Page 55 of The Whispering Girls

Katie nodded. “Maybe get some background on Theresa.”

“I also spoke with Theresa’s mother. She didn’t have anything to say about her daughter except that she was a good person and was working hard to become a nurse. She’s an only child and has two cousins living in New York as well as the one in Pine Valley. And…her dad is deceased. He died two years ago. Everything seems to check out.”

“Did her mother know about Devin?” she said.

“That’s a firm no.”

“Really?”

“Her mom told me that Theresa wasn’t dating because she was concentrating on her studies.”

“Okay, we’ll have to see what her friend says.” Katie put her hands on her hips and studied photos and the list from Theresa’s crime scene.

“What’s up?” said McGaven. He knew his partner well.

“The way everything came about…bothers me.”

“Meaning?”

“So this young woman who called herself TJ came to my cabin door and brought me to Theresa’s crime scene. No one knows her or has ever seen her before—at least that’s what they’re saying. How did she even find Theresa? What’s her connection?”

John returned with a couple of boxes.

“What’s that?” said McGaven.

John put the boxes on the table. “These are my on-the-road microscopes and goodies.” He pulled everything out and organized them on the dining room table.

“Cool, a portable forensic lab,” said McGaven.

“I can compare prints and look at any evidence up close for basic comparison.”

Katie was pleased they would not have to wait for the forensic lab to return their reports.

“There hasn’t been any word on the identity of TJ?” she said.

“Nothing.”

“If she came to Echo Forest for whatever reason and doesn’t live here—she had to have stayed somewhere,” she said.

“Friend?” said McGaven.

“Just spending the day?” said John.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s so remote. I think she would have stayed at a motel, most likely, for a couple of days,” said Katie.

McGaven keyed up searches for motels nearby or the closest to Echo Forest. “Good news. There’re not a lot of places to stay.”

“Except here,” said John.

“I would think that TJ would have stayed somewhere that no one would notice.”

“The closest motel is Valley Motel. There’s nothing swankyabout it. It looks old and is on the outskirts of town. The next closest is about twenty miles away.”

“Any B and Bs?” she said.

“There are two, believe it or not. Echo Forest Bed-and-Breakfast and Valley Inn are small boutique types. Both are not cheap and offer several amenities.”

“And wouldn’t really compete with this lodge,” she said. Katie wondered how Jack perceived the bed-and-breakfast spots.