Page 10 of Race to Save Her

“Got it,” the forensic tech said.

“Once you’re done, I want to run Cisco to see if he can catch the scent of the person who left the arm.”

“Sounds like a plan. If anyone can find it, it’s Cisco,” she said with a smile.

“If you need any help, Deputy Anderson is familiar with crime scenes.”

Eva looked at the deputy, still with a smile. “Copy that.”

The medical examiner approached Katie. “Detective?”

“Detective Scott,” she explained.

He nodded, seeming nervous. “Randy Martinez.” The man appeared to be in his early thirties, pale, and trying not to show that his hands trembled.

Katie nodded back. “Everything okay?” she said.

“Yes, of course.”

“First crime scene?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Don’t worry about it. Eva is going to document everything and then she’ll let you know when you can take the dismembered arm back to the office.”

He nodded, averting his gaze.

The second deputy was securing yellow crime scene tape to create the larger search area Katie had asked for.

Deputy Anderson gave Katie a piece of paper. “Here are the dimensions.”

“Thanks, Deputy.”

The barking of the German shepherd, Blitz, caught Katie’s attention. Ames was still leaning against the driver’s door as Katie approached him.

He stood up straight as she neared. “Detective,” he said. “It seems you’re a bit understaffed.”

“A bit, but nothing I can’t handle,” she said.

“I don’t doubt that.”

“Why are you still here?” she asked.

He chuckled. “To see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“There’s no fire or explosives present,” she said, keeping his intense eye contact. She thought she might as well get his exact account of how he found the arm. “So, Investigator Ames⁠—”

“Luke,” he interrupted. “Call me Luke. Can I call you Katie?”

“Detective is fine.”

“Okay then… Katie.”

“Explain to me how you found the arm… from the beginning.”

“You want me to walk you through it step… by… step…?”

“Please,” she said. Something didn’t add up, but she was willing to listen to him. She’d been a police officer long enough to know that strange things happened all the time.