“Seems plausible,” she said. “But how did the killer get in? Did they have a key or did someone leave it open?”
“Let’s take a look,” he said.
As they walked back to the eastern gate, Katie noticed that the fencing and surrounding areas were old and worn. It was next to the area under construction.
“Wait,” she said. Walking to the construction zone, she found heavy-duty white-and-blue tarps along with plywood covering the areas where the games would have been.
Cisco seemed to be extremely interested in the smells.
Katie entered underneath a tarp. The smell was oppressive, with a noxious scent of plastic and paint. The tarps helped to block out the light and created a darkened, creepy atmosphere. A slight pressure affected her ears like she was inside a soundproof room.
“John,” she said.
He didn’t respond.
“John!” she yelled.
No response.
She walked back to the entrance and squeezed between the tarp. “John?”
“Yeah,” he said and walked up.
“You didn’t hear me?”
“No.”
“Check this out.” She went back inside the area and was once again hit with the stagnant air.
“Stinks in here,” he said.
Cisco brushed up against her leg.
Katie saw two wooden doors facing toward the parking lots outside. She retrieved her cell phone and popped on the flashlight mode. Aiming the light around the doors, she noticed that one of them had scrape marks.
“What do you make of these?” she said.
“I’ve seen this a million times. This is what is left behind when someone pries open a door or window. I’ve compared my fair share of tools to impression evidence from burglaries. More than I can count.”
Katie turned her attention to the area and searched for something that would make that type of mark. She noticed a few tools lying on the ground in the corner—a long screwdriver and a piece of copper.
“Could something like these cause that impression?” she asked, pointing to the tools.
“It’s possible. I’ll go get my portable forensic case.”
Katie nodded in agreement. She took the opportunity to look around, but nothing seemed obvious. But the slight soundproofing was interesting and could account to why the security guard might not have heard the killer and his victim enter. It would also give the killer time to observe the area, making sure that it was entirely vacant. Maybe the killer had entered on several occasions to scope out the area.
John returned and approached the doors and tools as if they were a crime scene. He photographed and collected the potential evidence. He used the dental stone commonly used to retrieve footprint impressions, to make an imprint of the scrape marks around the door.
“I think that’s it,” he said.
They walked back to Katie’s Jeep. She was lost in thought, imagining how the killer entered the fairgrounds and how they had killed and posed the victim. And lastly, adding the ring and ribbon evidence for one last detail.
“I know you and McGaven will find the killer,” said John.
Katie let Cisco back into the Jeep and shut the back door. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because you always do.”
Chapter Twelve
Wednesday 1335 hours
After Katie brought Cisco back to the police kennels and returned to the office, she found McGaven buried in paperwork in front of the computer.
“That looks like fun,” she said.
“Loads.” He turned, his chair creaking underneath him.
Looking up at the board, Katie realized she needed to begin to add their findings. “Any luck on those lists?”
McGaven let out an exhale. “It’s longer than I thought it would be—I have this dreaded feeling that I’m searching blind here. There have been tons of employees at the fairgrounds. Some seasonal. Others just part time. Lots of names.”
“You might want to add burglary or breaking and entering to your search parameter.”
“Because?”
“I’m going to have to extend my list of people to contractors and subcontractors who have worked there in the past year or so.” He keyed in search parameters and sat back. “Oh, I had a thought.”
“And?”
“Well, I thought that the Ferris wheel might be something important. A symbol or of special significance to the killer.”
She nodded. “Meaning?”
“I thought it might give us some insight into him, or her. Why the Ferris wheel? Why not the merry-go-round or one of the other rides?”
“Go on.”
“I did a few searches. And for instance, did you know that the Ferris wheel is the fourth favorite ride at fairs and amusement parks?”
“No, but I’m not surprised.”
“Anyway…”
“What’s the first?” she said interrupting.
“The carousel or merry-go-round.”
“Hm.”
“The Ferris wheel was introduced at the Chicago Expo in 1893.” He printed a piece of paper, grabbed it and continued, reading the copy. “So I went darker.”
“I see.” Katie listened intently.
“I checked to see what type of tragedies have happened at fairs over the years. And why they happen. It’s said that the main reasons for accidents are negligence, not following the rules, health issues, and acts of God— like weather, when, say, a transformer blows up because of lightning.”
“So you think that the killer might have experienced something that went wrong at a fair or amusement park?”
“Maybe, but it makes you wonder why they would choose the Ferris wheel.”
“It could be for dramatic effect. There’s been no connection to fairs and amusement parks with the other victims, but,” she said, “dig a little deeper and see if anything happened to a child or something of the sort. I seem to remember a fire or something when I was about twelve or so.”
“That’s a long time ago.”
“Funny,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“I’ll poke around in between other searches and see what pops up.”
McGaven went back to work.
Katie hurried home with some goodies from a deli and all the ingredients for cosmopolitans. It was going to be a low-key get-together for the girls, since they all had to work in the morning, but they had been talking about meeting up for a while and they all had openings in their schedules for tonight, so they booked the block of time.
Her friend Denise from the sheriff’s department records division—who was also McGaven’s girlfriend—and her army friend Lizzy were going to be there at 7:30 p.m.
Katie burst through her front door carrying several bags with Cisco in tow. “Okay, Cisco, we have half an hour to get ready. Think we can do it?” She wasn’t expecting a reply, of course, and put things in the refrigerator before jumping into the shower to wash the day from her body, surprised that she felt refreshed and energized after a trying day of revelations.
Quickly drying her long hair, she decided to keep it down. She applied light makeup. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a casual top, Katie was just about ready when she heard her doorbell.
Cisco gave a high-pitched bark because he already knew who was at the door.
“Coming, coming.” She opened the door and both Denise and Lizzy stood there patiently waiting—each with bags of goodies. After they hugged and chatted and complimented each other on what they were wearing, the ladies settled into the kitchen.
“So you and Gav had an interesting day,” said Denise. Her perky personality matched her short haircut.
“Did he tell you?”
“What? What?” chimed Lizzy.
“Of course. We don’t keep any secrets from one another.” She helped to unwrap some deli rollups and unpacked potato salad. “Oh, this looks good.”
“I’m so thankful that Gav was with me.”
“What?” Lizzy s
aid again. “I’m missing something here.”
“It seems that Detective Scott here is getting some very interesting information about these new cases,” Denise began. “Not to mention they got stuck inside a boarded-up house the other day, and someone decided to turn the gas on.”
“What? That’s crazy. You guys okay?” Lizzy looked worried. She absently pushed her bangs from her eyes.
“We’re fine. At least, I am.”
“Don’t worry; Gav is just fine too.”
Lizzy petted Cisco as he stayed next to her. “And this guy?”
“Cisco was in the car, but he did come to help us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Somehow, he managed to press the remote I left in the car and release the back door.”
“What?” said Denise. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
“Such an awesome smart boy,” Lizzy gushed. “I wasn’t as lucky to bring my dog Billy home, but he got another handler and is doing his duty.” She looked a bit melancholy as she stroked Cisco.
Uncomfortable, Katie said, “Lizzy, I have to warn you—this case I’m working… All the victims have been ex-K9 handlers. You will take care, won’t you?”
Shocked, Lizzy paled, but then laughed. “Don’t worry about me—I’m stuck in the office most of the time. And I’m going back soon anyway.”
Happier, Katie finished a round of bright pink cosmos. “Here we are, ladies, just as I promised.”
“Wow, haven’t had one of these in a while,” said Denise.
“Yeah, well, I’m only good for one tonight,” laughed Lizzy.
“Okay,” Katie began. “Here’s to friends, love, and living every day to the fullest.”
“Cheers!” they all said in unison.
“This is fantastic,” said Lizzy.
“Oh, I agree.”
The ladies chatted and laughed as they ate and drank.
Katie opened her closet and pulled out a garment bag hanging at the end. She could hear Denise and Lizzy laughing about something in the kitchen. She glanced at the photograph of her parents on the chest of drawers and wished that they could be at her wedding. If only she’d had more time with them before that fateful car accident took their lives. It was bittersweet that she had Uncle Wayne to walk her down the aisle.
Katie carefully laid the pink bag on the bed. Unzipping it she revealed a beautiful wedding dress with a lace bodice. She took a breath. It had belonged to her mother, but it was still just as stunning today as it was on the day her parents were married.
She choked back the tears and focused on her own wedding day. As she had promised her friends, she slipped on the dress. It was almost a perfect fit, with a few alterations it would be flawless on her day. Nerves hit her. Anxious energy pummeled her stomach. She felt jittery. She hadn’t told her friends that Chad would be leaving for six months. There was no sense putting a dampener on the evening—she would tell them soon.
Walking down the hallway, she made a grand entrance. “Well, I promised I would show you.”
Denise gasped. “Oh, sweetie.”
“You are gorgeous in that dress,” said Lizzy.
“Stunning.”
“Beautiful.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Katie said. “You’re embarrassing me now.”
Both women approached Katie, admiring.
Lizzy said, “Your parents would have loved you in this dress. It would have meant the world to your mom.”
“They would be so proud of you.”
“Do you think it’s… well, up-to-date enough?”
“It’s perfect,” said Denise.
Lizzy nodded. “Absolutely.”
Cisco got in on the action, circling Katie several times.
They laughed.
“Where is Chad?”
“Working.”
“Well, he’s going to flip when he sees you walk down the aisle.”
After her friends had left, Katie went to bed almost immediately even though it was earlier than her normal bedtime. She was exhausted from the events of the day and her body and mind basically shut down. Cisco felt her weakness and snuggled in next to her. They both fell fast asleep.
Katie tossed and turned. Her sleep was restless, her dreams disturbing. It wasn’t uncommon for her to dream about her past and the battlefield, and sometimes the victims in her cold cases appeared to reach out to her in a supernatural way—but tonight was different. It was as if someone or something was trying to warn her—pulling at her, struggling to convince her. She felt the heavy burden of premonition that something bad was going to happen.
Chapter Thirteen
Thursday 0745 hours
Katie looked forward to visiting the military dog training facility in Sacramento. It was where she had received her preliminary training for six weeks before she traveled to Afghanistan for the final advanced training with Cisco. To Katie’s surprise, Agent Campbell came through for them and they were granted entry to view the facility and to speak with Sergeant Anthony Serrano. Katie drove there with purpose and high expectations of what they might uncover. Looking through most of the flash drive yesterday, it was becoming clearer that the K9 angle took center stage. That realization made the motive of the killer hit close to home for her.
“Thinking about your training?” said McGaven, interrupting her thoughts.
“It seems like such a long time ago. So many things have happened since then. But the training was memorable.”
“Good or bad?”
“Mostly good. Everything turned out great, of course, but it was tough—actually, very tough at times. It would have been easy to wash out.”
“I wonder if our vics had the same experience?”
Taking a turn off the freeway, Katie sped up to make several traffic lights. “Everyone was on the same page on how demanding it was, but just at different levels of training.”
She turned down a road where a sign read: “Military Training Area.” She slowed the sedan and drove into the civilian entrance where there was a booth and a heavy gate. Signs were posted everywhere stating, “Warning: No Admittance and Only Military Personnel Beyond this Point.” Nothing could be seen of the facility—not the buildings, nor the dog-training areas. It was like a prison institution, with tall, impenetrable walls.
“I feel like I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be,” said McGaven as he searched the area.
“Most people don’t know that dog training is performed here.”
Katie pulled up to the security booth as a military police officer gestured for her to stop.
She put down her window. “I’m Detective Katie Scott from the PV Sheriff’s Department. We have an appointment with Sergeant Serrano.” She handed the officer her badge identification along with McGaven’s. He disappeared for several minutes before returning and giving Katie back the IDs.
“Here are your ID passes,” he said, handing her two laminated visitor passes. “Be sure to check your weapons and leave them in the trunk before entering the facility. Go straight and make the second right. Follow the signs for the K9 training until you reach the main office.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “Ma’am.”
The gate lifted and Katie slowly drove through and followed the instructions.
As she made the second right and headed toward the K9 training area, they could see chain-link fencing with razor wire and several large buildings and kennel areas. She followed the signs and everything became familiar to her. She remembered arriving by bus with the other recruits. It was an exciting time and she would never forget the first time she met Cisco.
She walked through the long line of kennels, the walls ringing with the echo of barking dogs, jumping and pawing their doors on both sides. There were many German and Czech shepherds and Belgian Malinois breeds. An extra-loud banging at the end of the row piqued Katie’s curiosity and she moved closer. She saw a dark face staring back at her when she approached. A black face with ye
llow wolf eyes and an expression of pure drive and curiosity gazed back at her. The dog barked and banged his paw against the door. She couldn’t keep her eyes away from him as she slowly put her hand against the kennel door. Cisco gently licked her palm. At that moment, she knew he was the dog she wanted to train and to ultimately become her partner.
“I don’t think you want him. He’s washed out with two handlers,” said the trainer. “Not sure what we’re going to do with him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Cisco.”
The beautiful jet-black dog barked as if it was an introduction.
“He’s the one,” said Katie as she moved closer to the kennel. “He’s the one I want to work with.”
Katie felt a flutter in her stomach as she remembered her first meeting with Cisco and their first day of training—rocky at best. The ups, downs, and the complete rush of feelings when they breezed through the obstacle courses and scent work. But as time went on, they proved to be one of the top military explosives K9 teams.
She pulled into a visitor’s parking place and cut the engine.
“You ready?” she said. It was more for herself than McGaven. Emotions and memories from her time training were flooding back to her and she needed a moment to compose herself.
“You bet.”
They got out of the vehicle, taking their weapons and securing them in the trunk as instructed.
Clipping her visitor’s pass to her jacket and making sure she had her small notebook, she walked to the office area, followed by McGaven.
Several recruits were walking about and as they moved closer to the check-in desk, dogs could be heard barking.
Katie felt goosebumps pimple up her arms and part of her wanted to be back out in the training area. It was where her skills were constantly being pushed to another level and it was where her bond with Cisco was formed.
Pretty Broken Dolls: An absolutely gripping crime thriller packed with mystery and suspense (Detective Katie Scott Book 6) Page 8
