who’d gone up the path ahead of them, suddenly stopped. He began to growl, a low and menacing rumble that instantly caught their attention.
Laura looked at Travis, then at the road ahead where her rental car and his pickup were parked. “A coyote, maybe?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Crusher only growls at human strangers,” he said, hurrying along.
The gravel path led into a low drainage area that formed a half circle around the higher roadbed. Crusher stood at the crest of the embankment, looking at something off in the distance.
Travis looked at his pickup parked just ahead and at the generic sedan with a rental-agency sticker on the front bumper. “That yours?”
“Yeah. I picked it up at the Three Rivers airport,” Laura answered. “So what’s the deal?”
“Don’t know yet,” Travis whispered as the dog came to stand by his side.
Travis patted the dog on the head, then crossed the roadbed and examined his truck up close.
The big dog stayed beside him at heel but continued growling and looking off into the distance. Travis followed his gaze, searching for movement, but saw nothing.
“Maybe somebody came up the wrong road, turned and Crusher saw them driving away. There’s a trace of dust in the air,” Laura said, walking over to her car and taking her keys out of her pocket.
As Travis glanced in her direction, he noticed something strange on the ground behind the driver’s side front tire. Memories of Afghanistan, IEDs and insurgents came rushing back. His heart rate suddenly soared, adrenaline pumping through his system.
“Step away from the car,” he snapped. “There are drag marks on the ground. Did you crawl under there for any reason after you parked?”
Laura looked down at the ground. “No. What…”
Travis glanced back at the spot Crusher was watching down the road and saw a flash of light. In a heartbeat, he grabbed Laura’s arm and shoved her down the embankment into the ditch, calling Crusher as he did. Something popped and Travis felt the flash of heat that came milliseconds before the blast.
Travis rolled on top of Laura, shielding her with his body as hot metal, gravel and shards of glass rained down on them. Seconds later, everything grew silent.
Travis got up slowly, chunks of glass, rocks and dust tumbling from his neck and shoulders. Crusher also stood and shook, casting off debris from his back and head.
“You okay?” Travis asked, offering Laura a hand-up.
“Yeah. Thanks. I never saw that coming,” she said, dusting her face off carefully then brushing debris from her hair.
As she glanced up she saw columns of flame rising ten feet into the air. A thick cloud of billowing black smoke also drifted skyward; fortunately, not in their direction.
She shook her head. “I’m sure glad I bought the total insurance package,” she muttered.
“Hang on,” he said, picking off a large chunk of glass caught in a strand of hair above her left eye.
“Thanks.”
Travis then checked Crusher over to make sure he wasn’t injured. Assured that the dog was okay, he stared ahead, his expression hard and set. “This isn’t just your fight anymore. Neither one of us started this but we’re sure as hell going to finish it.”
Chapter Two
Laura followed him back to what was now a crime scene. “You knew the bomb was there, and it wasn’t just because of the marks on the ground. What tipped you off?”
“It was a combination of things. The drag marks played a part, but it was also the reflection in the distance. I knew we were being watched by someone wearing glasses or using optics—binoculars or a rifle scope. It was like that in Afghanistan. IEDs were everywhere,” he said. “Most of the time they were triggered by someone keeping watch, waiting for just the right moment.”
Travis reached for the phone he normally kept on his belt, then realized he hadn’t brought it with him. “I need to use your phone to call this in.”
After making the call, he focused on what was left of Laura’s rental. The engine compartment was still burning, but the flames had died down. Beyond the fire wall, the driver’s seat was shredded and smoking with a foul stench. The roof had been peeled back like a half-opened can of Spam. The backseat was blackened and peppered with shrapnel.
“Normally I’m aware of everything around me, but this came out of nowhere,” she said, biting her lip, then forcing herself to stop. “He obviously knew where I was going or followed me somehow. But checking for a tail is second nature to me. I don’t know how I could have missed him.”
“Maybe he didn’t physically tail you. There are plenty of other ways,” he said.
Going to his truck, Travis studied the caved-in windshield. The driver’s side had sustained the most damage, pummeled by gravel and chunks of metal. With luck, it would still run.
Travis studied the myriad of jagged holes that covered the driver’s side door. Shrapnel—that killed more marines than bullets. He’d thought he’d seen the last of it when he’d returned stateside.
He turned to Laura and held her gaze. “You wanted our P.D.’s help tracking the killer? Well, you’ve got it now.”
“I can be an asset to you. I’ve done a lot of homework on this guy and I can share observations that aren’t in most police reports. From the emails my friend sent me before she died, I have some insight on how he works, too. He’s charismatic, charming and nonthreatening. He insinuates himself into his victim’s life, becomes exactly what she’s always wanted in a man, then kills her.”
“No photo?”
“No, she never sent me one. She said she wanted me to see in person first, that there was just something about him. What that told me was that although the guy wasn’t classically handsome, he had presence.”
They backed away from the site, not wanting to risk contaminating the crime scene in any way. Nearly twenty minutes passed before Travis spotted a dust trail in the distance where the road turned from asphalt to gravel.
“Here comes the crime-scene team,” Travis said, pointing.
“Once they secure things here and examine my vehicle for evidence, we’ll go to the station. I’ll have to get rid of the smashed windshield before we travel, but my truck looks operable.”
“What about Crusher?” she asked, glancing down at the dog, who was also being kept from the scene.
“He rides in with us. I’ll leave him in the bullpen. Chief Wright likes Crusher—better than he does me, I think.”
She was glad the dog would go with them. Somehow she didn’t think anyone, including Crusher, would be safe alone here anymore.
AN HOUR LATER LAURA entered Police Chief Wright’s office.
