Page 69 of Race to Save Her

Katie heard a truck pull into the driveway and knew it was McGaven. She switched off all lights except for a lamp. “Be good,” she said to the animals.

Cisco opened his eyes and looked at her, but then closed them again.

Katie left and shut her door securely.

McGaven had just got out of his truck and stopped. “Wow, I have a gorgeous partner.”

“Look at you,” she said. “You are quite the handsome date yourself.”

McGaven was wearing a dark gray suit and a tie. He went to the passenger door and opened it. Katie got in.

Neither detective said anything as they drove to the hotel. It was almost dark and there were a number of cars on the road, typical for a Friday night.

“Did you let John know?” he said.

“Of course. He’s going to come by and check in on Cisco.”

McGaven nodded.

“You know, Cisco has been a little low on energy ever since yesterday’s incident.”

“It’s understandable. A stressful and physical encounter takes its toll on anyone. Cisco is tough; he’ll be back to his usual self in a day or so.”

“I hope you’re right.”

McGaven turned onto some of the main streets, heading to the hotel. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Why?”

“I don’t know… I get the vibe like you’re out of sync with your usual energy.”

“Whoa… vibe… energy… sync…” Katie smiled. “I’m fine. Just had the wind kicked out of me yesterday.”

McGaven seemed to not fully believe her, but he kept it to himself. “What do you think? Valet? Or parking garage?”

“As much as valet sounds nice, better make it parking garage in case we have to exit quickly,” she said.

McGaven drove into the garage with a thump, and followed the arrows up to the third story. Katie noticed an interior light at the elevator was flickering. It was mesmerizing but almost terrifying. It made her mind jump to a couple of stressful instances in the Army, which hadn’t happened to her in quite some time. Her nerves were a bit jumpy and she was definitely tense, checking every dark corner. It was probably what McGaven had noticed. Her vibe. She took a breath. It was important she stayed on her game—alert and focused.

Before getting out of the truck, she said, “So what’s the plan?”

“I was able to arrange a dinner reservation. The restaurant is the best place to observe what’s going on in there and the bar.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” she said with a smile as she exited the truck.

The detectives got in the elevator alone. McGaven was a bit edgy now and that drew Katie’s attention.

“What’s up?” she whispered, as if someone could hear their conversations.

“Nothing. Just don’t like elevators, if you remember.”

Katie nodded. She absolutely remembered when they had been stuck in an elevator between floors. She put her arm through his.

The door opened into the bar area of the hotel. The detectives walked out like they were attending a red-carpet event. Katie squeezed McGaven’s arm as they headed into the bar.

“What would you like tonight?” he asked, just loud enough for others to hear.

Katie giggled. “Besides you? I’ll have my usual.” She walked toward a cocktail table in the corner area with a good view of the rest of the lounge. She sat down. Part of her felt conspicuous as she pleasantly smiled; the other part wanting to interrogate everyone there, including the staff.