Page 94 of Race to Save Her

“Everything good?” said McGaven through the speaker on the cell phone.

“Affirmative.”

Katie took another few minutes to make sure, but nothing came to light, so she exited and returned to McGaven.

“Do you have gloves?” she said.

“No.”

Katie ran back to the Jeep and grabbed some gloves, a plastic bag, and a small box. She returned and took several photos of the rock with the message with her phone. Then prudently, she put the evidence into the bag and then the box to keep it secure.

“Done?” said McGaven.

“Just about.” She took some overall shots of the property and house. “Done now.” She grabbed the box and headed back to her Jeep.

Once the evidence was safe, they left the property. Katie felt a weird chill down her spine as she sped out of the area and back to civilization. It was like they’d taken a side road leading to nowhere. She was relieved when they saw familiar places again.

“A nice Sunday drive,” said McGaven. “And one thing is for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“The killer is now playing with you personally.”

Katie didn’t want to think about it. It was clear the killer had everything planned out. And that’s what scared her the most.

FIFTY-FIVE

Monday 0945 hours

Katie and McGaven received a message that the autopsy on the body they assumed to be Martin Sills was ready. They weren’t excited about going to see what Dr. Dean had come up with at the medical examiner’s office. The grisly images at the cabin were still burned into their minds and would be for a while, but they had a case to solve.

Both detectives had called it a day after the visit to the property in Rockview owned by Sills. Now there were two notes specifically addressed to Katie. Things were getting heated.

Dr. Dean never disappointed. He was in his unusual uniform and greeted the detectives with an upbeat attitude.

“Good morning!”

“Dr. Dean,” said Katie.

McGaven gave a nod as his hello.

“I have good news,” said the doctor.

Katie was thrilled there was some good news to report. “And?”

“Come back to my office.”

“We don’t have to go to an exam room?” said McGaven.

“By no means—unless you want to,” he said with a slight smile. “I have photos and reports. I’ll explain.”

Katie and McGaven let out sighs of relief because looking at a body in the condition that one was in wasn’t something they wanted to do—finding it was enough. They trailed the medical examiner down the hallway to his back office.

The room reflected Dr. Dean’s personality. The desk and shelves weren’t messy, but they were stacked with periodicals, files, and paperwork. There were a few personal items, including a framed photo of him and a pretty woman, as well as a full-body skeleton in the corner.

“Take a seat,” he said as he sat at his desk.

Katie and McGaven did, waiting patiently in the moment of silence as Dean shuffled a few files and pulled out the ones he was looking for. Katie hoped there was a piece of information that would blow the lid off of everything, so they would know exactly what they needed to do to stop this killer. She’d even settle for another clue to corroborate what they knew and confirm the direction they needed to go.