Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
Katie had been up for almost two hours due to the fact that she couldn’t sleep during the raging storm.
The conversation with Ames didn’t sit well with her and she couldn’t pinpoint why—her mind kept going over the question of whether he had something to do with the crime scene.
Her logical police mind said absolutely not.
So why was she having difficulty believing it?
Cisco and Midnight were having fun together and, amazingly, they didn’t seem to be bothered by the storm as they hung out together. Katie looked out the window and saw the patrol cruiser at the end of her driveway. She knew her uncle was making sure she was safe.
She was just about to jump in the shower and get ready for work when her cell phone rang.
“Detective Scott,” she said, not bothering to look at the caller ID.
“A body has been found,” said Sheriff Scott.
Those words stung and almost collapsed her soul. “Is the body…” Katie couldn’t finish her sentence. She knew it had been coming, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was Shelby.
“Yes, it appears to be missing an arm.”
“Location?” she said.
“It’s out Baker Road to Hallow Lane at the five-mile marker.”
“Okay, I’ll be there shortly.” She sounded stoic and professional, even though that wasn’t how she felt.
“And Katie?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
The call ended. She knew her uncle always wanted her to be safe, but this time it felt like an ominous warning. This case had everyone spooked.
Katie quickly got ready and made sure Cisco and Midnight had everything they needed. Cisco wanted to go with her. He circled her twice and gave his usual whine of wanting to work.
“I know… Don’t worry, it looks like I’ll be back for you.”
The drive was longer than she had anticipated—almost forty minutes. It was in a part of the county she rarely went to. It was mostly rural with the occasional ranch, and hiking and camping areas with some great fishing.
She passed the four-mile marker on Hallow Road. There was a large drainage ditch that went from east to west. It was an area known for flooding and after the rainstorm the water was rushing about a foot higher than average, but was still a ways from cresting over the roadway.
The first question that entered her mind was: Why did a killer dump a body in such a storm? Then she asked: Was it intentional? Part of a plan? Will there be more bodies sprinkled throughout Pine Valley?
Katie spotted several patrol vehicles and the crime scene unit already there.
There was also McGaven’s truck. Every crime scene and homicide bothered her, but this one felt so personal.
She knew when the finger was left in her Jeep that its owner—who they now knew was Shelby—was already dead.
She pulled to the side and parked. So many things were on Katie’s mind and she knew if they didn’t find a solid lead or a person of interest soon, this case could end up going cold.
Outside she surveyed the area. She looked down and could see the water rushing in the ditch. It seemed like a strange area to leave a body, where it could be easily found if someone was looking. Or was that the point?
“Hey,” said McGaven as he walked up to meet her.
“Where is she?”
“Up there,” he gestured.
Katie nodded, still looking around.
“It’s going to be challenging to get her body out.”
Katie wasn’t sure what to make of that comment, but she headed there.
“How was your talk with Ames?” he said.
“It happened. I’ll fill you in later.”
“Okay…” he drawled.
The detectives approached the scene. Patrol was still rolling out yellow tape and they seemed to be making a large perimeter, as Katie usually requested. Then she realized perhaps why when she saw Deputy Anderson. He nodded at the detectives.
“Who found the body?” she asked Gav.
“It was called in anonymously.”
Katie sighed. “Of course it was…”
“Anderson was the first to arrive,” said McGaven.
“Good.” Katie knew Anderson paid attention to details.
John joined them. Katie was happy to see him.
“Hi.”
John smiled. “We’ve documented and photographed what we could, but this is a difficult one. Let me know if you need something else as you both check it out.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. Looking at their isolated surrounds, she said, “Maybe take some photos of the location in a three hundred sixty visual.”
“Copy that,” said John as he left to get his equipment.
The detectives slipped on their gloves.
“I’ll follow you,” said McGaven to Katie.
She had a ritual at crime scenes when she was preparing to study the body and surrounding areas. She never wanted to rush in; rather, she wanted to be completely focused and thorough.
Katie walked past the officers and saw the naked body sitting up, as if she were alert and waiting for something—or someone. Katie knew it had to be Shelby, but she needed to look closer.
Shelby had been placed in a sitting pose on the other side of the drainage—which was moving slower than Katie had first witnessed.
The water trickled with a nice relaxing sound.
The ground where Shelby sat had a slight incline and was bordered by large pine trees.
Obviously, the water made a big contribution to sustaining the trees.
Katie turned and asked, “Do we have anything to put across the drainage ditch?” She kept her voice level but authoritative.
She looked back at Shelby, who was about six feet from them.
Kneeling down, Katie focused on getting a better look.
Shelby’s left arm was gone and she was missing a finger on her other hand.
The scene intrigued Katie. The body looked clean, without any injuries—at least from the front.
Shelby’s legs were together and nothing in the posing appeared to be disturbing or sexual in nature.
She’d seen very few bodies posed in this way.
Shelby’s dark hair appeared to be combed and fell around her shoulders even though it was wet.
She had been stripped of her clothes and shoes, but her feet looked clean.
“This should work,” said John, standing next to her, holding two six-feet-long two-by-fours. He laid them across the drainage and pressed down to make them sturdy and not slip. “They’re eight inches wide…”
“Great, if I fall in, I’m blaming you,” McGaven joked. “Ladies first.”
Katie cracked a slight smile. She studied the boards and felt she would make it easily. She placed her right foot on the right side, pressing her weight down slightly, then hurried across. Letting out a breath, she said, “It’s easy.” She smiled at her partner. “C’mon.”
McGaven decided to do the fastest cross possible and ran. “Okay, then…”
Katie focused on Shelby, unable to take her eyes away from her face. It was definitely her. Katie’s heart was heavy that she didn’t have close family. A young woman who didn’t get a chance to realize her dreams; instead, was a victim of a brutal killer.
Up close, Katie could see the gray-bluish skin color. There looked to be only slight rigor mortis, which should have meant she hadn’t been there long, though that didn’t make sense since she was most likely killed a couple of days ago.
She gave a sigh of bittersweet relief. At least they had found her. But Katie still felt trepidation for any other women out there trapped with whoever was doing this.
Upon closer inspection, Katie could see Shelby’s body had been carefully placed, hair neat, and her remaining arm lying gently on her lap. Where the arm had been removed, was a clean, straight cut that could only have been made with a precise tool—like a bone saw.
Katie found it curious that the body was so erect—not slumped to the sides or forward as a body usually would be. She looked further and found that Shelby’s back had been attached to the massive tree trunk with a metal object she hadn’t seen before.
“Gav?” she said.
McGaven moved closer to see what she was looking at. “What is that? Some massive staple or blade of some kind?”
“Where’s the blood? There should be some blood on the tree or ground.”
“Her face seems strange too,” he said.
Katie looked closer and saw something small between Shelby’s lips. She gently parted her mouth and saw what appeared to be a piece of paper. Pulling it out, she carefully unfolded it to see a written message.
Katie, when do we meet?
Katie gasped and showed it to McGaven.
“What the hell?” he looked around to see if they were being watched.
Katie looked into Shelby’s eyes staring off into the forest, sitting as if she were going to have tea.
The killer was taunting her.