Payback (The Canine Handler Book 1)

by Hillegas, Maria

  The women finished up with their notes and drawings of their recollection through maps and how they traveled. Every so often Sarah looked through the hole in the scrub they had cut, toward where the body and Dave were. She could detect his movement and see his neon green vest reflect through the trees. She hated to leave him alone with the dead man, but knew he had to stay until he could turn the scene over to another authority. He’s a big boy, a cop, he should be fine.

  A whining engine could be heard in the distance. The mule must be loaded down. How many people were necessary to take care of the crime scene? Sarah and Kellee leashed up both dogs. Sarah put the dogs’ toys in the backpack and finished cleaning up their supplies from the ground. Kellee had one small piece of flagging tape stuck in her pants pocket. She pulled it out and tied it to the area where both women had come through the wall of brush.

  “At least they’ll know where we traveled. They may have something larger and sharper to open up the brush,” Kellee stated. “Or they can head down the trail a bit further and find a better place to enter the woods. I had to follow Sam and this is where he squeezed through.”

  The mule was closing in. It continued to whine and groan, growing louder as it climbed toward them. Sarah and Kellee waited, standing on the trail at the crest of the hill holding onto the dogs. Gunner and Sam stood rigid like sentries, as if on alert. The dogs closed their mouths, stuck their snouts to the sky and started to sniff deep at the air as the ATV approached. Both Sam and Gunner looked back at Sarah behind them then turned their attention to the approaching mule.

  “It’s okay, guys. They’re with us.” She spoke in a low voice. “Always checking things out,” Sarah observed smiling at the dogs. They always had her back. At least someone did.

  The mule rose up over the crest and into view. It was completely loaded down with passengers. Arriving at the top of the hill where the canines and their handlers were standing, the driver abruptly stopped the vehicle. The dogs eagerly pulled Sarah and Kellee closer to the people haphazardly departing the mule. “They always want to get their ‘sniff’ on,” Sarah offered to no one in particular.

  Two crime scene investigators from the state capitol’s lab jumped from the back of mule. They looked too young and immature for this type of job, like they had just graduated high school. Carrying two camera bags, leather messenger bags and large tool boxes, the CSIs had a lot of gear to tote. They wore field lab coats made of canvas material. Several pockets sewn in the lab coats offered up spacious areas to carry more equipment.

  The ME who had shown up to yesterday’s water search was the same one who came today. She would want to make sure the CSIs captured as much evidence as possible. Her job would be to oversee the whole operation from evidence gathering to removal of the body. The CSIs’ feet had barely hit the ground when she was already on their ass about what they needed to accomplish.

  “You guys doing okay? How’re the dogs? We should put you two on roster!” Lieutenant Langenberg had ridden along as well. She should be here, at the scene of the body. She’s the one in charge. Her body language exhibited tense excitement. She could barely contain her aroused energy. She seemed to live for this type of action. “What’re we looking at here?” she asked, wanting details on what direction and how far it was to the area. She had a difficult time standing in one place.

  “The dogs are doing fine and so are we,” Kellee answered.

  “See the flagged area over where the wall of scrub brush is growing up from the forest floor along the trees?” Kellee pointed to the small strip of tape. “That’s where I followed one of the dogs originally. I had to cut the brush to get through. Trooper Graves and the body are directly east of the trail. About 100 meters.”

  “Is it all scrub brush? How difficult is it to reach the body?” the lieutenant asked.

  “It’s not bad at all once you get past this area. The brush is only about fifteen feet deep, then it opens up to less dense forest. If you don’t want to fight your way through the brush, head up the trail about 50 meters and I think the woods open up more. It might make it easier to traverse over to where Dave is.”

  The last person to exit the mule, a well-dressed gentleman sporting a tailored suit, silk tie, and wearing expensive leather dress shoes appeared miffed. He looked out of place. Didn’t he know where he was going? Not exactly dressed for a hike in the damp woods. Why does he look so familiar? Sarah thought to herself. She knew she had seen him someplace before.

  The smart-garbed man looked at the ground before stepping onto the soggy laden soil. His expression gave away his unhappiness at having to ruin a good pair of Italian leather shoes. His disdain was apparent.

  “It was my understanding that I was to only view the scene and would be driven directly to it,” the gentleman could barely contain his contempt for the situation.

  Sarah looked at Kellee, whose eyes had locked with the gentleman. Kellee’s face turned ashen. All of a sudden, Sarah remembered where she knew him from and memories started to fall into place. Oh my god, that’s him! I’m so stupid!

  Chapter 27

  Sarah

  It all came back to her like a freight train. Like a freight train bearing down a long straight hill. With the brakes out. Realizing her mouth was open and she was staring, Sarah swallowed hard and looked away. At first, she remembered him from an investigation into her foster home when she was a teenager. She had been somewhere around 15 years of age. He had been the final straw why Sarah had given up on the system… and trusting adults… and “authority.”

  But then she realized he also had a history with Kellee. Sarah had never pulled it all together until now. His title had been Detective Durham at the time he came out to Sarah’s foster home but now he was the state’s attorney, Prosecutor Durham.

  He and Kellee shared a turbulent tragedy from the past. They had been married for several years. Most of those were spent focused on Bill’s career while Kellee maintained their little family and household. His ego helped build his profession, but it frayed their marital bond. And when the couple faced a major heartbreak, it proved to be disastrous. Instead of strengthening their connection, they grew further apart.

  Years prior, several young children had gone missing over a period of years from Sarah’s foster care home. Enough kids to finally send up a red flag. Like one wasn’t enough!

  Authorities were notified to check out the foster home and parents. The disappearance of children should warrant an investigation. Detective Durham had been assigned the case. He was to look into the complaints and see what was involved. If he found evidence of wrong-doing or if it justified a deeper probe, he would decide.

  He had interviewed all the children who were currently staying in the foster home under the care of Tom and Judy Brickner. All of the children were fearful; they only answered in yes or no replies. Except Sarah. She was defiant, always holding out hope that one day her life would be better. She carried a reason within her for wanting a better life. When it was her turn to be questioned, she dropped heavy hints of what was really going on in the foster home. She tried to tell Detective Durham those kids didn’t run away, there were other things going on. Sarah had never heard the term “human trafficking,” or how its use might have helped her cause. She also didn’t know what the detective was going through in his own personal life, but he seemed uninterested, preoccupied.

  The foster parents had told authorities that the older children had run away. The teenagers all had juvenile records and a history of running. Their answer regarding what happened to the younger children who disappeared over the years was that their parents had come for unsupervised visits and stolen them back.

  It all made sense to the detective. And at the time, he really didn’t care about those kids. They were throwaways, unwanted children to begin with. Many parents of foster children were in prison or addicted to drugs.

  The detective himself was in the middle of his own living nightmare, his own tragedy. His teenaged daughter had
gone missing and he was obsessed and consumed with finding her at the time. She had been a wanted child—a dear and precious daughter. Not a worthless juvenile that no one cared about.

  Eventually, after several months of her disappearance, Kellee and Bill Durham’s daughter’s body was found. Lindsey had been sexually assaulted, murdered and left to rot in a lonesome patch of deserted woods. What was left of her decaying body had been uncovered by a farmer and his dog. The farmer had been staking out a place on the back of his property to set up a deer stand in early summer. His dog had run off to investigate a patch of ferns and wouldn’t return to him. When he went to fetch his dog, the farmer discovered what the dog had been so interested in.

  Lindsey’s murder was never solved, her murderer never found. It tore apart an already stressed relationship. Kellee and Bill grew apart and ultimately their marriage dissolved. Bill Durham was consumed with work, studying law and trying to solve his daughter’s case. Kellee was eaten up with the loss, the loneliness of not caring for her only child. Lindsey had been everything to Kellee; her whole life had revolved around her daughter. Lindsey’s case was the reason why Kellee had founded the search and rescue canine organization. She never forgot the way her daughter had been located. It projected Kellee into a brand new world and gave purpose back to her life.

  Sarah watched from a short distance as Bill and Kellee exchanged awkward courtesies. She had never witnessed Kellee looking so exposed, so out of her comfort zone. Kellee was always so well composed. Nervous, Kellee held Sam who had started to pull toward Sarah. Sarah had kept her distance out of respect for her team member. She wanted to give her space.

  A troop consisting of the CSI, ME, Lieutenant Langenberg and Kellee’s ex-husband made their way up the trail a short way. They decided it would be easier to forgo climbing through the wall of scrub and vines. They turned off the path and headed into the woods toward the area Dave had cordoned off with flagging tape. Sarah rejoined Kellee, and they watched them stomp away.

  “The lieutenant wants us to wait in base camp until she gets back. She wants to question us about our search sector and the find before we leave,” Kellee instructed. “Search management needs our paperwork, too. They want to go over our notes and hand-drawn maps. We won’t be able to debrief until the lieutenant makes it back to base.”

  “Okay, guess that’s fine. I hope she’s not up here forever with the rest of activity.”

  “The ME and CSIs will be here long into the evening. They already plan on bringing in lighting if that’s needed. They have another team of CSIs on standby. I think as soon as the mule driver takes us back to base, he’ll be heading back to pick up Bill and the lieutenant. I have a feeling neither one of them will want to stay up here very long.”

  “I don’t live very far from here,” Sarah hinted with a smile of innocence. “Maybe I could run home for just a little while.” She smiled sheepishly at Kellee. “I really need some good coffee! Not this instant crap that’s being served here.”

  “Oh no, you’re not leaving me alone here standing around with nothing to do.”

  “You guys ready to head back to base?” The mule driver was about to leave for camp. The driver was someone new, an employee from the county emergency services system. Sarah knew him from work. She had seen him on occasion during emergency response meetings. He had been standing by patiently, quiet as the women finished gathering up their packs, dogs and checking behind them.

  “Hey there, how’re things?” Sarah couldn’t remember his name.

  “Oh, not bad,” he answered. “Base camp went crazy as soon as you made the find. They’re not letting anyone leave. Search management is questioning everyone and making sure they have contact information. You never know, lots of times the person who committed the crime comes to help out at searches. It keeps them in the loop. Lets the one responsible look at their accomplishment through the eyes of others.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Sarah offered up. “Can’t believe the monster that did this would be walking among us. But I guess you never…”

  “Enough said, Sarah,” Kellee interjected. “Remember, this is a crime scene. No discussing with anyone except search management and the authorities.”

  Sarah quickly shut her mouth. She looked at Kellee with a well-practiced poker face. She held her emotions in check. Dumbass! Mad at running her mouth, she silently berated herself. She hated when she did something she considered dumb—or times when she felt she looked stupid in front of someone. This was one of those times.

  The driver got out and dropped the tailgate so Sarah could load the dogs and her pack. Gunner, still full of himself, had plenty of energy to jump up into the back of the vehicle. Sam had to have a little more convincing. “Hup, Sammy, Hup!” Sarah said with exaggerated enthusiasm as she tapped the downed tailgate. Sam finally found the energy and jumped up behind Gunner. They both found open spots and lay down, stretching out on their sides and taking up much of the ATV’s bed.

  “Shotgun” Kellee called out immediately as she claimed the front passenger seat.

  Sarah knew she was messing with her. Kellee knew Sarah would ride in the back of the ATV with her dogs. She wouldn’t have it any other way. “Thanks, guys.” Sarah tried to find room between the dogs’ bodies so she could place her pack and sit in the back with them. Once Sarah had everything loaded and got herself situated, the mule driver started the vehicle up, turned it around and headed back to base camp.

  Sam was curled up in a corner of the mule’s bed with his back leaning against Sarah. Gunner laid his head on his handler’s lap. He looked up at her as they bumped down the trail. His tongue hung out of his mouth and his eyes showed the whites around them, giving him the look of a crazed animal. “Such the comedian,” she softly laughed at him while she caressed his head and rubbed his underbelly. “Have to always be the center of attention.”

  Lost in deep thought while they rolled closer to base, she cherished the time with her dogs. They made her feel secure. Most of the time. The last few days though, part of her felt like she was unraveling. Like everything was falling apart or coming unglued. She couldn’t figure it out, she didn’t understand why. Maybe I’m so used to having an agenda or schedule or having some control over my life since I left home. Maybe it’s finishing school and waiting for news from Quantico. Or maybe I’m just plain tired! She wasn’t completely mollified. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of an overhang. Like she was standing on the edge waiting to get pushed over. And she had no idea why.

  Sarah held onto the side of the mule’s bed to keep from sliding around as it climbed up and down a few hills. In her other hand, she held the dogs’ leashes in a tight grip, but rested her arm on one of their bodies. Gunner and Sam stayed sprawled out and appeared to sleep on the twenty minute ride.

  As soon as the mule got close enough to base, the dogs lifted their heads and stuck their noses up into the air to catch as much scent as they could. Reading the wind, they knew exactly where they were headed and who was already there. It never ceased to amaze Sarah how good their scenting abilities were and how she was able to access them to work for her.

  The mule driver pulled up to the command unit and stopped. The dogs stood up in the bed of the vehicle. “Hang on, guys,” Sarah commanded in a firm but gentle voice. Gunner and Sam held their stance. They looked up to her eyes and waited for more instructions.

  “You guys are tired!” Sarah stated. “They’re never this quiet nor listen so well.”

  “They got to work today and yesterday,” Kellee declared. “Couple satisfied dogs, I would bet.”

  Jumping out of the driver’s seat, the young man turned to Sarah. “Let me help you and the dogs out.”

  Sarah waited until he came around and dropped the tailgate. He reached in and grabbed her pack without asking if she needed help.

  “Thank you,” Sarah responded. “Appreciate you helping out and coming to pick us up.”

  Kellee took Sam’s leash from Sarah. After
getting the dogs’ attention, Kellee asked Sam to jump down. Gunner waited for Sarah to disembark. He jumped off the tailgate once she gave the command to do so. Both dogs stood at the end of their leashes observing what was left of the activity from the search. Neither dog showed the same excitement as they had when they’d first arrived. They’d had a busy few days. They had expended a lot of energy on the wilderness search today.

  “You guys did a great job today,” Sarah praised the dogs. Gunner and Sam tilted their heads toward her and wagged their tails. “Steaks for both of you.” If I have the energy once this is over. Sarah couldn’t wait to get the dogs home, give them a good brushing after they ate and then just relax.

  The day wasn’t even close to being finished yet, though. Once the lieutenant returned from the scene, everyone would debrief. In the meantime, she would put the dogs up, clean up her gear and put her pack and other equipment away. And check on Bella. She was sure Bella would need a bathroom break by now.

  Exhausted. She felt like she hadn’t slept in days. Thank god I have the next couple days off so I can recover. She had two more nights and days off before she had to return to her late-night position with the county. My paying position. At least tomorrow I can relax. I don’t think I could deal with any more drama added to this weekend.

  Chapter 28

  Sarah

  Sarah drove home in the muted evening light. She had spent the entire day and into the evening at the wilderness search. She couldn’t believe it was already this late in the day. Famished, she swung by the local pizza shop on Blooming Grove Road. She ordered a sub and fries for her and the dogs. She had promised them steak, but decided to cheat and give them a roast beef sandwich instead. She didn’t have the energy to go by the grocery store. They won’t hold it against me. The closest grocery store was several miles out of her way. Part of living in the country. She was completely drained. Too tired to go anywhere out of her way at this point. She knew the only reason she was still awake was due to the hunger pangs that threatened to engulf her from the inside.