“Spit it out,” Maya said. “It’s okay. I’m sure you’re probably thinking that because it’s Josh I shouldn’t take Juniper and track.”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” Rory said.
“And you’re right.”
“What?”
“You’re absolutely right. It’s a conflict of interest, but it’s also Josh and he’s missing. I’ll deal with the consequences later,” Maya said.
“Okay.”
“Will you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
Maya handed Rory her house key. “Will you go get Finn? You’ve worked him. If we need a track with someone who doesn’t have a conflict of interest, you can use him.”
Rory seemed uncertain, but finally took the key. “Okay, I’ll go get him.”
Maya watched the young deputy head toward her cruiser. “Rory?”
She stopped and turned around.
“If anyone gives you a hard time, let them know I’m the one who asked you to do this, okay?”
Rory nodded and then got in her patrol car and headed out. Maya knew she was pushing it, but right now she didn’t care. She could hear her boss asking her not to get into trouble. One of these days, he wasn’t going to be able to bail her out. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it. But it would be good for Rory to have Finn. They weren’t certified, but Rory had worked him enough to be solid with him.
The other thing that Maya didn’t want to say out loud was that Finn could find human remains. If something bad had happened to Josh, Finn would find him better than Juniper. And the thought of finding Josh deceased scared the crap out of Maya.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Back against the wall, Josh went back out of the office and waited before entering the kitchen. He peeked around the corner and saw a small woman standing there, determined look on her face, holding a knife expertly folded back in her hand. Although he noticed her arm was shaking.
Holding the gun in a low-ready position, finger off the trigger, Josh stepped out from his spot and said, “Drop the weapon. Drop the knife.”
Even though the woman was shaking, maybe actually shivering, she surprised Josh by saying, “You put the gun down.”
Josh didn’t move or comply. He’d seen the picture Rory found of Elena Pierce. He was fairly certain this was her. Although her face was smudged with dirt, her pants had rips and tears, and there were mud stains and what was probably blood on her sweatshirt. He figured he could stop her if she came at him, although he thought about the dead gang member out at the cabins. From the way Elena held the knife, she knew what she was doing. He could stop her, but he wouldn’t underestimate her either.
“Elena Pierce?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“I’m Josh Colten. I think we need to talk.”
“That’s an understatement,” she said, her hand starting to quiver.
“Yes, it is. Right now, we need to get out of here. Stay on the move. If you found me, then others might be able to find us. But maybe we can chat as we hike.”
“And why should I trust you?” Elena asked.
“Good point. Look, I’ll put the gun down. You put the knife down and we can figure this out.”
“You first.”
“Fair enough,” Josh said. Normally he’d never put down his weapon, but he also figured that they were on the same team. Hopefully he could gain her trust, and she would only see it that way if he put his weapon down first. Slowly, he went over to the kitchen island and placed the gun down, muzzle pointing away from them. Then he raised his hands. “See? I’m willing to talk.”
Elena continued to shake, but she didn’t put her weapon down.
