She laid a hand on his arm. “For all you know they could have been planning a surprise party for you.”
The thought sent him reeling. Now was not the time to think about the tragedy that had changed his life. “Come on, let’s keep moving. We don’t know how far he’s traveling.”
Jason glanced at the sun. It was making its way across the sky. “We don’t want to be out here in the dark. We’ll never find our way back.”
“I have every confidence that Ginger would get us home.”
He had his doubts, but he’d trust her judgment. He usually was a good judge of character. But his partner and wife together... He shook off the memory as the radio on her utility belt crackled to life.
She answered. “Evans.”
“Where—Can’t—You—” The sheriff’s gravelly voice broke in and out.
Serena made a face. “Cross the creek. Follow the tracks.”
There was some more garbled speech he couldn’t make out.
She checked her cell phone. “No bars. I’m in so much trouble.” She marched ahead of him with Ginger taking the lead.
Jason easily caught up to her. Despite her admonishment that she didn’t want his help, he’d make sure the sheriff and the mayor knew she was a top-notch deputy.
They hiked in silence for a long time, stopping occasionally to allow Ginger a drink of water and to each take a sip. Just when he thought they’d have to turn back they came to a dense forest of mesquite and oak trees that blocked out the sun. Tucked behind scrub brush was the ATV.
“Good girl,” Serena praised the little dog.
Renewed energy flowed through Jason. “He’s on foot now.” Which meant they had more opportunity to catch the serial killer.
Serena allowed Ginger to sniff the off-road vehicle. “Go find.”
Ginger loped ahead of them deeper and deeper into the wooded area until they came to the property line marked by a barbwire fence.
Jason massaged the back of his neck where tension had set in. “We cross this, and we’re not on my land anymore.” He hadn’t taken the time, or had the interest, to meet his neighbors.
“You should stay here,” Serena told him, her tone grim, her pretty eyes determined. “You’d be trespassing as a civilian.”
“You don’t have a warrant,” he pointed out.
She gestured to Ginger. “I have probable cause.”
He liked the way she thought. “And I’ll take my chances.”
Without waiting for her permission, he crossed over the barbwire fence, careful not to snag his clothes or flesh. He lifted the sharp metal rungs for Serena and Ginger to pass under. Once they were on the other side, they picked their way through the foliage for another three hundred yards. Through the trees Jason could just make out the faint outline of a structure. He put a hand on Serena’s shoulder to halt her and put a finger to his lips. He tugged her behind a tree and whispered, “Do you see it?”
She nodded.
They’d found the Red Rose Killer’s lair.
In a low crouched run, they headed toward the structure and went around to the back. The place appeared ready to collapse at any moment. Serena gave Ginger a signal with her hand. At Jason’s questioning glance, Serena whispered, “Quiet.”
Respect for both the dog and human spread through his chest. Keeping his weapon at the ready, he moved to where he could step on a log waiting to be chopped and peered into the lone window at the back of the shack. Though the one-room interior was dim, he quickly determined the place was empty save a table, chair and bedroll.
Back on the ground, he kept his voice low, “He’s not inside.”
“The radio will make noise,” she whispered back. She checked her cell phone again. Still no signal.
“Let’s check it out, then we’ll go meet the sheriff.” Jason cautiously looked around each corner before proceeding to the front of the building. He stepped onto the porch and positioned himself next to the door. Serena followed suit opposite him. He grabbed the rusty door handle and pushed the door open with a squeak as loud as a gunshot blast. His breath imprisoned in his lungs, he waited several heartbeats, his gaze searching the trees. When nothing happened, he exhaled and moved across the threshold, ready for any threat.
He took three steps and heard the click as his left foot landed on the floorboard. Everything inside of him froze with terror.
He held out a hand toward Serena. “Don’t.”
She halted in the doorway. “What’s wrong?”
Jason swallowed though his mouth had become as dry as the Texas sun. “I’ve stepped on an IED.”
* * *
Serena’s heart plummeted. “You stepped on an improvised explosive device? Like a land mine?”
She yanked her flashlight off her utility belt and aimed it at the floor. Jason’s left boot rested on a lighter colored plank of wood. Clearly the board was newer, having been replaced at some recent point in time, but in all other regards it looked the same as the other floorboards. “How do you know?”
“I heard the click. Trust me. You need to get out of here. I can’t lose another person because of my stupidity.”
His words plunged into her heart. “I’m not leaving you. We’ll figure out how to disarm it.”
“Are you an explosives expert?”
“We’ve all had some training.” But not enough to deal with something like this. Her heart beat in her ears. “The FBI would have a bomb expert.” Hope clawed through the fear. She grabbed the radio, uncaring about the noise.
The radio crackled and hissed. She spun the dial for a connection. “Dispatch!” She couldn’t reach anyone. This couldn’t be happening.
“You need to go to the top of the bluff. You’ll have service there.”
Jason’s calm tone did nothing for her nerves. “What if that maniac comes back?”
“Then I’ll take him out with me.”
Her body trembled with panic. “Don’t talk like that. You’re not going to die here today.”
“It doesn’t matter about me. But you and Ginger need to go.”
“You can’t want to die.” She wouldn’t allow it. For the first time in forever she’d finally met a man she found interesting and challenging and who she wanted to know more about. “I know you blame yourself for your wife’s and your partner’s deaths. But you didn’t put them there.”
“It should’ve been me. Why wasn’t it?”
