“Status?” Huck asked.
Monty shook his head. “One FBI agent down and no signs of the shooter. I brought your rig and your dog.”
“Good.” Huck accepted the keys and whistled for the dog. Aeneas immediately calmed and followed Huck toward his truck, nestled against the curb.
The paramedics shut the ambulance doors and it drove off, siren screaming.
Time felt like it slowed. It was shock and adrenaline flooding her body, so she took them in, keeping her mind alert. They had to find Christine Franklin. Laurel’s gaze skimmed the two-story white home with its dark blue door. The porch was wide with a swing. A thick puddle of blood showed inside the open doorway on what looked like white tile.
Her senses of sound and smell came rushing back. The cold pierced her skin.
She yanked her phone to her ear.
“Agent Snow. This is my personal phone,” Deputy Director McCromby said.
“We have an officer down. Special Agent Walter Smudgeon,” she said, her voice crisp even though the blood was rushing through her ears so loudly she could hear it.
Two beats of silence echoed back. “What do you need?”
“I want the FBI crime technicians from the Seattle office here now. I don’t care what they have to drop. Get them here. Now.” She rattled off the address and then clicked off, striding toward uniformed officers who were securing the scene with crime tape. A quick glance at them confirmed they were Genesis Valley officers.
She paused at seeing Officer Zello. His handlebar mustache looked frozen. “You found the agent?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Zello said, his jaw set in a hard line. His partner handed him a wipe, and he tried to remove the blood from his hands. “Found the agent, searched the residence, and then administered first aid until the paramedics got here. Your agent was out the whole time and didn’t give us anything.”
Laurel nodded. “Thank you for helping him.”
“Of course.” Zello paused as another patrol car slid to a stop. “You want our officers to start canvassing?”
“Yes.” She watched as Huck and Aeneas jogged up. The dog now wore a search and rescue vest, which told him what his job was today.
A Fish and Wildlife officer hurried out of the house to hand over a blouse. “It was in a dirty-clothes basket in the master bathroom,” the woman said.
Huck accepted the blouse and leaned down to press it to the dog’s nose. “I’m going to try to track Christine.” Then he straightened. “Monty? I want everyone on this, including air support. Let’s get choppers in the sky. Now.”
Monty reached for his radio, quickly calling in orders.
“We’ll have the locals canvass, and I’ve called for FBI crime techs to handle the scene,” Laurel said. She nodded at Officer Zello. “Nobody goes in or out until the scene is processed. Except me.”
“Understood,” Officer Zello said. “I’ll take care of it—we’ll start going door-to-door.”
Monty stood straight in the cold day, his hair starting to turn more white than gray. He had lost weight during the last month, but his eyes were clear. “I called Kate, and she’s going to the hospital. She’ll keep us updated.”
“Thank you,” Laurel said softly.
“Hunt, boy,” Huck said, taking the dog off the leash.
Aeneas immediately turned and took off between the emergency vehicles with Huck on his heels.
“If the guy kept her on foot, we’ll find her,” Monty said, glancing at his phone. “Copters are up in fifteen. We’ll spot them.”
Laurel nodded. “Can you have the state police track down Mayor Bearing and his son Tommy as well as Dr. Joseph Keyes? I want to know where they all are right this second.”
“Sure.” Monty reached for his radio. “The mayor and his kid should be easy to find. Keyes must be the heart doctor you were on the way to interview?”
“Affirmative.” Laurel walked by him. Officers headed in both directions to knock on doors, while Officer Zello remained at post.
He handed her a pair of rubber gloves. “I don’t have booties.”
