Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
“Buck?” said Katie as she lowered her gun.
“Yes. Forgive me for startling you.”
All types of thoughts buzzed through her mind. “What are you doing here? And why?”
He took another step forward, but kept his distance. “I needed to talk to you.”
“There are other ways at decent hours.” Katie was still catching her breath.
Cisco had relaxed and downed next to her, as if Buck didn’t faze him, as if there was a familiarity to him.
“Yes.”
“So what are you doing here?” she said.
“Needed to talk. I don’t travel in the usual ways and I find any time after 2 a.m. is the best time to be alone without most people moving around.”
“Okay. How did you find me?”
“I may live mostly off the grid, but I do know how to find someone.”
It was clear he was being evasive.
“Well, you found me,” she said.
“By now I’m sure you’ve run my fingerprints.”
“You did that on purpose?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why couldn’t you just tell me?” She remembered his jacket from the military and it still pained her that this man lived this way and what painful reminders he had on a daily basis.
“I wanted to see if I could trust you.”
Katie always relied on her instincts, but for some reason she found Buck difficult to read. She couldn’t seem to ascertain if he was friend or foe. “So by me doing my job, you can trust me?”
“Something like that.”
“So you also probably know that we ran your background and history in the Marines.”
“Yes.”
“Why keep a secret if you boldly abducted me?” Katie shifted from her position and moved closer to him.
“Just as you know about me, I know about you.”
Again, his words seemed to stick in the air. She knew there was more to this conversation than what was said on the surface but she couldn’t quite catch it.
“I can see that you’re troubled,” he said.
“Yes.”
“I know these cases have burdened you and your partner. But it isn’t as big as you think.” He took a deep breath as if he were in pain. “You’re working too hard at it.”
“Enlighten me.” Katie was beginning to grow weary of these secret meetings and wanted him to get to the point.
He paused for a bit before continuing. “I know you’re going to visit my brother.”
Katie was surprised due to the fact they had just decided to visit him. Buck seemed to read her well. It made her think he had been more than a soldier, perhaps a type of undercover asset.
She couldn’t see him smile, but his eyes squinted, indicating that he knew what she might be thinking. “I can see you’re trying to profile me again.”
“I think that would be most difficult,” she said.
Cisco stood up, sensing Katie’s uncertainty. The dog eased closer to her, leaning against her left leg.
“When you talk to my brother David, make sure you get all the information from his stabbing incident.”
“Why? What does it have to do with my case?”
“Detective, everything you find out right now has everything to do with your cases.”
“Look. Can you please tell me what you wanted to say to me?” said Katie.
“You need to understand that these cases aren’t like any of your other cases.”
“Tell me why.”
“You’ll find out, but pay attention to the Collins family history and to what—” He stopped mid-sentence.
“And to what?”
“You’ll know.”
“Stop talking in riddles. And to what?” Katie tried not to let her anger get the best of her.
“Detective, you need to keep focused.”
“What should I be doing besides that?”
“You are doing what you need to do—what’s expected of a police detective in several homicide investigations.”
Katie let out a loud sigh. “Why are you risking your identity and, I have a feeling, your safety as well.”
“Because it’s important.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“I told you to look at the Collinses’ history and pay attention to what my brother tells you.”
“How do you fit into all of this?”
Buck didn’t answer. He remained quiet, staring at Katie. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her something important or not.
“You can trust me,” she said. “Otherwise I would have had the police department hunt you down and take you into custody for questioning.”
“I’ve been around enough military and police personnel to know who I can trust and who has integrity.”
Katie wondered if this man had anyone else who was being the eyes and ears of the investigation. She bet he already knew about the autopsies and what their next moves were.
“Please tell me what you know.”
“You can ask this question several different ways, but I’ve already told you.”
“Why jeopardize your privacy by coming here?”
“You need to understand how important the things I’ve told you are. And I wanted to remind you that you don’t need to work as hard to get to the truth. If you’re ready to believe it. It’s closer to home than you think…”
“Closer to home? My home? The department? What home?”
Buck took two steps backward and his face became concealed in the shadows.
“Please can you answer more questions?”
“Check your trail cameras.”
“Wait. How can I get a hold of you?” Katie tried one last-ditch effort to get more information about him. “Is there anything you want me to tell your brother?”
“No. It will be obvious.”
“Can I get a hold of you?” She pushed harder.
“I will get in touch with you.”
Katie stepped toward the trees as he disappeared. She heard footsteps, but the man was gone. She wasn’t sure if the meeting was good, bad, or indifferent.
After a few more minutes, while Katie digested what was said, she shivered from the realization they were being watched—possibly by more than one person.