Page 15 of Her Last Whisper
“Cisco,aus,” Katie ordered. “Hier.”
Cisco ran to Katie’s side and waited patiently for his reward—the ball.
“Good boy, Cisco. Atta boy,” she said, giving him a quick pat on the side.
“Awesome bite,” said the decoy trainer.
“He’s a great dog, Scott. His speed and agility are impressive for an older dog,” stated the sergeant.
“He has always been fast and he’s not showing signs of slowing down. Thank you for allowing us to train today. I can tell he’s happy to be back doing some work, even though it’s just training.” Katie looked over at Cisco, panting with his favorite yellow ball in his mouth, and smiled.
Nine
Wednesday 0915 hours
Tess Regan wanted to go home. She wanted more than anything to quit and never see her co-workers, her job, or her boss ever again, but it had been the only job she could get after she was let go from her previous company, and she desperately needed the money. It was mind-numbing work, processing medical insurance claims day in, day out, but insurance was a necessary evil; loathed by those who paid in but never claimed, and those that claimed and never got near enough to cover whatever they had insured. At least, that was what Tess thought as she stared around her small cubicle, her narrow desk not wide enough to balance all her claim folders, searching for an excuse to leave her desk. Retrieving office supplies, using the restroom, or stepping out for a coffee, anything to catch a break from her gloomy existence.
Tess wanted more—to be special. She was going to be thirty-four in two months and she felt that her life had hardly begun. She was drowning in debt and her boyfriend of more than three years had decided that morning that he wanted to move on in his life. In other words, move on from her. She had no savings, no relationship, and had been estranged from her parents and brother for more than five years. Even her best friend from college had been slowly distancing herself. Tess had never felt so alone.
She got up from her desk, sidestepping the pile of spreadsheets on the floor that she needed to process before the end of the day; the sadness she carried felt like deadweights dragging at her feet. She felt empty. She wanted out.
Walking through the office, Tess glanced around but no one looked up, no one noticed as she slipped like a ghost down the long hallway and pushed open the communal restroom door. Once inside, she locked the door and stood motionless for a moment gazing at the image staring back at her in the mirror.
Who was this girl?
She studied the contours and shape of her face; eyes set neatly apart, nose not too big or too small. Absently, she rubbed her lips together, watching the lipstick slowly fade. She wondered if her hair was too light, too brown, and should be worn loose around her shoulders instead of twisted up, pinned with her favorite sparkly barrette.
Did it really matter?
There was nothing left.
Tess slipped a retractable razor blade from her pant pocket—staring at it, contemplating what she wanted to do with it. How would it feel against her skin? Her neck? Would it hurt? How long would she stay conscious if she cut too deep? She pushed her thumb against the blade, moving it in the light to cast shapes on the bathroom wall and wondering whether or not to take her own life.
Ten
Wednesday 1325 hours
Even though she hadn’t spoken to Amanda yet, Katie was slowly beginning to create a preliminary profile of the perpetrator in her case. If this person who had taken Amanda against her will really existed then the kidnapper was someone who had a heightened sense of predatory behavior.
In the file, Windham had written out Amanda’s account of what had happened the night she was taken. She left the grocery store and was sure that no one was around or had followed her. It was late, just before closing, and the parking lot was mostly deserted. She unlocked her car and just as she was about to get inside someone grabbed her from behind, overpowering her and taping her mouth and eyes before dragging her to another vehicle. She believed that she was put inside a trunk and driven to the location that she had escaped from. Her car was later towed and impounded. According to the paperwork, she had paid the fee to retrieve her car seven days after the initial report was filed.
Katie started to list out a rough idea of the abductor’s profile. Nothing was set in stone, but it helped her to see the behavior evidence and pertinent questions more clearly—allowing for updates and changes when necessary.
Predatory Behavior versus Opportunistic Behavior (most likely PB).
Male. Age? 30-45?
Previous? Unknown at this time. Not enough information. (NEI)
Educated? Not necessarily. (NEI)
Clever. Devious.
Organized. Prepared. Quick/Efficient. Practiced?
Planned? Had tools/tape, car, and abandoned location.
Fantasy oriented? From childhood? Adolescence? From own received mental/physical abuse?
