Page 28 of The Whispering Girls (Detective Katie Scott #14)

TWENTY-SEVEN

Katie drove into the old park where Mountain Trail Pass and TJ’s crime scene were located. It was easier to navigate since it was still light, but the uneven gravel and large boulders were still a road hazard.

“Geez,” said McGaven as he held on to the handle above the door.

“I’m trying to make it less bumpy.”

“I don’t think the killer came this way to dump the body.” McGaven grimaced after the last chuckhole in the parking area.

“I think you’re right,” she said. “But why this location?”

“Why the tree next to your cabin?”

“For someone to have these totems and messages, and then to stage the scenes in a particular location, no doubt it meant something specific to the killer. Maybe something the killer wants us to believe or know.” Katie glanced to her partner.

“Whenever we’ve worked a case where the killer leaves a victim in a rural setting, what has it meant? ”

“Well…some of these killers think they’re smarter than the cops, so they display their crime scenes in a shocking or theatrical way to show the cops that they have an advantage. They aren’t opportunistic, that’s for sure. They were all sending us a message,” he said.

Katie parked close to the area she did two nights previous.

“And the last message we had was that they’re not going to stop.

Right?” she said. “I think Theresa and TJ were planned victims and meant something to the killer. But I’m still trying to figure out why the killer went to hospital and killed the new nurse in training…

There’s got to be something about the hospital that connects the three young victims.”

“I’ll do a deep dive on all three women and see what pops,” he said.

“It may be nothing, but there’s one or maybe two big chunks of the puzzle we’re missing.

” She sighed and turned her attention to the park and the entrance to the trail.

Feeling a bit of anxious energy trying to rear its ugly head, Katie took a deep breath to slow down her racing thoughts about the cases and set her focus on TJ’s crime scene.

There had been so many things happening, it seemed like a tidal wave of events.

She had to keep her concentration on one thing at a time.

“Ready?” said McGaven.

“I want to look around first before bringing Cisco out.”

He nodded.

Both detectives got out of the Jeep. Cisco spun in excitement in the back seat because he seemed to know this setting was going to include him.

Katie looked in the opposite direction of the crime scene area.

It had a different overall feeling. It was clearer today that the park had been neglected.

She wasn’t sure why, but she guessed budgets weren’t allocated—maybe it wasn’t as popular as the others.

But with the two bed-and-breakfast inns along with Jack’s lodge, it seemed the area would grow as a tourist attraction .

Katie looked at the panoramic view and hoped Echo Forest wasn’t going to become known for a murder rampage.

She turned and walked toward the open space where TJ’s body had lain from left to right between two large trees. It reminded Katie of a play where the stage was set between pulled-back curtains—which began to tell a story.

“Katie,” said McGaven.

She turned to see her partner standing between the large dense set of trees on the left side.

“Check this out,” he said.

Katie hurried to his location.

“Slow down,” he instructed.

She studied the ground around her partner.

It appeared there were branches piled on top of one another.

Upon first glance, the downed branches blended into their surroundings.

But the more Katie studied it, the more she realized they had been put there recently.

The broken ends still looked new, light with a greenish hue, and not darkened as if they had been there for years.

“Why didn’t we see these two nights ago?” she said.

“We concentrated on the immediate area and around the trash cans.”

“Maybe this is what happens when we don’t have an experienced crime scene technician and more uniformed officers to assist with the search,” she said, frustrated.

“The point is we’ve discovered it now.”

“We need to systematically remove them.”

“Documenting each layer?”

Katie nodded. She took a step to the right side, mirroring her partner. “It’s better to have too many photos than not enough.”

The detectives began removing the fresh pine branches, taking a photo after each one was discarded. They carefully inspected the layers .

Katie began to think they weren’t going to find anything until after removing the ninth branch they revealed what appeared to be a makeshift trail. It had the same drag marks as Theresa’s crime scene.

McGaven took several photos. He retrieved a dollar bill and set it beside the deepest impression to give perspective and size. “Wouldn’t this take time?”

“Yes, it would, which means it was planned and the killer felt at home,” she said.

Katie’s phone chimed with a text message from John.

Recvd prelim reports from hospital. No fingerprints unaccounted for. Getting list of everyone who had access…

Katie replied:

Thanks. See ya soon.

“What’s up?” said McGaven.

“The hospital isn’t turning up any leads. No fingerprints. No video during those hours leading up to and after the murders.” Katie frowned and stepped back.

“Katie?”

“I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“The crime scenes?”

“They seem too planned for…”

“For what?”

“For one person to accomplish in that close of a timeline.”

“Two killers?”

“Not necessarily. But I think there might be someone either coordinating or helping with the props.”

“Based on?”

Katie paused before she answered him. “There’s quite a bit of detail at these crime scenes. And the hospital scene needed to be well coordinated. It would have been much easier to pull off with assistance. I just still can’t see how the hospital murders are connected to Theresa’s and TJ’s.”

“Things aren’t adding up.”

“Exactly. But it’s possible that we’re supposed to think that.”

Once McGaven took several more photos, the detectives cautiously followed the trail they’d uncovered. It wasn’t a steep trail, but it had obviously been carefully cleared and not just trampled into existence. Once at the bottom, it was obvious a vehicle had been parked there recently.

“Those are definitely tire impressions,” said Katie.

McGaven took several photos, again using a dollar bill for reference.

Katie’s mind spun. Things were falling together as to how, but the why and who were still foggy in her mind. The crime scenes said a lot about the killer, their preparation, their skill, the timing, a message, and the end result.

“Maybe John can research the tire, make, and model of the vehicle?” she said.

“I bet he can.”

They took a few more minutes documenting the overall area.

“I’m sending these to my computer and to John as well,” McGaven said.

“Great.”

“Do you still want to use Cisco?”

“Yes, I don’t want to miss anything. The weather looks as if it’s going to storm again and then if there is anything to find—it will be lost forever.”

“On it,” he said.

Katie geared up Cisco just as if it were a serious priority or search. She made sure his vest was secure and his eyes were protected. She also changed her shoes to more appropriate tactical outdoor boots.

“Cisco ready?” said McGaven.

“Yep.” Katie put a shorter leash on the dog due to the thick sections of the forest. That way she could keep control and not have him get tangled. “Cisco, let’s go,” she said.

“Want me just behind you?” Gav asked.

“That works. The wind is very calm.”

Once they reached the area and headed to the right, Katie said, “ Such ,” meaning to search.

There were piles of leaves, some cleared spaces animals had used as trails, and underbrush just like most places this time of year.

Cisco took off at a fast pace, much quicker than what was usual for him.

He seemed to have caught the scent of something strong and was going to make his way there in a hurry.

It definitely wasn’t his regular moderated speed and sweeping search on a grid pattern.

“What’s up?” said McGaven trying to keep up with Katie and the dog.

“I don’t know. He’s on scent.” She tried to slow down Cisco, then made the decision to let him off leash.

Cisco’s big paws moved through the leaves and it became clear that he was heading toward something big. Katie kept a running pace, keeping her eye on the black dog gaining speed.

Then she couldn’t see him anymore and her heart skipped a beat.

“Where did he go?” said McGaven, breathless, running a few feet behind his partner.

Katie didn’t answer, she was thinking of the worst-case scenario—and couldn’t help it. Her thoughts were interrupted by Cisco’s barking. It wasn’t a rapid bark like danger was near, but rather he was alerting her to something important .

Katie followed the dog’s barking and accidentally turned left before realizing the barking came from another area. Echo Forest was living up to its name, so she stopped and waited to regain her bearings. Turning around expecting to see McGaven, he was not there.

She turned to retrace her steps. The forest was quiet—jarringly silent. If there ever was a situation where you could actually hear a pin drop, this was it.

Katie stepped lightly as if her footsteps would make too much noise.

“Katie?” came a whisper.

She turned and no one was there. As far as she could tell, she was alone.

Why couldn’t she hear Cisco barking anymore?

Where was McGaven?

Suddenly she had a strong headache, causing her to put her hands to her forehead and squeeze her eyes shut. When she finally opened them, she heard McGaven calling her name. Katie quickly ran toward his voice. She could hear Cisco continuing to bark.

Katie caught up with her partner.

“Where did you go?” said McGaven.

“I just went the wrong way,” she said, still a bit shook up about what had happened. She didn’t want to explain to her partner because she felt like she might be going crazy. “Sorry.”

McGaven gave her a curious look. “This way,” he said and led her to where Cisco was.

The barking had stopped and Cisco was sitting down facing them when they approached.

He was in alert mode with his ears straight up, leaning slightly forward.

His yellowish wolf eyes kept watch as he waited for his handler.

He resembled a beautiful statue with his shiny black coat reflecting the light. He began to lightly pant.

“Cisco,” said Katie, slowly moving toward the dog. As she got nearer she saw something sticking out of a pile of dried leaves about a foot away from Cisco.

Her heart stopped.

“What is it?” said McGaven. His voice sounded strange, as if he was in another room.

“I don’t know…” Her voice faded as she moved closer. “Good boy,” she said to the dog while he remained in his position, waiting for Katie to give the command to release.

Katie turned her attention completely on what Cisco had alerted to and knelt down… Sticking out of the pile of leaves was a fur-trimmed boot. She kept her breathing calm, but she wanted to cry out. She remembered instantly that Tami Clark had worn the exact same pair at the coffee shop.

Katie turned and saw McGaven standing over her with a look of shock on his face.

“Tami Clark?” she barely whispered.