Page 78 of The Whispering Girls

“There’s some coffee in the kitchenette. Help yourself.”

Cisco whined.

“And there’s all types of dog food for this guy,” said Jack.

Katie looked at her partner and he gave her a thumbs up sign.

“You look beat,” said John.

Katie poured herself a cup of coffee after she gave Cisco some dog food.

“You just went through the same thing I did.”

“You’ve been investigating these homicides longer than I have.”

“We’re both tired,” she said.

“You should have the doc look at those.” He stood close to her and gently ran his fingers near her cut forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

Katie forced herself out of enjoying the physical attention from John, and went and sat down on one of the sofas near the reception area. She let out a long cleansing sigh. It felt good to sit down on a comfortable cushion. It wouldn’t take much for her to fall asleep, but she wasn’t going upstairs until McGaven was definitely all right. She would wait.

“Okay,” said John as he sat down next to her. He gave her a blanket and held some antiseptic, gauze, and small bandages. Without asking, he helped to clean her cuts and bandaged them.

Cisco stayed close to Katie, trying to get in between them.

Katie fought her urge to sleep as she pet the dog. She wanted to keep working the cases because there was no room to slack or sleep. The only thing that was potentially keeping the killer at bay was the storm. He wouldn’t be able to stage a scene in a snowstorm.

“Hey,” said a groggy McGaven. Jack steadied him as they walked down the hallway.

Katie stood up. “Gav, how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been put through a wood chipper, but other than that I’m great.”

“I gave him a mild sedative so he can rest. His bandages will need to be changed every few hours,” said the vet. “I was able to get through to fire and rescue and let them know about the hospital. And I also said that Chief Cooper was missing.”

Katie was relieved the hospital was going to be monitored and the fire put out. Something still struck her about Jack, but she had to ignore it for now. “Thank you,” she said.

“Oh, and they are forecasting the storm to last another day as well.”

Katie felt defeated, not to mention sore and tired. How were they going to find out what happened to the chief and whether he was somehow involved in the ambush?

“We’re going upstairs,” said Katie.

“I should take a look at you two as well,” said Jack.

“We’ll be fine.”

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to let me know,” he said.

Katie and John assisted McGaven as they left the vet’s office. The storm had built more momentum and the freezing temperature slammed into them as they climbed the stairs. Cisco easily navigated the icy steps and waited at the top for the others.

Katie wondered why Jack hadn’t offered for themto climb the inside secret staircase to the kitchen. It only added to her list of questions about the veterinarian, but she had to remind herself it was just a feeling and that wasn’t proof of anything.

They got to the top landing, all breathing hard. Katie opened the front door to the lodge and they made their way inside. With sighs of relief, McGaven and John sat down on the couch. Katie grabbed a beanie and a warm scarf and gloves. She also took a large flashlight.

“Where are you going?” said John. He eyed her suspiciously.

“Taking Cisco out,” she said flatly. “We’ll be right back.” She went out the front door with Cisco, not waiting for any more questions. She carefully walked back down the stairs. The dog went about his business but still seemed as if he kept an eye on Katie the whole time.