Page 5 of The Whispering Girls

“So what’s this about a body?” said the chief, finally, but with a hint of sarcasm.

Katie glanced to the other officer. He stared at her.

“At about 0815 there was a knock at my door. A teenagegirl stood there upset and said her name was TJ and that she had found a woman in the woods.”

“Did you get any more information about the girl?”

“No. She took me to the location,” she said. “Follow me.” Katie wanted to get moving so she could get back to her relaxation time.

As she moved through the trees, the area around her seemed to change. It was lighter now the snow had stopped. The trees, leaves, and ground seemed to brighten. When Katie reached the crime scene everything was exactly as she had left it.

“Did you do this?” said the chief, indicating the tarps. It was clear he wasn’t happy.

“Yes. It had started to snow and I didn’t want any evidence ruined.”

“By the looks of it that’s exactly what you did.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve traipsed all around setting up your tent without authorization and showing a complete lack of professionalism.”

Katie was annoyed to say the least, but she decided to tread lightly. She was in someone else’s jurisdiction, and she wasn’t a trusted person. She could almost see his point.

“Just what kind of detective are you?” said Officer Banning. He fidgeted with his uniform on his bulky body and then ran his fingers along his beard.

“I’m a cold-case detective.”

“I see. Not used to active crime scenes, I guess,” said Chief Cooper.

“I commend the visiting detective’s initiative,” said a voice behind them. It belonged to a sandy-haired man in his forties, fit, medium-build with a crew cut and dressed in snow gear. His footsteps made noise in the light snow due to his heavy hiking boots. His eyes were dark, making a striking contrast with his hair.

Katie turned her attention to him. She wondered why hewasn’t in uniform. Then she noticed he was carrying a medium-sized plastic case. “Forensics?”

“No. I’m Dr. Jack Thomas. But everyone just calls me Jack.”

“This is Detective Katie Scott from the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department,cold-caseunit,” said the chief.

“Nice to meet you,” said Jack.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Katie decided to fill in the gaps. “After I followed TJ, she showed me the location of the body. It looked to be a teen to early twenties with a burlap sack over her head. There is also a strange type of totem next to her. I walked in one way and exited that same way”—she indicated her route—“and when the snow began, I returned from the cabin with something to cover everything from the weather.”

“Quick thinking,” said Jack.

Katie turned to leave them to their work and crime-scene investigation.

“Where are you going?” said the chief.

“Back to my cabin.”

“You wait right here until I can verify who you are.” He turned to the other officer. “Go grab your kit.”

Officer Banning left.

“I’ll be at the cabin if you have any questions for your report,” Katie said.

“No, you’re going to stay here where I can keep an eye on you.”