Page 30 of The Whispering Girls

She turned to McGaven. “One thing that TJ kept saying at the first scene was about ‘the Woodsman.’”

“The Woodsman?”

“Yes. She was extremely afraid and about ready to jump out of her skin, and she kept repeating the words to herself.”

McGaven seemed to ponder. “Did you try to look up anything about a woodsman?”

“I just found things from recent culture like movies, but it all seemed to revolve around urban legends and folklore beliefs where if you’re caught alone or camp in the wrong place you would be visited by the Woodsman. Stuff like that. Maybe you could see what you can come up with?”

“Sure. Anything about this town I should know?”

“Not really, except the last murder was fifteen years ago, and there’s not much about it. No name, cause of death, or any more details. But…I did see a memorial bench on a hiking path that said, ‘Carol Ann Benedict.’”

“Interesting,” he said. “But people die all the time from illness and natural causes. I wouldn’t immediately think it was a murder victim.”

“True. So there are a few ways we can begin because of what we have at our disposal right now: we can track down more information about Theresa; we can begin to examine the evidence results once we get them back; and…”

“Let’s start with Theresa and build from there,” McGaven said. “Talk to people around town and…visit the crime scene in daylight.”

“With Cisco?”

“You read my mind.”

Katie stared at the driver’s license photo of Theresa. Her long blonde hair and dark eyes stared back at her. She wondered who she had known or when she had come into contact with the person who led to her untimely death.

SIXTEEN

Thursday 1000 hours

Katie and McGaven decided to take the Jeep instead of McGaven’s truck. With Cisco in the back seat, it made it easier for the detectives to have a vehicle that could go off road and blend in.

They headed to 172 Spruce Street, apartment 112, which was Theresa’s residence. According to the accounts of the police, she lived alone. Officer Clark had gone there but said there was nothing unusual to report.

“Don’t forget we meet with Clark and the chief this evening,” said Katie, taking a turn down Main Street.

“Yep.”

Katie was relieved that the weather was moderate and not as cold as it had been since her arrival. She studied the streets, buildings, and several entrances to hiking trails they passed, and reckoned the killer must have known the area well—either by living in or near Echo Forest currently or at one time—to get about undetected.

“What’s up?” said McGaven as he shifted in the passengerseat adjusting his gun belt. The seat was almost too short for a man well over six feet.

She smiled. “You know me so well.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?”

“Doesn’t this investigation seem a bit strange?”

“Well, let me see…our headquarters is set up at a swanky lodge in the woods, two women have been murdered and posed in the wilderness, and our backup is two officers with no experience with homicide… Oh, and the local vet handles the crime scenes and stores dead bodies in his fridge. Nah, nothing strange.”

Katie couldn’t help but laugh. “When you spell it out like that.”

“At least our work isn’t boring.”

Cisco let out a bark.

“See, even Cisco thinks so,” said McGaven. The detective turned in his seat to pet the dog. “You probably already know who the killer is, don’t you, buddy…”

“That’s a given,” she said.