Page 30 of Race to Save Her

They neared the crime scene location. She knew the road and recognized the area, and she didn’t see Ames or any evidence that he had been on this run. She stopped where the body part had been found. Everything had been cleaned up and there weren’t any remnants of the yellow tape. She knew Deputy Anderson had made sure everything had been taken care of at the scene.

Katie walked up to the fence and paused. The weather was more overcast that morning than on Saturday, making the surrounding shadows darker. The questions that plagued her were: Why here? Why now?

She stayed for another couple of minutes before she and Cisco jogged back to where her car was waiting. There was still no sign of Ames. Loading up the dog, she drove back to her house to get ready for work. As she did, a little voice in the back of her mind told her to be careful; people weren’t always what they seemed—no matter their profession.

TWENTY-ONE

Tuesday 0645 hours

The Puzzler was looking for “her”—the one who would rise above the rest. There were women who came close, but they weren’t “her.” He had planned for many years, put up with the world and the way it operated. Recently, he had invented and shaped his destiny. Some would call him a type of Frankenstein, but he was so much more intelligent than that absurd story. He didn’t want pieces knitted together—he wanted to find that one special woman and he had to study the others in order to do that.

It excited the man and made him want to do so much more—to be in control. He had always felt he wasn’t like others, even when he was a child. Life confused him. He didn’t feel pain, fear, sympathy, anguish, or any empathy toward others. The only thing his parents did for him was leave him this property and its structures—where he created his own heaven.

TWENTY-TWO

Tuesday 0955 hours

Katie reached the forensic division at Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department with five minutes to spare. She hurried down the hallways and made her way to her office, but before she reached it, the forensic examination room’s door opened and John stepped out. Katie turned toward him and before she could say anything, he gave her a long kiss.

“Good morning,” he whispered and smiled before heading back into his work area.

Katie let out a breath.

She pushed open the door to the office where McGaven was seated and searching databases.

“Good morning, Gav,” she said, excited to get started.

“Oh, you decided to grace the department with your presence.”

Katie put down her jacket and briefcase.

“Learn anything from the arson investigator?” he said with slight sarcasm.

“A lot.”

McGaven turned in his chair to face his partner. He raised his eyebrows. “What did he say?”

“Nothing really.”

“Nothing?”

“He ditched me on the run. I never saw him again.”

McGaven frowned. “Why is that?”

“Not sure, but I have a bad feeling about him. His alibi checks out, but his blood on the napkin is suspicious. We need to keep him as a person of interest.”

“Okay.”

“I want a background check done on him. If I remember correctly, he was a transplant from Southern California. Look for anything…”

“Anything what?”

“Anything unusual, weird, or that raises any questions.”

“He really got to you. I don’t like this.”

“I know.”