Page 5 of Chasing Creed

So, the man had looked inside.

Creed wasn’t surprised there was blood. The broken window, the slash marks that ran along the sides. The side mirror hung by a single cord. A crack in the windshield stretched from one side all the way to the other. It must have been one wild ride to get to this meadow. In fact, he’d be more surprised if there wasn’t any blood inside.

“The dogs can’t get a victim’s scent from blood.”

Now the sheriff stared at him. Hard. With narrow, grey eyes and a furrow indenting his forehead.

Creed didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Instead, he simply waited.

“Really?” the sheriff said. “It’s not possible? Or it’s not possible for your dogs?”

Creed heard an echo of the mother’s complaint in the sheriff’s voice.

“Blood smells like blood,” Creed explained. “A person’s blood doesn’t have an individual scent.”

The sheriff stood quiet again, staring at Creed as if he were determining whether it was true. Then his eyes slid away, looking off to the side of Creed’s shoulder, searching the length of the woods on the other side of the meadow. Did he expect someone there? Someone hiding or watching from the trees? The fog made it impossible to see.

“Look, I’m not sure anyone could have survived whatever happened inside that vehicle,” Sheriff Daniels said. “If our guy did, he’s in a bad way. Might not have much time left.”

This time, Creed did think the man looked a bit spooked. His hands rested on his gun belt, the right one close to the butt of his weapon. A weapon tucked inside what looked like a brand-new leather holster with a flap and snap still intact.

Creed glanced at Jason and Brodie. They were waiting patiently, but Jason caught Creed’s eyes and he gave a subtle tilt of his head in the sheriff’s direction as if to say, something’s not right here.

“Sheriff, no disrespect intended,” Creed said then paused, waiting for the man’s attention. “We were hired to search for a specific missing person. Now, you’re asking us to search for whoever bled inside this vehicle. Just because the vehicle belonged to Kyle doesn’t mean it’s his blood. There might even be blood from more than one person.”

“Are you saying your dogs can’t find someone who’s bleeding to death?” The question came with a sneer and a hint of anger.

“What I’m saying is, this looks like it could still be an active crime scene. If our dogs find a bleeding perpetrator instead of the victim, that’s not something my team is prepared for. We’re not law enforcement officials. None of us is armed. We didn’t bring bulletproof gear. I won’t put any of my team at risk.”

This time when Sheriff Daniels stared at Creed it was as if he was appraising him for the first time. He shifted his weight, and something shifted on the man’s face as well.

“Norwich said you guys were sharp. I hope she wasn’t just bullshitting me,” he attempted a smile. When Creed didn’t respond, the sheriff shook his head as if shaking away something from his mind. “I’m probably being a bit paranoid.”

He’d relaxed his stance, but Creed felt the tension coming off the guy. The man didn’t trust them. He was putting up guardrails, deciding what information to disclose and what to hold close to his vest.

Creed glanced down and noticed Grace had stopped sniffing and was watching Sheriff Daniels. As a K9 unit back in Afghanistan, Creed and the other handlers called their dogs truth detectors. The dogs could always tell when the locals were lying. Right now, Grace was telling him this guy was off the charts.

“I’m newly elected to this position,” Sheriff Daniels attempted to explain. “The guy I beat isn’t happy he wasn’t re-elected.” He said this in a casual tone and as if this should explain how he was treating them. The guy could flip a switch, and now Creed recognized the talent. It was a skill of a seasoned politician.

“I guess experience has drilled into me to always look over my shoulder,” the sheriff said as if making a confession. “Just a precaution. Habit. I took the call directly from the hunter. I’ve known him for years. He’s a good guy. I checked out the license plates myself. Me and one of my deputies came out yesterday morning.

“This kid’s been missing less than a week. The mother filed a missing person report in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Basically, he’s a twenty-three-year-old male who’s gone off the radar, doesn’t text his mother or friends. Maybe he doesn’t show up at work for a couple of days. It doesn’t always mean something sinister happened. There was no report of his vehicle being stolen. The kid had no priors. So, I’m thinking, okay, could be he just wanted to unplug. You know, get away for a few days. Whatever it is his generation does.”

“But then his SUV shows up in the middle of a pasture,” Jason said.

The sheriff nodded at him. “Exactly. I was still thinking the kid maybe ditched his vehicle. Took off with someone else. Then I see the inside. I’ve seen my share of traffic accidents. Bad ones. That’s not what happened in that back seat. Look, I’m not sure anyone could have survived that. If he did, he’s in a bad way. Might not have much time left. Out here in the middle of nowhere. Too much ground to cover. Your Sheriff Norwich was the one who took the initial missing person report. When I called her, she told me about your K9 team.”

“You said you were a bit paranoid.” Creed treaded lightly. The guy was more than “a bit.” “What did you mean by that?”

Sheriff Daniels glanced around, making sure his deputy hadn’t followed. “Like I said. I took the call from the hunter. My deputy came with me. I made the call to Norwich. That makes three of us plus the hunter. And yet, less than twenty-four hours later, the victim’s mother shows up on the property.”

He let that sink in as he watched their faces then gave a cursory look at the dogs waiting at their feet.

“Did you ask her how she found out?” Creed didn’t have the patience for office politics. If the sheriff had a leaker, that was his problem to deal with.

“Said she got an anonymous phone call.”

“Look, Sheriff, whatever is going on, I just need assurance this isn’t an active crime scene.” Now, Creed wished he’d pocketed the Ruger he kept at the bottom of a duffel bag on the back floor of his Jeep. “Have you checked and cleared the house?”