Page 72 of The Whispering Girls
“Where are you two going?” said John.
“The chief just called and said we need to come to the hospital ASAP,” said McGaven. “And then the connection went dead.”
“You’re going to need backup,” said John gathering his coat and taking his weapon. Since he was a Navy Seal, he could easily handle himself and would be the best possible backup for them. “You two need to take Katie’s Jeep in case the roads get dicey. I’ll follow in my truck.”
“Let’s go,” said Katie opening the door, letting Cisco out and the cold inside.
TWENTY-NINE
Friday 1800 hours
The temperature had dropped since they had been out at Mountain Trail Pass. The roads were almost deserted as most people were staying inside to wait out the storm, and with no traffic, Katie increased speed as much as she dared. At the moment, the roads were fairly clear, but if the flurries turned into heavier snow, there was going to be a problem.
Katie turned up the heater and glanced in the rearview mirror, where she could see John following in his white truck. What she hadn’t seen back at the lodge was Jack’s truck. She wondered where he’d gone while they’d been talking. Obviously, being a resident here most of his life, he would know how to keep himself safe. A storm wasn’t any problem for him.
Cisco seemed to know they were going to something official. Instead of whining and turning circles in the back seat, he sat concentrating straight ahead at the road.
“Do you really think we’re walking right into a trap?” said McGaven.
“It’s a possibility,” she said gritting her teeth. Her gut also said so. “We need to be aware.”
“Okay. But the chief seems on the up-and-up to me. Once you take away this weird town and the tight-lipped residents…I think he’s okay.”
Katie didn’t think about it like that, but her partner had a point. “The other side to that equation is…what has he really given us? Haven’t you noticed that it’s just enough information and reports to give the appearance of transparency?”
McGaven remained quiet; he seemed to be lost in thought.
“We need a plan,” she said. She called John from the vehicle’s Bluetooth.
“What’s up?” said John.
“How do you want to handle this?” she said.
“I was thinking that you two enter from the front and I’ll go around to the ambulance entry—and then we’ll meet up.”
Katie thought that seemed a good idea. She looked to her partner.
McGaven nodded.
“What about Cisco?” said John.
“He’ll be fine in the car with the K9 heating system. I have the remote for the door popper…just in case.”
“Copy that,” said John.
The silence was almost deafening between the detectives. Katie didn’t know exactly what McGaven was thinking, but she knew what most cops would be. Stay alive, stay vigilant, assess the situation, have your partner’s back, and get to the chief safely.
Katie saw the entrance to the hospital. It looked so different from the other night. Since they had closed this smaller medical center due to the ongoing investigation, it was now dark, strangely shadowy, and out of place. No activity. Normally there would be lighting on the building leading to theemergency entrance, but now it almost resembled an abandoned building.
Katie pulled into the parking lot. She opted not to park up front, but pulled to one side out of the way in a darkened area where the Jeep would still be easily accessible and Cisco would be able to deploy from the car with ease—if the situation came down to that.
“There,” said McGaven. “The chief’s police vehicle.”
Katie studied it in the darkness. “No officers?” She took a minute to set up motion video on the dash cameras facing the side and front entrances. She wasn’t taking any chances. She quickly checked her cell phone and the cameras were working.
McGaven looked at his partner. “You ready?”
“Affirmative.”
