“We can probably let you drive by to get to your house soon,” Mattie said to Mrs. Gibbs. “Let me check with the sheriff.”
“I need to search all of Sophie’s favorite places,” Angie said.
“Let’s walk.” Cole took Angela by the arm and led her down the lane, talking to her as they went.
Mattie knew he needed time alone with his older daughter. She and Robo waited beside the car with Mrs. Gibbs while she contacted Sheriff McCoy, who said to stay put until Detective LoSasso arrived. Mattie relayed the information to Mrs. Gibbs and directed her to move her car out of the way and park near the top of the lane.
Stella drove up in the county’s plain car—a dark-navy Ford sedan—stopped at the top of the lane, and rolled down her window. Mattie joined her.
“I’ll leave the vehicle here,” Stella said. “Could you help me carry supplies?”
“Sure.” Mattie heard the trunk pop open as Stella released it, and she went to the back of the vehicle, Robo staying close beside her. Inside were two large plastic tool kits and a jug of water. Stella and Mattie each picked up a case, Mattie grabbed the water, and they set off down the lane.
“I’ve upgraded that BOLO we have on the Heath Pathfinder to regional,” Stella said while they walked. “Sandy Benson is spreading the word among the forest rangers and the wildlife department. I looked further into Merton Heath. He’s no longer on parole.”
Which meant he was free to travel about the country as long as he obeyed the law to register his place of residence, which apparently he’d done. They had every right to question him as a person of interest once they found him, but so far, they had nothing else on him.
All they had was a dead teenager, and now a missing child.
“The boys we interviewed have been at baseball practice since school let out, present and accounted for. All except Brooks Waverly. His father grounded him. Said he sent him to Hightower to pick up some parts for their tractor. He’s going to call me when Brooks gets home,” Stella said.
“What is Brooks driving?”
“The family’s silver Toyota 4Runner.”
Another silver Jeep-like car. “We can’t wait. Let’s call him on his cell phone.”
“I thought of that. His dad took it away from him.”
Mattie let out a breath of frustration along with a quiet curse.
“He expects him back soon. We’ll go out there and search when he calls me. To add on more bad news, I couldn’t locate Burt Banks, and Juanita doesn’t know where he is.”
“We know he’s not playing poker,” Mattie said.
“At least not at Hank Wolford’s place.”
They arrived at the area marked off with yellow tape, and Stella began searching through it. “This one will do right here.”
Stella opened a case and took out a camera and tripod, which she set up directly over the print, and then rotated the camera so that the lens faced downward. Placing an L-shaped ruler beside the print, she snapped several photos of it. After removing her photography equipment, she opened the other case and took out a plastic gallon-sized bag holding a powdery substance. Sheriff McCoy strode up as she was laying plastic frames around the tire print.
“Dr. Walker and his daughter need some time alone,” he said. “She’s having a hard time of it.”
Mattie closed her eyes for a brief moment, fighting the terror inside that she knew Angela and Cole were dealing with.
As if to keep her busy, Stella handed a cup to Mattie. “Could you pour this amount of water into this bag of dental stone and mix it together by squeezing the bag?”
While Mattie followed instruction, Stella updated the sheriff on the status of the suspects in the Banks homicide.
“We’ve got to pin down Burt Banks,” he said, taking out his cell phone. “I’ll get Deputy Brody started on that next. He sent the Amber Alert out through dispatch. We’re classifying this as a suspected high-risk stranger abduction, and we’re sending it out region wide.”
Mattie knew that the region covered Colorado and the surrounding states. If they didn’t find Sophie in the next few hours, he might broaden the alert to nationwide. She couldn’t believe this was Sophie they were talking about.
She worked the mixture into pancake batter consistency while Stella sprayed the tire print with a fixative. She took the bag from Mattie and carefully poured the contents at the edge of the print, allowing it to flow into the print indirectly without disturbing any of the impressions. “We’ll let that set for about a half hour,” Stella said when she finished, sitting back on her heels.
Mattie knew she couldn’t stand around and wait that long. Her nerves were beginning to get to her, and she wanted to stay moving. “I think it’s best if Robo and I search with the volunteers,” she said to McCoy.
“Agreed. But stay close to town. If we get a hit on that Heath BOLO, I want you able to respond immediately. I’ll stay here with the Walkers.”
“When Brooks Waverly gets home, Mattie and I need to go out to question him and search his vehicle,” Stella said. “Maybe even their property.”
McCoy looked at Mattie, obviously considering it.
“We’ll have probable cause for the ranch if Robo hits on Sophie’s scent inside the vehicle,” Mattie said, “but we’ll need permission first for the car itself. Or a warrant.”
The sheriff nodded. “I’ll get you that warrant. This is no time to delay and fiddle with permission.”
It was a small thing, but it gave her a sense of relief. “I’ll stay in contact.”
With Robo at heel, she hastened to the house to get her vehicle, berating herself for letting Merton Heath drive away only so she wouldn’t be late for a meeting. As she approached, Angela and Cole came out of the house onto the porch. They both hurried down the sidewalk to join her at her Explorer while Mattie loaded Robo into the back. She turned to face them, noticing Angela’s reddened eyes and strained features. Cole didn’t look much better.
“We’re positive she’s not anywhere on this property,” Cole said. “What can we do next?”
“We’ve issued an Amber Alert, and we’ve called out volunteers to search. Since we can’t identify a friend or family member who might have picked up Sophie, we have to treat this as if we’re dealing with a stranger who’s taken her.” Mattie’s eyes started to fill, and she blinked back the wetness. The last thing the Walkers needed was for her to break down, and she would never allow herself to cry in front of them. She looked away for a few moments while she stowed Robo’s equipment, taking the time to regain control. “You need to stay here by the phone, just in case this is a kidnapping for ransom. Sheriff McCoy will stay here to wait with you.”
“I can forward the home phone to my cell,” Cole said. “No need to sit here and do nothing.”
Mattie knew exactly how he felt. “I’ll let you discuss that with the sheriff. I’m taking Robo out to search with the volunteers.”
“We can use Bruno and Belle to search too,” Angela said, her voice quivering with anxiety. “Mrs. Gibbs can stay here at the house.”
This teen was no stranger to death. Mattie wanted to reach out to her, but she held herself in check. “Your dogs have both been trained to track, but apparently Sophie’s scent trail starts where she got off the bus and ends where we’ve put up the yellow tape. I don’t think Belle and Bruno would be able to find anything else.”
“When I let the dogs out earlier, Bruno tried to head west on the highway,” Cole said.
Both Timber Creek and the Waverly ranch lay toward the west. Mattie held his gaze while she considered it. “I’ll call Jim Madsen, Robo’s trainer, and see if he can bring in a bloodhound. That’s the best breed I know that might follow scent coming from inside a car. I’ll see what we can do.”