Stranded

appeared fascinated rather than lost.
    “The scents can carry up to the surface,” he told him. “If you teach a dog to recognize certain scents, the dog doesn’t care whether it’s underground, under water, or up in a tree.”
    Suddenly Creed heard Agent O’Dell calling to Grace. He turned to see the agent trying to get the dog to come back to her side. He also saw Grace, nose in the air, her ears pricked forward. She was circling and her tail stood straight up, wagging rapidly.
    Grace had started without him.

CHAPTER 30

    “Do you keep her off lead?” Maggie asked. “Doesn’t she need a collar or leash? Something for you to keep track of her?”
    She hated that she sounded out of breath, that she felt like she had done something wrong. Maybe she shouldn’t have thrown the dog’s toy so far.
    “She’s okay. We don’t use collars or leashes for free range. I don’t like to risk that she’ll get tangled up in the brush. Especially if we get separated.”
    Maggie had picked up Grace’s pink elephant and didn’t realize until now that she was squeezing it in her fisted hand.
    Creed didn’t seem angry or worried. He’d come over to Grace and without any urgency in his voice simply told her, “Show me.”
    The dog had been straining, almost as if she had been on a leash, struggling to leave Maggie but knowing she wasn’t allowed. She kept circling farther and farther away until Creed came over and gave her the command.
    Maggie watched him tap coordinates into a handheld GPS. He kept an eye on Grace and followed her, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He walked as Grace trotted. Maggie and Tully stayed a couple of steps behind.
    “Why does she keep circling?” Tully asked in almost a whisper, as if afraid to interrupt the process.
    “She’s in the scent cone. Barriers can create secondary scent pools, even secondary scent cones. Like I told you before, there’re a number of reasons she might not be able to zero in on the primary scent yet.”
    “Barriers?” Maggie said and just then noticed that despite Grace’s erratic circling, she was headed for the opened doorway of the barn.
    “If there are other bones scattered or even …” Creed hesitated. “Is there any possibility of pieces buried in several spots?”
    Maggie shot a look at Tully. Creed noticed.
    “The body in the garbage bag was decapitated,” Tully told him. “The head was in a separate bag, but close by. Practically on top of the other bag.”
    Maggie realized it was ridiculous for them to keep information from Creed. It would only impede the search. This wasn’t like holding back details to see if Grace was the real deal, like some initiation rite for her to prove something to them.
    “We do have information that there could be a body buried in the barn.”
    Grace was already at the doorway but she paused and looked back at Creed, waiting for his permission to enter.
    “What’s the floor like in there?” he asked as he pulled a rod out of his backpack and started unfolding it until it became a spear with sharp prongs at one end.
    “Hard dirt,” Maggie answered, and Tully raised an eyebrow, surprised that she knew. “I checked,” she said to Tully. “It looks like there’s old straw scattered and matted on top.”
    “Any chance the place is booby trapped?”
    “Holy crap,” Tully muttered. “We didn’t really think about that.”
    Neither of them had considered it when they recklessly unlatched and swung open the doors earlier.
    “If it’s any consolation,” Maggie said, “The house wasn’t.”
    The three of them stood silently as Grace wagged and whined, excited and ready to enter.
    Finally Creed said, “You two stay right here. I’ll make Grace sit outside until I’m sure it’s safe.”
    “We’ll check it out with you,” Maggie said, looking at Tully. They had taken over this crime scene. It was theirs to protect.
    “Maggie’s right. This site, including the barn, is our responsibility.” And Tully started leading the way.
    “Actually it’ll be easier if I go in alone,” Creed said, walking along with the two of them.
    They kept a slow steady pace and Maggie suddenly felt conscious of every step, of what could be underfoot.
    “We train bomb dogs, too,” Creed continued, “for law enforcement, the military. Even Homeland Security. I have an idea of what to look for.”
    “An idea doesn’t sound convincing,” Tully said.
    Ten feet away from the open barn doors Creed stepped ahead, turned,