Page 11 of The Whispering Girls

Jack stopped just before a large door and looked at Katie. “Yeah, exactly. Most people don’t get that.”

They stood for an awkward moment.

Katie realized the door was a large freezer. She turned to Cisco and said, “Platz…bleib.”

The dog immediately lay down and stayed in his position.

“German commands?”

“Yes.”

Before opening the door, Jack grabbed a file from a wall holder. He handed Katie the file. There were two sealed evidence boxes stacked just to the left of the door, which had the proper chain-of-custody paperwork taped to them.

“Where is this evidence going?”

“To the state lab for processing, since this area doesn’t have lab facilities.”

Katie opened the file, where there were photos and information about the victim and condition of the body. “How did you get all this information so fast?” She couldn’t believe what she was reading. It was complete with the name of the victim. Nineteen-year-old Theresa Ann Jamison. “I don’t understand.”

“According to Officer Bobby Clark, he recognized the girl. Apparently she was a friend of his sister.”

“So there’s been a positive ID?”

“That’s my four o’clock appointment. Her cousin is driving in from Pine Valley to ID the body.”

Katie’s mind spun with uncertainty. Even in Pine Valley, where there were more personnel, they didn’t get all this information so quickly. “Chief Cooper seemed to indicate that they didn’t know anything about the victim.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. I was given the information and filled out the paperwork for the investigation, per the chief. Basically my part is over after the body is picked up tomorrow and transferred to Raven Falls, which is the county seat. They have a medical examiner.”

Katie reread a few pieces of information. Theresa was alongtime resident of Echo Forest. “I guess they’ll be able to do an autopsy?”

“That’s my understanding.” Jack then pulled the large silver lever and opened the door.

Katie waited for Jack to enter first. The immediate cold whipped out, taking her by surprise and almost causing her body to stop mid-step. Her breath caught in her throat. Even though it had been cold outside with some snow flurries, it didn’t compare to the large refrigerated room.

The overhead lights immediately turned on when they were inside. The illumination made everything appear almost colorless. It was like entering a decompression chamber. Next to the refrigerator system was a freezer used to accommodate animals that had passed or were euthanized.

Katie shivered and looked at the gurney supporting the outline of a body in a heavy plastic bag.

“Are you looking for anything specific?” said Jack.

His voice almost made Katie jolt—it sounded hollow and lifeless inside the closed room.

“I’m not sure,” she said. That wasn’t completely true, but she wasn’t going to show all her cards just yet—if ever.

Katie wanted a closer look at the injuries to try to get a better understanding of the killer. Jack unzipped the body bag and folded back the plastic. The girl’s hands and feet were protected by plastic bags, but the pink fingernails were still visible.

As always, Katie did not look at the victim’s face immediately. She focused on the girl’s neck and the impressions that indicated ligature marks. Then Katie leaned closer and her eyes trailed to the victim’s face. She sucked in a breath and stood up straight. The room seemed to spin and everything became oddly fuzzy around her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Still staring at the young victim’s face, it as if she was looking at TJ—the young woman who came to her door for help.

SIX

Tuesday 1425 hours

Katie sat in a colorful molded chair near the front counter. She was mad, embarrassed, and still weak, which made her even angrier. She had never fainted or become close to it before. It wasn’t looking at a dead body. It was the fact that the young woman resembled the girl who had pounded on her door. It wasn’t just a resemblance—she was a twin or doppelganger of TJ.

Cisco sat at her side. He remained calm and comforted Katie as best as he could.