Page 112 of Race to Save Her

He gripped it tightly. “It’ll work.”

Katie sat down next to him. “I don’t know if I can get to the Jeep, but I don’t think he’s going to be expecting me to have escaped. I’m going to check out that weird house.”

“Don’t do that, you have no backup.”

Katie ignored his comment—she knew that. “Trust me, McGaven is coming with the department—that’s for sure.”

“Katie,” he said.

She looked at him.

“Thanks.”

There was an unwritten rule, especially among law enforcement officers, that respect and camaraderie bonded them without words, that the silence during an intense situation was enough.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “You’ll be fine.” She thought about how he had helped her to save Cisco. She would never forget that—ever.

Katie got up and went to the opening; she didn’t want to look at Chris again. She knew he would be fine, that McGaven would find him. The department would soon be all over the property searching top to bottom.

Katie squeezed through the opening she had made, pressed up against the rusty wire by slowly bending down, pulling at the bottom of the fencing, and wiggling her way underneath and out into the field. The wire had poked her skin, her stomach, and side. She looked at her stomach, which was bleeding. But the discomfort didn’t matter. It was only temporary. She looked around. She was going to be able to use the dark cloudless evening to her advantage.

She scaled along the fence line, moving in silence.

McGaven drove with purpose, using his truck because of the uneven and difficult terrain. He didn’t say anything to John, who sat next to him. They drove in a group with the rest of the officers and the sheriff.

He was concerned. This investigation felt different. The killer was clever and devious and seemed to be fixated on Katie.

Cole Dillon.

“I bet I know what you’re thinking,” said John.

“Yep, I’m sure you do.”

“Katie can handle herself.”

“Yes, she can.” McGaven thought of her jumping off the hotel balcony into the pool as she went after the killer.

“We’ll get there and get everything straight,” said John.

McGaven glanced at him. “I just hope it won’t be too late.”

Katie crept around the building and found a place along the old fencing where she could re-enter the property again. The place where they had been held had been at one time underground and recently dug out. It was a strange setup, but that didn’t hinder her focus. She had to hold off the killer until McGaven and the rest arrived.

Just then Katie froze. She heard a sound of someone outside near the truck. Moving forward with caution, she peered around the side where all the giant piping was stacked. She saw the back of the killer. He was loading something into the back seat of the black truck. It appeared to be suitcases.

Katie wondered if he was running to find another location to restart his fantasy world. If he was fleeing, what did that mean for Patricia? She got the feeling he killed these women and either dropped the limbs somewhere, like Brandon Bates’s house, or he had a place where he could bury them without raising any suspicion. That realization made her cringe.

I don’t want to keep you… I want to kill you…

Hearing him say those words made her realize, even more, how dangerous and formidable his actions were.

Katie heard the killer walk toward the manufactured building. She took her chance and crept stealthily to the truck. The doors were open and she saw a gun sitting on the passenger seat. Glancing at the building and back to the car, she pounced and retrieved the weapon, stepping into the shadows on the other side of the vehicle.

Standing next to an old pile of aluminum, she checked to see if the gun was loaded and ready to fire and then remained perfectly still. She could barely breathe. She smelled what seemed like some type of solvent.

Katie waited. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

The killer came outside carrying a box and headed to the truck. As soon as he was next to it, she made her move.