Page 15 of The Hero She Loves

“He knew you’d bring dogs.” Park crouched and touched the mud. The pungent scent of rotting leaves and sludge hit him. “He covered himself in mud to disrupt the dog.” He looked up and nodded. “He went that way.”

Owen frowned. “Mud can throw off the scent?”

“If you know what you’re doing.” Park rose. “Olson knows what he’s doing.”

“So, what’s that way?” Owen shifted, his shoes squelching in the mud.

“Markell,” Park answered.

“Shit,” Jenna said.

Owen’s eyebrows winged up. “Markell’s over a hundred miles from here.”

“Olson’s fit and has no gear.” Park stared into the distance. “He could make that. This terrain won’t stop him. Add in the possibility that he hitchhiked part of the way, and he’d have made it back by now.”

“He’ll connect with acquaintances,” Jenna said. “Get supplies and things he needs.”

“Yeah.” Park nodded. “We need to have that poke around Markell.”

Jenna slid her hands into her pockets. “Marty Price won’t be happy to see us. It’s not the kind of place where people talk to law enforcement. From what the state troopers tell me, everyone’s unfriendly, standoffish, and keeps to themselves.”

“We’ll hit the local bar and look like we belong.” Parker looked at Owen at the same time Jenna did.

“What?” the young marshal said.

“I’ll drop you back at the hotel,” Jenna told him. “You can help the lieutenant coordinate the search once we narrow down Olson’s location.”

“What? No.” Owen shook his head. “I can blend in.”

Park raised a brow.

“Ican.”

“I’ve got this, Owen,” Jenna said. “Parker and I will go in, ask questions, and be back this evening.”

“No.” Owen straightened. “I’m coming, but I’ll stay in the vehicle. You could need backup.”

Parker was impressed. The kid had a spine.

Finally, Jenna nodded. “Deal. But you stay out of sight.”

“We’ll take my truck,” Park said. “It’ll be less conspicuous than your shiny Tahoe.”

They stopped at Parker’s cabin and swapped vehicles, then set off.

Several hours later, Parker drove into Markell. It was the afternoon, but the sun wouldn’t set until much later, so the day was still bright and sunny.

It didn’t help the town much. The sunlight made it look even more rundown and dingy. The main street had a few shops and the bar. Some houses were clustered around the main part of town, and most of the buildings were wood, with faded paint.

He parked in front of the general store.

“Stay here, Owen,” Jenna said. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be.”

In the back seat, the young man huffed out a breath. “I got it. Call me if you need me.”

Park eyed the weathered building that housed the Markell Trading Post. He spotted a sign on the front door. “The store’s closed for the day.”

Jenna raised a brow. “Maybe because Marty Price is out helping a friend?”