Chapter 46

Josie stood once again at the edge of the Tranquil Trails driveway, sweating, as she and Turner waited for Luke Creighton to arrive. Turner peeled off his vest and tossed it into the back seat of Josie's SUV. She was gratified to see a long V of sweat along the back of his dress shirt that went almost to his waist. He started loosening his tie. "I thought we didn't have a K-9 unit."

"We don't, officially," Josie said. "It's never been in the budget. The Chief found a nonprofit organization that lends search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers out to police departments in need at little to no expense to the department. Our handler serves a number of departments in this area."

Turner threw his tie into the back seat and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. The collar of his undershirt was soaked. "This handler? He any good?"

Josie turned away from him, feeling that old familiar mix of emotions whenever she talked or thought about Luke Creighton. Once upon a time, they'd been engaged. He was the first guy she was serious about after her first husband, Ray, died. He'd been a state trooper. A rule-follower through and through until one day Josie asked him to bend a rule and got him shot almost to death for his trouble. He'd lost his spleen.

"Yeah," she said. "He's the best."

Turner was so close to her that his arm brushed hers. "You sure? You don't look convinced."

Josie had spent eighteen months nursing Luke back to health and back to work and then he'd lied to her, betrayed her, and cheated on her. He'd gotten caught up in a bad situation that he only made worse when he covered up a shooting. A complicated, ugly series of events led to him being kidnapped by bad men with mafia ties. They'd tortured him, leaving lasting and permanent damage.

"I'm sure," Josie said. "Besides, it's all about the dog, and Luke's dog is definitely the best."

"You really are a dog person," Turner said, staring down at her. "That why you didn't want me to shoot Kiki the Menace?"

Josie shaded her eyes as she looked up at him. "Would you really have shot her?"

He smirked. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think about you, Turner. Just do me a favor. When Luke gets here, don't…say anything about his hands, okay? Try not to react."

Both of Luke's hands and all of his fingers had been shattered during his ordeal. They were covered in silver scars. The tip of his pinky finger on his left hand was turned outward and the index and middle fingers on his right hand were flattened. That was after multiple surgeries. He said he was used to it and that people's reactions to his hands didn't bother him, but it bothered Josie.

Luke had paid for every one of his mistakes, losing his job, his career, and spending time in prison. He'd gotten his bloodhound, Blue, to help with the crippling anxiety he had as a result of what he'd been through, but found that Blue could also help him redeem himself by still finding a way to serve others. Their record was nearly perfect, and Blue had saved Josie's life. It was one of those debts she could never repay.

"Hey." Turner bumped her arm gently. "You're really asking me for something, aren't you?"

"Luke is important to me."

He grinned. "Is it hard? Asking me for something?"

She elbowed him sharply, hitting ribs. "What do you think?"

"I think you smell like sweat and horseshit."

A dirt-covered white pickup truck appeared in the distance, climbing Prout Road. Josie stepped away from Turner to wave Luke into the driveway. "You're pretty ripe yourself."

Moments later, Blue was at Josie's feet, receiving ear scratches and words of praise while Luke introduced himself to Turner. Josie felt actual shock when Turner gave no visible reaction at all to Luke's mangled hands. She wasn't sure if it was because she'd asked him not to react or because he was so fixated on Luke's size. He was at least an inch taller than Turner with broader shoulders and a lot more muscle. A gentle giant. He'd long ago given up his buzzed state trooper haircut and let his brown hair grow out. It was a longer, shaggier look, but it suited him better.

As they made their way down the trail toward the water, Josie briefed Luke on the situation.

"I've been following the news," Luke said. "I was wondering if I'd get a call. I sure would like to be looking for that little girl instead of this bastard."

Turner clapped him on the shoulder. "You find this bastard and we'll get him to tell us where to find the girl."

Josie wasn't so sure but she kept quiet. Once they reached the clearing, Luke put Blue's harness on, his indication that it was time to work. He gave him the same soft instructions that he did with every search and let him scent Seth's shirt. Then he was off.

As usual, Josie had to run to keep up. Behind her, Turner crashed gracelessly through the forest, complaining whenever he managed to catch his breath. Blue headed south, toward the city, keeping to the trees rather than the river. They passed through an open meadow. Without the shade to cool her off, sweat poured down Josie's face, burning her eyes when she didn't wipe it away fast enough. Next to her, Turner's breathing was labored but his long strides still made him hard to keep up with.

Why had Seth come this way? It was risky, returning to a populated area where nearly every person knew your face and that you were wanted for murder and kidnapping. Did that mean that Seth was keeping Rosie and Mira near the city? In the city somewhere? Josie still couldn't figure out where he'd managed to hold April for an entire year, and the map little Rosie had drawn still made no sense to her. Seth could have found remote wooded places to keep April in the warm weather, but the winter was another story. Even if Rebecca found that Jon had been renting an apartment for Seth, would it be a place that he could imprison a grown woman without anyone noticing or growing suspicious? It seemed as though Deirdre Velis's truck was his primary mode of transportation. Is that where he'd kept April for most of the time? That would certainly account for the lack of sunlight she'd endured.

Blue darted to the left. A moment later they were on the riverbank. He sniffed the rocks and dirt on the edge of the water and then lifted his nose to scent the air. Josie scanned the river, trying to determine how far they'd traveled. Now that the bend in the river where the peninsula had formed was behind them, Josie had a better view of the opposite bank where it meandered toward Central Denton. Most of it was just more trees or rocky shoals. In one area what looked like an old garden shed now lay in a heap of wood and debris. The trees around it had been cut down. Someone was likely planning to build there.

Blue stopped sniffing and looked up at Luke. There was no active alert—a bark—and no passive alert—sitting or lying down. He'd lost the scent. It was extremely unusual for him.

Turner huffed behind Josie. "I didn't think this job would involve so much running. What's going on?"

Luke frowned. "He must have gone into the water. This is as far as Blue could follow the scent. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Josie said.

"Can't dogs search in water, too?" Turner said. Suddenly he was an expert on search-and-rescue dogs.

Luke laughed. "You have a boat handy? Kidding. What you're thinking of are dogs that can find a body immersed in water. Unless this guy is dead, I think that would be a waste of a lot of resources."

"But just in case," Josie said. "Have some patrols drive up and down the road on the other side of the river and see if they can spot anything."

Turner used his radio to make the request while Josie squatted down to pet Blue. Luke gave him some water which he lapped up enthusiastically. A few minutes later, they were headed back toward Tranquil Trails, trudging along a lot slower this time and keeping the river in view so they didn't get lost. Josie was grateful when they entered the shade of the trees again, but she was beginning to think that Turner was right. She did smell like horseshit and sweat.

"Blue?" Luke stopped walking.

Josie looked around but didn't see the dog. Turner hunched over, putting his hands on his knees. "He have to take a leak?"

"I don't know." Luke walked back into the trees, searching for him.

Josie's heart slammed into overdrive. She hadn't even seen Blue leave the group. "Luke?"

He kept walking. "He just ran off. It's not like him. He?—"

Luke pulled up short and Josie bumped into his back. Edging around him, she saw Blue lying beside a haphazard pile of rocks.

Turner finally caught up. "Oh hell. He needs a nap?"

"No," Josie said, eyes fixed on the dog. "That's his passive alert?—"

"—for a cadaver find," Luke finished.