Page 3 of Pretty Broken Dolls
Nothing.
Katie kept her distance. Even though there were so many people surrounding her, supporting her, she felt isolated and detached. She kept her wits but her anxiety was always waiting in the shadows. Struggling with a sense of urgency welling up inside her, she took deep breaths and counted slowly, trying to relax her tight jaw and clenched fists. There was a fine line between anxiety and panic—more specifically, PTSD; something that had come home with her from the army barely more than a year ago, which had deeply impacted her life.
When she was first discharged, Katie didn’t know whether to go back to police patrol at the Sacramento Police Department or stay at the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department headed up by Sheriff Wayne Scott—or Uncle Wayne, as she knew him. Katie decided on Pine Valley and was now heading up the cold case unit. She loved the work and the diversity of cases—and working with her strong and capable partner, Deputy McGaven.
The reality of watching a murder victim fished out of the family’s large pond would be deeply disturbing, even to a seasoned professional. All Katie could do was wait and hope that her colleagues proved her instincts and experience correct.
She kept moving, hoping to keep her body warm. Glancing up at the top of the driveway, she saw a dark gray sedan parked on the street. She had noticed the vehicle earlier, and this time there was a man leaning against the side. Of medium build with blond hair and sunglasses, he appeared to be in his forties or fifties, and was distinguished-looking, despite his casual outfit of heavy navy windbreaker jacket and jeans. He stood like a statue, unmoving, watching the entire search take place.
Katie began to approach him, wanting to confront him about what he was doing there. She picked up her pace, but the man didn’t make a move.
That’s when she heard the commotion. Looking back, she saw one of the divers giving a thumbs-up sign. Chad yelled that they had found something, and a sense that was partial dread mixed with a strange relief flooded her body.
McGaven yelled across the pond to the men. “What do you have?” He then turned and called up to Katie, “They found an ATV!”
Katie felt a momentary sense of reprieve that it wasn’t a body, and hurried to meet up with McGaven.
“They found it?” she said breathlessly.
“Yep. You were right,” he said with a half-smile on his face.
“I knew it had to be close.” She shivered.
“Those damn instincts of yours…”
They watched patiently as the crew prepared to pull the all-terrain vehicle from the deep, murky water. One of the search and rescue officers unwound the winch and tossed the heavy-duty hooks into the water. Then the diver disappeared underwater again to secure the hooks to reinforced places on the sporting vehicle.
As the churning winch began to pull, the ATV slowly emerged like a prehistoric animal out of the lake. One of the wheels was bent, so once it was dragged completely out, it was lopsided, dripping with muddy water. It appeared there were several dents in the side, and the top roll bar that was supposed to keep you safe was crushed inward and would probably have killed the driver—but there was no driver.
Katie shuddered as she immediately recognized the vehicle from several framed photos inside the house. She wasn’t certain if she was happy or sad—perhaps a bit of both.
But the recovery crews weren’t done yet—there was still more of the pond to search. Chad switched places with a teammate and they began the painstaking process once again.
“I think there’s an umbrella in the car,” said McGaven as drizzle started to fall around them.
“I’m fine,” Katie said and pulled her hood around her head to keep her ears warm.
They heard several car doors open and close in the Stanton driveway and turned to see Detectives Hamilton and Alvarez exit a vehicle and walk down the path to meet them.
“Who called Hamilton?” said McGaven.
Hamilton was the detective in charge of any new homicide investigations. Katie had had some tense moments with him, but they had managed to keep their investigative relationship on a professional and friendly basis.
“Well, technically the sheriff did, but I requested it.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew if there was a body found, we would need the help,” Katie said.
“If Jared’s body is in the pond, I think this is an open-and-shut investigation,” he said.
“Hi, Detective McGaven,” said Hamilton, nodding his greetings. “I see they found an ATV.”
“So far,” said McGaven.
“They still have almost half the pond to explore,” said Katie, trying not to let her teeth chatter in the cold. The four of them stood watching the pond. They didn’t speak for moment, keeping their eyes fixed on the divers and what they might pull up.
The rain gathered speed as a soft rolling thunder sounded in the distance. Clouds propagated in several shades of gray, pushing forward and gathering across the sky.
