In his shock, Steve tumbled backwards and would have fallen over the railing had it not been for Mike's strong hand on his upper arm, steadying him just in time.
"What the…?!"
Trying to catch his breath, he cowered off to the side, before glancing back up at the window. Mike was right next to it, carefully approaching the small opening in the dust he'd made earlier. With his eyes squinted, he brought his face within a few inches of the glass pane, inspecting it thoroughly.
Eventually, a bright smile appeared on his lips.
"Looks like we got spooked by a bird. Wouldn't you know it?"
"You gotta be kidding me…"
"No. Look for yourself. Probably thought you'd opened the window when you cleared it."
Straightening back out, Steve looked at the spot his partner pointed at, only to see the outline of a set of wings right by his opening.
"Well, so much for us being on edge."
Releasing what seemed to be a long-held breath; Mike cocked his head and pursed his lips for a second, before patting him on the shoulder.
"We need to be. This situation demands it. Come on, let's see what we can find in the outbuildings."
Enthusiastic as usual, the Lieutenant marched past him and toward the old barn, sitting just a couple dozen feet off on the side. The back sliding door was partially ajar, allowing them to look inside all the way from the porch.
Even from his distance, Steve could tell that the building was mostly empty. As they approached it, he could see old tools from a long-gone era hanging off the walls, all of them covered in thick spider webs and a layer of dust. The dirt floor inside looked as though it had been undisturbed in quite a while.
As they slowly entered, he looked up at the roof, surprised to see a small loft filled to the brink with boxes. Along the ridge was a rusty pulley system with a thick hemp rope attached to it.
"What do you make of this?", he asked Mike as he took of his sunglasses and slipped them onto his head, only to watch the Lieutenant shrug.
"Looks cozy…and unused."
"Another decoy?"
"It's possible. Let's see what the pole barn tells us…"
Steve moved off to the side, allowing for Mike to head the way toward their next destination.
Following the Lieutenant a few feet behind, he casually let his eyes drift over the property nestled against a steep mountain side. Several small paths were winding their way uphill, then drifting off into different directions.
"Somehow I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched…", Steve noted as he followed Mike into the dimly lit pole barn. Only two small windows off to the east allowed some light to come into the cluttered workshop inside. All the walls were covered in cabinets and mechanical tools hanging off metal hooks. The pungent smell of oil and diesel hung in the air, making him cringe.
And in the middle of it all, sat yet another Angel towing truck.