Sam was already moving, chair scraping back. “Where?”
Jo straightened, donut napkin crumpling in her hand. Kevin sat up, foot dropping from the drawer with a thud. Lucy lifted her head, ears forward, reading the tension in the room like a second language.
Major didn’t move, but his tail flicked again—faster this time—as if he understood the change in tone.
“Outskirts of town,” Reese continued. “Hiker found it. Not much else yet, but dispatch confirmed it’s not a rescue situation.”
The words landed heavy.
Jo was on her feet, grabbing her gear and her notebook in one smooth motion. “I’ll ride with you.”
Kevin shoved the last sip of coffee into his mouth, coughed once at the heat, then grabbed his jacket. “I’ll take the Vic, get there right behind you.”
Sam didn’t waste time with more questions. Details would come on scene, and he’d rather see it with his own eyes than get it secondhand over a radio.
For now, they moved.
Lucy was at his side in an instant, nails clicking on the floor, muscles alert, already tuned to his urgency.
Jo snatched her jacket off the back of her chair. “We taking the Tahoe?”
“Yeah.”
Reese stepped aside as they passed, handing Sam a slip of paper with the location scribbled on it. She gave him a look that said,Hope you weren’t planning on an easy day.
Yeah. No chance of that now.
The team split—Sam and Jo heading for the Tahoe, Kevin breaking off to the Crown Vic.
Major remained on his throne, watching them go with unreadable golden eyes, tail slowly swishing like a metronome.
Then they were out the door, boots hitting pavement, cool air biting at their faces, adrenaline settling in with familiar weight.
The station faded behind them as the sirens started to wail.
They had a body waiting.
CHAPTER SIX
The woods were quiet.
Too quiet.
Wind whispered through the pines now and then, brushing branches together, but otherwise it was just the crunch of boots over dried leaves as Sam, Jo, and Kevin followed the narrow trail in single file.
Lucy ranged ahead, nose low, tail working in quick, tight sweeps. Every few steps she paused, checked the air, then moved on with that focused, methodical trot Sam knew meant she was locked in.
A hiker waited where the trail widened, arms wrapped around himself like he was cold, though the air wasn’t. Mid-thirties, windbreaker, decent boots. His face had that greenish edge people got when the world had just shown them something they weren’t built for.
Sam stopped in front of him. “You’re the one who called it in?”
The man nodded fast. “Yeah. I—I was walking the loop, took a shortcut off-trail, and…” He swallowed, Adam’s apple jumping. “He’s just there. I didn’t touch anything. I swear.”
“I appreciate you staying put,” Sam said. “Head back to the trailhead. Officers will meet you there, take your statement.”
The man latched onto the instruction like a lifeline. “Okay. Yeah. Okay.” He turned and hurried away, boots clumsy on the uneven ground.
Sam let out a slow breath and moved on.