Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Katie drove them to Rockview. It felt good to have her partner back with her working on a case.
It amazed her that so many things in her life had been going well.
Even her symptoms of post-traumatic stress had been less frequent, which was a relief.
Caused by her two Army tours, they would never fully go away and would often strike when she least expected it, but she was more prepared for them these days.
Katie turned to her partner and smiled. He was immersed in his phone, looking into the case involving Brandon Bates, who was still in jail awaiting his trial.
“What?” said McGaven.
“What, what?”
“You’re staring at me.”
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad I missed seeing that severed finger in your car.” He smiled.
Katie chuckled. “You’ll get to see it soon at the medical examiner’s.”
McGaven frowned.
“Find out anything else?” Katie asked.
“I’m sure Officer Devlin will be able to fill us in, but it seems Brandon Bates is a two-time felon with an aggravated assault charge and a charge for robbery with attempted murder.
” He kept scrolling through more information.
“His wife died and the grandparents have custody of his children, Sara and Emma, ten and twelve years old. Bates gave up in the end and was apprehended without any violence. There were guns and some narcotics found, but the real reveal was the body parts found in a cavity underneath the living room floor.”
“That’s tough for the kids,” she said.
“Yeah, hopefully the grandparents are going to do right by them.”
Katie watched the GPS as they neared Acorn Road. She turned and kept driving until she found 167. “Here it is.” She pulled up front, behind an SUV.
They saw a small single-wide manufactured home, now with plywood over the windows and reinforcement lumber at the front door. It had been removed so they could access the interior.
“Nice,” said McGaven sarcastically.
“I guess Devlin is already here,” she said.
The detectives got out of the car and studied the area. The weeds were precariously tall, partially blocking the home from sight. There was a large tree to the side with a tattered swing, where Katie imagined the two little girls playing out front in better times.
A tall, thin man emerged from the front door. He smiled at the detectives. “Detective Scott?”
“Yes. This is my partner Detective McGaven.”
Devlin stepped down the stairs to meet them. “Nice to meet you both. I wanted to check inside to make sure everything was safe and to see if anyone had broken in since we were here.”
“And?” she said.
“It looks like it did that day.”
Katie and McGaven followed the negotiator inside the house. Immediately, the stench of old garbage accosted their senses.
“Wow,” said McGaven.
“Yeah, it stinks. Not sure why—there’s nothing in here,” said Devlin.
Katie tried to ignore the odor as she looked around. The inside space was small and didn’t have any furnishings or personal effects. “Was everything cleared?” she asked.
“Yes. We searched everything and found some drugs inside the mattress and small sofa.”
Katie pulled out a pair of gloves and McGaven followed suit. Even though the investigation was over, Katie didn’t want to touch anything in case it might harm the case. McGaven went into the small kitchen alcove and began checking cupboards and looking around.
Katie saw what appeared to be a trap door in the middle of the living room. “Is this it?” she said.
“Yes,” said Devlin. He moved aside so Katie could check it out.
She saw a trap door that had been underneath the tattered carpeting. She approached and kneeled down. Running her hands along the sides, she then pulled on the handle. It made a scraping noise as she raised the door.
Instantly, she was bombarded with a horrible stench that she recognized—death.
“Was everything removed?”
Devlin nodded.
“Were the parts wrapped?”
“Yes, they were in heavy plastic. I saw them for only a minute before the sergeant directed everyone out, closed it off as a crime scene, and called forensics.”
Katie nodded.
“Are you looking for something specific?” said Devlin. “I know the detective sent you a preliminary report with photos.”
“Yes. Though I’m not sure what we’re looking for, to be honest. We’ve caught a couple of cases of dismembered body parts.”
“I see.” It was obvious Devlin was a bit shocked at that.
Katie leaned toward the hiding spot just beneath the living room floor.
She expected to see the ground under the manufactured home—but she didn’t.
It was a specifically built box under the house.
She leaned down as far as she could and used the flashlight.
Her view was slightly upside-down, but she could see the entire compartment.
The cadaver odor was still strong, which seemed strange given the discovery was made a couple of months ago.
“Anything?” said McGaven, who was now standing near his partner. It was instinctual to be close in case of something going wrong.
“Not really, but the compartment doesn’t look like it goes anywhere,” she said. Katie sat up, waiting a moment until a slight dizziness subsided. The stench still lingered. “It looks like there’s something in the kitchen area.”
McGaven and Devlin remained quiet, watching Katie move to the kitchen. She began opening cupboards, both high and low. She stood, deep in thought, trying to figure out where the stink was coming from.
Devlin was about to say something, but McGaven stopped him.
Katie then went to the sink area, which seemed bigger than what a trailer this size would have.
She bent down and opened the cupboard doors, revealing the typical snake-like under-sink plumbing, an old sponge, and a bottle of cleaner.
She looked farther to the back and noticed a board on the wall that appeared new.
Katie glanced back at her partner and Devlin, then used all her strength to pry the piece away and pull it out. “This has been recently added,” she said to the men.
She then pushed herself farther under the sink—a tight fit, but the odor was growing stronger.
Turning on the flashlight, she swept the beam around a large hidden area at the back wall where a pink towel was wrapped around something solid.
She stretched as far as she could until her gloved fingertips touched the towel.
Gripping it tightly, she pulled the bundle into the kitchen where she dropped it on the floor.
Everyone stared at it. The bundle was narrow and about two and half feet long. She looked at the men watching. No one wanted to say a word.
Katie took a breath and began carefully unwrapping the roll. There was a slight crackling sound as if some kind of bubble wrap had been used, but she was able to open one end.
She stood, unable to tear her eyes away from the spectacle.
All three police officers stared at the human arm and its hand. The dismemberment was exactly like the others.