Page 41 of The Whispering Girls (Detective Katie Scott #14)

THIRTY-SEVEN

Katie, McGaven, and John went through the piles of information and began putting together timelines.

There were holes in their investigation they couldn’t fill, and it was tiring and frustrating.

They had to break these cases wide open and they had to let the chips fall where they may.

There were going to be suspects who had nothing to do with the murders, suspects who helped indirectly, and those who had carried out the murders.

Katie needed rest both physically and mentally. She was on a tight deadline and could feel the squeeze. She opted for bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A strange dream woke her and she couldn’t get back to sleep, so she decided to get up and fix some tea, hoping it would help her to drift off again.

She threw her covers off and got up. Spying Cisco sleeping quietly on the big chair in the corner of the room, she tiptoed out of her suite.

The lodge was quiet and she figured everyone was asleep trying to rest up for a big day tomorrow .

Her bare feet felt the wooden floors and she could hear the crackling fire.

The heat felt good. She saw that McGaven’s door was closed and thought she could hear him snoring.

She smiled and walked into the living room, where the flickering light of the fire gave a lovely glow.

The tables, chairs, and the murder board were visible with all the work they had been completing.

The board had been covered with a light sheet, even though no one else would see it.

It was important to take a break from the investigation.

John was sleeping on one end of the huge couch. Katie paused and watched him sleep; he looked so peaceful under a couple of blankets. His face was relaxed and she wondered if he was having a nice dream.

She moved on and went into the kitchen, switching a light on.

Seeing that dishes and glasses had been washed and sitting in the dish rack, she was surprised.

Everything was organized and tidy. Not sure who cleaned up the kitchen, she was impressed.

The coffee maker was set for the morning, which would make the lodge smell great before rising.

Katie grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and put it in the microwave. She went to the cupboard, where she picked out a non-caffeine tea bag.

She heard a thump sound just as the microwave beeped.

Katie immediately turned around and looked into the living room, but all was quiet and John was still sleeping.

Shaking off her uneasiness, she went back into the kitchen, where a rush of cold blew through the area, making Katie shiver.

The door leading down the secret staircase was slightly ajar and she assumed that whatever had thumped or knocked against the building might have caused pressure to push it open.

Katie moved toward the door. The cold air continued to waft into the kitchen.

There was no other explanation than a door was open downstairs.

It could happen. The storm outside was building momentum again.

She put her hand on the door; it felt more like a kitchen cabinet, even though the wood was rough and seemed old.

Slowly opening the door, she was hit with the full force of the bitter wind.

The light in the kitchen behind her lit the stairway and she could see that the door downstairs was open.

Katie let out a sigh because she knew the door needed to be shut, so she quickly padded down the freezing stairs, making it to the bottom in seconds. The upstairs door to the kitchen slammed shut from the air pressure.

Shivering, she quickly pulled the door shut, then fussed with the dead bolt. It wouldn’t quite fit securely in the lock without some finagling.

Katie unexpectedly felt a presence, but before she could turn around a strong hand clamped over her nose and mouth.

An arm held her firmly across her chest. She tried to fight the attacker, pushing backward, kicking, and trying to scratch them, but nothing worked.

There was a sweet, sickly smell and her body strength dwindled.

Her arms and legs weakened like jelly as her head felt mushy and clouded until… everything went black.