Without hesitation, he did so, skirting some of the thicker bushes rather than plowing through. A minute later, he was surprised to find Bruno sitting tall beside another fallen tree. As Cam approached, the dog let out a sharp bark.
“I know you were trained as a police K9,” he said to the dog. He crouched beside the log to examine the ground. “Unfortunately, I have no clue why you brought me here.”
Had the killer been there? Cam rose and searched the ground further around the log. The dry spell they’d had was not helpful. He didn’t see anything remotely resembling a footprint.
Bruno continued to sit there, staring up at him. He sighed and bent to stroke the animal’s fur. “Good boy, Bruno. You’re a good boy!”
Bruno jumped to his feet, as if he’d been waiting to be praised. Then he left the fallen log and headed back in the direction of the path. Cam followed the dog’s lead, anxious to get back to Evie.
Maybe he shouldn’t have left her alone. Just because they had a rental car and a rental property didn’t mean she was safe. Bruno’s alert at the fallen log was proof of that.
Kicking himself ten ways to Sunday, he quickened his pace. “Evie?” He pitched his voice loud enough to carry, or so he hoped. “I’m with Bruno. We’re on our way back.”
“Okay.” Her muffled voice was difficult to hear, but her response made him feel better. He absolutely needed to do better moving forward.
What if the killer had drawn Bruno out into the woods on purpose for the opportunity to get Evie alone? The very thought of her facing off with this guy made him break out in a cold sweat, despite the heat.
Bruno stayed on the path, moving at a steady pace with his curvy tail swaying back and forth. The dog hadn’t growled in warning, so he didn’t think the killer was close by.
But it was logical to assume the killer had been at the fallen log at some point recently. Earlier today? Yesterday? The day before?
The not knowing was killing him. During his two tours in Afghanistan, he’d fought many an unseen enemy. It wasn’t easy to tell if an Afghan was friend or foe.
Oddly, this seemed worse. A nameless, faceless sicko who had already brutally murdered two women. And likely more.
“Bruno!” Evie greeted her dog with relief, bending and petting him enthusiastically. He holstered his weapon, about to apologize for his actions, when she shocked him by throwing herself into his arms. “You shouldn’t have left me here.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt. “You were gone for an eternity. I went crazy imagining the worst.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He held her close, solemnly thanking God for keeping her safe despite his lapse in judgment. If God was watching over them, he hoped their Almighty Father would protect Evie first and foremost. “Never again.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise.” She held him tightly for another long moment, before finally loosening her grip. Tipping her head back, she looked up at him. It wasn’t easy to resist the urge to kiss her. “What on earth did Bruno find?”
“Good question. I wish he could talk so I would know for sure, but he led me to another fallen log.” He glanced down at Bruno, then shrugged. “I didn’t see anything unusual, no tracks or prints, but he clearly alerted to something at that spot.”
“More like someone.” Evie’s expression turned grim. “Who else could it be but the killer? Is it possible he’s been burying bodies over here too?”
“I don’t know.” He forced a reassuring smile. “Let’s try not to think the worst. It could be he was here a few days ago.”
“Yeah, right.” She scowled. “He might know we’re staying here.”
He hesitated and eyed the well-worn path again. It had bothered him earlier and was even more concerning now. “I don’t see how he could have figured out we’re staying here. But if you want me to find something else, I can do that.” He eyed his watch. “No guarantee we’ll find a place yet tonight, though.”
“I don’t know what to think.” She blew out a frustrated breath, stepped back, and jammed her fingers through her curly hair. “Logically, I know this guy isn’t Superman with X-ray vision, but I’m on edge about how Bruno took off like that.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s too much like the way he bolted away from me that first night at my mom’s house. He disappeared into the woods, only to return with the bone from Skye’s forearm.”
“Okay, if you think we should trust Bruno, then I will look for somewhere else to stay.” It was starting to look as if they wouldn’t get back into the nature preserve to look for more bodies anytime soon. He told himself that if they drew the killer out of hiding and grabbed him, there would be no need to search.
Yet he didn’t like the idea of doing nothing constructive until darkness fell either.
“Maybe wait until you hear back from Doc.” Evie bit her lower lip, clearly worried she was overreacting.
Remembering how his phone had vibrated earlier, he quickly pulled it free. Rather than seeing Doc’s number, he noticed the call was from a local number. Concerned, he was about to ignore it when he realized the only person who had his personal number was Detective Rueger.
Rueger hadn’t left a message, which was interesting. He quickly returned the call. “Grand Haven Police Department, how may I direct your call?”
“This is Cameron Walker returning Detective Rueger’s call.” He hoped it was Rueger. He didn’t like the idea of the detective passing his personal phone number around to other cops in the precinct.
“Please hold.” There was nothing but silence for several seconds before another voice came over the line.
“Walker? This is Detective Rueger. I wanted you to know that the Michigan State Troopers found an abandoned Chevy Black pickup truck with tinted windows on Highway 23, only about three miles from where you were run off the road.”
