Page 49 of The Whispering Girls

Three down…more to go…

TWENTY-TWO

Friday 0245 hours

Katie stood near the back entrance of the hospital taking everything in that they had witnessed since they visited the chief. There were three young female victims and two hospital employees—increasing the investigation to five homicides. Her cold breath swirled around her as she watched Cisco take a break. The dog didn’t want to leave her side and could easily sense her stress.

“C’mon, Cisco, let’s go,” she said and put him back in the Jeep with his favorite blanket.

As Katie walked back, she saw all the vehicles in the car park, which was quite different than when she and McGaven had first arrived. It felt like a real investigation and everyone working together to the same end.

There were two police cars, two fire trucks—one for the town and the other volunteer—Jack’s truck, ambulance, local search and rescue vehicles, morgue van, and several hospital employee cars. More help was on standby from other towns, and if anyone needed medical attention in Echo Forest, theywere being diverted to other areas. The mayor position was vacant and it had been for months, so there was no one to represent the town and oversee law enforcement. The entire hospital was considered a crime scene.

Katie had left McGaven to oversee the investigation and coordinate everyone to keep the crime scene’s integrity. Everyone had a job and everyone was briefed on the confidentiality of the situation. Chief Cooper was stable, awake, and demanded that he also oversee the investigation—and he did so from a wheelchair, per hospital rules.

This was the most unusual, difficult, and disturbing investigation Katie and McGaven had encountered. They had handled a variety of cold cases and homicides, but this one had her spooked by the town, the people, and now the circumstances. In addition, they had to bring in more people they really didn’t know and put them in official situations. These investigations were not only the hardest they’d had to investigate, but the twists and turns were both unusual and horrific. It was as if they were being dropped into a play with no script and didn’t know what was going to happen next.

She walked to the back emergency entrance, where a headquarters for the hospital had been set up; here, everyone was given their duties and had to check in with McGaven and the chief.

After being briefed by Katie and McGaven, Officers Clark and Banning did a complete search of the hospital before the employees could have access to do an inventory to make sure that nothing was missing. The officers also searched the outside area.

Jack was working the crime scene in the women’s bathroom and would soon have evidence and the chain of custody ready to go.

Katie entered the building and was stopped by Chief Cooper.

“Detective,” he said. His mood seemed to be in good spirits, but his exhaustion was evident. There were worry lines and dark circles around his eyes and his mouth was slightly downturned.

“Chief, you really should be resting right now,” she said.

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“We’ve never had homicides in our town and now there’re five. That’s not acceptable no matter how you look at it.”

“I understand.”

“You and your partner have handled this situation with strength and professionalism. I don’t know how you do it.”

Katie didn’t feel like the strong professional the chief claimed she was. Since she had arrived, five people had been murdered. It was completely intolerable, but the worst part: they were no closer to finding the killer.

Katie glanced at a group of fire department volunteers who were standing in as security. She noticed that they seemed, at least to her, as if they’d had some military training. There were subtle mannerisms, their stances, and how they addressed authority.

“You’ve picked up the gauntlet,” said the chief.

She looked at the chief, who seemed to be maneuvering well in the wheelchair. “It’s what we do. I couldn’t do this without my partner.”

The chief smiled. “Somehow I think you could.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, everything is running smoothly and the crime scene is being processed. You and McGaven need to get back to what you do best and keep working the evidence.” He studied her for a moment. “So…Detectives Scott and McGaven are cleared to leave.”

“But…”

“No buts. It’s an order not up for discussion.” He raised aneyebrow watching Katie’s reaction. “Go. Get some rest. Let us pick up the slack tonight and you’ll have plenty to do tomorrow. Bright and early there will be more information and crime scene material.”

Katie nodded. “Thank you, Chief.”