“Great,” Maya said. She pulled Hope’s scent article out of her pocket. She let Juniper take a sniff. “Find her, girl. Go find her. Seek.”
Juniper seemed to catch the odor immediately. Her body tensed and her tail poked straight up in the air. She took off. Maya was ready for her dog’s fast start and stayed with Juniper.
Nose down and tail up, Juniper settled into her customary jog once she had a good odor and started tracking. They stayed on a trail heading in the direction ofthe Old Stone Lodge. Maya was glad Juniper was able to keep the scent since it was so hot and dry. Those environmental conditions made it harder for her dog.
They continued down the trail to the Old Stone Lodge.Makes sense that’s where Abigail would go. I’ll see if Juniper continues to there and pull her up before we’re visible to any cameras.
It bordered Forest Service land and Maya figured that it would be a good place to take Hope and hide her. Due to evacuations, the resort was completely empty. It was also huge which meant, even with Juniper, it would take a long time to search the building and find Hope.
“Atta girl,” Maya said, praising her dog every now and then. She normally didn’t talk much during a track or when Juniper was trying to find evidence or narcotics, but it was warm and she knew Juniper was getting tired. Maya needed to pull her up soon. Sooner happened fast when they came up to a ridge where the fire had crossed. Even though there weren’t active flames, the ground was warm. Too warm for Juniper’s paws.
“Good girl. We’re stopping here,” Maya said. Josh came up behind them and they peered off into the distance. The Old Stone Lodge was majestic even this far away.
“That’s where I think we’ll find Abigail and Hope. At least for now. I supposed there could be a car stashed there or something,” Maya said.
“I agree. I think we need to get the HRT guys overthere and see if Juniper can help us find Hope if she’s in there.”
“Normally, that would be what I’d want too...”
“But?” Josh asked.
“There’s cameras everywhere. Not just security, but also wildlife cams. I don’t know who runs them or if they’re controlled from inside the hotel. If the HRT guys line up outside the building, there’s a good chance that Abigail will see them,” Maya said. “Plus, if we tell Kessler and he sends the team, Abigail will probably know about it from her partner. We need to go there, but we need to keep it on the down-low.”
“I agree. I’d rather face Abigail with the HRT guys, but maybe we can go with Juniper and do some recon work. Do you know where the cameras are located?” Josh asked.
“I think I know where most of them are, but I could miss some. It would be easy to do. They’re camouflaged so that they don’t stick out and they’re mounted on some trees.”
“That will make it hard to spot them. Too bad we can’t use them to see into the lodge. Let’s go back and see if we can find Kessler and tell him we are certain Abigail and Hope are at the lodge. Maybe he can deploy the HRT guys without telling his partners,” Josh said.
“Good idea. I also need to get Juniper some water and put her in her compartment where it’s cool. That way she can recover while we figure out a plan and be ready to go.”
“That’s a good plan,” Josh said. “It’s hot today and the fire is only making it worse.”
Maya agreed and they made their way back to the visitor center. She really wished there was a magical way to figure out who Abigail’s partner was, so that for once, they would have the upper hand.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The day continued to heat up. Sweat rolled down Maya’s back and her hair was plastered to her head. Concerned about Juniper, she put the Mal in her air-conditioned compartment with plenty of water. Juniper didn’t seem to mind the heat. She tilted her head, asking Maya why they weren’t continuing the track.
“Get some rest, girly. We’re going to need you. I can feel it,” Maya said. She joined Josh and they went to the visitor center, which now had crime scene tape around it. They needed to find Kessler and talk to him. Alone. There had to be a plan that kept everyone safe but didn’t alert Abigail’s partner.
They entered through a side door. Maya knew that Agent Bernardo would be covered with a sheet, but she didn’t want to see him. He’d given his life trying to save Hope because he had a daughter the same age. Now his daughter was without a father. That was hard to stomach. There was a chance he was Abigail’s partner and this was her way of getting him out of the picture. Except Maya really didn’t believe that. If he was her partner, then Abigail still needed him. She wouldn’t have shot him. Yet.
Candidates for her partner still included AgentRoss, Aaron and Nick himself. Maya’s number one pick continued to be Aaron, but she didn’t want to have tunnel vision. Hope’s dad had gone back to Pinecone Junction because his wife wanted to Zoom with him. John could be Abigail’s partner, but Maya thought if that was the case, he wouldn’t have left. He would have wanted to stay so he would know what was going on.
She also really didn’t think her brother was involved, but she didn’t know for sure. No one could be ruled out. When Maya first returned from Afghanistan, relying on anyone else was hard for her. She’d worked to overcome that. She liked Agent Kessler, respected him a lot, but if he hadn’t confided in his guys, Bernardo might still be alive. He was in charge and she needed to remember that, but Maya was worried about losing more lives.
Josh gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze as they went down the hall to find Kessler, who was in the break room where they had thought Hope was being held. He was staring at a dark red spot on the floor. Maya would guess it was blood. She wondered how far out the evidence response team was. They could do a field test and find out if it came from a human. Luckily, the amount of blood, if that’s what it was, wasn’t enough to be fatal. Was Hope injured? Or Abigail? Maya wanted it to be Abigail. Anything to give them an advantage catching her.
Kessler had his hands on his hips and didn’t say anything.
“What are you thinking?” Maya asked, breaking the silence. She wanted to see what updates Kessler hadfirst before she gave him her thoughts about Juniper’s tracks.
“I don’t know what to think at the moment,” Kessler answered. “She shot Bernardo quickly and was prepared, so you’re right, someone fed her information.”
“What do you mean Abigail was prepared?” Josh asked.
“There were shell casings in an office upstairs. It was one of the only offices with a window that overlooked the visitor center’s entrance. It was open and obvious where the casings were, Abigail was in position. Bernardo didn’t have a chance ... and my supervisor wants me to keep everyone on the team for now because the higher-ups think there’s no way Abigail’s partner is one of our guys.”
