Page 21 of The Fragile Ones
This double homicide would likely be Detective Hamilton’s case, but Katie swore then and there that she was going to do everything she could to find their killer.
Chapter Nine
Friday 0830 hours
Katie had spent most of the night tossing and turning in her bed, unable to rid her mind of the images of the two little girls clinging to one another in their final moments. Katie often had dreams where the dead reached out to her, begging her to find their killer. And with two such vulnerable victims, never had those voices been louder or more real.
As she drove to the station, it became clear to her that she and McGaven were far better placed than Detective Hamilton to work this case. The bodies of those poor girls may only have been found yesterday, but the fact that they had been down there for so long meant that the trail would be about as cold as could be. She and McGaven had the experience needed to crack such an unusual case, and Katie was determined to plead her cause to the sheriff.
She sped into the parking lot, found her usual spot and cut the engine. Once inside, she made a quick dash to her uncle’s office. Sheriff Scott’s assistant wasn’t at her desk, so Katie walked straight to her uncle’s door and knocked. There was a moment’s pause, before she heard him say, “Come in.”
The sheriff looked up from his paperwork and smiled. “Hi, Katie. What brings you here?”
She quietly closed the door and moved to one of the chairs. He put his pen down and leaned back. “You look serious. Everything okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. And well, no, everything isn’t okay.”
“McGaven okay?” he said.
“No, we’re great. Nothing like that.”
“Okay then, spit it out.”
Katie took a deep breath. “I think the two little girls we found yesterday should be my case—mine and McGaven’s.”
“You do,” he said.
“Yes, I do,” she fired back, with as much conviction as she could muster.
“And why is that? You can’t solve every homicide that comes in,” he said, raising his brows and studying her even closer.
“No, not every homicide. But this is technically a cold-case homicide, so it should be ours.” She bit her lip, hoping he could see her reasoning before adding, “We’ve got a solid record.”
“No one is doubting that, but you also haven’t been in the game that long.”
Katie’s eyes wandered around the room and she stopped on a photograph of her uncle with her aunt Claire smiling brightly. They looked so happy and content with one another. Her aunt’s recent murder made it that much more heartbreaking. Her thoughts went to the family of the two little girls, and their heartbreak.
She lowered her voice. “Uncle Wayne, I know that Gav and I are the best team to work this case. Detective Hamilton is good, but it’s just him; he doesn’t have a partner or team. And the trail will be so cold by now that it’s going to take an awful lot of painstaking work to even get a hint of a lead. Work that Gav and I are used to doing.”
He leaned forward. “You make a good point.”
“I also heard that they are short-handed in the detective division. Actually, everybody knows that. So, until another officer is promoted or another detective hired, I’m here to help to pick up a case like this.”
When the sheriff didn’t immediately respond she added, “You know, having two little girls murdered in the small neighboring town is a very big deal, people are going to be watching our every move. Having a large team on the case looks good for the department—and that will make Undersheriff Sullivan happy, won’t it?”
“Now, let’s just stay on point here,” he said. It was unclear if Katie was making her case or if things had already been decided. “I appreciate your dedication and I know yesterday was difficult for you. But do you really think that you’re the best person for the case?”
“What homicide case is ever easy—for anyone? And yes, it was difficult yesterday but not for the reason you think. I hate rock climbing and rappelling.”
“That’s surprising,” he said with a slight smile.
“I’d rather take on gunfire than rappel down into a dark canyon,” Katie said, still shuddering internally about her fall.
He paused a moment to ponder. “Detective Scott, what do you want me to do? You know that I can’t just kick people off cases because you want to work them.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking to work the case because me and Gav are the right team to work a cold homicide.”
“It was initially a missing persons.”
