“Dom saw more than I did,” Kendra said. “I didn’t see the man with a gun, I only heard the gunfire as Dom told me to get down.”
“Did you notice the make or model of the dark truck?” Burt asked.
“It’s a large pickup truck, maybe a GMC?” Dom wished he was better with cars. “I didn’t get a good look at it. Things happened fast, and from this angle, I couldn’t get the license plate.”
“I saw a dark truck leaving the area of the Redwood Motel in Greybull as I approached,” Kendra added. “I think that may have been the shooter.”
“It’s not much to go on,” Burt muttered. “Can you ask Smoky to search for shell casings?”
“Of course. In fact, Smoky found one earlier.” Kendra dug in her pocket and held up the brass. Burt pulled an evidence bag from his pocket so she could drop it inside. “That’s from the parking lot of the Redwood Motel.”
“Got it.” Burt tucked it away as Kendra turned to her K9.
“Are you ready, girl?” She injected enthusiasm into her tone. “Are you? Search! Search for gold!”
Dom watched with interest as Smoky lowered her snout and sniffed along the parking lot. Less than a minute later, the dog stopped and pressed her nose into the snow. Then Smoky sat and let out a sharp bark.
Kendra and Burt hurried over. Kendra tugged the stuffed hippo from her backpack. “Good girl, Smoky! Good girl!” She tossed the hippo into the air. Smoky leaped up to grab it.
“I’m always amazed at how quickly they can find brass.” Burt pulled another evidence bag from his pocket and used it like a glove to pick up the shell casing. Dom had to admit, Kendra’s K9 was impressive.
“Are they the same type of ammo?” Kendra asked.
“Looks like it, but we’ll need to get both casings to the lab. Even then we’ll have to match it with a weapon before we can say they were fired from the same gun.” Burt shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.”
“If you need Logan to fly the brass to the state lab in Cheyenne, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” Kendra watched her dog for a moment, then held out her gloved hand. “Come, Smoky. Hand.”
The fluffy dog trotted over and dropped the hippo into Kendra’s palm.
“Good girl.” She tucked the hippo away but then lavished the dog with attention. “You’re such a good girl.”
Smoky’s curvy tail wagged back and forth like a rapid metronome. Under different circumstances, Dom would have smiled.
But he hated knowing Kendra and her K9 were in danger because of him.
“Burt, can you give me a lift to a different hotel?” Dom figured staying at the Elk Lodge so close to the site of the shooting was a bad idea. “That way Kendra can head back to the ranch.”
“I’m not leaving.” Her exasperated tone annoyed him. She narrowed her gaze. “Stop telling me what to do, Dom. We agreed to work together on this.”
“That was before some creep started shooting at me.” He turned to Burt. “Tell her she needs to get out of here.”
“Kendra, you know Chase would want you to be safe.” To his surprise, Burt voiced his agreement. “Better for you to head home and let the police handle this.”
“Thanks, Burt. I’ll make sure Chase knows you told me to go home.” Kendra flashed Dom a look of reproach. “Let’s get into the SUV. I’ll take us to the Frontier. That’s another hotel my family has used before.”
The December wind kicked up, making her shiver. Since he wanted her to be warm, he reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Burt said as Kendra opened the rear hatch for Smoky.
“I’ll call you with my new phone number.” Kendra closed the back hatch, then went to slide in behind the wheel. “We’re using untraceable devices.”
For all the good that had done, Dom thought sourly. Here he’d assumed they’d been tracked via his phone. Now he wasn’t sure what more he could do to cover their tracks.
Burt nodded, then turned back to his cruiser. She started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. Soon they were heading down the road to the other side of Cody.
A strained silence fell between them. Obviously, she was annoyed with him. Why he was the bad guy for wanting her to be safe, he had no idea.
“I don’t want you or Smoky to get hurt, Kendra,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “Why is that so difficult for you to understand?”
