Detecting Secrets


 
 
 
 “Man, your dog can run...”
 Charlotte chuckled. “He loves it. I have a big fenced-in yard, and he races the cars on the street.”
 A crack echoed through the trees.
 Dennis yanked his gun from his holster, grabbed Charlotte’s arm and tugged her near a tree. He scanned the woods. Where had the gunshot come from?
 “Theo, now!” The dog raced back and fell in beside Charlotte.
 Another shot rang out, and a chunk of bark splintered mere inches from his temple. He pushed Charlotte’s head down and grabbed his radio.
 “Shots fired. Finding safety.” A specific location wasn’t an option on an open channel. He prayed his deputies knew him well enough to determine where he’d head.
 Dennis itched to go after the shooter, but he had no choice but to get Charlotte and Theo out of danger.
 He jerked on her sleeve and pulled her with him. “We have to get out of here.”
 
 
 Two-time Genesis Award winner Sami A. Abrams and her husband live in Northern California, but she’ll always be a Kansas girl at heart. She enjoys visiting her two grown children and spoiling their sweet fur babies. Most evenings, if Sami’s not watching sports, you’ll find her engrossed in a romantic suspense novel. She thinks a crime plus a little romance is the recipe for a great story. Visit her at www.samiaabrams.com.
 Books by Sami A. Abrams
 Love Inspired Suspense
 Deputies of Anderson County
 Buried Cold Case Secrets
 Twin Murder Mix-Up
 Detecting Secrets
 Visit the Author Profile page at LoveInspired.com.
 
 
 Detecting Secrets
 Sami A. Abrams
 
 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
 —Proverbs 3:5–6
 
 
 This book is dedicated to the original Theo, air-scent dog extraordinaire Indiana Bones, and his handler, my sis-in-law Michelle. You two are an amazing team. And to my wonderful Suspense Squad. You ladies rock. I can’t imagine doing this writing life without you.
 
 
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Chapter Fourteen
 Chapter Fifteen
 Epilogue
 Dear Reader
 Excerpt from Perilous Security Detail by Elizabeth Goddard
 
 
 ONE
 Wednesday 1:00 p.m.
 Trees towered above her, and dried shrubs threatened to entangle her feet. Marriage and family therapist and part-time search and rescue handler Charlotte Bradley jogged behind her air-scent dog, Theo. She hoped to find the missing girl she counseled at Sadie’s Place, a home for pregnant teens who needed help.
 Charlotte admired the girl’s grit and struggled with the idea Hannah Davies had chosen to run away. There had to be more to her disappearance than simply an unhappy pregnant teen.
 Theo had picked up Hannah’s scent five minutes ago and had veered off into the woods, darting through the trees and brush. He’d now slowed and weaved back and forth, nose high in the air.
 Charlotte’s heart tumbled to her feet. She knew that movement. He’d lost the scent. “Theo, with me.”
 The dog plodded to her side and sat. She pulled out a squeeze bottle to offer him a drink. Theo caught the stream of water in his mouth and gulped up the liquid.
 When he’d had his fill, she stowed the bottle. “Well, handsome. What do you think?” Theo had caught the girl’s scent and lost it three times now. Not a normal event for him. It was like Hannah had poof disappeared.
 Charlotte placed her hand on Theo’s head and scanned the area. What happened to the teen? No way Hannah had vanished into thin air. Charlotte just had to keep looking. That was all. The whole situation bothered her, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. The concealed compact Glock resting at the small of Charlotte’s back gave her a bit of comfort against the unease that stirred in her belly.
 The smell of the impending snow drifted in the air, adding to her worry. The weatherman predicted a dumping of several feet of the white stuff. Not great timing. She inhaled and lifted her face to the sky. A prayer for holding off the storm came to mind, but she brushed it away. When was the last time God answered her prayers?
 But maybe He’d answer one for Hannah.
 A burst of an icy breeze whistled through the trees, halting her thoughts and sending a shiver racing through her body. She zipped her winter coat to her chin and adjusted her stocking hat. With a gloved hand, she patted Theo on the head.
 “Come on, boy. She has to be here somewhere. Find.” Charlotte pushed back brush and ducked under bare tree limbs. Her boots crunched on the dried leaves as she followed Theo to a different section. She came across a narrow dirt path that twisted through the woods. Not much of a trail, but she’d take it. It sure beat the underbrush.
 Seventeen-year-old Hannah Davies had disappeared twelve hours ago. Not enough time had passed for them to call in a normal search and rescue, but when the SAR coordinator discovered the girl was eight months pregnant, she’d sent Charlotte and Theo out along with three other search teams to hunt for Hannah. The sheriff’s department had assigned men who knew the area, but they had no training in search and rescue other than basic skills. Command had partnered the volunteers with the experienced personnel. Not ideal, but with the short notice, she and her incident commander, Gayle, took what they could get. If only the other teams had scent dogs, they’d increase the likelihood of finding the teen by a lot, but no other SAR canine team was available.
 Sunlight filtered through the bare trees and evergreens dotting the narrow trail. Streams of light reflected off the white on Theo’s service-dog vest, giving him a