Page 64 of Little Girls Sleeping
“I don’t think that’s wise,” the sheriff countered.
Katie stood up and looked around until she spotted McGaven receiving attention from another ambulance. His face was pale, due to shock, but he was awake and talking with the paramedics as they tended to the various cuts on his arms and face.
Katie began to walk toward him. Immediately, she stumbled. One of her boot heels had snapped off. “Shit,” she said.
“You alright?” the two officers said in unison.
She pulled her boot off and laughed. “I hated these boots anyway.”
She continued to limp toward McGaven. When he saw her, he just stared, and then he smiled, his entire face lighting up.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked.
He nodded and looked at her foot. “Guess the boot didn’t make it.”
They both laughed, causing a few people to look curiously in their direction.
Katie stepped closer to him. “Thank you,” she said. “I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here.”
“You know what they say.”
Katie wasn’t sure what he meant.
“You never leave a partner behind.”
She was overwhelmed with emotion. She wasn’t going to break down and cry, but she had promised herself that whenever something of this magnitude happened, she would make sure she told the person how much they mattered.
She hugged McGaven tight for a few seconds. “Thank you,” she said again, more quietly.
Sheriff Scott had followed Katie over. “If you feel up to it, we need your account of what happened, while it’s fresh in your minds.”
“Absolutely,” Katie replied. “Where’s Detective Templeton?”
“He had some personal business and will join us later.”
The sheriff moved around the crime-scene area as he talked on his cell phone. Katie couldn’t quite hear what he said, but she assumed it had to do with ATF and Homeland Security.
She saw the crime-scene van approach the property and park a short distance away. She wondered if John Blackburn would be attending the scene. It didn’t take long to get her answer as he jumped out of the van and gave orders to his two technicians.
A deputy withSanderson his nametag walked up to Katie with a notebook. “You ready?” he asked.
“Give me a few minutes, please,” she answered distractedly, and walked away.
He nodded and settled down to wait for her.
She hurried to the CSI van, where John was organizing metal suitcases and inventorying canisters to collect the pieces of bomb fragments.
He turned toward her, not overly surprised to see her but calm despite the high-stakes conditions. “Glad to see that you’re okay,” he said with genuine concern. He pointed at her foot, “A fatality during the fire?” He quickly pulled on a white hazmat-type suit.
“Yes, but nothing was left behind,” she said, holding up her broken boot. “I just wanted to let you know that when we heard the explosion, it seemed to come from the barn doors. I realize now, of course, that it was the car, but the intense heat in the beginning was most likely at the doors.”
“Thanks, we’ll make sure we search that area thoroughly once the fire is out.”
“Okay,” Katie said, and turned to walk away.
“Katie,” he called after her.
“Yes?” She turned.
