Page 77 of Little Girls Sleeping
She nodded and left the room with McGaven.
As they climbed into the SUV, Katie thought about her house and the two messages. At this point, she couldn’t definitively connect the person who’d committed the homicides with the person at her house. It was a threat towards her only and it would be circumstantial evidence at best.
“You should be flattered,” said McGaven.
“What?”
He laughed. “For all of your smarts, you’re certainly dense.”
“If you’re trying to cheer me up…”
“No, Detective Scott. If you couldn’t see that John Blackburn seems to fancy you, there’s no hope for you at all,” he chuckled.
Katie stared at the deputy. She tried hard not to let her personal feelings show, not wanting more gossip about her to filter through the department.
“C’mon, when I walked in, I thought I was on a soap-opera set.”
“You’re a riot, McGaven,” she said.
“You see, guys do these subtle little things when they like someone.”
“Like?” She was interested in hearing a man’s perspective.
“Like wanting to get closer. Maybe to smell her hair or see if she gently touches them in passing. C’mon, Detective, don’t play dumb. Women have all the power and you know it.” He smiled, watching Katie’s restrained reaction.
Katie ignored him and began looking through her notes. “We have several places to hit today and I want to have another chat with the Darren brothers. Are you ready? Can you behave?”
McGaven let out a loud sigh. “Bring it on…”
Forty
Katie’s head pounded with a familiar pain that always appeared when she was faced with increasing stress—and these cases would definitely qualify as stressful. A tightness in her chest promised an encroaching anxiety attack, but she stayed focused and in the moment. It helped to have McGaven with her to take her mind off unnecessary things. He had lightened up and she had proved to him that she was worthy of being a cop. His personality and intelligence surprised her the more she got to know him.
She had wanted to pay a visit to the Darren brothers, but they weren’t at home and had left a handwritten note in block capitals telling people that they were closed for the day. She quickly retrieved her cell phone and took a photo of the sign, then sent it to Blackburn with a message that read:Could this be the author of the message on my wall?
Denise had put together a list of fabric warehouses that might prove helpful with the silk and teddy-bear material. Katie had also had suggestions about local people she could visit about the construction of the coffins. But first she wanted to talk with Dr. Dean at the morgue.
She pulled into a parking place back at the sheriff’s department.
“If you don’t want to come in with me, that’s okay,” she told McGaven.
“Nope, I’m not going to wimp out every time there’s a dead body involved,” he said. “I will have to do this eventually.”
Within minutes, she was standing in an exam room with Dr. Dean, staring at the body of the unknown girl. Her identity was still pending for dental-record recognition. It never got any easier when a child was involved. Katie glanced at McGaven. He stood stoic and professional, his gaze fixed on the wall.
“I received your preliminary report, but I wanted to talk to you in person again. I appreciate your time,” said Katie. “As I learn the ropes, I won’t be bothering you so much.”
“Not a problem, Detective.” Dr. Dean sounded genuine. “Shoot,” he said.
“Well,” Katie began. “She died of asphyxia?”
“Correct.”
“I wanted to clarify that she died due to her airway being blocked off—for lack of a better definition. You stated that she had oxygen poisoning. What does that mean? How can you die from lack of oxygenandhave been poisoned by it?”
“Good question. Yes, she died of lack of oxygen—technically.”
Katie raised her eyebrows and remained quiet as the doctor explained further.
