Page 3 of Her Last Whisper
Katie smiled. “Okay, what’s going on?” She knew something was up. She didn’t immediately recognize the handwriting, but thought that it most likely belonged to John.
There were two doors at the end of the hallway, opposite one another. She had never been to that part of the forensic lab before and assumed it was more offices or storage areas. When the department had originally built the forensic unit, it was slated for a larger staff than it had currently.
“Okay, no one better jump out at me,” she said, grabbing the handle of the door on the left and pushing it wide. The room was empty except for the custom built-ins at the farthest side of the work area and a sink.
Disappointment and confusion flooded through her. She had imagined her first day would start with combing through old and new files, matching evidence, and reading through folders filled with detective reports. This was definitely not how it was supposed to go—a cryptic scavenger hunt.
Glancing at her watch, she was now officially twenty minutes late for the first day on the job. Putting down her briefcase, she reached for the other door and opened it.
“Surprise!” yelled the group huddled in front of her.
Katie stood in complete shock staring at all the friendly faces including the sheriff, Deputy McGaven, Denise from records, John from forensics, and a couple of other deputies.
“Look, she’s speechless!” laughed Deputy McGaven who had worked with her during the previous missing girl cases.
“Now that’s a first,” replied Sheriff Scott.
“What is all this?” she asked gaining her composure. “I don’t understand.” She gaped at the dusty old office, which had two large work desks and two chairs, several tall filing cabinets, a bookcase, and a few storage areas. A large freestanding ink board stood in the corner. She took in the desktop computer, laptop, and miscellaneous office supplies beside two extra-tall stacks of boxes, which she assumed were filled with unsolved case files. The room must have been a storage area before the furniture and boxes were moved into it.
Sheriff Scott came forward and announced, “This is your new office,DetectiveScott.”
“Here?” she said.
“Over the past two months, there has been some rearranging of the detective division, including a new person joining the staff,” the sheriff explained.
“But I thought—” she began.
He continued, “So we thought working in the forensic area would be perfect for you. You would have all the cold-case files and evidence closer to you, and it’s amuchbigger office, so we could add another person if needed. But that would be a little further down the road.”
“I really don’t know what to say,” Katie said. “This is… this is absolutely amazing. Thank you.”
Everyone expressed their congratulations and began to file out of the room one at a time.
Denise gave Katie a hug and said, “Congratulations. You deserve this. Now remember, I’m just up there if you need any searches done that you don’t have time for.” She laughed and pointed upward to the administrative level.
“Hey, great office,” stated McGaven and gave her a high-five slap.
John approached her and smiled. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you a lot more around here. Congratulations.” He left.
Katie was left alone with the sheriff. She took a quick look around to make sure everyone had gone before she said, “Uncle Wayne, this is amazing. I can’t believe I get to work here.”
“Well, by my calculations you will probably be out a lot following leads.”
“You’re probably right,” she said.
“At least this way you don’t have to turn your spare room at home into a crime scene office anymore.”
Katie looked around again, now seeing a vase of spring flowers sitting on one of the shelves with some cards lying next to it. “What case do you want me to work first?”
“Detective, that’s entirely up to you. The top boxes are the ones that I’ve pulled out for first consideration, but after that I’ll just let you follow your nose. Keep me up to date. I would like an official report on my desk at the end of every week, unless there’s something that I need to know about immediately. If you’re going anywhere out of town or rural, please let me know so we can keep track of you.”
“You got it.”
“I have several meetings to get to. And I don’t have to remind you how much your parents would have been so proud of everything you’ve accomplished,” he said. “I still feel like they’re here in spirit.” He paused for a moment, and then he was gone.
She retrieved her briefcase from the hall, shed her suit jacket, and stood alone in the middle of the large musty office. It was time to get to work bringing closure and justice to as many victims’ families as possible.
Two
