Free The Rachel Scott Adventures, Volume 1 by Traci Hohenstein Page B

equipment. Scott, Georgia, and Steven were regular volunteers who donated their time and equipment when needed.
    “Rankin and Max will start the search. Max can get Amber’s scent from the dress she wore the night she disappeared. Phil will work closely behind with the equipment. Georgia and Steven will help canvass the area with flyers. The rest of us will follow the search grid. Remember to call in if you find anything.” Rachel held up her walkie-talkie. “Let’s get started.”
    Rankin gave Max a sniff of Amber’s dress, and the dog took off toward the street. “I think we got a hit,” Rankin said to Rachel as they quickly followed behind Max. Empty trash cans littered the street, and the smells confused the dog. He would take a few steps, sniff the ground, and then start moving again. Start, stop, and sniff.
    “Good dog,” Rankin kept reassuring Max as they went down a couple of blocks.
    Max hesitated at the end of the street. Rankin bent down and gave him another sniff of the dress. “Come on, boy. Let’s find Amber.” Max started off again but stopped after a few feet and sat down.
    Rankin rubbed Max’s head and gave him more words of encouragement, but the dog just whined softly.
    “Nothing now,” Rankin said.
    “Guess they found a vehicle or someone picked them up,” Drake said.
    Rachel sighed. “Dead end.” They headed back to the pink cottage where the boat had been found.
    “What now?” Mike asked.
    “The police are canvassing the neighborhood. Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Drake said.
    “I’m going to check in with the guys to see if the sonar equipment picked up something,” Rachel said as she started packing up her gear. She turned to see a girl of sixteen or seventeen watching her. She was dressed in long cargo pants and a white tank top, and she carried a black backpack.
    “Can I talk to you for a minute?” the girl asked in a Bahamian accent.
    “Sure.” Rachel smiled at her.
    “I think I have some information about the girl you are looking for.” She looked around nervously.

CHAPTER 22
     
    R achel took off her ball cap and wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm. “Okay. Why don’t we go sit down over there and you can tell me about it.” Rachel pointed to a large palm tree that provided some shade from the heat—and some privacy from the other members of the team. Rachel thought the frightened girl might bolt if anyone else came over. Mike and Drake could be very intimidating.
    The team had brought a large cooler filled with drinks, and Rachel grabbed some Gatorade for herself and the girl.
    “I’m Rachel. What’s your name?”
    “Shondra Myers. I live down the street.” She pointed toward the east end of the street—the spot where the dog lost the scent.
    “Nice to meet you, Shondra. You said you know something about the missing girl?”
    The girl nodded. She dropped her backpack on the ground beside her. Her eyes darted back and forth between Rachel and Drake.
    “You can’t tell my parents or anyone else, because I’ll get into trouble.”
    Rachel wanted to reassure the girl, but she didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep. “Shondra, I’ll do my best to keep this private, but you may have to make a statement to the authorities. Why don’t you tell me what you know and we’ll go from there. Okay?”
    Shondra contemplated Rachel’s words for a moment before beginning. “I’m supposed to be grounded, but the other night I snuck out to meet some friends. While I was walking down this way, I heard an argument.” Shondra hesitated. She twirled her hair around her fingers. Her gaze shifted away.
    Rachel followed her glance and saw Drake staring their way. She waved him off.
    “It’s okay. Go on,” Rachel prompted her.
    “I heard a girl yelling about something, so I hid around the corner to take a look. I saw a girl with blonde hair walking with some guy. I’m pretty sure the girl was the same one that’s on the flyers you guys are