There was a wide window, a utilitarian desk already stacked with case files, two guest chairs, and a new dog bed in the corner. His throat closed. Monty had bought Aeneas a bed?
Monty slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming in on this.”
Like he’d had a choice. Huck hadn’t made an effort to get acquainted with any of the team, and he didn’t mind the distrust shining in Monty’s eyes. But the guy had bought Aeneas a bed, and apparently he was fighting cancer. “Glad to help.”
Monty snorted and turned back toward the bullpen.
Chapter Eight
For no logical reason, Laurel smoothed down her hair before striding into the reception area of the Fish and Wildlife offices. A youngish woman with long black hair who was wearing a beige-colored uniform with a shiny badge on her chest sat behind the reception desk. “Hi. Can I help you?”
“Yes. I’m Laurel Snow, and I’d like to see Captain Rivers,” Laurel said, her file folder and notes in her left hand.
“I figured. I’m Officer Ilemoto. You can call me Ena.” Wildlife posters covered the wall behind her. She pointed through an open doorway to the right. “You can go on back. Hang a right at the end of the file-cabinet created hallway, go to the very end, and you’ll find Huck’s office. Far northeast corner.”
Laurel kept the surprise out of her expression. “Thank you.” She walked past the file cabinets, turned right, and kept moving beyond the cubicles, ignoring the curious looks from the officers. After passing a couple of offices, she reached the final one, a corner setup like hers. “Captain Rivers?” She waited in his open doorway, noting he had the same view from his wide windows as she, although his windows comprised two walls instead of her one.
He sat behind a monstrous wooden desk strewn high with file folders and papers. Aeneas snoozed in a plush blue dog bed in the corner. The walls lacked decor. “Huck. Remember?”
Considering she had an eidetic memory, yes. “Huck. I thought—”
His hair was already ruffled, and today he wore a black Henley with a rip near the right wrist. He filled the material out so the tee stretched tightly over his broad chest. “The ME already called and yelled at me about interagency cooperation and how valuable his time is these days. I’m driving.” He flicked a glance at his wristwatch. “He doesn’t want to see us until two this afternoon. I’ll swing up to your office and get you then.” He turned back to setting up his computer.
She cleared her throat and waited until he looked up at her again. “I’ve been perusing the notes sent to me earlier this morning, and there’s a witness I’d like to talk to. She’s a professor up at Northern Washington Technical Institute, and since the school is located near the ME’s office, I thought we could drop by and interview her.”
Huck twisted to better face her, and in the light from the window, his eyes were a lighter brown with golden flecks. “We’re compiling our lists and doing background checks before reaching out in person. Isn’t that protocol, even for the FBI?”
“Yes,” Laurel said, ignoring the subtle dig. “Except Dr. Caine’s SUV was parked in that lot seven times during the last six weeks. We’ll end up speaking with her anyway, so I thought we could hit two birds with one trip. You know?” She could go alone but had wanted to try to coordinate agency efforts.
Huck moved a pile of papers to the side of his keyboard. He tapped a pen on the desk. “I thought most serial killers were male?”
She nodded. “Definitely. But this woman might be a good witness, since she has parked in the lot so many times. Perhaps she utilizes one of the jogging trails. From the investigation so far, her vehicle shows up on the record more than any other. I can interview her alone but didn’t want to appear to go around you.”
Huck stretched his neck. “Monty?” he bellowed.
“What?” Monty popped up behind Laurel, and she slipped inside the office and to the side.
“Why haven’t we gotten a hold of Dr. Caine from Tech?” Huck asked in a lower voice.
Monty shrugged. “We’ve left several voice messages, but she hasn’t called back. We just started calling yesterday. The woman is probably busy.”
Huck scrubbed a hand through his unkempt hair. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to track her down, since we’ll be in the vicinity.” He pushed back from his desk and reached in the drawer for his gun, slipping it into his thigh holster. “We can talk to her, grab lunch, and then go see the ME. I’d rather eat before we meet with him.”
Monty’s face cleared. “Great. Glad you’re on it.”
Laurel wished once again for her own clothes. Her mom’s flowery skirt was out of place for the job. “Have you had any luck with missing persons yet?” It’d be nice to identify some of the victims.
“No,” Huck said.
“I have a colleague in DC digging into VICAP’s database for similar crimes,” Laurel said, moving toward the door. “I haven’t rented a vehicle yet, or I’d offer to drive.”
Huck walked around his desk and whistled for the dog.
Monty cleared his throat as the dog jumped to his feet. “You can leave the dog here, if you want.”
Huck shook his head. “He sticks with me.”
Another man with trust issues. Not a surprise. “We shouldn’t be inside too many places for too long,” Laurel said. She’d never had time for a pet and hadn’t researched the bonds they could form with humans, but there was something intriguing and appealing about the black and white beauty with his adorable nose. Although, he’d kept his distance from her. How could she learn to relate to a dog? There had to be a manual on the subject.
