Page 85 of The Whispering Girls

“Is there anything we need to know about the recent homicides? Something the chief would want kept quiet?”

“No, nothing. This is all I know.”

Katie retrieved her business card and handed it to Libby. “You call me if you hear anything about the chief and his officers. I mean anything. Understand?”

Libby nodded.

“Go home and wait the storm out.”

Libby got up, looked at Katie and John before leaving out the door.

Katie gathered the information she thought they would need.

“You let her go too easily.”

Katie smiled. “No. I squeezed her for information she really didn’t want to give up. We’ll let her go and see what she does.Once the storm loses some strength she’ll be the first person to keep under surveillance.”

John nodded. “Good idea.”

“She’s not the only one I want to watch.”

“Who else?”

“Bill Westin, the carpet installer.”

THIRTY-FOUR

Saturday 0815 hours

Laughter erupted from the other room, along with loud voices. Katie looked at her cell phone. It was only a little after 8a.m. Her room was dark and she couldn’t see any morning light shining through her window. She’d had only three hours of sleep.

More laughter came from the living room. Katie put her pillow over her head and groaned. She wanted to push her exhaustion and Echo Forest out of her mind—even for another hour.

What was so funny?

Now she was awake, there was no way she could go back to sleep with the investigation whirring in her mind. There was work to be done and she wondered if Chief Cooper had been located or heard from.

Katie got out of bed with some mild protest, showered and dressed in clean clothes. Taking a quick look out the window, she could see it was overcast, dreary, and there was deep snow. Even though it had stopped falling, what there was on theground would be an inconvenience. She sat on the bench at the end of the bed and put on her boots. She was ready for what the day had in store for her.

She opened her bedroom door and could hear the men’s voices even louder. She paused a moment and listened, curious. They weren’t discussing the investigation, from what she could ascertain; they were sharing experiences and funny stories.

Katie walked into the room.

“Hey, partner,” said McGaven. He looked rested and you wouldn’t have been able to tell he had been in an explosion and been struck with shrapnel yesterday.

“Good morning,” she said. “You look like you’re feeling much better.”

“Jack here gave me some great pills,” he said and they all laughed.

“There’s some eggs and bacon in the kitchen in the warmer,” said Jack. “And coffee.”

Cisco bounced around in the middle of the group, wanting to be part of the fun.

“Thank you,” she said and headed to the kitchen.

Katie poured herself a cup and immediately took two sips, letting the heat warm her body. She thought she would have more energy this morning, but she was still beat. Her dreams had been vivid and disturbing, which didn’t help. And now, she was concerned, worried, and not feeling on top of her game. She wasn’t so sure about having Jack around the investigation. It wasn’t because she was pointing fingers at him; she didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t McGaven or John. She couldn’t take the chance that someone might disclose their work and case information—it was possible one of the people they had met in Echo Forest was the killer.

“How did you sleep?” said Jack as he joined her in the kitchen.