Maya and Juniper went back inside, but as she shut the door behind her, she took one last look outside, hoping she wasn’t losing her mind.
He watched Maya and her K-9 head back into the cabin. She was vulnerable living alone out here in the middle of nowhere, except for the dog. If it weren’t for the dog, he’d have already finished the job he came to do.
He slunk back into the trees toward the road and took another long drag off the cigarette he’d lit, enjoying the nicotine hitting his system. He was grateful for the distraction of the fox family. If they hadn’t been there, the dog might have found his trail. He was careful where he watched from, hopefully far enough away that Maya wouldn’t cast the dog in the right area to catch his scent, but police dogs were good. Eric Torres knew this from personal experience.
He walked back to the road and climbed into his truck, taking another drag from the cigarette. Smoking was his bad habit, but it seemed the least of his worries right now.Habits.People were funny and trying to figure out the habits of others was difficult, but Eric was fine with long surveillances. He’d done it for years as a cop and even though he’d left the profession, or rather been forced out, it was easy to get back into doing something like this. Especially when it gave him a chance to watch Maya and plot how to get to her. Although he’d been watching her enough to know that she was tough, and this wouldn’t be an easy task.
He’d used binoculars to peer through the window before Maya woke up. The evidence board was looking more in depth. She had turned the pictures around. They bothered her. It was a weakness and maybe something he could use.
But he’d seen her notes written up on the board. The one that worried him the most was the one that read,Cigarettes found at each scene. Check with Lucas on DNA.Last night, she’d added another note:Who was watching Mom and Nana? And why?
And whywas circled in bright red dry-erase marker. Maya was getting closer to the truth—she’s investigating, and I can’t let her do that.
He had to stop her.
