Page 38 of Little Girls Sleeping
The window covering clattered and drew upward at speed. The blind hung askew as it thumped lightly against the window frame. Katie pulled out the flashlight and targeted it directly at the window. It reflected back her own image. For an instant, she looked more like an apparition with a pale supernatural appearance than a woman holding a gun.
She drew a deep breath, realizing that she hadn’t taken one for almost a minute. It made her slightly lightheaded and her vision blurred. Quickly inhaling and exhaling a couple more times, she regained her composure.
Cisco growled and his body remained fixed to her left thigh.
As she focused her attention on the window again, she saw a piece of paper stuck to the outside of the glass, facing inward. In scrawled blood-red handwriting it read:
STAY AWAY.
Twenty-Three
Katie sat quietly, immersed in her own thoughts, as the morning briefing stirred up the personnel, causing them to fire questions at Sheriff Scott. The topic was the note that had been stuck to her window by someone who had turned off her electricity and left behind a visible shoe print matching the one she had earlier spotted next to her driveway.
Everyone had an opinion and it seemed they thought it had something to do with Terrance Price’s suicide. Exactly how it tied to him wasn’t immediately clear—it was just pure speculation.
Forensics were working on the letter to try to find any fingerprints or foreign substance that could identify the author. The boot prints were common, but they performed a casting in hopes of identifying tread characteristics if they ever had a shoe to compare it to during the investigation.
Katie grew weary listening to the group drone on about theories; with less than four hours of sleep, she thought it possible she could drift off sitting in her chair. The investigation was difficult enough, but the lack of sleep was going to take its toll on her, and possibly cause her to make mistakes.
“Detective Scott?” said the sheriff.
Katie looked directly at her uncle, observing his usual authoritative demeanor. She had already answered a barrage of questions from him. Now she was going to have to endure it again for the department’s benefit.
“Detective Scott have you observed anyone recently who might be following you? Showing up in more than one place? Anything that seemed out of the ordinary?” the sheriff asked. The room became completely quiet waiting for her answer.
“No, I have not seen anything out of the ordinary since I’ve been home. No sign of anyone following me when I was searching for Chelsea that I was aware of. Believe me, I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure this out.”
The continued silence held the room hostage for another minute.
Finally, Sheriff Scott spoke again. “It’s clear that this isn’t a childish prank, and it has been directed at one of our own. What it means exactly will take more investigation. For now, I want to make sure that you are all careful and pay close attention as you go about your duties. Understand?” He waited for everyone in the room to nod in agreement. “Dismissed.”
The other officers and detectives immediately stood and made a quick departure. Deputy McGaven loitered in the hall with his hands in his pockets, not looking anyone directly in the eye. It wasn’t clear whether he was nervous or he just didn’t want to discuss his new detail.
Katie focused and concentrated on what she had to do today as she waited for the official identification of the other girl. It would be a long, tedious day interviewing Chelsea’s neighbors and others. After four years, it would be interesting to hear what they had to say now that the body had been found.
“Detective Scott, don’t forget to have your daily report on my desk.” The sheriff addressed Katie in an official manner. “With all things considered, it wouldn’t be frowned upon if you took the day off.”
Katie smiled. “With all things considered, the longer this investigation takes, the more likely it is that the killer will abduct another little girl—and kill again.” Gently squeezing her uncle’s arm, she continued, “I appreciate the thought, though.”
She left the room carrying her clipboard and notes from the original case and met the deputy in the hallway.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” she replied, and headed out toward the exit, McGaven following her.
There was a cluster of police officers near the door, and Katie heard the distinctive sarcastic voice of Detective Templeton. “… and then she skipped back to the department thinking she had solved the case.”
The group erupted in laughter.
Here we go again…
Katie and the deputy made their way around the group to get to the exit. She decided to stop and face the detective. “You’re quite the funny guy, Templeton. Did you happen to tell them how you didn’t do your job four years ago and find Chelsea Compton?”
A lungful of anger exploded from the man. “You’re not as tough as you think you are—you better watch yourself,” he hissed. He lunged toward her, but two of the officers held him back.
Katie wasn’t sure if he would’ve actually struck her or shoved her to the floor, but she was prepared to handle whatever he had to throw at her. She wasn’t intimidated or scared by him.
She didn’t know what had possessed her to antagonize the detective in a direct and provoking manner, but she felt he deserved some mocking, just like any other officer. He was going to have to accept her presence sooner or later. It was obvious that he didn’t care what she did, as long as she didn’t get in his way or solve the case before he did. It gave her some breathing room to conduct her investigation and check in with her uncle at the end of each day.
