Page 95 of The Whispering Girls
“I’m making it into a bigger mess than it needs to be. And it seems like such a big convoluted one, which is what I wanted to avoid. We need proof—rock-solid proof. Do you see how one person could orchestrate the murders and the hospital massacre and the explosion?”
“We have to keep digging,” said John. “More background on the chief. Something doesn’t make sense.”
“The more I think about it, either way, there’s one thing that stands out: Theresa and TJ were loose ends. And I think they knew the killer, or at least why their lives were in danger. If we find their killer, everything else will fall into place.”
Katie went and picked up the contents of TJ’s two boxesfrom the Valley Motel and sat down at the large dining table to thoroughly go through it again. She had to put more pieces together. The time until Sheriff Scott told the backup law enforcement to take over was ticking away.
“There’s one person you haven’t mentioned in a while,” said McGaven.
“Who?” she said.
McGaven got up and sat close to Katie and whispered in her ear, “Dr. Jack Thomas.”
Katie looked at him.
“Don’t forget,” he whispered. “He’s right downstairs and made this place available for us. And he could haveusunder surveillance.”
Katie hadn’t thought about that. She suddenly felt trapped.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Saturday 2005 hours
Katie, McGaven, and John went through the piles of information and began putting together timelines. There were holes in their investigation they couldn’t fill, and it was tiring and frustrating. They had to break these cases wide open and they had to let the chips fall where they may. There were going to be suspects who had nothing to do with the murders, suspects who helped indirectly, and those who had carried out the murders.
Katie needed rest both physically and mentally. She was on a tight deadline and could feel the squeeze. She opted for bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
A strange dream woke her and she couldn’t get back to sleep, so she decided to get up and fix some tea, hoping it would help her to drift off again. She threw her covers off and got up. Spying Cisco sleeping quietly on the big chair in the corner of the room, she tiptoed out of her suite. The lodge was quiet and she figured everyone was asleep trying to rest up for a big day tomorrow.
Her bare feet felt the wooden floors and she could hear the crackling fire. The heat felt good. She saw that McGaven’s door was closed and thought she could hear him snoring. She smiled and walked into the living room, where the flickering light of the fire gave a lovely glow. The tables, chairs, and the murder board were visible with all the work they had been completing. The board had been covered with a light sheet, even though no one else would see it. It was important to take a break from the investigation.
John was sleeping on one end of the huge couch. Katie paused and watched him sleep; he looked so peaceful under a couple of blankets. His face was relaxed and she wondered if he was having a nice dream.
She moved on and went into the kitchen, switching a light on. Seeing that dishes and glasses had been washed and sitting in the dish rack, she was surprised. Everything was organized and tidy. Not sure who cleaned up the kitchen, she was impressed. The coffee maker was set for the morning, which would make the lodge smell great before rising.
Katie grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and put it in the microwave. She went to the cupboard, where she picked out a non-caffeine tea bag.
She heard a thump sound just as the microwave beeped. Katie immediately turned around and looked into the living room, but all was quiet and John was still sleeping. Shaking off her uneasiness, she went back into the kitchen, where a rush of cold blew through the area, making Katie shiver. The door leading down the secret staircase was slightly ajar and she assumed that whatever had thumped or knocked against the building might have caused pressure to push it open.
Katie moved toward the door. The cold air continued to waft into the kitchen. There was no other explanation than a door was open downstairs. It could happen. The storm outside was building momentum again. She put her hand on the door; itfelt more like a kitchen cabinet, even though the wood was rough and seemed old. Slowly opening the door, she was hit with the full force of the bitter wind. The light in the kitchen behind her lit the stairway and she could see that the door downstairs was open.
Katie let out a sigh because she knew the door needed to be shut, so she quickly padded down the freezing stairs, making it to the bottom in seconds. The upstairs door to the kitchen slammed shut from the air pressure.
Shivering, she quickly pulled the door shut, then fussed with the dead bolt. It wouldn’t quite fit securely in the lock without some finagling.
Katie unexpectedly felt a presence, but before she could turn around a strong hand clamped over her nose and mouth. An arm held her firmly across her chest. She tried to fight the attacker, pushing backward, kicking, and trying to scratch them, but nothing worked. There was a sweet, sickly smell and her body strength dwindled. Her arms and legs weakened like jelly as her head felt mushy and clouded until…everything went black.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Saturday 2330 hours
Katie felt the sway of being on a boat during rough seas. She tried to do everything she could to stop the rocking motion. What seemed like hours she had been fighting were indeed only minutes. The faint weird sickly-sweet smell lingered.
Opening her eyes, Katie tried to focus, but everything around her seemed murky, discolored. She flailed her arms and fought to sit up. The light was too intense to look at, so she shut her eyes again. Using her hands, she felt a smooth fabric that made her think of something she had felt before.
With her bare feet touching the floor, she prepared herself to stand. But when she tried she almost plummeted with horrible dizziness that made her feel like she were upside-down. It was no use. She flopped back again and waited out the feeling of nausea and weird disorientation.
A few minutes later, Katie tried again, sitting up, her heart pounding, raising her pulse rate. Her body quickly weakened, but her vision had come back. Looking around the room she saw sofas, a check-in desk…she had a memory of this place. Shestood up, a bit shaky, but she knew where she was and wondered why.
