Wilson still didn’t move. Was this part of his plan? Another clever trick like leaving a spleen on a piece of pie?
She moved slowly around the hood of the cruiser. Hands outstretched. Gun aimed directly at center of his hat because that’s all she could see from the front. The glint of sunlight on the windshield made her tense up. For several precious seconds she couldn’t see him. Still, she didn’t take her eyes off the spot, even tapping her foot to find the curb so she didn’t trip over it.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw something on top of the hood. Something small. Square. White. Another distraction. She ignored it.
She had come all the way around the hood and Deputy Wilson hadn’t moved. Now at his door she grabbed the handle and yanked it open in one quick motion.
She smelled the blood before she saw it. The vehicle reeked with the metallic scent. She kept the gun pointed at him. With her left hand she reached in and pushed at his shoulder then immediately stepped back expecting him to still jump out at her.
But instead she watched his body slide sideways into the passenger’s seat, a slow motion process that was no trick at all. That’s when his hat fell off and his head lobbed back. His throat had been slashed. The front of his shirt was soaked with blood.
Maggie stepped to the back door and pulled it open. No Katie. She tugged the trunk latch and carefully went to check. No signs of the little girl.
Her phone was vibrating in her pocket. She grabbed it but still kept her revolver at her side.
“Katie’s safe.” It was Cunningham. “I got your message. Approach Wilson with caution.”
“I’ve already approached,” she told him. “Wilson’s dead.”
“Excuse me?”
“His throat’s slashed.”
She walked around the vehicle slowly like she still didn’t trust the situation. Then she noticed the object on the hood of the cruiser. It was a foam container. The type used for take-out food. It looked like there was blood running down one side. Her stomach took a dive.
“I’m guessing his throat wasn’t the only thing cut.”
Chapter 21
Twenty-four hours later
Cunningham handpicked the FBI agents that were now assigned to stand watch over Katie. Maggie greeted the new watchman as he checked her badge.
Inside her hospital room Katie was sitting up sucking at the straw of what looked like a chocolate milk shake. Both she and Delaney looked up at Maggie and smiled.
“What did I interrupt?”
“He tells funny stories,” the girl told her and rolled her eyes at Delaney, but she was obviously enjoying his company.
There was another tap at the door and this time Gwen came in. She was wearing a business suit, slacks with modest heels and carrying a briefcase.
“Hi Katie,” she greeted the girl first. “How are you today?”
“Mr. Delaney brought me a chocolate shake.”
They exchanged another smile and Maggie was amazed how quickly the girl had gotten attached to him. They still hadn’t located any relatives. Katie’s mom had died when the girl was three years old. Delaney was working on finding the maternal grandmother. No luck so far. Maggie knew that he and his wife, Karen had offered to take the girl in, until they could track down her grandmother.
Gwen put her briefcase down and clicked it open, still focusing her attention on the girl.
“Katie, do you remember what I told you we were going to do today?”
Suddenly the smile slid off her face and her eyes darted over to Delaney. He scooted the chair closer and put a hand out. She hesitated only a few seconds before she reached out and put hers in his.
She looked up at Gwen and said, “We’re gonna find the bad guy.”
“That’s right. But if you feel sick or scared at any time we’ll stop, okay?”
Katie nodded and sucked on the straw until it made a gurgling sound of more air than shake. She handed over the empty glass and sat up straight.
They were starting to put together some of the puzzle pieces. Ganza had sent off to ballistics the bullet that was removed from the back of Katie’s father. They also were able to provide Deputy Wilson’s service revolver.
Sheriff Geller claimed he and his deputy had not taken more than a step inside the double-wide. They had arrived on the scene together, opened the trailer door, took one whiff along with a brief glance and closed the door again. But the CSU techs had processed fingerprints that had been left on one of the lamps. One of the lamps that the killer had cut the electrical cord off to use as restraints. Those fingerprints matched Deputy Wilson’s.
Gwen pulled out a set of five by seven photographs. Cunningham had asked that Gwen handle this part though he had instructed her how to make her presentation.
She smoothed the blanket out in front of Katie and then one by one she began to lay each photograph down in front of her.
“Try not to think too hard,” Gwen told the girl. “Just look. This isn’t a test. There’s no wrong or --.”