Scent of Danger (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #1)
Chapter 1
1
H is half sister was late.
DEA Agent Doug Bridges nursed his coffee, trying to ignore the shiver of apprehension sliding down his spine as he stared out the window of the Hitching Post Café in Cody, Wyoming. Emily had recently moved to the area from Jackson and worked night shift as a nurse in the emergency department, so there was no reason to panic. One of her patients could have crashed in the middle of shift change.
Yet it was nearly forty-five minutes since their designated meeting time. The interior of the café was warm, especially compared to the outside temperature of a whopping 12 degrees. He was glad the snow had stopped after blanketing the town with two inches of fluff the night before. Now the sun was trying to peek out from behind the clouds that hung over the Bighorn Mountains.
For what seemed like the hundredth time, he glanced at his silent phone, willing it to ring. It didn’t. He finally picked it up and called Emily, hoping she’d say she was on her way.
Straight to voice mail.
The niggling concern grew. He finished his coffee and pulled some cash from his pocket to cover the tab. Sitting in the café wasn’t helping. He was supposed to head to the Yellowstone Regional Airport to catch his flight that would take him through Denver, then home to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Emily wouldn’t miss their last meal together without a good reason.
Doug shrugged into his thick winter coat and drew on a woolen hat and thick gloves. He hadn’t expected Wyoming to be that much colder than Wisconsin, but he’d underestimated the impact of the mountains and the wind.
He left the Hitching Post and slid in behind the wheel of his four-wheel drive rental SUV. He’d head over to the hospital to meet Emily. If there was time, they could grab a bite in the cafeteria. He didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. Having worked with the Finnegans and the Callahans over the past few years, he’d decided to mend his relationship with his family.
Hence spending the Christmas and New Year holidays with his half sister Emily.
The drive to the local medical center didn’t take long. The hospital was located on the far west side of town, and they’d purposefully chosen the Hitching Post as a meeting spot because it was halfway between the medical facility and his hotel.
The parking lot was only half full, and when he saw Emily’s Jeep covered in a two-inch layer of snow, he relaxed. Good to know she was still working. He pulled into the open space next to hers and shut down the engine. Hunching his shoulders against the chill, he stood for a moment, glancing around the area, then strode inside the emergency department entrance.
The waiting room was empty except for two people who were hacking up half a lung. Feeling bad for them, he went to the front desk. A plump woman who was old enough to be his grandmother glanced up at him expectantly. Her name tag identified her as Barbara. “May I help you?”
He smiled. “Hi, I’m Emily’s brother Doug Bridges. Can you let her know I’m waiting for her?”
Barbara frowned. “Emily left almost an hour ago.”
The niggling concern billowed into full-fledged alarm. “What do you mean? Her car is still out in the parking lot.”
“It is?” Barbara appeared flustered. “I don’t understand. Emily waved at me as she left, explaining how she was meeting her brother for breakfast at the Post. I don’t think she’d walk to the café in this weather.”
No, she wouldn’t. Doug instantly went into federal agent mode. “I want to talk to someone in charge, and I need to see your video camera footage.”
Barbara’s eyes widened, and she reached for the phone. “Stan? You better get out here. Seems as if Emily might be missing.”
Stan strode toward him a long minute later. He was in his mid-fifties and was wearing what appeared to be a security officer uniform. “I’m Stan Turner, the security officer for the hospital. You’re Emily’s brother?”
“Yes, Doug Bridges.” He shook Stan’s hand, briefly wondering if the entire hospital staff knew his sister. “I need to see your camera footage. Barbara saw Emily leave, but her car is still outside in the parking lot. And she didn’t meet me for breakfast as planned.”
Stan hesitated for a moment as if deciding whether he should comply, then nodded. “Okay. Follow me.”
His small office was located just beyond the waiting area. It took the older man so long to pull up the video it was all Doug could do not to thrust him aside to figure it out for himself.
“Okay, Emily’s shift would have ended at seven thirty,” Stan said. He poked at the keyboard, then used the mouse. “Here she is.”
Doug wedged himself behind the desk so he could see the computer screen. His gut tightened when he saw Emily waving at Barbara, seemingly saying something as she headed toward the main entrance. His sister was wearing her cherry-red parka coat, her blond hair was covered by a matching red hat, and she was wearing cherry-red gloves. Within seconds, she went through the automatic doors and disappeared around the corner, seemingly toward the parking lot.
“Okay, can you switch to one of the outside cameras?” Doug asked. “You must have one that overlooks the parking lot.”
“We do,” Stan agreed. He pulled up two more cameras before finding the right one. He fast-forwarded to match the time frame of the previous camera. Then he hit the play button.
There was nothing. No sign of Emily crossing the parking lot to her car.
“Back it up,” Doug said, feeling grim. “Maybe the clocks between the cameras don’t match.”
“They match,” Stan protested. “They’re on the same system.” But he did as Doug asked, backing up the video to a full five minutes earlier. The silence hung heavy as they watched as nobody walked past for a full fifteen minutes. That’s when a car pulled into the lot, and one of the coughing patients got out and came inside.
That was it. No sign of Emily. Or anyone else, which he found odd. He frowned, staring at Stan. “Okay, pull up the cameras facing the other way. Maybe she saw someone she knew and went over to speak with them.”
Stan flushed. “We don’t have cameras overlooking the street. We only have them covering the main entrance, the emergency department entrance, and the parking lot.”
Three cameras? Really? “Okay, bring up the main entrance.” He tried not to show his frustration. Milwaukee wasn’t anywhere near as large as Chicago, Detroit, or Minneapolis, but he happened to know that Trinity Medical Center had over six hundred cameras covering the property. Three seemed ridiculous.
More seconds dragged by as Stan manipulated the screen. “Here we are,” he finally said.
Several people could be seen using the main entrance, despite the early hour. But none of them were Emily.
“Maybe you oughta call the police,” Stan said, his expression mirroring Doug’s concerns. “Seems strange that Emily would vanish like that.”
“Thanks. Would you please send me a copy of that emergency department video?” He hoped the security guard would cooperate, but if he didn’t, Doug had no trouble using his badge to go over his head. “Please,” he added. “That’s Emily’s last-known location. Proof that she left, at least originally, under her own power.”
“Okay, where should I send it?” Stan asked.
Doug quickly provided his email address, waiting until the message had popped up on his phone before stepping back. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Stan said. “You know, before you head to the police department, you should make sure Emily didn’t head home. Maybe she caught a ride with someone because she was having car trouble.”
He nodded without pointing out that didn’t make sense. The camera would have shown Emily walking to her car, trying to start it, then coming back inside. Or walking to meet him at the café. Or calling him for a ride.
It was as if she’d stepped into an alternate universe, if you believed in that sort of thing.
He didn’t. His earlier apprehension returned in full force. He walked back through the emergency department, trying not to think about how long Emily had been gone. A full hour by now, maybe a little more.
He hated knowing the trail had already grown cold—literally and figuratively.
Outside the emergency department, he paused to glance around. As before, he didn’t see anything suspicious. Both corners of the building were out of camera range, so he turned toward the side of the building closest to the parking lot.
Forcing himself to stop and think, he took a moment to clear his mind. This was not the time to make a mistake. He stood back, slowly raking his gaze over the ground. His heart thumped when he noticed what appeared to be several footprints crisscrossing in the snow.
He scanned the length of the building, then looked up to locate the camera. When he found it, he grimly realized that anyone walking along the building itself would be able to stay out of sight.
A chill that had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures washed over him. Moving forward, he followed the side building until he reached the ambulance bay. Of course, there were no cameras overlooking that area.
He turned and retraced his steps, his thoughts whirling. In his mind’s eye, he could imagine someone standing near the corner, maybe showing distress as that person asked Emily for help.
And then what? Kidnapped her?
It was hard to imagine anyone doing that, but what was the alternative? Doug hurried back to his rental, mentally making a list of tasks. Check Emily’s house. Go to the local police department. Call his boss, Special Agent in Charge Donovan, to explain that he wouldn’t be back to work as planned.
And from there? As a federal agent, he knew how to investigate crimes, specifically drug trafficking. But out here in the middle of small-town Wyoming, he was at a distinct disadvantage.
He’d need help from local experts. And soon.
Before Emily was hurt or killed.
* * *
Maya Sullivan slid out from behind the wheel of her specially designed K9 SUV and clicked the button to open the back. The door rose, but Zion, her Siberian husky, didn’t jump down.
“Come, Zion,” she said sternly. “You like Dr. Andrew, remember?”
Her K9 partner still didn’t move. Suppressing a sigh, she moved closer to look directly into the blue eyes of her partner. “Out!”
Zion jumped down as if she’d been waiting for the magic word. This was a routine vet visit for Zion, and usually the husky was anxious and raring to go.
As she closed the back hatch, a voice came from behind her. “Ms. Sullivan?”
She whirled, her hand going to the pocket of her coat that held her gun. Recently, she’d caught a glimpse of someone following her, and suddenly there was a tall stranger standing there. Zion came over to stand protectively in front of her.
Seeing the dog, the stranger abruptly stopped. “Are you Maya Sullivan?”
She tried to relax. As the oldest of nine siblings residing on the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue ranch, she was often called upon by strangers. Although usually not while she was in town visiting the vet. “Yes, I’m Maya, and this is Zion, my K9 partner. May I ask who you are?”
“Doug Bridges.” A look of relief flashed in his eyes. “I’ve heard great things about you and your ranch, and I’m in desperate need of your expertise.”
Maya dropped her hand from her pocket and resisted the urge to glance at her watch. She forced a smile. “I’m sorry, but Zion has a nine o’clock appointment inside. I’ll be happy to chat with you when that’s finished.”
“No, I can’t wait that long.” Bridges took a step closer, causing Zion to growl low in her throat. He stopped where he was, his gaze beseeching. “Please. My sister, Emily Sanders, went missing at seven thirty-five this morning. She’s a nurse and left the hospital after her night shift, then disappeared. I’m desperately in need of your search and rescue services.”
“Emily? Emily Sanders is your sister?” She narrowed her gaze, eyeing him with suspicion. “Funny, the last time I saw Emily she didn’t mention a brother.”
“Half brother,” he clarified. “I—we haven’t really interacted with each other much until the past few months.” A gust of cold wind hit hard, making her realize they were standing around in the freezing temperatures. “How do you know my sister?”
Maya wasn’t in the mood to discuss how Emily had treated her youngest sister, Kendra, in the emergency department after a terrible fall. Her family’s personal life was none of his concern. But knowing Emily was missing gave her pause. “Are you sure she’s not at home? Or still working?”
His green eyes flared with anger, but he didn’t yell or shout. “I’m sure. I’ve been to the hospital and have video of her leaving through the front entrance. But her car is still there, covered in snow from last night, and she never crossed the parking lot. I double-checked her house and went to the local police.” Now his mouth tightened. “I’ve filed a missing person report, but the officer on duty basically told me I would be better off hiring someone from the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue ranch than waiting for them to find her. I was about to head that way when I saw your car.”
She didn’t bother to glance at the SUV with the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue logo stenciled along the side. That had been her brother Chase’s bright idea, and lately, when she’d sensed someone following her, she’d been tempted to cover the lettering with paint.
Another cold blast of air convinced her that standing out here talking wasn’t smart. And she couldn’t walk away from this. Missing persons cases happened to be Zion’s specialty. With a sigh, she nodded. “I’ll help search for Emily. First, I need you to step closer.”
His expression uncertain, he did as she asked. She put a hand on his arm. “Friend, Zion. Doug is a friend.”
Zion sniffed his feet, then wagged her tail. Doug gave her a grateful look.
“Okay, now that Zion knows you’re not the enemy, let’s get back inside the SUV where it’s warmer.”
Doug didn’t hesitate to open the passenger door. She clicked the fob to open the back and gave Zion the hand gesture to get inside. Zion tilted her head as if to ask, “Are you sure?” before jumping inside.
Sliding behind the wheel, she started the engine, then used her phone to call the vet. Easier to call to say she was out on a search than to do that in person. Thankfully, Dr. Andrew didn’t mind her frequent need to reschedule. As she slid the gearshift into drive, she glanced at Doug. “You’re not from this area, are you?”
He looked surprised. “No, why, is it that obvious?”
She smiled. “You speak with a distinct Midwest accent.”
“Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” he said. “I can pay you via credit card, a check, or cash. Whatever works for you.”
She waved that off and turned to drive back to the hospital. Zion didn’t stretch out to rest but kept her nose pressed to the crate as if intending to keep Doug Bridges in line. “Don’t worry about payment. As far as searching for your sister, it’s best if you have a scent source for her. Some sort of clothing. If that’s not possible, Zion may be able to pick up her scent regardless, especially if I give her a few locations to work from. Can you tell me a little about Emily’s personal life? Is she seeing someone?”
Doug seemed relieved to see the hospital looming on the horizon. He drew a pair of black gloves from his pocket. “These belong to Emily. I took them when I checked to make sure she hadn’t gone home. To answer your question, Emily is not seeing anyone now that I’m aware of but did break up with her previous boyfriend roughly four months ago. That’s one of the reasons she relocated from Jackson to Cody. She claimed Avery wasn’t the least bit upset about the split, as he was planning to move to Colorado anyway. I guess he’s some sort of ski instructor.”
“Ah yes, Avery White,” she said with a nod. “I’m not surprised he left Wyoming for Colorado. He seemed to think he was destined for bigger things.”
“Does everyone know everyone else in this town?” There was a sharp edge to his tone.
“For the most part, yes. Jackson is different. It’s a resort town. I’ve done some skiing in the Tetons; Avery acted like he owned the place.” Maya shot him a quick glance before she pulled into the parking lot. “Which car is Emily’s?”
“That burgundy Jeep.”
Seeing the vehicle, she nodded, then parked two spaces away. Keeping the engine on, she pulled a plastic bag from the glove box and carefully dropped Emily’s gloves inside. “I’d like you to stay back to give Zion some room to work.”
“Ms. Sullivan,” he began.
“Maya,” she quickly interjected. “We don’t use formal titles around here.”
“Okay, then call me Doug. I’m a federal agent with the DEA, and I would like to give you my working theory before you put Zion to work.”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Really, it’s better if you don’t. I’m sure you’re an excellent agent, but I won’t go into this with preconceived ideas. We need to let Zion do her thing and go from there, okay?”
He frowned but nodded. “Okay.”
While she found his career interesting, she wasn’t going to let that interfere with how she and Zion worked together as a team. She released the back hatch, and this time, Zion eagerly jumped down. Zion’s thick white-and-gray coat kept her warm during winter searches, and she held her curvy tail high as she sniffed the air.
As was her habit, Maya placed the vest over Zion’s head, a physical indication they were going to work. Then she filled a bowl with water and set it down on the ground. Water moistened the dog’s mucus membranes, which enhanced her ability to follow scents. Zion only took two laps, then stared up at Maya with her pale-blue eyes, waiting for her next command.
“Good girl,” Maya praised as she ran her fingers through Zion’s thick gray-and-white coat. “Are you ready? Are you?” She liked to get the dog excited about the upcoming search. She opened the plastic bag containing Emily’s gloves. “Emily,” she said, giving the scent a name. She preferred using names on cases where they knew exactly who the victim was. “Search Emily.”
Zion buried her snout deep into the bag for a long moment. Then she had her head up and was sniffing the air. Maya was far too aware of Doug standing beside the SUV, watching them work.
After a few seconds of sniffing, Zion whirled in a circle and bounded toward the burgundy Jeep. The K9 sniffed the ground around the car, then sat at the driver’s side door and turned to stare intently up at Maya.
“Good girl,” she praised, pulling a stuffed yellow bunny from her pocket. She tossed it into the air, and Zion leaped up to grab it. Then she shook her head back and forth, running in a circle as if oblivious to the frigid temps. Huskies loved to goof around.
Maya half expected Doug to protest the playtime, but he remained silent. Maybe his experience was such that he knew working dogs needed to be rewarded for a job well done. She waited for Zion to return to her side. “Hand,” she said. With reluctance, Zion regurgitated the stuffed bunny in her gloved palm. “Good girl. Search. Search Emily.”
Eager to get back to work, Zion sniffed the ground around the Jeep, then trotted toward the front entrance to the emergency department. Maya followed a few paces behind, not giving the dog any indication of where to go.
Zion sniffed around the doorway, then sat again, turning to look up at her. “Good girl,” she praised, but she kept the bunny in her pocket. “Search! Search for Emily.”
Understanding her job wasn’t done, Zion sniffed the ground again, then went to the corner of the building. It was the side of the building that faced the parking lot. Nose to the ground, Zion trotted along the side of the building until she reached the driveway leading to the ambulance bay. Then she sat again, staring up at Maya intently.
“Good girl,” she repeated. “Search for Emily.”
Zion seemed to shoot her an exasperated glance before she went back to work. The husky sniffed all around the ground but returned to the exact same spot she’d alerted on before. Maya’s heart sank. This appeared to be the end of the trail.
“Good girl,” she said with forced enthusiasm, and tossed the bunny into the air. As always, Zion caught it and trotted along holding the stuffed animal proudly, as if she’d won the biggest prize at the state fair.
“That’s impressive,” Doug said from behind her. She turned to glance at him. “Your K9 reinforced my theory. I think someone parked in the ambulance bay and convinced Emily to come down along the side of the building to help. Then they kidnapped her.”
She didn’t like hearing that. “No video for the ambulance area?”
“No.” He glanced around the area. “Can your dog track people taken away in cars?”
“No. Sometimes in the summer if the windows are open, some dogs can catch the scent if it’s a calm day, but those instances are rare. It would help if we knew the general direction they were headed. We could perform a search grid.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Doug said thoughtfully. “Maybe we should check the closest hotels in the area, see if your K9 can pick up Emily’s scent.”
She frowned. “I’m not sure going from one hotel to the next is a good use of time.”
“I’m open to other ideas.” Doug’s jaw tightened with repressed anger. “But we don’t have anything else to go on. I’ve tried calling Emily at least twelve times. The call goes straight to voice mail. Either the phone battery died or the device is powered down.”
With a grimace, she shrugged. “Okay, we’ll check the hotels. But understand this, I will need to give Zion plenty of rest breaks, especially if we’re outside in the cold for any length of time.”
He nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to your dog. If you don’t mind, we can start at my hotel, the Lumberjack Inn. Emily was never there that I’m aware of. Besides, I need to let the front desk know that I’m staying longer than planned.”
“That’s fine.” She focused on Zion. “Hand.”
Zion trotted over and placed the stuffed bunny in her outstretched hand.
“She’s really amazing,” Doug said as they walked back to the SUV.
“Zion is one of our primary search dogs,” Maya admitted. Once they were settled in the car, she drove out of the parking lot and turned west toward the Lumberjack Inn. “They’re all good, but several of my sibling’s K9 partners have different areas of expertise.”
He nodded but didn’t ask for additional information, the way most people did. His expression was grim, and she understood he was preoccupied with Emily’s disappearance. She didn’t like knowing the cheerful nurse who’d become a good friend to Kendra was missing. The city of Cody wasn’t immune to crime, but kidnapping was rather unusual. She silently prayed that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding. That Emily knew the person who’d asked for help and would be calling Doug soon.
The moment she parked in the center of the open lot, Doug pushed his door open. “I’ll get things squared away inside while you and Zion work, okay?”
“Sure.” She climbed out of her seat and opened the back hatch. Zion jumped down. After closing the back, she and Zion headed toward the front entrance a few paces behind Doug.
A crack of gunfire rang out. She reacted instinctively, ducking and curling her body over her K9 as Doug whirled and plastered himself against the side of the hotel, pulling his own weapon. She darted over to the building, too, drawing Zion with her.
As they huddled against the side of the hotel, Maya couldn’t help but wonder if the gunfire was related to Doug and Emily.
Or if her past had come back to haunt her?