Page 18 of The Catcher (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #5)
P olice swarmed down upon the high school like a flock of hawks descending upon prey.
Cruisers sped through the streets, lights flashing and sirens wailing, heralding their urgent arrival.
Noah had called ahead to get a janitor out to open up the school, as it was closed for the weekend, but they arrived before he got the message.
“Break it open!” one of the deputies commanded, his voice cutting through the tension-filled air.
With a swift motion, a window was shattered at the front of the school, and moments later, officers surged in, a unified force comprising deputies from the Adirondack Sheriff’s Office, officers from the High Peaks Police Department, and state troopers.
Unlike before, they had no idea what they would find or where to look, but Noah was convinced that the Matthews girl was there.
As one unit, they spread out, moving through the labyrinth of corridors, their footsteps echoing ominously in the empty halls.
Room by room, they checked, their senses heightened with anticipation.
Over the radio, McKenzie’s voice crackled urgently, “We’ve found a broken window on the north side. But no sign of the girl.”
“Keep looking; she has to be here,” Noah instructed firmly, his determination unwavering. “Check staff and student bathrooms, showers, locker rooms, and the basement. Look for anything with a missing faucet handle.”
Just then, Principal Wright hurried toward Noah down the corridor, flanked by the janitor who had been summoned to assist. “Detective!” he exclaimed. “I got here as quickly as I could. How can we help?”
Noah’s mind raced as he assessed the situation.
Time was of the essence. With Hailey Matthews’ life potentially hanging in the balance, they couldn’t afford to waste a moment.
“We need access to every inch of this building,” he replied.
“Every room, every closet. We’re looking for anything out of the ordinary.
And if you have any surveillance footage, we need to see it immediately. ”
Wright nodded, and the janitor took off to help officers enter locked rooms. Noah peered into the bag of items, examining them, hoping to find something that would connect the dots.
“Where did you find that?” Wright asked, pointing to the shard of blue and white porcelain.
“Why? You recognize it.”
“It looks like one of the tiles from our swimming pool.”
Noah remembered a comment the principal had dropped when they arrived searching for Landry’s phone. You’ll have to forgive the chaos right now; we’re draining the pool over the weekend for repairs.
“Where is it?”
“At the rear of the school in a separate building.”
They moved fast. Noah got on the radio, updating the others.
Their footsteps echoed in the empty halls as they hurried toward the rear of the school. The words of the riddle echoed in Noah’s mind, “Look through my windows to see futures and fate.”
As they burst out of the rear of the school, they sprinted across the yard toward a large building mostly made of glass. The sunlight glinted off the windows, casting reflections that danced across the grass.
The janitor fumbled with the keys at the door before finally opening it, and they rushed inside. The air was thick with the scent of chlorine. Noah’s heart raced as he heard the sound of water still pumping into the pool.
“I thought the pool was supposed to be drained?” Noah questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion as they approached the edge of the covered pool.
“It was. It usually takes a few days. I don’t know why it’s filling,” Wright explained.
“Get this pool cover open!” Noah commanded as he hurried around the pool, trying to peer below the opaque cover. His heart was still racing as he spotted a dark mass beneath the cover, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. “Hurry up!”
The janitor scrambled across the room and disappeared into a back room, re-emerging moments later. “The faucet handle is gone!” he reported, his voice panicked.
Noah knew they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Without hesitation, he reached for his everyday carry knife.
He slashed the top cover wide open and jumped into the pool.
Beneath the surface, he found a few inches of space, enough for someone to keep their head above water if they could hold on to the edge or tread water. But the girl was nowhere near the edge.
Her hands were tied behind her back, rendering her unable to swim or keep herself afloat, barring using her legs. Noah’s heart sank as he saw her lifeless body floating beneath the water’s surface.
“Give me a hand,” he called out, his voice strained with emotion, as he cradled the Matthews girl and brought her to the surface. Another officer jumped in to assist him, and together, they lifted her out of the water while others hurried to drag her body back to the side of the pool.
Noah’s mind raced as he assessed her condition.
Time seemed to slow as they worked to save her, their efforts fueled by a sense of urgency to bring her back from the brink.
As McKenzie moved into performing CPR on the girl, Noah watched with bated breath, his heart pounding in his chest. Each second that passed felt like an eternity, the weight of the situation bearing down on them all.
“Come on, kid, come on, breathe!” McKenzie urged, his voice filled with desperation and determination.
But there was nothing. No response.
Noah felt a sense of helplessness wash over him as he watched McKenzie alternate between thirty chest compressions and two breaths, his movements methodical and precise. Yet despite his efforts, there was still no sign of life from the girl before them.
The minutes continued to tick by, each feeling heavier than the last.
Noah stared on, his heart heavy. Before long, the distant sound of sirens could be heard approaching, growing louder with each passing moment. EMTs appeared on the scene, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness of despair.
But Noah knew, deep down, that it was too late. He had seen this before and witnessed the devastating outcome of similar situations. Memories of Alicia’s death flooded his mind, the pain of loss still fresh despite the passage of time.
“Noah. Hey, Noah!” Porter’s voice broke through his reverie, pulling him back to the present. “You okay?”
Noah nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the scene before him.
“What now?” Porter asked.
“Collect what evidence we can find and inform the parents.”
With a heavy heart, he rose to his feet, water dripping off him in cascades, a physical reminder of the futile attempt to save a life. But deep down, he knew that some battles couldn’t be won, no matter how hard they were fought.