Page 6 of Deadly Justice
She shivered. “Did you hear a car?”
“No.” Cam shrugged again. “I haven’t been in the nature preserve in years. The gunman probably knows the area far better than I do.”
Especially if he’s been living here for the past fourteen years, she thought. Was that even possible? Surely the gunman couldn’t have been the one hanging around Skye’s gravesite, drawing Bruno’s attention.
Unless he did that on a regular basis to relive the night he’d killed her.
Her stomach knotted, and she told herself she really needed to stop watching crime shows. She was letting her imagination run wild.
“Hey, where’s Bruno going?” Cam’s voice had her glancing over in time to see Bruno darting into the woods. She caught Cam’s gaze, then they both quickly followed, leaving Officer Linder in the backyard.
Cam was faster and had the added benefit of being in the woods just a few minutes ago. She followed, trying to keep her gaze on Cam’s broad back and the light green T-shirt he wore.
“Hey, boy, I see you found it too, huh? Good boy.” Cam’s voice rang with admiration. “You could be a police K9 officer.”
She slowed to a stop when she saw the pricker branch that had been broken off at the tip. She frowned, looking over at him. “What is this?”
“That’s where we found the bit of fleece,” Cam explained. “Officer Linder broke it off and placed it in an evidence bag.”
She stared at him. “You really think it belongs to the gunman?”
“Not sure, but I don’t think we can afford to ignore it.” Cam nodded at Bruno who sat near the pricker branch, staring up at them. “Bruno came straight here. I believe he recognized the gunman’s scent.”
“He’s not a trained K9,” she protested weakly.
“Maybe not, but he has good instincts.” Cam’s gaze held hers. “You mentioned Bruno brought you a bone early this morning. Could be he scented the guy then too. And after this, he’ll have that guy’s scent imprinted on his brain.”
She frowned as the realization sank deep. Bruno was a very intelligent dog. Sometimes he stared at her so intently it was as if he was willing her to read his mind. “Why would the person who killed Skye come back here? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know.” Cam put his hand on her arm. “Let’s head back to the house. We’ll finish up with the police, then we’ll need to find another place to stay.”
“We?” she echoed, falling into step beside him.
“I want you to be safe,” Cam said. “And I’m trained to protect innocent people from harm.”
She remembered his comment about being between assignments for Grayson’s Guardians, a private security firm. “I don’t know if I can afford you.”
“I would never charge a friend.” He frowned. “But I’m not leaving you alone either. Not after this.”
She managed a nod as they walked into her mother’s backyard. If she were honest, Evie would admit to being relieved that Cam insisted on staying close. Yet at the same time, she was unnerved by his presence.
The easy camaraderie that had existed between them as fellow lifeguards was a lifetime ago. Their earlier meeting had seemed awkward. Stilted. Probably because they were different people now. They’d grown up, gone their separate ways.
And yet by some strange twist of fate, they were back in their hometown, having landed smack in the middle of danger. At least, she had. Cam had only come because she’d called him. Yet she was grateful for his support.
Which made her realize this had to be part of God’s plan. And if that was the case, all she could do was hope and pray for the best.
That the truth about what had happened to Skye fourteen years ago would finally be revealed and that the person responsible arrested and convicted.
Sweepinghis gaze over the area, Cam mentally kicked himself for leaving his weapon locked in the glove box of his Jeep. Thankfully, he hadn’t needed it. Yet the gunfire blasting through the kitchen window had caught him off guard. Enough to silently vow to keep his weapon on his hip from that point forward.
That episode of gunfire had been way too close for comfort.
There was no doubt in his mind that the past had collided with the present. How and why, he wasn’t sure. But clearly, Skye’s murder was at the heart of the danger.
As he’d headed into the woods, chasing the gunman, he’d caught a glimpse of the area where the bones had been found. Yellow crime scene tape had been strung from one tree to the next, forming a large square. He’d wanted to go back and check it out but felt certain the police had already taken the bones and other evidence away.
How long would it take for the cops to reach out to him for questioning? DNA testing took time, not days the way it was on television. It was weeks, often months before DNA was completely processed.
