“It would be a good place to stay, then,” Rory said, adding, “If you needed a hideout.”
“It would. I want to get Juniper out and let her work and clear the buildings. She’ll know if one of them is inhabited. We need to use caution, as I don’t know for sure that it’s Josh here. But I’m guessing it is. It could also be someone else who doesn’t want to be found.” Maya left out the part about that person being her father. She really didn’t think he was dangerous, but it did put Rory in a tough spot too. As law enforcement officers, they were required to arrest Eric if they found him. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
Maya secured Juniper’s gear on her and then let the fur missile fly out of her patrol vehicle. Juniper landed, shook, and was ready to get back to work. Maya knew the Mal didn’t appreciate being pulled off a track. She couldn’t explain to Juniper that they’d needed their vehicle.
“Which building do you want to start at?” Rory asked.
“Let’s go clockwise and start over there,” Maya said. “If Juniper takes us somewhere else, we’ll follow her.”
“Trust your dog,” Rory said, reciting the number one rule she was learning and the one most humans struggled with.
“Exactly. I’m going to let Juniper work this off leash.”
“Got it,” Rory said.
Maya still had a leash just in case she changed her mind, but she headed toward the first building and told Juniper to “go find ’em” and “check.” There wasn’t a track to start from, at least not an obvious one that had footprints in the snow, but Juniper would pick up the scent of anyone inside the buildings.
The first building appeared to be a classroom and maybe even a lab. Maya knew there was more than forestry research going on in this location at times. Wildlife biologists would often come along with other science programs. Juniper went around the building, her body language telling Maya she was working well but hadn’t caught a scent that would mean someone was in one of the structures. If Maya were to place a bet, she’d say that the dorm was the place they would have the most action.
That was the next building.
As they approached, Juniper’s body tensed and her tail poked up a little higher. Her dog was coming into odor. This time, Juniper didn’t check around the perimeter, but instead went straight to the door. Her tail began wagging and Maya’s heart soared. Had they found Josh? Normally Juniper would never wag her tail like that.
“Juniper, come,” Maya said.
She didn’t want Juniper right in front of the door, even if it did seem like she was on the odor of someone she liked. Maya and Rory nodded at each other. They drew their guns but didn’t place their fingers on their triggers. Maya had Juniper by her side. Her dog was intent on the door.
She realized that if it was Josh in there, she needed to be careful Juniper didn’t apprehend him. Josh often helped her with training exercises that included him hiding and wearing the bite suit. If it was him, he wouldn’t have the sleeve on, but Juniper might still try to have some fun.
Knocking on the door, Maya said in a loud voice, “Forest Service law enforcement, open the door.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Josh heard the knock and announcement. He peered out the window and saw Juniper next to Maya, tail wagging. Maya had found them. No, actually Juniper had found them.
Elena appeared worried and Eric stared at the floor. He probably had a lot of different thoughts going on right now about what Maya would do. Arrest him? Hug him? Josh had no idea either.
“That’s my girlfriend, Maya,” he said to Elena. “It’s okay. She’s going to have her K-9 with her. Are you afraid of dogs? If so, I’ll step outside and let Maya know.”
“No, I’m fine with dogs,” Elena said.
“Then I’m going to open the door and let them come in.” Josh had decided not to ask Eric if he was okay with this. Eric had made his own decisions, and Josh had no doubt that he might sneak out and leave. They’d deal with him later. Right now, they had to figure out how to end this current nightmare so Elena didn’t have to fear for her life and Josh wasn’t charged with crimes he didn’t commit.
“I’m opening the door and not armed,” Josh yelled, adding, “It’s me, Maya.”
He turned the knob and slowly opened the front door. He didn’t want Juniper to think she was going to get to apprehend him after her track like they often did in training. Of course, they ran other scenarios as well to make sure Juniper could be called off the bite. A bit of wind kicked up as he stepped back, gusting in cold air.
Rory was with Maya as well. That could complicate things, but out of all the deputies at the department, he trusted Rory the most. She had a solid head on her shoulders and would listen. Her dad was a career law enforcement officer, and she’d grown up learning how to read situations. Josh had seen her stay calm through some pretty rough calls on duty.
Maya and Juniper stepped inside, and Josh smiled. He’d missed them both, but especially Maya.
“It’s so good to see you,” Josh said.
Maya stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Juniper, not wanting to be left out, tried shoving her pointy nose between them. “I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay? That was a nasty crash.”
“Yeah, I’m good.” Josh tightened his arms. “It was a nasty crash, but I was buckled in the best. I’m sore, but I’m okay. Nothing broken or severely injured.”
Maya reached up, pulled him to her, and kissed him. He’d missed her so much and returned her kiss, forgetting for a moment that they were in front of everyone until Eric cleared his throat.
