Chapter Forty-Eight
Maya wasn’t certain where to start the track. She only had an idea of where the shooter had been. The echo of the gunshot
made it hard to pinpoint the location. But she roughly knew the angle of the shot based on where Abigail was hit.
They would hike up in that direction. What Maya didn’t like was that the fire had come over the ridge. It was starting to
get close and she didn’t want to run a track and get caught off guard by the flames. Fires had a mind of their own and she’d
heard Pops talk about a horrible incident before she was born where a fire turned back on some firefighters, killing them
all. Since then, most wildland firefighters carried special tents they could get in to help save them if that happened. But
Maya didn’t have one of those. And she didn’t want to put Juniper in danger.
They had to walk along the shore again and leave themselves exposed. Maya didn’t like that feeling. They hurried past where
Abigail was lying. Her face was pale. Cold. Lifeless. The easy way out for her. Now that moment seemed like a million years
ago. Would this day ever end?
Even though Maya had thought about revenge all these years, seeing her dead really didn’t help either.
Maybe catching her partner would make her feel better.
He had as much blood on his hands as Abigail.
Agent Bernardo would go home to his family in a casket because of this bastard.
Maya and Juniper would find him and make sure he was locked up for the rest of his life.
She didn’t want him to have the easy way out like Abigail.
As they went along the shore, she did her best to keep an eye out for any signs of a person up on the mountainside waiting
to shoot them. Not that she’d see them very easily. Especially as the smoke rolled in and thickened, blocking out the sun.
It was like a dark shadow had come over them. They made it back to the rocks where they had taken cover earlier. Maya figured
they needed to go back to the stone canyon where they’d tracked Abigail. From there, she was guessing that if they went up
the ridge, they might find the track. If you hiked up far enough, that ridge cleared out and you could see over the lake.
The fire was the big question as far as where they could track. There were flames, but it was hard to tell exactly where they
were. Maya knew they were close enough that she would normally get the hell out of there, but this was a different circumstance.
They made it back through the stone canyon. Maya realized she was almost holding her breath. Not from the smoke, but from
all the different areas she and Juniper were vulnerable from a rifle shot.
Letting her air out, she felt sweat dripping down her back again. The heat level had intensified. She really needed to get Juniper water, but they didn’t have any. But Juniper seemed fine. The dip in the lake had probably kept her body temperature down, but Maya couldn’t ask her to go much longer.
They headed up the mountainside. Maya watched for where the fire might have reached. Even though she could see flames, they
were still off in the distance. They arrived at an area overlooking the lake. If you were a good shot and had a rifle it would
be the perfect spot. They walked over together and Maya examined the area. There was a shell casing for a .223 on the ground.
Normally she’d mark it for evidence and bag it, but she didn’t have anything for evidence with her. Even if she did, it would
probably be soaked with sweat or lake water after Juniper dunked Abigail. The best she could do was take pictures and make
notes on the location. That way hopefully an evidence team could get back here and gather it.
Maya checked over Juniper, making sure her gums were a good color and she didn’t seem dehydrated. As much as she wanted to
get this man, she didn’t want to hurt her dog. Juniper wagged her tail, gave Maya a slurp on the nose and then let out a small
yip.
“You’re sure you’re up for this?”
Juniper danced around Maya and gave another short, sharp bark.
“Okay, let’s do it.” Maya took a deep breath and then cast Juniper out near the shell casing and smushed-down grass. She motioned with her hand to get Juniper sniffing in the area where Maya thought she’d find the scent. Of course, Juniper would know best. “Go find ’em, girly. Let’s go get him.”
Juniper instantly put her nose to the ground and Maya could tell she was in odor. The scent was still strong since even though
it felt like a long time, the shooting hadn’t been that long ago. They were well within the time for the scent to still be
very fresh. Maya knew Juniper was feeling the heat because she didn’t take off quite as fast as usual. If at any point Juniper
slowed down too much, she would pull her up. But for now, she would go with her dog.
As they headed away from the lake, Maya heard a helicopter in the distance. Good. Someone would be with Hope soon and her
nightmare would be over. Nick and Isabelle would be thrilled to see Hope again.
So would Maya and Juniper.
The thought of Josh came to her. He has to be okay. There’s no way something happened to him. I love him and he’s my one and only. I can’t imagine life without
him. When this is over, we’re getting away where there’s no cell service and no way for anyone to find us. I know we’ll be
able to do that because I’m sure he’s safe.
She kept working on convincing herself that she would see him again, but what if she didn’t? Her therapist had worked with
her on staying in the moment. Maya had to do that now and stop letting the what-ifs take over.
Focusing back on Juniper, Maya noticed she swapped between air scenting and tracking the exact footprints on the ground.
There was a time when the dogs were trained to stay on the track, but that didn’t work well when a criminal came back around to ambush an officer and their dog.
Maya wanted Juniper to air scent if she needed to.
If Abigail’s partner knew they were on his tail, there was a good chance he would turn back around and try to surprise them. Juniper would let her know.
After air scenting for a few seconds, Juniper turned off the trail and headed downhill. Maya scrambled to keep up with her
dog. Her legs were tired and even though the mountain wasn’t too steep here, everything hurt. Her feet were starting to blister
from being in wet socks and boots. Her calves were in agony and her head pounded. But Maya didn’t care. She’d been in worse
shape in Afghanistan. And it had been hotter there.
They continued, Juniper proving she was still in odor with her tail poking up. But Maya could tell her dog was feeling the
work. She would let Juniper go a little farther and then pull her up and radio for assistance. They were not too far away
from a spot where either a helicopter or off-road vehicle could come get them. In fact, Abigail’s partner might have used
some sort of motorized vehicle like an ATV or even a Jeep to get back to here, park and come find them. Maya hadn’t heard
a car or other motorized vehicle, but the fire could have affected sound travel. Sometimes with temperature inversions and
wind, noises that might normally be heard became muffled.
Juniper took a sharp turn and started going straight across the hill, making it hard to balance on the incline. The angle of the mountainside was steep enough to force Maya to think about where she was putting her feet.
They continued and just as Maya was going to pull Juniper up and call off the track, she felt the tension on the leash increase,
energy sizzling back to her as Juniper picked up speed. There was a figure up ahead. The man had on jeans, a green shirt that
blended in with the trees and a black armored vest. He had a long gun in his left hand and even though he appeared fit, he
was slowing down.
Maya was able to get a better glimpse of the man and it wasn’t who she was expecting. She stopped for a second in surprise,
but then recovered and picked her pace back up.
We have him. Let’s go get him, Juniper. Maya didn’t want to say her thought out loud. Juniper could read her mind anyway as she’d already picked up her pace.
We’ll catch him unaware and nail him. Reveal his identity and get justice. For Nana. For my mom. For Agent Bernardo. And for
me.