Chapter 5
5
U nnerved by the sudden awareness sizzling between them, Doug released Maya’s hand. What was that about? Doug had been married what seemed like eons ago, divorced for nearly ten years. His wife had claimed she didn’t love him anymore after three years of being together. He hadn’t fought her on the divorce because he’d been forced to admit his feelings for her had changed too.
At the time, he’d decided they’d been too young for a lifeline commitment. But maybe the truth was that they weren’t right for each other. Either way, he hadn’t met anyone who’d interested in him enough to try again.
Maya intrigued him. Yet the moment that thought flitted through his mind, he ruthlessly thrust it aside. Emily was missing. He had no business thinking about anything other than finding his sister.
He sipped his coffee, avoiding Maya’s gaze. It was troubling that his only plan consisted of getting the evidence at the state crime lab. There had to be something more he could do. Another lead to follow up on.
But what? Staring out the window at the sparsely populated town didn’t provide any answers.
Joyce strode toward them carrying a platter in each hand. He sat back, setting his coffee aside to make room on the table.
“Here you go,” she said cheerfully. One trait that had struck him since coming to Wyoming was how happy people appeared to be. There was no hustle or bustle rush-hour traffic unless it was caused by moose or elk blocking the road. Just a relaxed appreciation for life. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you.” He flashed a smile, despite his despair over his inability to find Emily.
Maya clasped her hands in her lap and bowed her head. He’d been around the Finnegans and Callahans enough to know she was saying grace, so he stared down at his lap, waiting for her to finish. When she lifted her head, a flush crept across her cheeks when she realized he’d noticed.
He picked up a french fry, then glanced beneath the table. “I take it Zion doesn’t get table scraps.”
“No, she doesn’t, so don’t even try.” A wry smile tugged at her mouth. “The food we’re eating is hardly healthy for us, much less my dog. But this rule is more about training. I can’t allow Zion to be distracted by food while working. She knows she gets fed twice a day, and I try to keep her on a set schedule.”
“Training a K9 sounds complicated.” He thought about Miles Callahan and his K9 partner, Duchess. The two worked together as one, but he hadn’t appreciated how they’d gotten to that point. “I wouldn’t have considered the possibility of a dog being distracted by food.”
“Not so much complicated, but consistency is key.” She took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “We’ve been blessed with an amazing cadre of dogs. Different breeds, but each phenomenal in their skill and ability.”
It would be amazing to see them all in action, but he would settle for Zion finding Emily. If they had some clue as to where to look. His idea of searching hotels had worked, and he thought again about why the Hispanic man had taken the bedsheets. If the reason was to avoid anyone obtaining his DNA, then he was likely in the system.
Which reminded him of the need to call his boss.
As soon as they finished eating, he set cash on the table to cover their bill. “I need to make a quick call before we head out.”
Maya shrugged. “I’ll take Zion out back to get busy.”
He pulled out his phone and walked to a corner of the restaurant. It didn’t take long for Special Agent in Charge Donovan to answer. “Are you calling from the plane?”
“No, sir. I didn’t make my flight. My sister, Emily, went missing early this morning.”
“Missing?” He could hear the doubt in his boss’s tone. “She’s an adult, isn’t she?”
Suppressing a sigh, he quickly filled Donovan in on the details of his investigation. Upon hearing about the gunfire incidents, Donovan whistled.
“Sounds like your sister was used to get to you,” his boss said.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” he admitted. “I need to take more vacation time, and I’m hoping you won’t mind if I use Ian for help in running evidence.”
There was a brief hesitation. “Technically, you shouldn’t be working the case,” Donovan finally said. “You’re too close to this, Bridges.”
He’d been expecting that comment. “With all due respect, sir, there isn’t a plethora of federal agents in Wyoming. There are three satellite offices spread across the state, but that’s about it. And as far as I can tell, there are only one or two agents to cover them. I need to do this. I’m confident I can find Emily with help from a K9 search and rescue team. All I need is tech support from Ian and a quick turnaround on processing evidence.”
Another pause, then Donovan sighed. “Fine. You can take your vacation time and use whatever resources you need. But I expect you to keep me updated on your investigation. There may not be a lot of agents out there, but they know the area better than you do. You may want to bring them in on the search sooner than later.”
“Thank you, sir.” He personally thought Maya’s knowledge of the area, combined with Zion’s expert nose, was far more valuable than an agent or two. But this wasn’t the time to argue. “I’ll be in touch.”
His next call was to Ian Dunlap, their tech guru. When Ian answered, Doug got straight to the point. “I need you to run a list of perps I put away that have recently gotten out of prison. My sister is missing, and one of the perps is Hispanic, which may indicate a connection to the Robles drug cartel.” It had been eighteen months since Doug had assisted Quinn Finnegan and his wife, Sami, in taking down several players within the Robles Mexican cartel. He put a hand to the now-healed bullet wound in his shoulder, a stark reminder of how close he’d gotten to being killed.
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister,” Ian said. He could imagine the tech specialist playing the keyboard—like some musicians strummed a guitar—while using all four of his computer monitors. “I’ll get that list run ASAP.”
“Great, send it via email once you’ve complied it.” He didn’t want to think about how long the list might be. “Time is of the essence, Ian. She’s been gone almost six hours, and I’m out of leads.”
“Thanks to computer technology, it won’t take long,” Ian said reassuringly. “You’ll see.”
“Thanks again.” He ended the call, then turned to head outside.
To his surprise, Maya and Zion were playing in the parking lot. Maya tossed a ball high into the air, and Zion gracefully leaped up to capture it in her mouth. He was amazed at the husky’s gracefulness and agility. “Playtime?” he asked.
“Zion is high energy,” Maya said, her cheeks red from the cold wind. “Are you set?”
“Yes.” He waited until she told Zion to get into the back hatch before sliding into the passenger seat. She filled up with gas, refusing to use his credit card. When he thought of her eight siblings and nine dogs, he couldn’t imagine why she didn’t charge more for her services.
Then again, maybe it was a Christian thing. He had learned more about faith and God from the Finnegans and Callahans than he ever had from visiting a church. Interesting that Maya had similar views.
Not for the first time, he wondered if he was missing something.
Moments later, they were back on the slick highway.
The wind was stronger along this stretch of the highway, maybe because they were between the mountains. Gusts of snow blew across the road, but not badly enough to obscure Maya’s vision.
Still, the SUV bucked beneath her fingers.
“I can drive if you get tired,” he offered.
“I’m fine.” She glanced at him. “Don’t take it personally, but my dog is my responsibility.”
“Precious cargo,” he agreed with a nod.
They fell into a long silence as her SUV ate up the miles. When his phone vibrated with an incoming email, he was grateful to see Ian’s name as the sender. Sensing Maya’s curious gaze, he tapped the screen, opened the attachment, and used his thumbs to enlarge the document so that he could read it.
The list was longer than he’d anticipated, which was a poor testament to the legal system. Most of the perps he put away should be doing life without the possibility of parole. In his opinion, anyone poisoning children with drugs deserved to rot behind bars.
Obviously, with the ten names on the list, that wasn’t the case.
“I have the names here of ten perps I put away for drug crimes,” he said, filling Maya in on her unanswered question. “These are the ones who’ve been released from prison over the past six months.” He hated to imagine how many would be included if he’d asked Ian to go back even farther.
“That’s a good place to start,” she said. “How many of them are Hispanic?”
“Six of the ten. Although I’m not sure I should eliminate the other four based on race. For all I know, the shooter himself is white.” He ran his eye down the names. Two stood out as the highest potential for wanting to seek revenge. “My top suspects at this point are Horacio Cortez and Christopher Nolan.”
“Remind me to make a call to the Cheyenne police department to get a similar list,” Maya said. “Just in case this is about me.”
He hated thinking about some creep following her around town. “You really don’t have any idea who may be nursing an obsession with you?”
“No.” She shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been a cop. Even if someone I put away is upset and focused on me, why risk coming after me after all this time?”
“Anger can be a powerful motivator. And emotions are rarely logical.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up in a cute smile. “True.”
He wanted to ask more about her career but reminded himself to stay focused on the task at hand. He’d use this time to dig into the names Ian had sent. Reaching into the back seat, he retrieved his laptop and used his phone as a hotspot to connect to the internet.
The work was painstaking and frustrating. He didn’t possess Ian’s technical expertise. He finally discovered the names of each Cortez’s and Nolan’s parole officers. He punched each number into his phone, then made the calls. Both went to voice mail.
He sighed. Pressing his palms against his eyes, he hoped he was doing the right thing by sending the evidence to Cheyenne via plane rather than taking it himself.
Yet he couldn’t afford to leave Cody for that length of time. Emily had gone missing from Cody.
He desperately needed to believe they’d find her in that area. And soon. A glance at his watch made him wince.
She’d been gone six hours and twenty minutes.
* * *
Maya made good time getting to Greybull. When she reached the city limits, she found the road that would take her to Logan Fletcher’s house. Logan often loaned his plane for search and rescue missions, which she and her siblings appreciated.
They all knew Logan had a keen interest in Jessica.
The road was rough, and Zion bounced in the back cargo area. She had been sleeping, but now she looked out with interest.
“Is that the place?” Doug asked, gesturing to the dark cabin with a dark plume of smoke rising from the chimney.
“Yes. Logan’s plane is in the hangar.” She gestured to the outbuilding that was twice the size of the cabin.
“You sound close,” Doug said, glancing at her. Was it her imagination, or was there a hint of disappointment in his gaze?
Not important , she reminded herself. “Logan has used his plane to help us in a few search and rescue missions,” she said. “He’s a nice guy.”
Doug nodded and looked away.
As she brought the vehicle to a stop, the front door opened, and she saw Logan standing there. She lifted a hand and noticed a flash of disappointment in his gaze that she was the one who’d come rather than Jessica.
“Hey, Logan,” she called as she slid out of the driver’s seat. “We need a favor.”
“Come in,” he said, stepping back. “It’s freezing out here.”
She released Zion from the back so the dog could tag along. Doug took a minute to pull the large bag of evidence from the back seat before joining her in entering Logan’s home.
“How’s Jessica?” Logan asked as she shut the door behind them.
She smiled. “Doing well. You could ask her yourself, you know.”
The tips of Logan’s ears turned red. “Just curious. That last case we worked was a tough one.”
“I know. But we found the hiker, which is what matters.” She put a hand on Doug’s arm. “Logan, this is DEA Agent Doug Bridges, and we need your help in getting this evidence to the Cheyenne state crime lab as soon as possible.”
Logan’s expression grew concerned. “Of course. What’s going on?”
“My sister went missing early this morning, and we’ve been targeted by gunfire several times,” Doug said. “I’m happy to pay your going rate if you can get this to Cheyenne before the crime lab closes for the day.”
“Of course. Any idea where your sister is now?” Logan asked.
“No.” Doug swallowed hard. “We have two suspects driving a black Silverado with mud covering the license plates. That’s it. Well, other than these bullet fragments and shell casings that were found with Zion’s help.”
Logan nodded. “The Sullivan K9s are impressive.” The pilot glanced toward her, then back to Doug. “Happy to help. It should only take about two hours to get there, so I should be able to make it in time. And I’ll charge you the Sullivan rate.”
Doug’s jaw dropped. “Dog food?”
Logan laughed. “No, I’ll charge you what I charge them, only the cost of my fuel.”
Maya knew Logan was doing that in hopes the word of his cooperation would reach Jessica. Although why he didn’t just ask her sister out was a mystery. It wasn’t like Jess was seeing anyone these days.
Doug gratefully paid the fee, adding an extra hundred for the expedited service. Logan shrugged and took the cash.
“Do you have paper?” Doug asked. “I’d like to document the fact that I’m transferring ownership of the evidence to you. And in return, you would sign it over to the state lab.” He shrugged. “It’s the best I can do as far as validating the chain of evidence.”
Ten minutes later, Doug had drafted the document, which was then signed by him and Logan. Then they exchanged phone numbers so Logan could call and let him know when the evidence had been received by the lab.
“Thanks very much,” Doug said, offering his hand to Logan. “I’m grateful for your help.”
“Anytime.” Logan turned back to her. “Let Jess know I said hi.”
It wasn’t easy not to roll her eyes. “Sure thing. Take care, Logan.”
She and Doug left the cabin, the biting cold stealing their breath. After getting Zion into the back, she and Doug settled up front.
“I take it that guy has a thing for your sister?” Doug asked with an arched brow.
“Yep.” There was no point in denying it. Doug was a federal agent trained in reading people. And Logan, bless his heart, wasn’t difficult to read. “Not sure why he doesn’t just fly to the ranch and ask her out.”
“He’s probably afraid of being rejected,” Doug said with a grin. “Believe me, most men are.”
“Then he doesn’t deserve to have her,” she shot back.
“Ouch,” he said with a chuckle. “But you’re right. He needs to man up and ask her out.”
“Yeah, while leaving me out of it,” she muttered.
“Thanks again for driving me here,” Doug said. “I feel better knowing the evidence will get to the lab by the end of the day.”
“I’m glad.” She left the long driveway to make the drive back to Cody. “I was thinking that the best way for you to get a hotel room is for me to pay for it. You can pay me back,” she hastily added the minute he opened his mouth to object. “But that’s a better option than staying at Emily’s.”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” he confessed. “It’s killing me that we don’t have another lead to follow. Other than trying to find the Silverado.”
“Yes, I know.” She squashed the urge to invite Doug for dinner at the ranch. Not smart. “Maybe you’ll get some answers from the parole officers.”
“Maybe.” He grimaced. “I’ll take you up on that offer of obtaining a hotel room. I guess I’ll drive around Cody myself to see if I can find the truck.”
She frowned. “By yourself?”
“I can always call the Cody PD for backup if I spot it,” he said with a shrug. “Better than sitting in the hotel room waiting for a phone call.”
He had a point. She wasn’t much for sitting around either. Not that she intended to ride along with him on his mission of finding the truck. She’d already gone well out of her way to help him.
Oh, who was she kidding? She may as well tag along at least for a few hours. If they did find the truck, Zion would be able to track Emily’s scent.
Letting them know if Emily had been inside.
The drive back to Cody seemed to take much longer than an hour. Maybe because they were both lost in their thoughts. Overhead, dark clouds rolled in from the west bringing the threat of more snow.
When they reached Cody, she drove to the Elk Lodge, the nicest hotel in the city. “Wait here,” she told Doug. “I’ll get the room, then we’ll head over to grab your car.”
“Thanks.” He pushed more cash into her hand. “I’ll stop at an ATM to get more later.”
The man was obsessed with paying his way, but she took the money and headed inside. The clerk didn’t hesitate to give her a room; although, she required Maya to use a credit card.
She handed Doug the key when she returned to the SUV. “Where do you want to start searching for the Silverado?”
His green eyes reflected gratitude. “You know the city better than I do. If you wanted to hide someone, where would you go?”
It was a good question, and she took a moment to think about it. She hadn’t patrolled the city the way she had as a cop in Cheyenne, but she knew the type of neighborhood he was referring to. Apparently, they were similar in nature across the country. “There are a few abandoned places outside the northeast side of town. I suggest we start there.”
“Let’s do it.” He appeared relieved to have a plan.
She put the SUV in gear and turned to head back the way they’d come. When she reached the highway outside of town, she turned north.
They patrolled the area for twenty minutes. She was about to turn back since they were well outside the city limits when she spotted a pair of tire tracks veering off the highway and heading into a wooded area. The recent snowfall indicated they were recent.
“Maya, is there a road there?” Doug asked, having noticed them too.
She tried to think. “Maybe an old dirt road, but I’ve never taken it, so I can’t say for sure.”
His gaze sharpened. “It’s not that deep, can we head down it? See if we find anything?”
With a nod, she stopped, backed up, and turned to follow the tracks. She put the SUV into four-wheel drive. The road, if that’s what she was on, seemed to be in decent shape.
Fully expecting to come upon a house in the woods, she hit the brake when she saw a truck with frost covering its windows.
A black Silverado truck with an obliterated rear license plate.