On the way to back to Evie’s mother’s house, they went through a restaurant drive-through to grab a breakfast sandwich. Evie pulled over in the parking lot. Glancing at him, she clasped her hands together in her lap.
“I’d like to say grace.” Before he could say anything in response, she began. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We also thank You for keeping us safe from harm and ask that You please continue to guide us to the truth. Amen.”
“Amen.” The response came without his thinking about it. He hadn’t prayed in the five years since the disastrous exfil from Afghanistan, but there was no denying they needed all the help they could get. Did God care that he was in trouble? He wasn’t convinced.
They ate and sipped their coffee. Then Evie put the SUV in gear and continued cruising through town. Grand Haven’s downtown was bustling with activity now, and he was grateful for the tourists who would help hide them.
As they turned onto the road that would take them to Evie’s mother’s home, he noticed the traffic thinned. This wasn’t the usual route tourists would take to enter the nature preserve. Which only reinforced, at least in his mind, that a local resident killed and buried Skye’s body all those years ago.
Evie pulled into the driveway but didn’t shut off the car engine. “Would you open the garage for me? The four-digit code is my birthday.” She provided the numbers. “I think it’s best to park inside.”
“Good thinking.” He slid out and opened the garage door. When Evie and Bruno emerged a moment later, he closed it again. “Ready?”
“Yes. Come, Bruno.” She rounded the garage to walk into the backyard. He followed her and Bruno.
The trek through the woods didn’t take long. He caught a glimpse of the yellow crime scene tape strung between the trees. Despite the warmth of the summer day, a cold chill snaked down his spine as he saw the overturned earth where the police had removed what was left of Skye Gray.
“I can’t stop thinking about how Skye was buried here for all these years,” Evie’s low voice broke the silence.
“Yeah.” The breakfast sandwich sat like a rock in his gut. He could all too easily imagine Evie following Bruno here to find the human skull along with the scrap of Skye’s clothing. He wondered if the autopsy would reveal any new information. Not that he expected Detective Rueger to fill him in if they did.
Quite the opposite.
“How far off the main path is this?” He glanced at Evie. “Do you know?”
“No idea, but let’s find out.” She used her arm to move some low-hanging branches out of the way and continued walking through the woods in the opposite direction from where her mother’s house was located.
Bruno trotted ahead of them, his nose to the ground. Cam half expected Bruno to lead them to the path, but instead, the dog abruptly veered off to the left, which seemed to go deeper into the woods.
“Bruno, where are you going?” Evie sounded annoyed.
Cam put a hand on her slender arm. “Don’t call him off, Evie. I think we should follow him. He seems to be following some scent trail we obviously can’t see.”
Evie frowned but then quickened her pace. Reassured they were still following, Bruno put his nose to the ground again and kept going. Cam didn’t take his gaze off the dog, as an uneasy feeling washed over him. What had caught the dog’s attention? Would Bruno take them to the gunman? Was the guy who’d killed Skye fourteen years ago hiding out in the woods watching them?
The possibility that the killer was a vagrant, someone who lived in the woods off the grid, rolled through his mind. Dan Johnson? Something like that would explain why he hadn’t found the guy on social media. Maybe Dan had fallen on hard times over the years.
Then again, he couldn’t imagine anyone who was homeless living in the woods this far from food or water. Besides, the Dan Johnson he remembered would never live in a tent in the middle of the woods. Dan had been the star football player for their team and had been spoiled by his wealthier than most parents.
Better to remain focused on facts, rather than create fiction.
Bruno darted between two large bushes. Evie frowned and hurried forward. “Bruno, wait up, boy. We’re coming.”
Cam could tell Evie wanted anyone who might be lurking nearby to know they were there. A sentiment he understood, even though he’d much rather sneak up on the killer without a fair warning.
Resting his hand on the butt of his weapon, he followed Evie through the brush. His heart thudded painfully in his chest when he heard Bruno let out a sharp bark.
Had the dog found something? Or someone?
“Evie, stay back!” His tone was sharper than he’d intended, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her walking into a trap.
She ignored him, surging ahead toward her dog. “Bruno!”
Cam ducked and ran to catch up. Then he abruptly stopped when he saw Bruno sitting tall beside a clearing with freshly overturned earth. There were some leaves and sticks scattered across the top, but it was obviously intended to be a camouflage for whatever was buried there.
“No, it can’t be,” Evie’s voice shook with horror. “Please tell me it’s not...”
“I don’t know.” He quickly scanned the area searching for a threat. Bruno’s ears were pricked forward, so he didn’t think the gunman was nearby. His gaze landed back on the fresh dirt.
