Page 58 of Last Girls Alive

Chad stood close to Katie. “What happened to your face?” He gently touched it.

“Just a bit of a scuffle.”

He didn’t look convinced by her explanation. “I’m sorry to come out here and scare you, but I was going to leave a note. And I wanted to see if you were here.”

“I’m sorry… come sit down with me.” She tried not to walk stiffly or show her pain, but it didn’t get past him.

“You had more than a scuffle,” he said, watching her walk.

They sat on her favorite swing together.

“Here,” he said and began to massage her shoulders and feel down her back. “You didn’t take a hot shower, did you?”

“No. I was so tired I just wanted to go to bed. But… my mind wouldn’t shut off.”

He chuckled. “Know that one. Haven’t had that problem in a while, but the new house is causing a few minor panics.”

“What? How?” she said.

“Oh, it’s just buyer’s remorse. Wondering if I made a mistake. Will I make money on the flip? Will it be a money pit? The usual stuff.”

“Glad it isn’t anything serious.” She took a deep breath as the pain became intermittent. “Ouch… still a bit sore.”

“You know, you need a hot shower and a good massage.” He leaned in and kissed her neck.

Katie missed him so much and wished they were away somewhere where there weren’t killers or demands from work. She turned and returned his affections. “Can you stay?” She didn’t want to talk to him about anything that was bothering her. Her emotions were fragile and she was afraid that she would start crying and not be able to stop when she did.

“Yes. I’m not on again until 2 p.m. tomorrow.”

They went inside. His company was exactly what she needed to end the loop of suspects and evidence running through Katie’s mind. She took a hot shower and received the best body massage she ever had, then made love to Chad into the small hours until she fell into a deep sleep.

Twenty-Six

Friday 0730 hours

Katie was meeting McGaven at the medical examiner’s office to view the body of Mary Rodriguez and to find out the particulars of cause and manner of death. Dr. Dean had called to make an appointment. She thought that she knew what the outcome was going to be, but there were always details you could miss with a naked eye.

She pulled into the sheriff’s department and parked the sedan. As she got out of the vehicle, she noticed how much better she felt after Chad’s magic hands worked her sore muscles. She had slept better than she had in months. He was still sleeping next to Cisco when she left the house. Not having the heart to wake him, she left him a note.

Pushing through the main doors of the medical examiner’s office, she hurried to find Dr. Dean. It didn’t take long to locate him with his brightly colored Hawaiian shirt with large orange and pink flowers. She wondered if he ever wore anything else.

McGaven was waiting for her, but didn’t look in Katie’s direction right away.

“Hi, Dr. Dean. I hope I’m not late,” she said entering the room.

The doctor looked up from his files, his reading glasses sloped toward the end of his nose, “Not at all, Detective. It’s nice to see you.”

She turned to McGaven, giving a quick smile and nod in greeting. He returned the silent hello with a casual nod. It was unclear if he was still upset with her—but she would tread lightly with him until he completely let their disagreement go.

“Well,” the doctor said. “It’s always interesting working your cases, Detective and Deputy.”

“Do we have an official ID?”

Looking at the file, he said, “Yes, from fingerprints compared from an arrest report. She has been identified as Mary Rodriguez.”

“Did she suffer injuries similar to Carol Harlan?” she asked.

“Yes… and no.”