Page 33 of The Whispering Girls (Detective Katie Scott #14)

THIRTY-ONE

Katie was relieved when they finally reached the Echo Forest Lodge and Jack’s truck was parked out front.

There had been a few risky moments as they drove back from the burning hospital.

She hastily parked and leaped out in the snow followed closely by Cisco.

Once her boots sunk down in the cold her legs froze.

For as long as it took to drive back to the lodge, it must’ve dropped another ten degrees.

Katie reached the truck to help John with McGaven.

They made their way to the entrance of the veterinary clinic.

Before they got there, Jack opened the door.

“What’s happened?”

“We need your help. We were ambushed at the hospital and there was an explosion,” she said.

“What?” said Jack in disbelief. He didn’t waste any time and hurried them inside. “Please, take him to the main examination room.”

Cisco trotted inside.

Katie and John helped McGaven to the room, which was designed for domestic animals and so had a short examination table.

Nevertheless, they were able to wrangle McGaven onto the stainless table and lay him down.

His lower legs and feet hung over the end, but the detective didn’t seem to mind.

Katie found some clean towels and improvised a pillow, gently positioning it under his head.

Jack entered carrying a stainless-steel bowl with emergency supplies of gauze, bandages, various ointments, and other necessities.

“He’s got some shattered pieces in his chest,” she said. “We didn’t know how deep they were, so we left them there.”

“You did right.” Jack began assessing the wounds on McGaven’s head and hands before he got help to remove his jacket and shirt.

Katie felt herself losing it—there was much more to do but McGaven’s injuries took precedence. She fought back the tears and stood strong, watching Jack sanitize the wounds and dress them.

The vet put on glasses that were extra magnified, studying the area around McGaven’s chest where the pieces were imbedded. He carefully moved one piece back and forth, trying to determine the deepness of the shrapnel, then he stood up.

McGaven grimaced. “That’s painful.”

“The good news is that it isn’t as deep as I first thought.”

“That’s good.” He let out a breath.

“I’m going to have to numb the area with a mild antiseptic, remove the pieces, and…I think you might need a few other stitches.”

“Cool,” said McGaven.

Katie smiled mostly out of relief, but also because her partner could still crack jokes even when things seemed almost impossible. “Can I do anything?” she said.

Jack looked up at her and smiled. “No, it’s routine. ”

“You mean your local dogs and cats get shrapnel in the chest?” said McGaven.

“No, but they get bites and complications from all kinds of injuries,” said the vet. “Detective, I’m sure you’re exhausted. Go up to the lodge.”

“I think I’m going to wait here,” she said.

“I’ll wait too,” said John.

“There’s some coffee in the kitchenette. Help yourself.”

Cisco whined.

“And there’s all types of dog food for this guy,” said Jack.

Katie looked at her partner and he gave her a thumbs up sign.

“You look beat,” said John.

Katie poured herself a cup of coffee after she gave Cisco some dog food.

“You just went through the same thing I did.”

“You’ve been investigating these homicides longer than I have.”

“We’re both tired,” she said.

“You should have the doc look at those.” He stood close to her and gently ran his fingers near her cut forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

Katie forced herself out of enjoying the physical attention from John, and went and sat down on one of the sofas near the reception area.

She let out a long cleansing sigh. It felt good to sit down on a comfortable cushion.

It wouldn’t take much for her to fall asleep, but she wasn’t going upstairs until McGaven was definitely all right. She would wait.

“Okay,” said John as he sat down next to her. He gave her a blanket and held some antiseptic, gauze, and small bandages. Without asking, he helped to clean her cuts and bandaged them .

Cisco stayed close to Katie, trying to get in between them.

Katie fought her urge to sleep as she pet the dog. She wanted to keep working the cases because there was no room to slack or sleep. The only thing that was potentially keeping the killer at bay was the storm. He wouldn’t be able to stage a scene in a snowstorm.

“Hey,” said a groggy McGaven. Jack steadied him as they walked down the hallway.

Katie stood up. “Gav, how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been put through a wood chipper, but other than that I’m great.”

“I gave him a mild sedative so he can rest. His bandages will need to be changed every few hours,” said the vet. “I was able to get through to fire and rescue and let them know about the hospital. And I also said that Chief Cooper was missing.”

Katie was relieved the hospital was going to be monitored and the fire put out. Something still struck her about Jack, but she had to ignore it for now. “Thank you,” she said.

“Oh, and they are forecasting the storm to last another day as well.”

Katie felt defeated, not to mention sore and tired. How were they going to find out what happened to the chief and whether he was somehow involved in the ambush?

“We’re going upstairs,” said Katie.

“I should take a look at you two as well,” said Jack.

“We’ll be fine.”

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to let me know,” he said.

Katie and John assisted McGaven as they left the vet’s office. The storm had built more momentum and the freezing temperature slammed into them as they climbed the stairs. Cisco easily navigated the icy steps and waited at the top for the others.

Katie wondered why Jack hadn’t offered for them to climb the inside secret staircase to the kitchen. It only added to her list of questions about the veterinarian, but she had to remind herself it was just a feeling and that wasn’t proof of anything.

They got to the top landing, all breathing hard. Katie opened the front door to the lodge and they made their way inside. With sighs of relief, McGaven and John sat down on the couch. Katie grabbed a beanie and a warm scarf and gloves. She also took a large flashlight.

“Where are you going?” said John. He eyed her suspiciously.

“Taking Cisco out,” she said flatly. “We’ll be right back.” She went out the front door with Cisco, not waiting for any more questions. She carefully walked back down the stairs. The dog went about his business but still seemed as if he kept an eye on Katie the whole time.

The snowfall had stopped momentarily and the air was clear but exceptionally cold. Snow had drifted into the corners of the patio and clustered into the branches of the trees. There was something quite magical about it—the scent, the view, and the feeling difficult to fully describe.

Katie stood in the quiet night alone, gathering her thoughts. She had never been in such a position before. Was the chief missing? Or was he at home waiting the storm out just as the others? What was with his cryptic phone call? Katie knew he was in trouble one way or the other.

The sketchy and unreliable cell signal and the storm for the next forty-eight hours made for an impossible situation.

There wasn’t anyone they could turn to for advice.

It was just the three of them—four if you included Jack.

She needed reinforcements. These homicides were the tip of the iceberg; something was going to break.

Cisco returned to Katie, pushing his nose against her hand and then looking up at her with that curious gorgeous face.

“I know,” she said softly. “What are we going to do? ”

A noise in the forest broke the silence.

It was coming from the hiking trails. Or was it?

Sounds were unpredictable and unnatural in Echo Forest, which made the exact identification of where they were actually coming from difficult.

Katie knew she had heard the sound and so did Cisco.

The dog froze, staring at the location the noise seemed to have come from.

He resembled a statue, unmoving until there was a low growl and the fur along his backbone rippled.

“Cisco, bleib ,” Katie said, making him stay in position. She retrieved her holstered gun and directed the flashlight accordingly.

As she walked toward the trail entrance, there was a flurry of sounds much too big for forest creatures. Most wild animals would stay hidden, out of sight, during the storm.

At the trail, Katie panned the flashlight beam.

There were no more sounds. She thought for a moment she saw the outline of a person in the deep shadows, but then it was gone.

It was unclear if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if it was wishful thinking—she wanted to get the killer off the streets.

Katie and Cisco returned to the lodge and shut out the storm. She began peeling the layers from her body and could instantly feel the warmth from the fireplace.

“Thought I was going to have to send out a search party. Did you find anything interesting?” said John with some sarcasm in his tone. His stare read anything but lighthearted as he looked up from the computer he was seated in front of.

“No. Everything is fine. Cisco just had a lot of smelling to do.”

“I see.”

“Where’s McGaven?”

“He went to crash out for a while.”

“Oh, good. He’s been through a lot. ”

“We all have. You should get some rest.”

“I think I’m going to stay up for a while. I’ll check on Gav first.”

Katie walked to the suite her partner was staying in.

She quietly opened the door where she was greeted by his soft snoring.

The room was cool. He was lying on top of the comforter, so Katie found two warm blankets from the closet and covered him.

She took one last look at her partner before shutting the door behind her.

John appeared to have been waiting for her in the living room.

“What’s up?” she said. She couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I may be the forensic supervisor, but I know a few things about people and investigations.”

“Of course. Your point?” she said, feeling found out. It took every ounce of strength to not show her emotions, but after the past few days it was becoming more and more difficult.

“Katie, how many cases have I seen you work? I know your motivation here.”

“And?” Katie knew John could almost read her mind when it pertained to investigations—it was unnerving at times. And she knew now that he knew, or at least suspected, that she was planning to get the answers she needed to solve this case no matter what.

“C’mon, Katie. You’re driven, but know you’re up against the weather, an injured partner, and a missing police force…not to mention what just happened at the hospital.”

As she watched John make his point, reciting the investigation checklist, which she already knew, he seemed to be more than annoyed. Katie had never seen him like this.

“You’re right.”

John kept serious eye contact on her.

“I do have an idea that might help the case,” she said.

“When were you going to let us in on it? ”

“Actually, I wasn’t,” she said.

“You haven’t learned anything,” he said. “You’re not a one-woman army. This isn’t how police investigations work.”

“I… it’s because?—”

“No, you can’t just go out on your own without telling anyone. We have your back.”

“I know,” she said sitting down.

“Look, you know I’m your friend and I have your back no matter what—just as you do Gav’s.”

Katie had never had anyone from the department be so blunt with her, even McGaven trod lightly. “You’re right. You’re completely right.”

“We all care about you and what you’ve been through. We don’t want to see anything happen to you,” he said, sitting next to her.

“I do have a plan and I’ll understand if you don’t want to come with me,” she said.

“Go on.”

“As with anything, you need to start at the beginning. And…well…I want to go to the police station,” she said.

“You don’t think anyone will be there, do you?”

“I’m counting on it.”

Katie took Cisco and put him in McGaven’s suite. Immediately the dog took a comfortable spot in an overstuffed reading chair. She then left a note for Gav to say where she and John were going and when they left.

She watched McGaven comfortably sleep and wished she could take back everything about the hospital explosion. Shutting the door quietly, she planned her next move with John.