Katie’s senses told her she wasn’t in immediate danger, but the entire situation implied otherwise. Her head cleared. She kept her distance and obviously didn’t have a choice but to listen.
“I can see you’re not sure whether to trust me, Detective,” he said as he sat down in a tattered upholstered chair near the fire.
“How do you know I’m a detective?”
“I know a lot about you.”
“Which means what?” Katie kept her position with her back against the door so she could keep her eyes on the entireroom. She assumed to be in a cabin somewhere in the woods. She hated to admit it, but she was intrigued. There was no indication that his man was the killer they were looking for. She had no solid evidence, of course, just her gut instinct—but it usually kept her on track in her investigations.
He chuckled. It was difficult to see if he was smiling, due to all the dense whiskers on his face. “Which means I know about how you and your partner, Detective McGaven, seem to solve every case. I know about your dog. I also know that you’ve been in the Army.”
Katie wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or completely creeped out. She kept her composure. “You know so much about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”
“You’re not supposed to. This is the life I lead. Quiet. No bombarding of the world.”
“I see.” Katie continued to study the man as well as his surroundings, which seemed to be the way he liked it. It was difficult to tell his age. He looked older, but she guessed he was somewhere in his late thirties to forties. He reached for a cup of coffee and Katie noticed there were deep scars on the back of his hands and forearms.
Katie remained in her watch position at the door as if it would suddenly open and she could make an easy escape. There was a strange dreamlike quality to her current situation—she had a difficult time reasoning with herself as to why. She thought of the shadow man with cowboy boots and knew that this man wasn’t him. He wore heavy hiking boots and was much bulkier than the shadow man. But judging by his deep scars, the use of the carotid restraint on her, and the way he moved and positioned himself, Katie guessed that he was military or possibly law enforcement.
“Can I at least ask your name?” she said. “You know mine.”
“You can call me Buck.”
She knew that wasn’t his real name, but said, “All rightthen, Buck it is. I’m assuming what you have to say is about the bodies we found at the construction site.”
“You’re on topic,” he said.
Katie took a breath as her body finally settled down. “You know my partner is frantically trying to find me. What makes you think they won’t find this place?”
“They won’t.”
“You sound so sure.”
“That’s because I am.”
Katie was beginning to tire from this conversation. She thought about McGaven and John searching for her and what her uncle was going to do when he heard. She figured if she stayed much longer, the entire force would be searching for her. She didn’t want to be responsible for all that manpower when they should be protecting the community.
“I can see you’re contemplating your options and maybe profiling me,” he said.
“Put yourself in my shoes.”
He chuckled again.
“You have my attention. Tell me what you wanted to say.”
Buck remained quiet for a minute as he leaned back in the old chair. He clenched his fists. “I think you’re smart enough to know that I didn’t kill anyone in those graves.”
“How do you know about the graves?”
“I just do.”
“Did you see who buried them?”
“Originally?”
Katie nodded.
“No, but there have been many visits.”
