York pulled a key ring from his jacket as they approached. “The city gave me master access after the copper thefts last year.” He grunted as he unlocked the rusting side entrance to shove open the door, its hinges squealing loud enough to echo off the buildings behind them.
The inside smelled like dust and waterlogged insulation. Graffiti crawled across the hallway walls like veins. Huck took the lead up the narrow stairwell, flashlight beam bouncing off cracked tile. His steps remained nearly silent.
“You think they stayed long?” Norrs asked from behind him.
“No,” Huck said. “But long enough to get the shot right. And they weren’t in a hurry on the way in.”
Norrs sneezed twice. “How do you know?”
“They didn’t go through the front entrance. No smashed lock. They had a key or a tool set.”
York blew out a breath behind them. “So what, we’re looking for someone with real estate access and a rifle habit?”
“We’re looking for someone who understands patience,” Huck said.
They reached the twelfth floor. The landing was wide, empty except for old office chairs and broken-down electrical panels. Puddles reflected the pale daylight slipping through shattered glass.
Huck scanned for footprints in the dust. Something more than the usual. Ten feet from the west-facing window, he stopped. “Here.”
The gravel and dirt along the floor had been disturbed and flattened in a tight oval. Prone position. Elbows, belly, bipod legs. An old radiator beside it had been shifted just enough to offer cover. The shooter had created a nest. Clean. Temporary. Huck crouched and aimed his flashlight.
Brass glinted near the baseboard.
“Round was fired from here.” He picked up the casing delicately in his gloved hand. “Seven-six-two. Could’ve been Lapua, maybe a custom load.”
York stood behind him, arms crossed tight. “They leave a signature?”
“No,” Huck said. “They left competence. That’s worse.”
“Any prints?”
“Not if they wore gloves. Which they did.” Huck turned toward the window, kneeling at the spot where the shooter had lain. The angle was perfect. The courthouse steps lined up directly in the center of the broken glass frame. He imagined Abigail standing there. Head, shoulders, vest. The timing had been exact.
Norrs moved slowly around the space. “There’s no second casing.”
“Because there was no second shot,” Huck replied. “One round. No wasted motion. They weren’t here to make noise.” But the sniper had failed.
York looked unconvinced. “Could’ve been a warning. Could’ve been meant to scare.”
Huck stood and turned to face him. “He aimed for her chest and had no way of knowing she wore a vest. Shit. I watched her walk by me and didn’t know. It’s an aberration and not one I would’ve planned for in this case.” He studied Norrs. “You’re paranoid. I didn’t read that in you.”
Norrs looked around the dusty area. “Not paranoid. I just love her.”
Well, shit. Abigail Caine was a predator, pure and deep. She had no problem using people and no hesitation when it came to killing. The farther Huck kept Norrs from this investigation, the better. “I need to interview you.” Well, after he managed to get assigned the case. Somehow.
He and Laurel should’ve stayed in Cabo.
Chapter 4
Laurel settled into the passenger seat of Walter’s brand-new Volkswagen Tiguan and reached forward to turn on the seat heater. The small city of Elk Hollow was about twenty-six miles from Genesis Valley, closer to Everett. It would take them around forty minutes, give or take.
She waited until Walter had driven through town and merged onto Washington 530 before she cleared her throat. “You’ve never mentioned that you had a brother.”
Walter flipped on the windshield wipers as a spring rain began to slash across the glass. “I know. Tyler and I aren’t close. Never have been.”
Okay. That was something she needed to unpack, as Huck would say. “Tell me about Tyler.”
“He’s actually my half brother,” Walter said. “My father died from an aneurysm just after I turned five. So it was just me and my mom through all of my childhood. I went to college and she fell in love and got remarried my sophomore year. Then Tyler came along the next year. He was a surprise. Her new husband didn’t really want me around, to be honest.”
