Page 7 of Race to Save Her

Katie pivoted to her left and saw movement behind two tall stacks of boxes. She made her way to the area where she saw clearly that a small window had been broken.

Something moved in her periphery.

Cisco barked and bolted to the area.

“Cisco!”

The dog managed to squeeze himself in between the wall and the boxes. Katie could only see his tail wagging furiously, as if in play.

She inched forward.

There was a soft meow and that’s when she saw a small black cat darting in between the dog’s legs. Its eyes were bright yellow, like a Halloween decoration. Katie instantly relaxed.

“Look at you,” she said bending down to pet the cat, which had no collar. She looked for any injury from the broken window before she picked up the cute cat, which immediately purred loudly, happy to have some attention. “Where did you come from?” she said.

Cisco was dancing around wanting to see the cat again. He was clearly and instantly in love with his new friend. He nudged the kitty and bounced a bit with happiness, staying close.

Katie gently put the cat down. She went inside and gathered some food, a bowl of water, and blankets. She would contact a neighbor in the morning who was involved in animal rescue—she might also know whose cat it was.

The image of that finger in a white box kept reeling through Katie’s mind. She knew that she was safe with her house security, Cisco, and the patrol officer stationed outside. But still there were more questions she needed answered. And she still couldn’t help but think it was personal—that something she’d done had triggered the person who’d left the box.

Katie finally went to bed. Cisco whined for a little bit, wanting to go see the kitty again. He eventually relaxed and settled down to sleep.

Katie rolled over and automatically touched the side of the bed where John usually slept. It was cold. Empty. She missed him and thought about him until she fell asleep.

FIVE

Saturday 0720 hours

Katie’s cell phone rang, jarring her out of a nice deep sleep. She grumbled until the ringing stopped. Then it started up again.

“No,” she murmured. “It’s Saturday…” She grabbed her phone. “Hello?”

“Detective Scott?” the caller said.

Katie immediately sat up, recognizing the voice as her watch commander. “Yes.”

“We have a situation. A body has been found.”

Katie was confused. She worked cold cases. “A body?” she repeated.

“Yeah, of sorts…”

“Of sorts?” Katie wasn’t following. “I’m sorry, but⁠—”

“Another dismembered body part was found on Heritage Road near the fire department’s training area.”

Katie’s thoughts went into hyper-speed. “You sure?”

“Yes. Two deputies are there now maintaining the scene. The sheriff requested you since it might be related to what happened last night.”

“I’m on my way. Thank you, Commander.”

The phone disconnected.

Katie sat thinking for a moment. Was there a note? Was it going to be directed at her? The department? She jumped up to get ready and head out to the crime scene.

Before she left she checked on the cat and then sent a text to her neighbor with a photo to see if someone in the area was missing a pet.