Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Katie walked the perimeter of the crime scene. She tried to shake off the disturbing image of Shelby and the note left behind for her. She searched for anything that might indicate how the killer accessed the area and was able to pose Shelby as they had.
“I have John taking close photographs of whatever is holding her to the tree, as well as the note,” said McGaven. He waited a moment. “Katie?”
“I’m just digesting everything,” she said.
“It’s one for the books.”
“To say the least.”
“Have you found anything?”
“Negative.”
“Did the killer wade across the drainage ditch carrying a body?” said McGaven.
“Unless a drone flew her in.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” he said with a chuckle. “I know you’re freaked out, partner. The note was extra creepy.”
“I’m not freaked out. I just have to be ready.”
“For what?”
Katie turned to her partner. “This is all building up to something, and I’m now at the center of it. If we’re going to solve this case and find the killer—I have to be ready for anything.”
“You make it sound like you’re the only one here. I have your back no matter what… and John… the sheriff…”
She put up her hand to make him stop. “I get it, but it still doesn’t change the fact the finger was found in my car.
Not yours or John’s or the sheriff’s—but mine.
” She looked into the dense wooded areas remembering so many cases where the killer took them into rural and forested places.
“Now there’s the note with my name on it. ”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re going to find him.”
“It does matter,” she said. “This one I can’t seem to shake off.”
“C’mon, let’s finish the crime scene so that John can finish his job.”
“They’re going to have to have someone with some type of electric shears or saw to free Shelby.”
“If we don’t have the proper tool, maybe fire does?” he said.
“Good point.”
Katie headed back to see if they could find anything else of interest before Shelby was removed and taken to the medical examiner’s office.
She looked at the metal restraint again and was extremely interested in seeing it completely.
The flat metal had unusual corners that weren’t squared, looking as if a piece of it had been removed for a specific reason.
It was an important clue, but she didn’t quite know how or why yet.
How did everything they were discovering link up?
The detectives spent another half hour looking at every detail and for clues close to the body, near the edge, but nothing else seemed to come to light.
A fire department unit in a pickup truck came to the scene to assist releasing Shelby with the least amount of disturbance to the body and any potential clues.
Katie approached John. “Is there any way they can keep that metal piece whole?”
“I don’t know. It’ll have to be sawed in half most likely, but we’ll do the best we can.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
The detectives walked back to their cars. Katie caught up McGaven on what had happened at Ames’s house the night before.
“One thing is for sure,” said McGaven. “This case has a lot of moving parts.”