“No, you stay here and keep digging. You’re on the injured list today.”
“You’re not going alone.”
“I won’t be,” said Katie. “I’ll let youknow when I finish.”
“Call me when you get there so I can keep tabs on you.” He sighed. “And take your own advice… be careful, partner.”
FIFTEEN
Tuesday 1710 hours
Katie left the sheriff’s department parking lot with eight outdoor cameras she’d checked out. They’d used a half dozen of them in a previous case, along with some GPS devices, and they were all still stored in property. She dialed John’s cell phone from her hands-free software. His phone rang several times and she thought it would go to voicemail, but he finally answered.
“Hey, everything okay?” said John, sounding a bit winded.
“Everything’s fine. I need a favor,” she said.
“Name it.”
“I want to put up several wildlife cameras at the old property and the construction site.”
He chuckled. “And you need backup.”
“I know you’re busy there, but it would take maybe half an hour.”
“It’s good timing. There were some equipment issues here, so we’re waiting on a replacement to be delivered. I can have Eva prepare for lights as we start to lose daylight.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“See you then.”
The call ended. Hearing John’s voice had made her smile.
Katie made good time and turned onto the Collins property. There was a trailer with an excavator on it and it was clear there had been mechanical issues. They had made progress, though, having opened up a large area and pushed the overgrowth to the side—dusty remains left behind. The driveway had reappeared and it would be easy to drive in and out.
Katie parked away from the crime scene area, which looked almost identical to that at the construction site. She got out of the car and paused, looking around at the stalled area. John saw her and quickly walked over.
“Hi,” he said.
There was an awkward moment because Katie wanted to hug him, but it wasn’t the time. She knew John must’ve felt the same way as he touched her arm lightly.
“You ready?” she said.
“How many cameras do you want to put here?”
“I think three or four would suffice,” she said. Looking in all directions from where the house and buried body were located, she figured the best positions were in the tree-lined areas in three directions. “There… there… and there,” she suggested, pointing.
John nodded.
They split up. Katie took one recording camera and John the other two. It didn’t take long to install them by strapping them to a tree and aiming the lens in the direction of the crime scene. If anyone were to enter or sneak into the area, whether it be the killer or anyone else, they would have video coverage—and hopefully be able to identify the person.
Katie and John met back at the car to travel to the construction site.
“Are you sure it’s okay if you leave for half an hour?” she said.
“No problem. Eva is handling things and she’s very knowledgeable about skeletal remains and decomposition. She’ll begin the process before I get back.”
Katie found herself staring at John. He was strong, capable, and knew how to run a crime scene. His jaw was tense, but he still managed to sound and act calm. There was quite a bit of work he needed to do, and Katie realized he was running behind.
