Page 92 of Race to Save Her

“That was weird too. He had on a bulky hoodie with the hood up, and he was wearing one of those masks, like for allergies.”

Katie knew it was the killer and he was hiding his distinctive face. Smart. Still steps ahead of the detectives.

“Have you ever seen him before?” said McGaven.

“No never.”

“Are you being straight with us?” she said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How much did he pay you?”

“Five hundred bucks apiece.”

Katie raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was a lot of money. “What was his reason?”

“He said he was testing new siding and armor for homes.”

The detectives glanced at one another.

“Where can we find your friend Timmy?” asked McGaven.

“He lives down the road, but he’s not home. He’s at his grandparents’ house in Sacramento.”

“If we asked him about the man, would he say the same thing?” said McGaven.

“Yes, totally.”

“Okay,” said McGaven.

“I’m sorry you were there… honest.”

Katie retrieved her business card. “Thanks, Casey. If you think of anything else to tell us, please call.”

“Will do.”

Katie and McGaven walked back to the car.

Once inside, Katie said, “What do you think?”

“I think he’s mostly telling the truth, and I do believe that it’s our guy.”

Katie sighed. Cisco whined and did a spin in the back seat.

“Let’s go to one of Sills’s properties. The one that’s located in Rockview,” she said.

“Absolutely, plenty of time to see what else shakes out.”

FIFTY-FOUR

Sunday 1145 hours

Katie and McGaven finally located the property that matched the deed they had found at the cabin. They navigated several roads in what seemed like the middle of nowhere until they arrived at it. It was two acres with a one-bedroom house from the early 1950s. The original outside stucco was nearly gone, only one window seemed to be unbroken, and there wasn’t a clear view of where the front door was. The weeds and encroaching foliage had almost covered the entire building.

“Good thing you drove the Jeep,” said McGaven, holding to the door and dash. “This is definitely the ghost town part of Rockview.”

The car bobbed and weaved. It was clear no one had visited in more than a decade.