“That’s for sure,” she agreed. “It’s right over there.” She turned and pointed a distance away, toward the farthest edge of the forest from where they stood.
“Do you want to wait here?” Evan asked.
She felt grateful that he seemed ready to protect her. This was, in fact, an extremely difficult thing for her to do.
But she had to do it in case they had an unexpected result. Maybe the dogs would find some evidence that would ultimately lead them to identify her father’s murderer.
“No,” she said with no hesitation. “Come on, all of you. Let’s see what these two amazing canine noses can do.”
*
“It’s right here.” Amber’s voice was soft and hoarse, and Evan almost couldn’t hear it in the slight breeze that blew through the leaves of the trees to their right.
He had stopped walking when Amber did and now stood several feet away from her. He held Bear’s leash carefully and looked toward Lola, who sat on the ground beside Amber with an anxious expression on her usually happy Lab face, her tail unusually still.
Did Lola have a sense about where she was, or was she just reacting to how her handler and human, Amber, was behaving?
They were maybe a third of the way along where the trees began growing, then thickened and formed the forest covering the top of the mountain. Near them were bushes that soon gave way to a few oak trees with branches resembling people casting their arms out at distorted angles to beg. Beyond them, tall fir trees reached toward the sky.
The lawn, so rich and verdant nearer the homes, was dry and sparse here, and the ground was mostly covered with dirt and leaves.
A better place for the dogs to inhale scents of plant life and animals, mostly rodents, Evan figured. And birds that had landed here to seek insects in the underbrush.
And…any residual odor of a cadaver?
That was undoubtedly what Amber had meant when she mentioned those two amazing canine noses.
As neutrally as he could, he softly asked, “This is where your father was found?”
She gave two quick nods, her eyes facing the ground. “At least I think so. I wasn’t living here then. By the time I came back, he’d been…he had been released from the medical examiner’s office to the mortuary my mom chose, and his funeral was a few days later. I asked questions and Assistant Police Chief Kara was kind enough to walk me up here, though not too close since there was crime-scene tape everywhere and they were still investigating. I made as much of a mental note about where it was as I could, though at the time I doubted I’d ever be able to bring myself to come up here again.”
Evan noticed that Bear continued to stand where they’d stopped, nose in the air. That could mean he smelled the normal stuff that Evan had thought about briefly on their arrival here.
Or it could mean he smelled something not so normal.
He wasn’t alerting, so that could just be wishful thinking on Evan’s part.
“But you did come back up here,” he said to Amber.
“Several times. Not that I figured I’d see something official police investigators hadn’t discovered or anything like that. It was more…well, stupid on my part. A ridiculous hope that, if my dad ever found a way to get through to me from—from beyond, it would be here and he could help set me on a path toward whoever had done this to him.”
As she spoke, Amber’s voice became more agitated. Evan had to try hard to understand her through her increasing raspiness, and he couldn’t miss the tears flowing down her smooth cheeks.
“I can identify with that, at least a little. While I was overseas, and some of my fellow soldiers were—were killed—” He had to stop for a minute since the sights and sounds he had left so far behind were returning suddenly to attack his mind. “There were times I hoped they would talk to me, too. Tell me what awaited me, if things went bad for me.”
Somehow he managed to keep his tone level, as if he was just discussing a business venture or something with no emotional background. He owed himself a pat on the back for that.
Better yet, a drink.
But he continued to watch Amber.
She was watching him, too. Her brows raised slightly, she asked, “And did they ever talk to you?”
“Only in my imagination,” he admitted. “And your dad. Has he ever seemed to communicate with you?”
And then he repeated his own words at the same time Amber said them. “Only in my imagination.”
He wanted to hug her as she managed a laugh. He did draw closer to her, but she turned away.
Clearly a hug wasn’t on her current agenda. “Anyway,” she said in a more matter-of-fact tone, “this is where my father’s body was found. He had been shot twice, but the cops apparently never found the weapon the killer used. One of the bullets was still inside him, and the other was partially buried beneath him, so they were able to identify the kind of gun, but that was all.”
“I gather that the Chance PD has a small K-9 unit. Did they bring any of the dogs up here?”
“I believe so, but I’m really not sure.”
“This was a couple of months ago?”
“That’s right.”
Evan sighed internally. He had already warned Amber how unlikely it was that the dogs would smell anything useful after all that time. But now that they were here, he had to try.
“I’ll give a command to Bear in case there’s something helpful he can smell here. Will Lola follow a command like that, too?”
“I’m still not sure what all her training was, and what verbal orders my dad taught her, but go ahead and try with both of them.”
He hadn’t told Amber to bring anything of her dad’s to provide a scent for the dogs to search for. Even if they somehow caught Corbin’s scent up here, Amber already knew he had been here.
But with Bear in particular, a highly trained dog in explosives and other weapons, he had a couple of options. He could have told him “track” or “retrieve” without telling him what he was after, but for now chose “search.”
With his training, Bear would follow the scent of any ammunition with that instruction.
He removed Bear’s leash and called, “Bear, search.”
Despite not wearing a duty vest, Bear immediately stood at attention, still with his nose in the air, then placed it closer to the ground.
For the next ten minutes, he seemed to hunt, and Lola did the same. Did she know the command or was she simply following what another canine was doing?
Evan had no idea, but he watched them take different paths, smelling everything around them, going into the underbrush toward the woods, then back again.
Eventually, they both returned, Bear to Evan and Lola to Amber. They sat and looked up.
“Good dog,” Evan said, patting Bear. Amber followed his example with Lola.
And Amber, after praising her dog, just looked at Evan. “That’s it, then? Nothing.”
“For now,” he said. “But I’ll try to learn more about what the police know, like the kind of weapon used. Getting a sample of ammo to let Bear smell it would be best for the possibility of his locating something, but it’s not absolutely necessary—although because of the timing, the chances are remote.” He wanted to make Amber happy, but to get her too psyched up that something good could happen wasn’t right, either.
It could lead her to another avenue of disappointment.
“Well…thanks,” she said, but her tone was dejected. “I appreciate your trying. And you did say it was a long shot.”
“Right.”
She looked at him then, her eyes searching his face as if the answers she sought could be hidden there. “Do you have any other ideas?”
He stared straight into her eyes as if that posed no problems for him—and in fact it didn’t. Not now.
“I’ve got a few but don’t want to share them until I get a better sense of how to follow up.”
“Thank you.” Her tone sounded genuine, not just polite, and he wanted to thank her
back.
Instead, he found himself right in front of her on the underbrush and dirt, the breeze blowing the branches and leaves nearby, the dogs sitting at their feet.
Maybe this was too impulsive, but he didn’t care. He took Amber into his arms, and she didn’t resist. In fact, her arms went around him, too, and suddenly her body was against him in a way he had barely imagined before. He felt her soft, sexy curves, especially those above, her firm breasts and more…and he bent his head down and met her warm, sensuous lips with his.
Chapter 13
Whatever Amber had been expecting, it wasn’t this.
Hoped for it. But expected? No.
And yet, as she enjoyed the touch of his searching lips on hers, it felt as if she had been awaiting this heated, stimulating, sexually arousing kiss forever.
His body was strong and stiff against her, and she was fully aware of the hardness of his most sensuous area. That made her body ache for more. A lot more.
She pushed closer against him. Let her mouth, her tongue, question him, seeking answers—like, were they really turned on by one another?
She certainly enjoyed the feel of him.
And, yes, she was definitely turned on. Was he? It certainly seemed that way. She moved to deepen the kiss.
Except…
This wasn’t right. Not here.
Not with Evan, no matter how attracted she was to him. He was her employee.
Not her lover.
Though the idea was a lot more appealing than it should be.
She heard rustling in the undergrowth near them. At least one of the dogs was on the move.
Did they have any opinions on their owners’ actions? No, that was silly.
They certainly hadn’t been trained to do anything in situations where humans touched one another in a nonthreatening way.
Amber pulled her mouth away just a little, but that apparently was enough to get Evan’s attention. His grip on her loosened, and she immediately regretted her action, even as she stepped back and watched his face to see if he would look anywhere near her, let alone at her.
He stared her straight in the face and smiled, which made her smile in return. “Good thing we’re out here, in the open,” he said. “Even though it’s unlikely anyone would come up here, there’s no privacy. Otherwise, I’d expect you to seduce me.”
She found herself laughing. “I think you’re already trying to seduce me.” Then she grew more serious. “More likely, you’re trying to distract me from what’s on my mind. I can’t help thinking about my father, but I appreciate the effort.”
“Anytime.” His voice was soft and sympathetic. He reached out for her hand, holding it firmly in his warm grasp in a way that made her once more think of touching one another in inappropriate ways. But she didn’t pull back.
Holding hands wasn’t a bad idea when a person possibly needed sympathy and more.
She might not need sympathy, though it felt good. And up here, where her father had died, she had hoped for more. A more that consisted of at least a hint at answers.
Evan must have somehow read her raw emotions in her expression. Or maybe it was just logical enough that he jumped on the idea. “I’m sorry the dogs didn’t find anything, despite how remote the possibility was.”
“Me, too,” she said simply. “And…well, I appreciate your attempt to distract me to make it even a little easier to live with the disappointment.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was doing.” He’d moved farther away and now faced to her right, where the dogs sat watching them. “Distracting you. To make things easier. And if you ever feel the need for distraction again, just let me know.” He turned back toward her, again looking her straight in the face, which made her nearly shiver in anticipation of…well, needing distraction again sometime.
But if she did, it wouldn’t—couldn’t—be like this.
“Right.” She squared her shoulders, preparing to return to reality. “Anyway, we’re done here. Let’s go back down the hill.”
Which made sense. This visit to the crime scene had upset her in more ways than one.
Partly because she realized how much she had enjoyed that inappropriate and highly sexy kiss.
*
“Sure, let’s go.” Evan turned toward Bear, who sat on the ground looking at him with eyes that appeared quizzical. Or maybe just anticipatory. He was waiting for Evan’s next command. “Hey, Bear,” he said. “This is one of those many times I wish you could convey to me what you’re thinking—what you smell around here. I know when you do smell something useful or dangerous from your reactions, though, so maybe this is enough.”
He turned back toward Amber, whose smile seemed sad. “He’s definitely a good dog,” she said. “A smart dog. Lola, too, but I doubt her senses are a fraction as good as Bear’s, or at least as useful after his training.”
The Lab was now at Amber’s side, nuzzling her hand as if demanding to be petted in payment for what she had attempted to accomplish here.
And what Lola had wanted was to please her mistress, even if she didn’t understand what Amber had truly wanted: an answer to what had happened to her dad.
Well, these dogs had tried, even if they were unsuccessful.
“Bear, come,” Evan said, and, after leashing his dog, began slowly walking down along the way they had come up the hill. He looked back at Amber, who had also attached a leash to Lola’s collar. “I agree it’s time to go back.”
To the houses and reality and a place far from this crime scene that perhaps had yielded something helpful to the cops, but was now useless to a trained K-9, and one not so trained.
They still needed answers.
He needed answers, to help his employer reach some kind of closure over her father’s death. But how could he do that?
Amber caught up with him, and they began walking side by side, unlike the way they had climbed the hill with her in front.
The leashed dogs were slightly ahead now but neither pulled as if they sensed anything needing their attention, not even wildlife smells.
Evan pondered what should come next. He had gone through a lot in the last years, had managed to come through it all and survive, and help his wonderful, brave, lifesaving Bear survive it, too.
Amber had also gone through a lot, though in a different way. The loss of her father in such horrible circumstances had changed her life, though. Had brought her here, changed her career and more.
He knew what had injured him: an IED blast, while he was at war. He knew what—who—had saved him: Bear. He also knew that he’d had to consequently save Bear, too. And he recognized that Bear still helped him deal with his remaining, though fortunately receding, psychological issues.
But Amber needed better answers about the causes of her pain to help her deal with it.
She had hired him, which was helping him get on with his life in a way he liked. He had to find a way to help her.
As he accompanied her down the hill, they talked about the forest and the temperature and the smells here that humans sensed.
They laughed at the dogs who’d accompanied them, not complaining that this trip had accomplished nothing except getting something out of the way in trying to learn what had happened to Corbin Belott.
Well, Evan would learn more. He had to. That would mean talking to people in town, like the cops. Learning what they’d found, or hadn’t found, in their official crime-scene investigation.
And maybe there were other residents of Chance who could provide some insight into Corbin…and his killer.
Evan had a real job to do, which had to come first if he wanted to make Amber happy. He’d be a damn good trainer of dogs and their handlers.
But he was determined now to also delve into what had happened to Corbin—and help to find answers for Amber, too.
*
With Bear mostly sniffing in front of him, Evan soon reached the main house with Amber and Lola. It was late afternoon.
“This has been an
interesting day,” Amber said as they neared her front porch. She walked slowly, which he believed was more a sign of sadness than exhaustion. He’d had no trouble staying at her side.
Trouble? Heck, he was damn happy to be there.
“Interesting is a good word for it,” he agreed, then had to ask, “You okay?”
“Sure. The dogs might not have found anything helpful, but at least we eliminated another possibility, kind of as you said. No interesting scents left around there, at least not this long afterward. And…well, now you’ve seen the area. If you get any more ideas about what happened, how it happened—”
“I’ll be sure to tell you so you can follow up with the cops.”
He realized his mind would persist in concentrating on that very question—what really happened? If he came up with good ways to investigate further, he’d have to decide whether to mention them to Amber or not.
If that answer was not, he’d still continue on his own—with Bear’s help.
Get the cops involved? Maybe, although he wondered about their competency since they hadn’t solved the crime, even after the passage of months. Would they eventually?
That was their job, not his. But he wanted a solution fast. For Amber.
Meanwhile, he had to get through the rest of this difficult day—more difficult for Amber, of course, than for him. But how?
He would be leaving her presence soon, for now, which would give him the opportunity to think and plan. But first, he had to do his job.
As it turned out, he thought of a way to do both together.
“I’ve been thinking about where we are, and I now really agree it’s time to begin publicizing the classes to come,” he said. “No matter what I said before, I’m ready now. First thing I’d like to do is to show some of the skills I’ll teach later on, to let the police departments who might want to acquire trained K-9s, or to get ones they already have trained or retrained, know that this is the place to do it. I’d like to give a sort of public demo with Bear tomorrow. You said that Orrin acted as an agitator during your dad’s training sessions, right?”
Second Chance Soldier Page 12
