Page 113 of Race to Save Her

“Stop! Drop the box and show me your hands now.”

The killer didn’t seem too surprised to see her, but he did what she asked.

Katie walked over and kicked the box away. She realized she didn’t have her handcuffs, so she was going to have to improvise.

“You got me, Katie…” There was something haunting about his voice. It was the way he said her name that made her want to spit. She was now looking at the man who had caused so much turmoil, destruction, and death.

“Turn around.”

He did so.

Aiming the gun at him, she patted him down. He wasn’t carrying anything. It bothered her that he was so calm, as if he had been expecting everything.

“Cat got your tongue?” she sneered. “What’s in there?” She pointed to the house.

He looked away and shrugged his shoulders.

“Or there?” Katie pointed at the barn. “Huh? You’re not so tough now.”

He looked at her, his dark—almost black—eyes giving a demonic appearance.

“Move,” she ordered, waving the gun toward the building.

He turned and moved slowly; she followed ready to kill him if she had to.

This part of the property seemed to have been updated. The buildings were newer and the supplies more organized. They couldn’t see that when they were doing their recon. The big barn seemed to contain something worth protecting. It was a high-end metal structure with a digital entry.

“Wait,” she said, pointing at the barn. “I want to go there. Now!”

Katie had hoped by this stage to hear her backup coming, but there was only silence. She tried not to think about Chris waiting in the concrete tube.

The killer moved slowly and almost hesitantly, which was odd.

“Move!”

They were at the entrance. The killer stood looking at nothing in particular.

“Open it,” she said.

He hesitated for a second, but then punched in a number one… one… nine… two… Katie heard the lock disengage and the door opened.

“That’s good.”

She kept her cool, even though her body was spent and her energy was fading fast. Part of her wanted to put a bullet in his head and be done with it, but that wasn’t going to happen because she was a law enforcement officer. Otherwise, she would be no better than the killers she had put away. It was a thin line at times, but this wasn’t going to be the one time she couldn’t help herself.

Katie pushed him with the barrel of the gun and they stepped inside. She flipped the light switch panel and the fluorescent lights came on one by one.

It was all white, a sterile environment, reminding her immediately of the medical examiner’s office. She saw two large tanks like the flotation tanks John had showed her and McGaven.

“What’s in there?” she said, gesturing to one of them.

He shrugged.

Katie wasn’t in the mood. “Open it.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”