He nodded and smiled then led her farther down the hallway so the girl couldn’t hear them talking outside her door.
“Her name’s Katie. They had to sedate her, so I’m not sure you’ll get anything more out of her. A.D. Cunningham was hoping she might tell you a last name or what other family she has. If what she’s told us is true, she lost an aunt, an uncle and her father.”
“Did she see what happened?”
“We’re not sure. General consensus is that if she had, she wouldn’t still be alive. But there were footprints on the carpet and she was barefoot when we found her with bloody soles. Not from cuts on her feet. So she might have wandered in and saw the aftermath.”
“How bad was it?”
“Bad.” Delaney’s eyes darted back up the hallway, making sure no one was in earshot. “Uncle Lou was hanging upside down from the ceiling when his throat was cut.”
Gwen closed her eyes. Shook her head. No little girl should ever have to see such a thing.
“It’s possible she spent two or three days in that storm cellar. Attending doctor says she’s dehydrated. Still in shock.”
“And her father?”
“She said he fell in the river. They were still retrieving his body when we left the scene.”
“Does she know he’s dead?”
Delaney swiped his hand over his jaw. “She asked me about him in the ambulance. Wanted to know if they were taking him to the same hospital.” He met Gwen’s eyes and she could see the pained look when he added, “I didn’t know what to tell her.”
“You did fine, Agent Delaney. She was lucky to have you there with her. How old is she?”
“Maybe eleven or twelve. I’m guessing she’s about the same age as my oldest daughter.”
That explained why this was extra hard for him. Gwen knew he wasn’t just comparing the two girls’ ages.
“I’ll talk to her. Go on home Agent Delaney.”
“You sure you don’t want me there?”
“I promise I’ll be gentle with her. It’s actually better if she only has me to lean on. If you’re there she’ll look to you as a mediator. Go home and hug your daughters.”
She watched him leave then Gwen found the girl’s room. The sedatives had kicked in. Katie was asleep. She looked tiny and fragile in the hospital bed with IV lines going into her thin arms.
Gwen glanced at her watch as she sat in the chair next to the bed. She had cancelled her entire evening to sit and wait. It wasn’t the first time she’d done this with a client and it most likely wouldn’t be the last.
She slipped the heels off and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. She studied the girl’s face – it was calm except for a slight pouting of her lips. Every once in a while her eyelids twitched.
There would be nightmares and possibly a fear of the dark. Maybe even claustrophobia. She would grieve for her aunt and uncle. She would cry for her father. There was nothing Gwen could do to make any of that hurt go away.
But maybe if they were lucky, the girl would lead them to the killer. And hopefully she could do so before he realized he had left a witness behind.
Chapter 11
He was beginning to get bored with Loner. The guy was becoming boorishly predictable.
It was one thing to leave an amateur mess like he had in the trailer. But it appeared he’d left another body in the river. And then of course, there was the girl.
He didn’t even need to follow the asshole this time. He knew exactly where Loner would show up next. All he had to do was wait for him.
Stucky left his SUV in the far corner of the parking lot. Then he went through the front doors, walking into the place like he had been there many times. He crossed the lobby with confident strides and passed the reception desk without even looking at the woman behind it. He needed no directions or instructions and just kept walking. It wasn’t until he stood in front of the elevators that he allowed himself a glance at the directory sign.
When he saw that no one was looking at him, he left the elevators and continued down another hallway until he found a door marked Employees Only. He tried the door handle. Not locked. He pulled it open and walked inside the small supply room. By the time he exited the room he was wearing a janitorial uniform and pushing a rolling bucket and mop.
He took the elevator to the first floor of patient rooms. The rollers on the bucket were tricky. Splashing water would draw attention. At the same time he couldn’t afford to look tentative. He stopped at the nursing station and waited for the woman behind the counter to notice him. He needed to be polite and patient – neither trait came easily for him.
When she looked up, he simply said, “They sent me to clean up some little girl’s vomit. Said the ambulance just brought her in about twenty minutes ago. Didn’t give me no room number or anything.”