Echoes From the Past
No matter how many times he’d rubbed his hands against his jeans, the waxy residue he’d picked up searching for a pulse on the victim still clung to his fingers like a bad dream.
He’d happened upon the victim while doing a scouting expedition to find new trails for some of his clients. As a seasoned wilderness guide, he had clients from all over the country looking for new hunting sites for the current shoulder elk season—a special management hunt to thin overpopulation.
He hadn’t realized a different kind of predator was also out there hunting a very different type of prey.
Caleb had said a prayer over the woman even though he knew she was gone. Despite the veil of wax covering her face, it couldn’t hide the expression of excruciating pain forever branded into her features. This was someone’s daughter. Perhaps someone’s sister. Wife. Aunt. Friend. What kind of monster did such a horrific thing to another human being?
Even with the sat phone, getting service had been difficult. He’d called the local rangers first, then the sheriff’s department,who had looped in the police, all the while knowing it wouldn’t be long before the FBI got involved.
As soon as he’d seen the body, Caleb knew the truth.
He was back.
Still, he hadn’t expected to see her again. Ava, the woman who still held part of his heart despite the way things ended for them. Part of him half expected her to walk away from the FBI after what happened. Another part believed she wouldn’t stop until she brought Wax Saint to justice.
Now, she tugged her Bureau emblazoned jacket tight against her thin frame. There was a K-9 unit next to her, which appeared to be sizing Caleb up. But he only gave the animal a cursory glance before his full attention returned to her.
Though thinner, she still looked the same. Dark hair pulled back into a no-nonsense bun at the nape of her neck. Her gray eyes were sharp like granite as if time and what happened to her had left their mark there as well.
The second FBI agent at her side stepped away as if realizing he and Ava had unfinished business.
Caleb closed the space between them, careful not to disturb anything that might be considered evidence.
He’d told himself he’d moved on after she’d disappeared without so much as a word as to what he’d done wrong. His brain reasoned it wasn’t because of him she’d left, but because of Wax. She’d be back once she was better. Yet none of those things had happened. He hadn’t moved on. She didn’t come back. And he still blamed himself for not being able to protect her.
When he’d first spotted her kneeling next to the wax-stained ground and heard her say, “this is him”, he’d known all those theories he’d told himself to feel better would be ripped to shreds.
The dog at her side broke the silence between them with a low growl that ripped through the clearing. The Malinois’sears pinned back as it stared uneasily at the wax on the ground. Caleb had led many search-and-rescue dogs through this rough terrain bordering the park. They were fearless. However, this K-9 seemed different from the other animals. He was too thin. His body bore physical scars that held their own story. Those amber eyes seemed to confirm he’d been through things that would destroy most. He had suffered significantly, like Ava.
When Caleb had called the Bureau to let them know about the similarities to the former case, he’d been patched through to the head of the Redeemed K-9 Unit. At first, he’d been a little surprised. He had no idea why his call had been sent that way. While he waited, Caleb looked the unit up and found out they were made up of a team of FBI agents, U.S. Marshals, and select local law enforcement officers who’d survived trauma that nearly ended their careers. Each handler was paired with a dog considered “unfit” for service, such as retired military dogs, police K-9s, or rescues that had failed certification.
The agent in charge he’d spoken with, Marcus Kane, confirmed Ava was part of the team. Kane’s voice had come through the sat phone clearly when he told Caleb they’d need him to stay on the case even if Ava protested.
“We’ll need your skills up there. Ava might be trained in hiking the trails up near Glacier, but the rest of our people aren’t.”
The mention of Ava had him wondering if Kane knew about his relationship with Ava.
Someone cleared their throat noisily and Caleb remembered Deputy Vaughn standing nearby.
“Special Agent, this is the person who found the body.”
Ava smiled. “Thank you, Deputy. Hello, Caleb.” His name on her lips sent him back to the past and was like a knife to his heart.
“You two know each other?” Vaughn asked, clearly surprised.
Caleb forced himself to answer. “We do. Agent Blake.”
The side of her mouth quirked at his formal response.
“I heard you were part of the Redeemed K-9 team. What’s your partner’s name?” He glanced down at the dog who now made little circles between them as if trying to put a guard up between Caleb and his handler.
Almost as if he knew their backstory.
“This is Shadow. He’s been my partner for a year now.” She touched the dog’s back. Shadow stopped his pacing but kept an eye on Caleb. “And I guess he’s made his choice.”
He arched his brow. “I don’t follow you.”
