Page 65 of Little Girls Sleeping
“I mean it. I’m glad you’re okay.” He turned away to meet up with his team.
Katie approached Deputy Sanders. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll take you through everything after we got out of the car.”
Thirty-Five
“I want to talk to everyone about what’s been happening,” began Sheriff Scott. He looked solemn as he addressed the department staff. “Not only do we have a potential serial killer on the loose, but we, as police officers, have been targeted. It’s nothing new, but now it has finally hit home.”
“It seems to be one person in particular being targeted,” said Templeton.
The sheriff glanced at the detective. “Ask Deputy McGaven about that.” He turned back to the group. “Let me make this crystal clear in case some of you don’t understand. When one officer is targeted, it means we are all targets.” He paused and looked around the room, catching every eye.
Katie sat quietly next to McGaven. She wanted to stand up and yell at Templeton, but she kept her opinions to herself. She was concerned not only for her own safety, but for that of the entire department. There was someone out there willing to kill police officers because of this case. The suspect pool was still too large to focus on anyone yet. It was overwhelming on so many levels.
“I want every officer, whether on patrol or on an investigation, to be extra cautious and stay in frequent contact with dispatch. I’ve decided to double up deputies on patrol for certain beat areas that are more isolated than others. Be sure to check with your sergeants to find out your arrangements. I will also have one or two K9 units on each shift,” the sheriff explained.
One of the deputies asked, “What’s the status of the car bomb?”
“We were able to gather a significant amount of evidence that gives the perpetrator’s signature. The sheriff’s office is working with ATF and Homeland Security. There is no evidence at this point that the bombing is connected to the Compton and Myers homicides. However, that status may change at any time.”
Katie thought differently, but it was true that there was no evidence connecting the two crimes yet. She glanced at McGaven, who appeared to have the same opinion. He looked away from the sheriff and shifted his body uncomfortably.
The watch commander entered the briefing room and walked up to Sheriff Scott, leaning in and whispering something to him that the rest of the room wasn’t privy to.
“Everyone get out on patrol except Templeton, Scott and McGaven,” the sheriff ordered.
The staff hurried to their duties. Low voices chattered as they left the building.
Katie waited for whatever her uncle was going to share, but she knew it wasn’t good news.
The sheriff spoke in a quieter tone than he had been, “A little girl went missing yesterday. Dena Matthews; she was on her way to school. No one saw anything.”
Katie’s blood ran cold as her breath caught in her throat.
He continued, “I’ve just received word that they’ve found a young girl’s body on Back County Road. There hasn’t been an official identification yet and there’s no other information at this time. Just that the girl was on top of the ground in a grove area. I would suggest that you get out there to assist immediately.”
Katie and McGaven turned to leave.
“Report back to me,” the sheriff ordered.
Everyone nodded their understanding and left the building.
There wasn’t another available unmarked police car, so Katie was forced to use a black SUV that had been confiscated from a drug operation. It would be going up for auction, so she would only be borrowing it temporarily. It wasn’t furnished with the usual police equipment; her cell phone would have to suffice for now. With McGaven in the passenger seat next to her, she drove away from the sheriff’s department as fast as she could, hoping to arrive ahead of Templeton and his team.
“What are you thinking?” asked McGaven, looking at Katie pointedly. “Do you think this little girl is connected to the others?”
She frowned. “Don’t know yet. But my gut tells me there’s possible linkage.”
She pressed the accelerator harder and the big engine responded. She was surprised by the vehicle’s easy handling. There was barely twenty thousand miles on the odometer, and she caught a hint of new-car smell from the interior.
McGaven remained quiet, eyes fixed on the road. His attitude had done a one-eighty since the first time he and Katie had rolled out together. He was definitely on track with the investigation and he had Katie’s back no matter what they found themselves in the middle of.
The SUV sped down a long road that seemed to split from the freeway. Katie slowed the vehicle and looked for an indication that they were going the right way. They crossed a one-lane country bridge, tires hitting the boards with a strumming sound, and straight away she saw the sign indicating that they were on Back Country Road.
“Here we go,” she said.
First-responder vehicles were parked precariously along the roadway with a set of rolling police lights. Traffic was minimal on the road. Katie decided to drive by first and select the best place to park. As she did so, she saw the crew gathered around what appeared to be a body. It was as if it were a silent vigil rather than a homicide.
She didn’t realize that she had sucked in a breath until she exhaled loudly. Even though the scene was drastically different from the previous gravesite, she still suspected that the same person had committed all three crimes. She hated jumping to conclusions, but her intuition told her that the body was the missing girl. It was now looking as if a serial killer was stalking the town’s children.
