Page 16 of Last Girls Alive
Eight
Tuesday 0730 hours
Katie and McGaven sat alone in the patrol briefing room waiting for Sheriff Scott to make an appearance. They had been summoned early to meet with him. The room was set up like a classroom with chairs and desks in neat rows in front of a podium, computer screen and large blackboard. The soft buzz of the overhead fluorescent lights was the only thing keeping them company. It cast a yellowish hue, making everything seem ugly.
It was unusual to meet in the large room instead of in the sheriff’s personal office. Katie tried to figure out what her uncle had in mind. It obviously had to do with the Candace Harlan cold case and the fact that the latest homicide victim wasn’t her. She tapped her foot trying to combat the anxious energy charging through her and pushed away any early signs of her silent enemy.
She glanced to McGaven. He sat at attention, spine straight, with his eyes forward; always ready and waiting for whatever came next. Katie was about to say something to him, but decided to stay quiet.
The main door opened and Sheriff Scott seemed to hesitate before entering the room. Katie heard low voices in the corridor. Finally, the sheriff opened the door wide and was followed by a tall, striking blonde woman, in her forties, wearing a dark suit. Next came Detective Hamilton, John Blackburn from forensics, Lieutenant Commander Reyes, Lieutenant Sanders from the detective division, and the head of internal affairs. It was quite the ensemble.
Katie felt her pulse kick up another gear as the group filed in and took their places near the podium—this wasn’t going to be pleasant.
The door opened again and several deputies and a few other detectives filed in quietly and took available seats in the audience around Katie and McGaven.
The tension was palpable as Sheriff Scott moved behind the podium to begin. Katie noted that her uncle looked strong. His tanned face, chiseled features, and greyish cropped hair made him handsome, but his demeanor today really made the crowd sit up and pay attention. It had taken him a while to move through the grieving process after his wife’s murder, but it made Katie happy to see that he was beginning to thrive once again as the department’s respected leader.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming. I’m sorry it was last minute, but rather than leaving messages, I wanted to do this in person. This department has been through a lot of changes as well as challenges of late. I wanted to talk to you in person to thank you all for the overwhelming support I have received during my most difficult time…”
Katie watched intently as her uncle addressed the room. Her arms tingled, a sign of a big change coming.
“And for that I want to thank you—each of you,” he said. He then turned and gestured to the woman in the suit standing closest to him. “This is Dorothy Sullivan, our new undersheriff. She will be taking the place of Samuel Martinez, who has recently resigned.”
Katie watched Sullivan with curiosity. Expensive outfit, perfect coifed blonde hair, three-inch heels, studded stone earrings, and a diamond ring worn on her right hand. She looked professional, but Katie had a difficult time imagining her doing the rounds in a police officer’s uniform or engaging in a shootout.
The sheriff continued, “She comes to us from the Fresno Police Department with an amazing resumé where she implemented new patrol and detective protocols to help ensure safety for our officers while increasing patrol for the neighborhoods. Her background in police and community proactive safety and Neighborhood Watch has been receiving positive results in many other jurisdictions as well. She’s been a patrol officer, homicide detective, and SWAT officer. She will oversee some of the patrol and detective operations here.” He moved out of the way and allowed Sullivan to approach the podium to say a few words.
“Thank you, Sheriff Scott. I won’t bore everyone and take up your time, but I want to say that I’m looking forward to meeting and working with each one of you. I’ve met with Sheriff Scott on several occasions and we have the same vision for the department. I cannot wait to get started and we can work together to make Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department one of the best in the state of California. Thank you.”
Katie looked at McGaven who seemed just as surprised as she was at the sudden announcement.
“Okay, patrol, you are dismissed,” the sheriff stated.
As the group began to filter out of the room, Katie and McGaven stood up to leave as well.
“Scott and McGaven, not you two,” Sheriff Scott stated. There was no inflection in his voice except business, which made it difficult to know if he had good or bad news for them.
They moved to the front line of desks and took a seat to wait and hear what their fate was at the department—and more importantly what was going to happen to the cold-case unit.
“First,” the sheriff began, “we want to commend you both for your exceptional work in solving cold cases for the department and the community, especially in such a short period of time. Your efficiency and creativeness have been exemplary. But…”
Here it comes…
“It has come to our attention that certain protocols have recently been taken without the proper channel of authority’s authorization. Detective Scott, even though the department commends you on your hard work and unfailing dedication, we cannot overlook some actions on your part…”
Oh crap…
“Taking an investigation into your own hands by trapping a killer and putting your partner and forensic supervisor in the line of fire is never acceptable. All without proper protocol and chain of command. Your personnel file will reflect these lapses in judgment, but it will in no way demote or change your current position. The reason why we have such chains of command is for your safety. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for a law enforcement officer to follow the rules and get the proper authority to go through the proper channels. If we don’t follow simple rules, then we will be faced with chaos and potential loss of life.”
Katie fidgeted in her seat, but never averted her gaze from her uncle. She didn’t dare look at anyone else but she knew all eyes were on her.
“Now, on to the real business at hand,” the sheriff said.
What the…
“Since the latest homicide victim hasn’t been identified yet, but is not Candace Harlan the missing girl we first assumed her to be, this puts us in an unusual situation. We have decided, after careful consideration, due to the information available and the work already done on the Candace Harlan’s missing persons case, it should be headed up by the cold-case unit. If they deem additional help necessary, it would be proper to provide it.”
Katie let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She tried to wrap her brain around the fact that she was reprimanded and a permanent record of her conduct in trying to find her aunt’s killer would be lodged in her file, but she was still being given a recent homicide to investigate.
