Page 49 of Her Last Whisper

His breath panted against her cheek and then in her ear, making her shoulders shudder uncontrollably. Goose bumps paraded up her arms and down the back of her neck.

“Tess…” he hissed. “Tess…” he repeated again but this time with more drama. “I know you want to tell the truth. Let it out…”

Twenty-Nine

Tuesday 1330 hours

Katie sat at her desk in her quiet office, thinking. McGaven had opted to use a computer upstairs in the detective division to run backgrounds, while obtaining a court order for phone records from Emily Day’s apartment, to find out if calls came in from the hospital.

Katie finally picked up the phone and dialed the South Street Psychiatric Hospital to make an appointment to speak with Jane Doe again.

“Administration,” said a woman who answered the main phone lines at the hospital.

“This is Detective Scott from the sheriff’s department. I was in last Friday to visit with a patient. I was wondering if I could make another appointment to speak with her.”

“Name of patient,” said the woman with little voice inflection.

“Well, she hasn’t given a name. It’s just Jane Doe on her record,” Katie said.

“One moment.”

Katie could hear the pecking of a keyboard as the administrator searched for the patient.

“I’m sorry, Detective, but I don’t see any patient by that name.”

“Are you sure? I spoke with Dr. Smith,” Katie persisted.

“Let me try something else. One moment.” There was a loud click.

This time Katie could tell that the woman put her on hold. She tapped her fingernail on her desk—waiting for almost five minutes.

“Hello?” said the administrator.

“Yes, I’m still here.”

“Jane Doe has been moved to another hospital—Silver Springs Hospital.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s near Cold Springs, about an hour from here.”

“May I ask why?”

“The only notation I have is that there are larger therapy groups there that can accommodate her for an extended length of time.”

“Did Dr. Smith put in for the transfer?” Katie asked, trying to pry a bit more information from the woman.

“There’s no notation of that but he did sign the transfer papers.”

“Thank you,” said Katie and hung up the phone.

She leaned back in her chair, still not grasping why Jane Doe had been transferred. Was it because there was better therapy and care more fitting to her needs? Or was there something more sinister?

Katie didn’t have time to call the other hospital, but made a mental note that she wanted to check in on Jane Doe very soon. Katie not only knew that Jane Doe had some answers about the killer, but she feared for her safety. First things first, she had an appointment with the county building and planning department in fifteen minutes. She grabbed her things and left the forensic division.

Parkingat the Sequoia County Office Building, Katie walked to the entrance carrying her notebook. It had been an official county building since 1884 and still had the architectural integrity of the historical provenance to prove it. The stairs made a grand entrance to the main large double doors of the stout building. Once inside, signs directed you to the various local government areas.

Katie headed for the building and planning department. She opted for the stairs instead of the elevators and quickly climbed to the second floor. From there, it was easy to find where she needed to be. What she wasn’t expecting was how busy the office would be, with people submitting blueprints and obtaining building permits. There were more than a few glances at Katie, taking in her badge and gun with wary curiosity.