“Slow down. What do you mean?”
“She’s fallen into some type of cavern or underground cave. The ground is extremely unstable and could drop further at any time. We could lose her.”
“What about Rey?”
“I don’t know. He’s gone… The ground is falling in and it’s unclear how far the danger extends.”
“Text me your coordinates and I’ll send help.”
“Sir,” Chad began. “I’ve got a winch on my Jeep and I’m going to try and pull her out. Do I have your permission?”
There was a pause.
“Sir?”
“Do what you need to do,” was the reply.
“Thank you. My location is coming to you right now.” He ended the phone call and sent a text with his GPS location and specific instructions about the unstable area, then jumped behind the wheel.
He knew that no matter how fast he wanted to drive, he had to watch the ground and go slowly. He stopped the Jeep, then inched forward; stopped and then inched forward again. Cisco seemed to feel his heightened energy and trepidation, which made him bark and pant in turn as they made their halting way toward Katie.
When he calculated that they were approximately twenty-five feet away, Chad got out of the vehicle and ran around to the back, opening the cargo area. Inside, he had several two-by-fours used for fencing. He pulled four of them out and placed them strategically on the ground so that he could drive the Jeep onto them. Then, taking out two more, he wedged them behind his back tires.
Cisco jumped around in the cab, barking every so often as though to encourage him in his efforts.
Chad carefully stepped in front of the Jeep and moved toward Katie as far as he dared, calling her name.
He waited. Then a weak reply: “I’m still here…”
“I’m going to send a rope down to you. Are you strong enough to pull yourself up?”
“I think so…”
There was a rumbling sound beneath Chad’s feet, and the dirt on the ground shook and spilled inward. He froze, then looked back at the Jeep, with the engine idling and Cisco inside. It was shaking, moving from side to side.
No…
With nothing to do but wait, he remained in his position. The sound finally stopped, and didn’t appear to have caused any more damage to the hole.
“Katie?”
“I’m okay, please hurry.”
Chad jumped up and released the winch. The large spool began to unroll and he guided the cable with a hook on the end toward the mouth of the hole. He realized that he was holding his breath as he moved as quickly as possible. The ground turned spongy beneath his feet, so he dropped to his stomach and army-crawled toward the opening, before coming to an abrupt stop. The ground morphed and began to cave in. He couldn’t get any closer.
“Katie, you’ll have to climb up a little bit. Hurry.”
He guided the cable inside the hole, then retraced his path until he was at the Jeep once again.
“Say when!” he yelled.
Katie sat immobile, huddled, her body frozen and muscles severely cramped. Pure fear had gripped her chest and throat, making it difficult to breathe. She remembered her mantra, You’re not going to win, and repeated it out loud, over and over. She knew that Chad was out there, and that he must be scared and worried about her.
Fine dirt began to sift down the sides of her safe haven. It built a momentum of earth, cascading down and covering her in layers. Soon she was finding it almost impossible to breathe, but the dirt kept coming.
Out of fear of being buried alive, she clawed her way upward, though she wasn’t making any real headway. She heard the sound of an engine in the distance, as well as Cisco’s distinct bark. Pushing through her exhaustion, she scrabbled through mounds of dirt, searching for the rope that Chad was trying to get to her.
No lifeline came.
Her dwindling energy was being used up in keeping the dirt from completely immobilizing her. She was fighting an endless barrage of soil; there was no other way of escaping other than to keep pushing it away. It was in her mouth and nose, making her cough and choke.
Still no lifeline came.
Chad, you tried. For that I will always be grateful.
She sat back and waited her fate.
There was so much she was grateful for, and so many people who had made an impact on her life—she loved them all.
Just when she felt at her most bleak and hopeless, a metal hook connected to a cable appeared. It was like a beacon in the darkness. Taking a deep breath and remembering all the past challenges she had faced, Katie pushed her body upward and took hold of the hook.
Her bloody fingers and cold hands somehow held on tight as she yelled with every ounce of her strength, “Okay, pull!”
She wasn’t sure if Chad had heard her, but an invisible force began to pull her up and out of the shaft. As she reached the surface, the fading daylight was like heaven to her. The winch continued to pull her across the ground on her belly. She could barely feel her hands, but she gritted her teeth and clung on.
As Chad manned the winch, he watched the mouth of the hole, hoping that Katie could hang on long enough to get to safety. When he saw her emerging from the ground covered in dirt and wearing only panties and a bra, his heart broke for what she must’ve experienced. She was alone and vulnerable, but she had fought her way back to everything she loved.
She let go of the hook, and stood up, wavering, then started to run toward the Jeep. Cisco had squeezed out through the driver’s window and ran to her, knocking her down again. He gently took her wrist in his mouth and began to pull her; Chad met them, helping Katie to her feet and guiding her to the car.
“You okay?” he asked.
She could only nod her answer, but it was clear that she was weak and struggling to maintain control of her body.
“C’mon, Cisco. Get in the car,” he ordered. The dog obediently jumped into the back.
Holding Katie tight, Chad helped her into the passenger seat, then gunned the engine into reverse, moving as far away from the unstable area as he could. When he figured they were in a safe place, he stopped the car and got out, running around to the back to search for a sweatshirt and a blanket. He helped Katie put the sweatshirt on and wrapped the blanket around her. He had never felt anyone that cold before—even during rescues with the fire department. She was shivering uncontrollably and her skin was pale; she was obviously suffering from hypothermia.
She looked at Chad in silence, but her dark-green eyes conveyed more than mere words could ever do.
“You’re safe now,” he said, and kissed her.
She leaned into his arms and wept uncontrollably. He held her for as long as she needed, until they heard the sounds of SUVs and emergency vehicles fast approaching.
Fifty-Nine
Colorful balloons, stuffed animals, and cheerful cards cluttered the small hospital room. The curtains were half drawn as Katie lay peacefully sleeping. She had been in the hospital for three days, recuperating from hypothermia and a mild concussion.
Partially awake, she turned to her left side and drifted back into a wonderful dream. It was the most rest she had had in months, and she was taking full advantage of it.
Her uncle appeared in the doorway, dressed in casual clothes. Seeing that Katie was sleeping, he was just about to leave again.
“You weren’t going to say hello,” murmured Katie.
“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”
“I haven’t talked to anyone in a while.” She sat up. “Please come in.”
The sheriff entered the room, pulled a chair close to the bed, and sat down. “How are you feeling today?” he asked.
“Better. My head doesn’t hurt as much, but the stitches are getting itchy. I want to go back to work, or at least go home to look at better scenery.”
“It’s only been three days—work will still be there. There are a lot of people wanting to see you, including a certain eager young man.”
&n
bsp; “Uncle Wayne,” she said, embarrassed. The truth was, she didn’t know what to do about her relationship with Chad. She didn’t want a romantic relationship until she could balance other things in her life first.
“I’m just saying—”
“What’s the status on the case?” She quickly changed the subject.
“I think we can wait to talk about that.”
“No, please, I need to know. What’s going on?”
The sheriff smiled and leaned back in the chair. “We’re just about to wrap everything up, but there’s a few more things before we put this entire thing behind us. They’ve identified the third girl, Wendy Stiller, age eleven, and have contacted her mom. It looks like Dena Matthews will make a full recovery. We’ve put together forensic evidence—including the boot prints at your house, Cisco’s bite, and the two notes. Everything is falling into place and points to Charles Rey with everything found at his house. The media has been relentless, but we’ve managed to keep them away from you.”
Katie picked up a cup and sipped some water. “Was Rey the only perp?”
“As far as we can tell, there were no other conspirators. Officially the Toymaker is dead and buried.”
“What about Terrance Price?” she asked, now wide awake.
The sheriff shook his head.
“Are you sure?”
“There’s no indication that he was involved in the kidnappings or the murders.”
Katie let out a sigh. “I thought it was possible that Rey had used him, or that he was an accomplice after the fact.”
“If he was, then he took that secret to his grave. The case for Price is closed. Rey has been declared officially dead, even though the rescuers couldn’t find a body. There’s no way he could have survived.”
“What about…”
“Detective Templeton?” He finished her sentence.
She nodded.
“He’s been fired and stripped of his police-officer status for planting evidence, and the DA is deciding what charges, if any, will be brought against him.”
“Oh.” She looked away. Everything weighed heavy on her. The extreme tiredness pulled her down, willing her to sleep.
Her uncle leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry for everything Rey put you through—I don’t think anyone saw that coming. It’s been a tough time, with all the losses in the town, but we’ll survive. And most important, we’re here for you.”
“Can I have a raise?” She laughed weakly.
Sheriff Scott laughed too. “I’ll bring that up at the next union meeting.”
Katie stared out the window, remembering the attack, the truck ride in the coffin, and falling into the mine. She knew the experience would make her stronger, and a better detective.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s just a little hard to comprehend everything that has happened. So what’s the status at the site?”
“Well, they’ve cordoned off the area so that no one else can accidentally stumble upon it, and now the county and the state, along with the geological and archeological departments at the university, are fighting over who has first rights.”
“Why?”
“They want to decide if it’s a historical area or just a geological anomaly… something like that. They think it might be part of a town that disappeared during 1863, but the jury is still out on that one.”
Katie leaned back, overcome by exhaustion. “Sounds like something the conspiracy theorists will love adding their take on…”
Sheriff Scott rose from the chair, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. “Rest. I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t worry about Cisco; he’s being spoiled by Claire as we speak. You need anything?”
She shook her head.
“See you soon,” he said.
“Okay.” Katie’s voice faded. “I’ll talk to you soon…” She was already asleep as her uncle left the hospital room. He paused for a moment watching her sleep, and then he was gone.
Sixty
Three weeks later
Katie had memorized the swearing-in speech that every law-enforcement officer recited to officially become a part of the police department. There was no doubt as to where she wanted to begin her detective career—it was clear that the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department was her home, and she was eager to get to work.
She stood proud, dressed in her uniform, and placed her right hand on the Bible, with the other raised, as she declared: “I, Katherine Ann Scott, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.”
She smiled, her excitement showing as she turned to her friends witnessing the ceremony.
The crowd of at least a hundred police officers cheered. Most were from the sheriff’s department, but there were others from some of the surrounding departments, there to welcome Katie and congratulate her on solving the serial-killer case.
She stood in front of her uncle as he handed her a detective’s badge and gave her a hug, saying for everyone to hear, “It’s my pleasure to welcome you to our family. You’ve more than earned it.” Then he whispered in her ear, “Your parents would have been extremely proud of you, as I am.”
“Thank you.”
Turning to the audience with tears in her eyes, Katie saw the friendly faces of Deputy McGaven, Supervisor Blackburn, Denise, Aunt Claire, and Chad with Cisco at his side. They were her friends and true family.
Sheriff Scott spoke to the audience. “You are now looking at the detective who will be in charge of our new cold-case division. Welcome, Detective Scott.”
More hoots and hollers rose from the crowd.
Katie smiled, feeling a tremendous sense of pride at belonging somewhere important, doing what she was meant to do. It was great to finally be home.
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Books by Jennifer Chase
Detective Katie Scott Series
Little Girls Sleeping
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Emily Stone Series
Compulsion
Dead Game
Dark Mind
Dead Burn
Dark Pursuit
Dead Cold
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Chip Palmer Series
Scene of the Crime
Body of the Crime
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Standalones
Silent Partner
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Short Stories
First Watch
Never Forgotten
A Letter from Jennifer
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Little Girls Sleeping. If you enjoyed it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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This was a special project and I enjoyed writing it. Forensics and criminal profiling is something that I’ve studied in depth, and to be able to incorporate it into crime fiction has been a thrilling experience for me.
One of my favourite activities outside of writing is dog training. I’m a dog lover, in case you couldn’t tell by reading this book, and have had the i
ncredible opportunity to train with my local police K9 association, which covers several counties in California. My dog is certified in trailing, scent detection, and advanced obedience. I loved creating a supporting canine character for my police detective.
I hope you loved Little Girls Sleeping; if you did, I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.
I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads, or my website.
Thanks,
Jennifer Chase
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www.authorjenniferchase.com
Acknowledgements
I want to thank my husband Mark for his steadfast support and for being my rock even when I had self-doubt.
A special thank you goes out to my law-enforcement, police K9, forensic, and first-responder friends—there are too many to list. I wouldn’t be able to bring my crime-fiction stories to life if it wasn’t for all of you.
This has been a truly amazing writing experience and I would like to thank my publisher Bookouture and their fantastic staff for helping me to bring this book and the series to life. A very special thank you to my editor, Abigail Fenton, for her patience and unwavering enthusiasm.
Published by Bookouture in 2019
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An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Little Girls Sleeping: An absolutely gripping crime thriller Page 27