Free SAFE by B J Brandon

been on the force and it bothered her that Ty felt she needed backup. “I know what I’m doing.”
    “I didn’t say you needed help. Just wait for me.” Melissa heard the other end go dead and looked at her phone. Yep, the ass had hung up on her.
    She started the SUV and headed out of town, turning the radio station to a country station. Florida Georgia Line crooned their latest song Dirt and she could imagine her Gramm’s on the farm with Gramps and the chicken coop out back that she hated to go gather eggs. Yep, Ty was going to be really pissed about this one when she went into the office.

Chapter 9
    The drive down the canyon to the ravine and parking lot didn’t take as long as it seemed to take getting out the other night for some reason. She turned off the engine to the SUV and sat there for a few moments empting her mind and settling her breath before getting out. She clipped the key chain to the pant loop of her slacks, a habit she had developed after losing her keys a couple of times as a Rookie. A quick punch locked the vehicle and set the security locks ensuring she at least had a ride out of there once she was finished.
    The trailhead was dry and looking normal except for the fact that the visitor parking lot didn’t have any law enforcement vehicles sitting in it, which was odd. Ty had said there were a couple still guarding the scene and she didn’t think they would have parked further down the trail closer to the site. Unease tickled the back of Melissa’s neck and curled in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it back. They had collected any evidence that had been left behind so if anyone was poking around the area it could be kids, thrill seekers or those with a morbid sense of humor. It never ceased to amaze her just how strange people could be after something like this was found in an area as remote as the Canyons.
    Sticking to the trail head until it came to the base of the bluff, Melissa branched off to the right and took the lowest ravine to the back side of where the caves were located and out of site. Only someone really familiar with this location would have known what to look for in these sandstone and rock ravines that had been washed with time and filled with boulders and mesquite. The locals said the Plains Indians use to hide out in these caves during the harsher winters and use the natural insulation of the caves to weather the cold winds from the north. Their twists and turns made good soundproofing and blocked out the rushing winds so the small families could survive until Spring was once more bringing the Plains to life.
    She was moving along the lower bluff toward the caves when she realized there was crime scene tape over the cave opening but still no sign of law enforcement that should have been here. Shit, shit, shit!
    “Buck is going to be pissed.” Melissa pulled her phone out and looked down. Of course, there was no signal here. What else did she expect?
    Deciding to send a text anyway, just in case, Melissa quickly typed “ No one at the caves. Tape still in place but too quiet.” Looking at it, she decided to send it to Buck and Ty so as to cover bases, then hit send.
    “Ok girl. Let’s get this over with,” she whispered. With a deep breath, Melissa closed her eyes and partially dropped her mental blocks to send out her senses toward the entrance to the caves. She really didn’t want to go inside if she didn’t have to, not yet. There was too much pain in there, death and emotional destruction that would crash down on her and she needed to find a balance first before venturing inside that hell hole. If she could pick up a vibe or small taste of the people who did this outside, hopefully it would help them track the rest of the culprits down.
    Small vibrations and echoes filtered back on the threads of light but none of them brought anything that made sense. Melissa tried filtering less and all she got was the sound of nature and a plane passing overhead. With a