“I think we need to have Doc see if he can get dental records for Amber and ID the remains that way. If it’s not her, then maybe this isn’t your gun. But if it is her, then we need to figure out what happened before you’re questioned and arrested. Do you even know if there really is a prosecutor named Elena Pierce?” Maya asked. Fear was coursing through her. She didn’t believe that Josh would ever murder someone in cold blood and burn the remains.
“I don’t know.”
Juniper, feeling the tension, whined and slapped a paw up on Maya’s thigh. Maya rubbed her ears as the gravity of the situation continued to hit.
Rory came toward them, the evidence bag in hand. “I’m all done,” she said, still appearing unsure.
“Thanks for doing that,” Maya told the young deputy, then turned to Josh. “We still have some more areas to check for evidence. Rory can help and back me up. I think you should leave and not be a part of this, just in case.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Josh said. “I can take the gun back to Miranda.”
“No. You shouldn’t do that. It could hurt the chain of custody if it is your gun. You need to stay out of this.” Maya knew he was upset and even a little hurt by her statement, but he nodded in agreement.
“I’ll go and get Lucas. That way Rory can back you up and Lucas can help if you find more evidence.”
“That’s a good plan,” Maya said, letting out her breath. She hadn’t realized how upset she was until the man she loved turned and started to walk away. “Josh?”
“Yeah?” he said, turning around.
“I love you. We’ll figure this out.”
“I love you too,” he said. “I had nothing to do with this.”
“I know. I believe you.”
Josh headed back up the small hill and she heard him radio to Miranda that they needed Lucas. Maya did believe Josh. But she also believed that his past had demons and some of them had followed him here.
* * *
Waiting for Lucas seemed to take forever, but it probably wasn’t that long. She was glad Rory didn’t say anything. Juniper sat between them. Maya ignored the questioning looks Rory shot her way.
Juniper’s tail started to wag as Lucas came over the ridge toward them. As he approached, he said, “Josh filled me in.”
“Good,” Maya said. She could tell by Lucas’ expression that he too was concerned. He didn’t know Josh like she did. Would he believe that Josh was capable of such a thing? Lucas would probably do the right thing and not form an opinion one way or the other. “Any questions about what he told you?”
“None yet. I’ll take the evidence bag,” Lucas said, holding his hand out to Rory.
Rory handed it over and Maya said, “Let’s continue our search in this area. Juniper has more energy to burn off.”
Rory and Lucas nodded in agreement and Maya started casting Juniper back out in different directions. Feeling her handler’s mood change, Juniper was hesitant. She’d go out and sniff and then turn back, staring at Maya. Maya took a deep breath. She had to focus for her dog’s sake. Juniper didn’t understand anything other than to know that Maya was upset. Taking a moment to calm her thinking, Maya asked Juniper to check again. This time, Juniper caught a scent.
They headed down the road until Juniper veered off onto the shoulder. Lying down, Juniper stared at an empty sports drink bottle on the other side of a snowdrift. Maya threw Juniper her toy and the dog joyfully started to play. Lucas didn’t say a word. He and Maya had worked together enough over the years that he knew when she didn’t want to talk.
He started photographing the bottle. Maya stared at it the whole time, finally saying when Lucas had put it in the bag, “That’s the brand and flavor of sports drink that we have at home.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Lucas said. “It’s a popular brand. I drink the same kind. Maybe there will be fingerprints that Miranda can get off it. I can have DNA run on it too. It may not even pertain to this crime.”
“True,” Maya said, knowing that for Juniper, doing an evidence search meant she was alerting on items that were new to the area. Anyone driving on this road in the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours could have thrown the bottle out. It might not have anything to do with the crime. “I think Juniper is finally getting a little tired, but let’s work the other side of the road to see if we find anything over there.”
Rory and Lucas followed Maya, who extracted the toy from Juniper again. She cast Juniper out and just when she thought they weren’t going to catch another scent, Juniper’s tail poked up and she changed her body language. After trotting down the road a little farther and toward a bush, she lay down.
“What did you find?” Maya asked her, peering into the bush. Her heart sank again and this time a chill went through her body. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes, taking in what she saw. Josh’s stocking hat. This time she knew it was his. She’d given it to him, and it had the Forest Service emblem on it. “Shit.”
“What is it?” Lucas asked.
“That hat. It’s Josh’s.”
“Are you sure?”
