Another car pulled up, and he recognized the K-9 officer he’d met the day before, River Jameson. River gave him a nod, then went around to release his K-9, Frankie, from the crate area.
Soon, both handlers and their dogs had spread out to search the area. He watched for a few minutes, then glanced at his dog. He couldn’t imagine Cutie turning into a K-9, but doing some basic training couldn’t hurt.
He tossed a stick for her and she gamely ran after it. From there, he made her sit on command, then lie down, using the stick toss as a reward. The process worked better than he’d anticipated.
Maybe the puppy wasn’t entirely hopeless, after all.
When he’d worn Cutie out, he had her sit in the passenger seat of his truck. He should have anticipated he’d be out here for hours. Autumn and River took their jobs seriously. They wouldn’t return until they were satisfied that there was nothing for their K-9s to find.
Another dead girl? His gut tightened at the thought.
He was so distracted he didn’t immediately notice the car in the distance. He tensed. The black sedan? Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure River and Autumn were far enough away that the driver wasn’t a threat. Then he slid behind the wheel of his truck and started the engine.
The car continued coming toward him. The sky overhead was overcast, but he soon realized the car’s color was black. He pressed down on the accelerator, determined to meet the oncoming vehicle.
He could almost hear Autumn yelling at him to stay back as he closed the gap. The driver of the car could be anyone, but if the gunman was behind the wheel, he wanted a good look at the guy.
The car abruptly slowed and made a turn. He hit the gas, hoping to catch up. The driver put on a burst of speed, flying away in the opposite direction.
He kept in pursuit, hoping a local police officer would appear. He caught a glimpse of a partial license plate. The last number was an eight! But he wanted, needed more.
Suddenly, he saw a pale hand holding a weapon poke out the window. Jordan hit the brake and cranked the wheel hard to the right as a crack of gunfire rang out.
Bracing himself for the impact, expecting the windshield to shatter beneath the force of a bullet, he drove his truck farther off the road and ducked to protect Cutie.
TEN
Bear worked tirelessly until Autumn called for a break. It was difficult to maintain an excited tone as they covered the land in a grid pattern. Cadaver searches were challenging—she wanted to find something, but at the same time dreaded what they’d uncover.
When she noticed Jordan driving off in his truck, she frowned. Had something come up, or had he gotten tired of waiting? She couldn’t blame him, although it had been his idea to tag along.
Then she heard the crack of gunfire. With a quick glance at River, she called to her K-9 and broke into a run to reach the SUV.
River did the same, although he was farther south of her location. They moved in parallel lines toward the spot where they’d left their K-9 vehicles.
To her surprise, a moment later Jordan’s truck made a U-turn to head back toward them. She slowed her pace for Bear’s sake, as she knew the dog had already put a lot of miles in. He was tall for a bloodhound but didn’t run as fast as Frankie. Labs were generally faster due to their lean build while bloodhounds were built for endurance.
“What happened?” River asked as they finally met at the vehicles.
“I’m not sure.” She swallowed a wave of annoyance as Jordan pulled up next to them and parked his truck. “Jordan? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He slid out from behind the wheel, flashing a guilty look. “I’m sorry. I noticed a black car and wanted to see if it was the same one that ran you off the road.”
That made her frown. “Was it?”
“Yes, the rear plate was covered in mud, some of which had fallen away, revealing the number eight.” He grimaced. “I was hoping for more, but that’s all I could see.”
“Is this the same driver who tried to run you off the road at Autumn’s house?” River asked.
“Yes. He or she—” Autumn felt compelled to clarify “—has been busy mounting relentless attacks against me over the past few days.”
“That’s not good,” River said darkly. “You should tell Emmett. Do you have a suspect?”
“Too many of them.” She sighed. “I’m not telling Emmett. This isn’t his problem, and I don’t want him to think I’m not dedicated to the team.”
“You’re very dedicated,” River said quickly.
“Thanks.” She managed a smile. “I’m operating under the theory that someone I arrested or someone my mother arrested has been released from jail and is seeking revenge.”
