Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
“What’s up?” said McGaven.
Katie turned to him. “Are we on the right course? I mean, what are we missing?”
“We’re finally getting some information and we have to follow the trail.”
Katie nodded.
“That’s why we’re here checking the house again, so we can cross it off our list,” he said.
Katie stared at the small house. The weeds and trees were in serious need of trimming and pruning. She noticed you couldn’t see the neighbors even though they were relatively close. It was the way the land parcels were divided up—common with rural properties.
“Okay,” she finally said and opened the car door.
The detectives got out and walked toward the residence.
It was hazy and very overcast, making the day seem dull.
Instead of stepping up to the front door, which still had bits of yellow crime scene tape and pieces of plywood nailed around the doorframe, Katie spied the backyard.
It had a low-lying chain-link fence with metal posts, and there were imprints of where a car had been parked.
The weeds were tall and in the beginning stages of flopping over.
There was nothing in the yard like outdoor chairs, pots, gardening tools—and there was no gate.
From the back of the building, it was clear how the large gap underneath the house would be easy to get under.
“So Bates said he was gone when Puzzler came by to hide the appendages—not telling him what he was doing. Look around. I don’t think anyone could see if someone entered this house. That part seems to be true,” said Katie.
She kept studying the house while McGaven looked at the fencing.
A distinct shot rang out and instantly clipped one of the metal posts near McGaven.
“Get down!” said Katie.
Both detectives hit the ground and crawled closer to the back of the house. Katie could hear the siding flapping in the breeze. There must’ve been some wind to push the pieces to make that noise.
Guns out and lying on their bellies, the detectives took cover and scanned their vision. Katie glanced at the space underneath the residence. She thought they could fit.
McGaven made his way toward the front of the house as another bullet zinged from the corner of the manufactured home, pushing him back toward Katie.
“Can you fit?” she said, motioning to under the house. “It’ll give us more cover and we can safely see where the bullets are coming from.”
“Let’s see, bullet hole in my body or pushing myself under a house… I vote for the house.”
Katie called 911 and gave the address, their badge numbers, and stated that they were under fire from an unknown area.
Several more shots hit the house and fence.
Katie pushed herself into an army crawl, inching along until she saw the opening under the living room ahead. Turning her body, she said, “Gav?”
“I’m right behind you… but I think I need to cut down on those burritos,” he gasped, finding it a tight squeeze underneath the home.
Katie kept moving—not sure if the shooter was after them or Bates. Everything was in a whirlwind and the detectives were deep into the unknown.
Katie made it to the opening—she could feel the underside of the house scraping along her spine.
She managed to sit up with her neck crooked slightly and felt for the floor above her head.
The secret compartment had been dismantled when the human appendages were discovered.
She holstered her weapon and pulled herself up through the floor and was able to sit in the living room catching her breath.
Leaning into the hole, she saw McGaven inching along. “You okay?” she called.
“Define okay…” he said as his voice lowered. He was getting close and would be joining her soon.
Katie crawled to one of the windows and carefully peered outside. She hadn’t heard any more bullets. She looked from every vantage point she could. There was no indication of where the shooter was firing from.
Then there was a loud thud.
Katie looked to the floor and saw McGaven pulling his body through the hatch.
“Anything?” he said.
“Negative.”
He stayed seated on the floor. “Where are they shooting from?”
“No clue.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Nope.”
“Think someone was target shooting and the bullets went rogue?”
“Highly unlikely.”
McGaven joined his partner. “Is it aimed at us—like a warning?”
Katie leaned against the wall, away from windows. “I don’t know…” She felt strange. Her breathing was shallow and her hands felt tingly. She had some slight shakes.
No, not now.
“You okay?” McGaven eased closer to his partner.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look great. You’re pale.”
“I’m fine.”
McGaven didn’t push it, but kept an eye on her.
Katie knew exactly what was going on, though she hadn’t felt this way in some time. What had triggered her post-traumatic symptoms? And why now?
“I haven’t heard any more shots,” she said.
“Me neither.”
The detectives stayed in their positions until they were sure the danger was over. Sirens were fast approaching.
Katie felt relief. She hated being in an unknown area without her bearings. Trying to stop her shakes, she moved around the trailer.
“What are you looking for?” said McGaven.
“I’m not sure.”
“When you know, tell me and I’ll help.”
Katie forced a smile. McGaven could always make things seem less stressful.
He peered out one of the front windows. “Looks like there are three cruisers and an SUV of some kind.”
Katie’s cell phone rang, startling her. “Detective Scott,” she said. “Copy that.” She hung up.
“Dispatch?”
“No, it’s Detective Stern. He’s here with patrol.”
“And?”
“Told us to stay put while they search the area.”
“Copy that,” McGaven said softly, still looking out the windows. The uniforms spread out with their guns drawn and made their way around the property and nearby surrounds.
Ten minutes passed before they heard a knock at the front door.
“Detectives, it’s Detective Stern.”
There were loud crashes and sound of wood being pried from the entry. The detectives went to the front door just as it opened and daylight poured in. The faces of the officers and detective crowded the doorway, looking inside.
“Thank you, Detective,” said Katie.
“You okay? Neither of you hurt?” said Stern.
“No, we’re fine,” she said.
They moved quickly to get out of the home. As they looked from side to side, everything seemed to be quiet.
“We saw where the bullets hit, but we couldn’t find where the shooter was located,” said Stern. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He stared at Katie.
“We’re fine.”
“Do you have any idea who would want to shoot at you?” said Stern.
“No.”
The detective eyed them both. It was clear he was about to say something but thought better of it.
“We believe it might be the person who stashed the human body parts here. Obviously, they weren’t expecting Bates to have SWAT out front of his property after an armed robbery,” Katie said.
“Do you have proof?”
“No, but who would want to shoot at us? I believe it’s more of a warning. They could have killed us as soon as we stepped out of the car.”
Stern seemed to ponder that theory. “Why are you here?”
“We were just returning from the jail after talking with Bates and decided to have another look around.”
“Why?”
“We wanted to establish if someone could have hidden the body parts without Bates knowing.” Katie watched the detective, trying to ascertain if he was on their side or uncomfortable that they were stepping on his territory.
“I see,” he said. “I’ve heard about you two—impressive case history.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Is there anything Rockview PD can do for your investigation?” said Stern.
“Help us figure out who Puzzler is,” said McGaven.
“Puzzler?”
Katie nodded.
“I can put out that name to the gang unit and some confidential informants.”
“Anything you can do would be appreciated.” Katie’s face changed to more of a frown as she tried to keep her breathing even and steady.
Detective Stern took a couple of steps toward her. “I’ll put a priority on this and let you know what we come up with.”
Katie forced a smile and nodded.
“That would be great,” said McGaven, picking up on the strained silence.
Detective Stern looked around. “I’ll have our forensics map the shots and update you as soon as possible.”
As Katie and McGaven walked toward their car soon after, Katie tossed McGaven the keys. As they pulled away from the curb, McGaven said, “So where to now?”
“We need to visit Shelby Roberts’ work and her home,” said Katie.
“DNA reported that her prints were already on file because she had previous for theft,” he said.
“Can you check that out?”
“On it.”
Katie closed her eyes while McGaven drove and thought about the shooter. It wasn’t clear how it fit into their investigation, but she was determined to find out.