All the Shiny Things: A Kate Reid Novel (Kate Reid Series Book 1) (17 page)

“Police arrived just after dawn this morning at the Miramar landfill after a worker notified his supervisor that he had spotted human remains just before his earthmoving equipment was to begin working the area. The unidentified body is thought to be that of missing eight-year-old, Isabelle Thompson. The little girl disappeared last month after she failed to arrive at school on the morning of April 10
th
. Her mother has not yet been cleared in the investigation; however, she and the other family members maintain her innocence in the disappearance of Isabelle. Community volunteers and police have been scouring the surrounding neighborhoods for any clues as to her whereabouts. There is an ongoing investigation of a suspect already in custody on another charge, but police are reluctant to release any further details pending positive identification.”

Katie listened, hoping for more on the story, but that was all, a three-minute blip for this little girl who had been taken and was now presumed dead.

Spencer walked into the room. “What are you doing?” he asked as she stood motionless.

“They found her.”

“They found who?”

“Isabelle. They found her in a landfill. It was just on the news.”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry, honey.” He put his arm around her. “That poor little girl. They’re sure it’s her?”

“Not yet. They haven’t identified the remains.”

“Well, maybe it’s not.”

“Spencer, it’s her. I know it is. The police know it is, they just won’t say anything until they know for sure.”

“Oh babe; that’s why I was so concerned about you working on this type of case. Unfortunately, this is how they usually turn out. You have to be able to stay emotionally detached or it will eat you alive.”

Katie stepped away from him and headed toward their bedroom.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to go for a walk or something. I just need to be alone for a while.”

“Katie, please. I know this is devastating for you, but you can’t let it get to you. You’ve been through enough and don’t need to carry this burden as well. Let’s go somewhere together. Somewhere that will take your mind off of it. Maybe we can go cake tasting or something. We haven’t picked out our cake yet.”

She whipped around, looking at him as if he had just lost his mind. “Cake tasting? A little girl, whose case I’ve been working on, has just been found dead and you want to go cake tasting?”

“Jesus! Yes, Okay? I want us to do something normal, something that doesn’t involve thinking about child molesters and murderers. You think I don’t get enough of that in my own work? For God’s sake, I want us to have fun and be happy, you know, like we talked about last night? Have you forgotten about everything we discussed?”

“No, I haven’t. I just need an hour to myself, please. Just to clear my head, okay? I know I can’t let this stuff get to me like this, I just need to figure out a way to handle it and right now, being alone for a while will help. Then, when I get back, we can go and do whatever you want, I swear.”

He said nothing more, just gave her a nod and continued into the kitchen.

This was not how she expected the day to begin. It was as if nothing they said last night made any difference at all.

She threw on sweat pants and a t-shirt, grabbed her keys and phone, and headed toward the front door. “I’ll be back in a little while.” Katie left without waiting for a response.

Their apartment was a few blocks from a park and that was where she was headed. On arrival, the workers at the park were preparing for the Memorial Day celebrations. With everything that had been happening, she hadn’t realized the parade was tomorrow.

A bench under the shade tree seemed the perfect spot. She watched the children play on the playground. They were innocent and beautiful and she just couldn’t stomach the thought that Isabelle was in that landfill. She wanted to call Marshall, of course, he was probably one of the first ones to go out there. It was his case, after all and he was bound to be knee-deep in it right now.

The sun began poking through the morning mist. The park soon filled with parents setting up for their children’s birthday parties and the smell of barbeque floated by, making Katie’s mouth water. How long had she been here? It must be nearing lunchtime.

The shock of this latest development in Isabelle’s case was beginning to sink in. It was time to bring the girl’s murderer to justice and she would continue her work with Marshall as long as he needed her. However, making amends with Spencer was what she needed to do now.

When she returned to the apartment, he was exactly where she left him. Katie sat beside him and held his hand. “So, you feel like picking out our cake?”

Spencer’s weary smile gave her pause. She’d not seen him look at her in that manner before.

“I’m exhausted, Katie,” he began. “I feel like an insensitive ass when I say anything to you about our wedding, like I should be ashamed of myself for speaking of such things when you’re going through something I can’t even hope to comprehend. Now, you’re working with the police on missing persons cases? Since when did that stuff even interest you?” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but it scares the hell out of me. I’m afraid to help you, afraid not to help you. Christ, I don’t know which way is up anymore.”

She’d already felt terrible for lashing out at him earlier. Clearly, he’d been hurt by it. “I know you don’t and it’s my fault. I’m so damned confused myself, I don’t know what direction I’m headed either. I wanted to work with the police so I could learn about investigations, leads…that sort of stuff. I thought that maybe it would help me find him. Spencer, I wish I could make you understand what this feels like for me. I’m just so frustrated by my own lack of understanding. But please, just hang in there with me a little while longer; I promise, this won’t last forever. I will resolve it somehow.”

“Let’s figure this out together then, okay? I mean it.” Spencer replied.

“Okay.”

» » »

Katie sat quietly at her desk, the long weekend having passed by while she remained uncertain of the future, unsure of what to do next. Now, there were no messages from Marshall, no emails; nothing to indicate that he needed her help in any way.

Her office line buzzed and Susan’s voice emerged.

“Katie, can you come to my office, please?”

“I’ll be right there.” A moment later, she stood outside Susan’s door. “Good morning. You wanted to see me?”

“Well, I’m not sure how good it is, but come on in and take a seat. I’m sure you heard the news over the weekend.”

Katie nodded.

“We’ll need to turn over all the files and notes you’ve taken on the Thompson case. The police and the DA are going to need everything we’ve got. From what I gather, forensics on the body should be completed tomorrow and they’ll have a positive identity. Once they have that, we’re going to help Isabelle’s school provide counseling services through our Crisis Center. I’ll let you coordinate those efforts. In the meantime, let’s go ahead and copy the files to flash drives. They’ll want paper copies as well.”

Katie, believing she was being dismissed, stood up to leave.

“One more thing, Katie; you were working pretty closely with Detective Avery on this. There’s no shame in talking to someone, if you need to. It’s never easy when it ends this way, but the first time is always the toughest.”

“Thank you, Susan. I’ll keep it in mind.”

The next few hours were spent compiling the data, copying emails, and gathering various other correspondences. The unsettled feeling, as though she was already burying Isabelle, wouldn’t go away.

“Hi, Kate.”

She glanced up from her computer screen to find Detective Avery standing in her doorway.

“Marshall? Please, come in.”

“It’s been all over the news, so I’m sure you heard.” His question elicited merely a nod her of acknowledgement.

“We’ve been able to positively identify her. It’s Isabelle. We won’t release it to the press until tomorrow, after we’ve had a chance to talk to the family.”

Katie swallowed hard, not wanting her weakness to show through. It was what everyone suspected, but knowing for certain made it all the more difficult.

“The only good thing about this is that we’ll be able to get DNA evidence from the body. Forensics hasn’t had much luck with Johansen’s home or vehicle. Some tests are still pending, but DNA will put an end to any question of his culpability.”

“How much time will he serve?” she asked.

“Hopefully, it’ll be the death penalty.” He turned to leave.

“Marshall, wait. Will you help me find him? I–I just can’t let it go; not after this.” She didn’t elaborate any further, knowing he would understand her meaning.

“It won’t be easy, Kate. We have virtually nothing to go on but your memory.”

“I understand, but I have to at least try. I know if Chief Wilson can help, even if it’s off the record, he will. He’s a lot like you, I think; determined to find the truth.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Detective Avery walked away.

10

I
t had been
two weeks since she’d asked Marshall to help with her case. He had access to databases, like CODIS and the national DNA database system. They were meeting for lunch today so he could fill Katie in on his progress. This wasn’t official police business; in fact, he had no authority whatsoever to work on a cold case in Humboldt County. They both knew what was at stake if it got out that he was involved.

Nevertheless, Marshall kept his promise to help Katie and she knew he wouldn’t let her down.

Katie arrived at the restaurant and found Marshall already seated. It would be the first time they’d be served a meal that wasn’t contained in a red basket where they sat on a street bench or concrete step.

He waved her over. There was no exchange of pleasantries as she sat down at the table; she wondered if that was a good thing or not.

“I don’t know how much you know about CODIS,” Marshall began, straight to the point, “but it doesn’t just keep DNA profiles on convicted felons. When a missing person is reported, the relatives can provide their DNA to cross-reference in the event unidentified remains are found. The system runs periodic checks to compare the profiles. The same goes for crime scene DNA evidence. It’s entered into CODIS and cross-referenced with the profiles of known felons to find matches.”

The waiter politely interrupted them by setting down two waters. “Are you two ready to order?” he asked.

Marshall seemed very abrupt today and she wondered if he was under pressure on the Johansen case.

“I’ll have the club sandwich and salad, please,” Katie said.

Marshall opened up the menu again and pointed to the jalapeño burger and fries. “I’ll have that, thanks.”

“Thank you and I’ll be back shortly with your meals.”

Marshall watched the waiter leave. “As I was saying, unfortunately, DNA evidence wasn’t widely used until the mid-90’s, which doesn’t help us out much in your case. But what I was hoping to accomplish was determining if any unidentified remains had been entered into the system from within a hundred miles of the vicinity of your case and the other kidnappings.”

“And was there a match?” she asked.

“There were some unidentified remains entered from the Eureka area, so I had to confirm the age of those remains. We know we’re looking for young kids here, so if they were from an adult, we’d know that wasn’t going to work for us.

“Eureka is obviously a larger city than Rio Dell, so there were quite a few missing persons in the National Database. So far, I haven’t found any that would match the ages of the children who disappeared around the same time you were abducted.”

“So, we don’t have anything more to go on, now?”

“Not necessarily, Kate. Are you still going to that doctor for the hypnotherapy?”

“No. I stopped going a couple weeks ago. I just didn’t see that I was making any progress. It was getting to the point that reliving the events, as much as I knew of them anyway, was getting to be too much for me.”

“And what about your dreams? Are you still having them?”

“Sometimes, but they’re usually the same now. I’m running through the forest and he’s chasing me. I have to admit, they’re not as bad as they were, but yeah, I have them on occasion.”

The waiter approached, once again, only this time with their food. He seemed to know better than to ask any further questions. “Enjoy your meal,” he said, quickly leaving.

“What if we went back to where you were found?” Marshall continued. “Have you ever been back there?”

“No, I don’t think so. I suppose it’s hard to say because I didn’t know about all this when I was growing up, but I imagine my parents wouldn’t take me back there.” Katie began stabbing her fork at the salad.

“No, probably not,” Marshall replied.

“How do you feel about revisiting the place? Do you think you could handle it?”

She set her fork down and considered the proposition, while watching Marshall tear into his burger. She hadn’t seen him so agitated before and wanted to question it, but thought it might only irritate him more. Something was going on and he didn’t want her to know about it.

“What are you hoping we’ll get out of it?” Katie asked.

“I’m not sure, exactly. Maybe I’m getting way off base here, but what if going back helped you to remember more? It’s not unheard of, having victims revisit the scene to help them recall the events of the crime.”

The thought of having to go there, to see it in real life, terrified Katie. But what if it was the only way to get answers? So far, they’d been hitting nothing but brick walls. This was either going to die on the vine, or she would have to take more drastic measures.

“You won’t be alone. I’ll be there with you.”

It was a comforting offer, knowing she wouldn’t be alone, and helped confirm her decision. “I don’t know exactly where I was found. I’d have to contact Chief Wilson.”

“I just don’t know what else I can do, Kate. No hits on CODIS, no hits on NamUs; I’m running out of options here; unless you want to stop? We don’t have to go any further. You can take solace in the fact that you did what you could.”

“No, I can’t. I haven’t done all I can do. We need to go there. I’ll contact the chief. He offered to help, if I needed it.”

“Okay, then.” This decision seemed to improve his mood a little. “I’ve got to get back to the office. I’m meeting with the DA later on the Johansen case. We think we’ve got what we need to prosecute. Let me know what you find out.”

He opened his wallet, pulled out a couple of twenties, and dropped them on the table. “Sorry to eat and run, but I’m slammed right now. Catch up with you later?”

Katie nodded and he was gone. Now it would be up to her to take the next step.

» » »

Katie arrived back at the office and closed her door to call the chief. “Chief Wilson, this is Katie Reid. I was wondering if it would be possible to take a look at my case file?”

“You know I don’t have much, Katie. If I did, we could have pursued your request. What is it that you’re looking for?”

“I’d like to know the location of where they found me.”

“Okay. Can I ask why? Our officers, including me, searched that area with a fine tooth comb.”

He seemed to be on the defensive. She still needed him and couldn’t risk pushing him away. “I’m not implying there might still be evidence and I’m certain your officers did a good job. My thoughts were that if I revisited the area, maybe I might remember more details.”

“I can see you’re not going to give up on this and I admire you for that. But I’m concerned that you might only bring further pain to yourself and your family.”

“I appreciate that concern, Chief, I really do. If I am able to uncover anything of relevance, believe me, you’ll be the first person I turn to.”

“Well, I guess there’s not much I can do to sway you otherwise. Okay. I’ll have to get the file from archive and send something over to you. You got an email address?”

“Katherine dot Reid at agi dot com.” Her work email was probably the safest as it wasn’t one that Spencer had access to.
No secrets, Katie.

» » »

On the drive home, Katie ran through her mind how she was going to tell Spencer about this. They’d been getting along pretty well this past week or so and any talk of her case had been practically nonexistent since the day they found Isabelle. He wasn’t likely to be accepting of her heading up north with Detective Avery to the place where the nightmares took her.

Would he feel better if he went along? Either way, he wouldn’t be happy about it. The thought had crossed her mind not to tell him at all. Maybe that would be best for everyone, or maybe just best for her.

Spencer could never really understand why she needed to do this; why she had to know the truth. But lying about this would change their relationship forever. She had promised him and now was considering breaking that promise.

What if, in the end, she went there and discovered nothing? Remembered nothing? Then all the arguments over it would have only served to put further strain on their relationship.

She gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and let out a scream, filled with all the anxiety, guilt, and pain that sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

No
, she thought. Until there was something solid, there was no point in getting him involved any further. He had enough on his plate and she had scarcely considered that up until now.

Upon arrival, Katie pulled into the parking lot and walked up the steps to the front door of their apartment. It was opened just a crack and when Katie pushed it further, a beautiful candlelight dinner sparkled in the darkened room.

“Wow! What’s this all about?”

“I just thought a little celebration was in order for achieving my first win in court. Well, technically, it was a team win, but I played a significant role.”

“Oh my God, Spencer, congratulations!”

She had been so wrapped up in her own work that she’d forgotten about his trial. He wasn’t part of the defense team, but was on the team that researched and drafted the court papers.

“That is wonderful and definitely cause for celebration!” Katie was relieved by this welcomed turn of events. This reaffirmed her decision to withhold her intentions. She would not tell him about her plans; not now, when he was so happy.

“So, tell me all about it!”

Spencer pulled a chair out for her as she sat down at the table. Almost immediately, he began retelling the events of his day and looked happier than she’d seen him in a very long time. The candlelight cast a soft glow on his face and he appear young, almost as young as when they first met. His deep brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and he wore a smile that made her heart stop. Maybe it was just the boyish excitement that radiated from him, but she could have sworn he looked like a teenager.

“Look at me, I’ve been talking for twenty minutes straight and haven’t even asked how your day was.”

“It was fine. I went with Susan today on a new case. The police were questioning a child who had been abused and it’s required for victim advocates and CPS to monitor the questioning. It’s a way to protect the kids from any undue duress. But the cops were really careful not to scare the kid in any way. They’re trained for that.”

Spencer reached across the table and held her hand. “I’m really glad I can share this with you. You’ve had to put up with me studying to pass the bar and working long hours, and now I can finally see the fruits of my labor. It means a lot to me that you stuck it out, Katie.”

She knew he was referring to their recent troubles as well. “What else would I do? I love you.”

» » »

Arriving at work
after little sleep from last night’s celebrations, Katie eagerly checked her email and there it was. The chief had sent the location of where she’d been found. Immediately retrieving her phone, she called Marshall to give him the news. “I just got an email from Chief Wilson. He gave me the location.”

“Great. When are we leaving?” Marshall asked.

“I was thinking maybe we could leave Friday after work and then get up early on Saturday to drive out there.”

“I think that’ll work. Spencer’s okay with it?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. He wanted to go, but his firm just won a big case and he’s going to have a lot of paperwork to finish up.”

The silence on the other end made Katie think Marshall might be suspicious of her comment. The excuse was weak, but she glossed over it. “So, I’ll check on the flights and get back with you?”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Hey, Marshall… Are you sure you can do this with me? I know you’ve been slammed with the investigation. I just don’t want you to feel obligated, you know?”

“I don’t; and yes, I can do this. It’s a day or two out my life. I think I can manage it. Besides, I said I would help you and this was my idea, remember? It’s what I want to do. Goodbye, Kate.”

Her next call would be to Sam. She was going to have to ask her best friend to lie.

“Katie, think about what you’re doing here,” Sam replied.

“I
have
thought about it. It’s all I think about anymore, Sam. I just need to do everything in my power to find the truth.”

“I understand that, Katie, I do, but lying to Spencer? This is not the way to handle it and you know it. Look, I’ll cover for you if he calls because I love you and you’re the nearest thing to a sister I have. But I’m terrified you’re getting in over your head. I don’t know this Detective Avery and you don’t either.”

“I trust him, Sam. He’s the only one who understands what this means to me. He doesn’t have an agenda. You’d like him; he’s a good man and a great cop. If anyone can help me, it’s him.”

“That’s not true. I understand and I’m sure Spencer would too if he knew. You’re not giving him a chance.”