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The right time. “This time he has Britt, and I don’t know how the fuck to find her.”
“I have an idea.” She nods to Edward. “Bring the dog. We’re going back to Gary’s.”
* * *
When we reachthe small cabin, it’s roped off with tape and small cards are dotted everywhere indicating Britt’s processing of the scene. I can see her carefully picking apart the details, photographing everything as her mind solves the puzzle, turning the pieces, testing how they might fit. Desperation claws my insides. I’ve got to find her.
Edward’s nose is to the ground, and he runs all over the place sniffing and tracking. He goes out to the carport where ATV tire tracks cover the soft dirt.
“Britt said he could pick up a trail as old as two weeks.” I’m in a squat holding his leash, feeling more helpless than I ever have in my life.
“Good thing. This trail is at least a week old, maybe more.”
The dog gives me a pull, and I stand, following him as he leads us further into the scrub brush surrounding the property. Gwen is with me, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her in jeans and hiking boots. Her hair is tied back in a single, thick braid, and she actually looks like a normal person.
We’re both straining, following as Britt’s dog traces an invisible line, back and forth, side to side, pulling us deeper into the marsh.
“Think he’s onto something?” Gwen’s voice is quiet as we follow, as if any noise might distract him.
“I’ve never worked with dogs, but this is what it always looks like.”
He breaks into a run, pulling me with him, and I pick up the pace, splashing through briny water, anticipation gripping my lungs. Gwen is right behind me running as well, and I’ll be damned. If you’d told me three weeks ago, I’d be working with Gwen Bailey, trusting her and accepting her help with a case, I’d have said you were crazy.
With a high-pitched yelp, Edward breaks through a stand of cattails, me right behind him, and when I see what he’s been tracking, my grip loosens. He takes the opportunity to dart away from me, but he doesn’t go far. He runs right up to the red three-wheeler and lifts his head in a longRooo!
“Shit,” I exhale a mixture of satisfaction and frustration. “He found it.”
It’s not what we were hoping for, but at least it proves he’s doing his job. Dropping to one knee, I recover his leash, scrubbing my hands in the sides of his head the way Britt and Owen always do.
“Good boy, Edward.” I scrub him some more, and he lifts his head like he’s nodding. “You’re a good tracker, ole boy.”
Gwen frowns, crossing her arms and looking all around the area. “There’s nothing out here for miles. It’s all marsh.”
“I’ll have the guys sweep the area and see what they can find on this vehicle. I doubt it’s registered anymore, but maybe we can figure out who purchased it and where they lived.”
“Thirty years ago.”
She’s saying what I’m feeling. It’s a longshot, but I have to keep my spirits up. It’s all I’ve got. “Let’s head back to Eureka and see if they’ve found anything on your laptop.”
I won’t sleep tonight if we don’t make some kind of progress.
* * *
I’mon my second day of no sleep. Owen is staying with my mom, and she agreed to keep Edward as well. We told my son Britt had to take a trip and needed him to watch her dog, and he was as happy as if we’d found a pack of wild zebras for him to ride.
Meanwhile, it’s 6 a.m. at the courthouse, and I’m going quietly insane trying to find anything that might lead us to where Stan Roswell is hiding, where he’s holding my girl.
I’m leaning forward with my forearms on my knees, and Edna places a mug of coffee beside me on the desk.
“Looks like none of us are sleeping these days.” Her voice is weary, and I glance up to see dark shadows under her eyes.
“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” The words have just left my mouth when I remember saying the same thing to Britt when we were searching for Gary Blue.
Dropping my face in my hands, I groan as understanding flashes through me.
Gwen promised her she’d give us Gary, so Britt waited to see if her mother could do it. Sitting here, wracked with frustration over the impossibility of finding her, I know why she did it.
“She wasn’t trying to betray me.” My voice cracks. “I was so fucking self-defensive, so wrapped up in my own head, I couldn’t see it.”
