Pretty Broken Dolls by Jennifer Chase

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sunday 0545 hours

That night was terrible for Katie as far as rest was concerned. She had tossed and turned, jolted awake continually by imagined sounds and terrible memories coming back. And then the insomnia set in, where she couldn’t get back to sleep. She missed Chad terribly. It was like a part of her was gone. He had been the one constant in her life ever since she was in the fourth grade—no one knew her like he did.

Katie decided to get up to write in her journal before the sun rose to take her mind off things. Her psychologist told her to put pen to paper if something was bothering her—so she did. It had been helpful in the past and it had become easier the more she did it.

Cisco pushed his wet nose at her journal, giving her his usual German shepherd whine.

“Let me finish, Cisco,” she giggled, scratching him behind his ears.

The dog padded around the living room and quickly came back to pester Katie.

“Okay, okay. We’ll go on a run.”

Cisco barked in agreement, bounding around the room in circles.

Katie grabbed a light high-protein breakfast and changed into her running clothes and an all-weather windbreaker.

Heading for the door, she said, “C’mon, Cisco, let’s go!”

They drove to her favorite hiking and running area at Break Ridge. It would be near deserted on a chilly Sunday morning, unlike in a month or so’s time, when there would be more visitors. She needed to grab as much fresh air as she could and let her mind take a break from thinking about killers. It would energize her brain and she would be more alert to dive back into the investigation again.

Katie parked just adjacent to the entrance and was the only vehicle in the parking area. She adjusted her running pants to accommodate a small Beretta pistol in her ankle holster. Since she was alone and several miles away from any home or business, Katie liked to be prepared. She preferred to take out any unnecessary complications that could arise.

She slipped her cell phone into her pocket along with her car key. Taking Cisco’s leash, she wound it around her waist and secured the clasp in case she needed it. After a few stretches, she was ready to go.

“You ready, Cisco?”

Three loud barks was his answer. He was a black blur as he spun around and headed to the entrance, indicated by two large pine trees and a small sign saying “River Ridge.”

Katie began her run at the top of the hill and slowly warmed up with a light jog as she increased her speed.

Cisco always knew what to do. He kept up with her ambitious pace: occasionally wandering off the trail, but never for too long, he would then bound back up on the path next to her with his tongue hanging out. He kept a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary—his main job was to make sure that Katie was safe.

As Katie ran down the path, she steadied her breath and enjoyed the fresh morning aroma of pine and the crisp morning air. There was nothing better. Finally, her muscles eased and her mind softened, as she connected with the beautiful scenery. Even Cisco seemed to be more relaxed.

Katie noticed that in many places the ground was spongy and was holding water from previous storms, although it wasn’t yet muddy.

She climbed up to a lookout, slowing her pace a bit to catch her breath. Jogging on the spot, she stayed to admire her surroundings and to appreciate everything that the area had to offer. Sometimes, when she was so focused on a case, she forgot to take a second to be in the moment and enjoy the world around her.

The wind picked up, whipping through the trees. The breeze seemed to switch directions, first blasting her face and then pushing against her back.

Katie realized that a storm was on the way from the change in temperature and the fast-moving clouds. She didn’t want to get soaked and have a wet dog in the car, so she decided to turn around and retrace her steps back to the entrance. She had been running for a solid twenty-five minutes at a good pace.

The air temperature dropped further as Katie slowed her pace for the cool down, making her shiver. A strange noise reverberated from above—a low boom and then a sputtering sound. She thought at first it was some kind of thunder, but it wasn’t like anything she had heard before. Her instincts told her to leave.

Looking around, she didn’t see Cisco.

“Cisco! Here!” she called.

Within five seconds, his large head and perked ears came into view. He ran faster and stayed next to her as she kept her jogging pace.

The strange sounds continued as she decided to up her pace again, still moving down the hillside. She didn’t stop to look, suddenly realizing that what she could hear was the sound of—

A massive pine tree with a huge trunk fell in front of her and Cisco, making the ground give way.

Katie stopped abruptly, startled and catching her breath as the tree blocked her path, but it didn’t stop there: the trunk kept moving. It made her dizzy, trying to keep her eye on the shifting ground.

Taking hold of Cisco’s collar and keeping him close to her left side, there was nothing that she could do except watch the massive tree trunk slowly begin to slide down the hillside.

That’s when it happened: her footing crumbled beneath her. Katie jumped up as far as she could toward higher ground, but it was no use. Both she and Cisco began slipping down the side of what was left of the running path. She felt the world collapsing beneath her, as if in slow motion.

Grabbing hold of Cisco with one arm around his neck and the other around his body, she held him as they both began to drop, slowly at first, and then the earth took them as if they were shooting down a slide. Dropping into a sitting position, still holding tightly to Cisco, she shot down twenty feet before there was a large enough place to stop—abruptly.

The groaning and cracking of the tree began to subside.

Katie had closed her eyes tight and held onto Cisco for dear life. She had no way of knowing how their ride would end, but the silence was both deafening and frightening. It was like nothing she had ever experienced or seen before and that unknown moment scared her the most.

She was completely covered in mud and cold earth, making her shiver. Opening her eyes, she checked out Cisco and he was muddy too but hadn’t sustained any injuries. Still gripping him tight, she was grateful they were both okay.

Looking around, she saw they were surrounded by branches that had miraculously missed them as the tree’s weight finally settled into softer soil.

“Well, Cisco, I guess we’re going to have to climb up,” she said softly.

The dog got to his feet and headed upward, sliding backward and then pushing uphill again.

Katie did the same. She made progress, but it was slow going, having to climb over branches and then navigate the slippery areas. She had more dirt, mud, and forest debris on her than she would have thought possible as they neared the top.

Cisco stopped abruptly. His tail lowered, along with his body stature. A low guttural growl emitted from him as his hackles rose along his spine, concentrating between his shoulder blades.

Katie knew there was some type of danger. It wasn’t insurgents, but she knew how to read the dog well enough that something was terribly wrong—unnatural. She didn’t have to wait long before she saw what Cisco had sensed.

Standing at the top, about fifteen feet away, along what was left of the hiking ridge, was a large mountain lion. The sizeable tan cat fixated its yellow eyes down at them. Its strong forequarters were poised, its ears alert against its round head. Katie could see from this range just how powerful were its neck and jaws. She knew it was unusual for them to attack people, but their numbers were strong and more reports of attacks had been documented.

Cisco began to bark rapidly—it echoed around the hillside and down into the valley.

“Cisco, platz,” she said, trying to get the dog’s attention in his trained German command for stay in place. “Platz,” she said again until the dog obeyed. Slowly he backed down and positioned himself in a low crouch between Katie and the lion with his hackles raised.

Katie had seen a few mountain lions in her life, but they were never aggressive, merely curious or territorial. She could tell that the cat was a male—he was largest one she had ever seen. She moved slowly toward her ankle holster. A warning shot should snap the cat out of its fixation and make it flee. That was the plan, anyway.

The mountain lion opened his mouth and began to pant, but never took its yellow eyes off them.

Gently unsnapping her holster, she was just about to withdraw her weapon when the sound of a gunshot rang out, instantly startling the mountain lion as it disappeared from Katie’s view. Shocked that there was gunfire—whether it was friendly or not—she stayed in her position next to Cisco, ready for whatever would come next. Her rapid heartbeat battered her chest. Her hands shook and cold perspiration trickled down her back. Her vision blurred and then cleared. Blinking her eyes rapidly to stay focused, she remained in the same position. Feeling the dog’s own rapid heartbeat next to her side, she flashed back as she detected the smell of expelled gunfire—an odor that was forever rooted into her memory.

* * *

Her platoon had walked into an ambush because of incorrect intel they had received. Half of the group had made it to safety with sufficient cover and the other half with limited safety, but she and Cisco were caught in between. The last barrage of gunfire had ceased, but the air was filled with smoke and gunpowder, along with an unnatural quiet. It was difficult to see anyone until the dust settled. The next onslaught could mean rockets and bombs, but the silence was more terrifying than bullets. She was in an unknown, foreign place, thousands of miles from home and no help available in the near future. They had to rely on each other, their wits, and calmness to focus on what had to be done. She heard “Katie”. It was faint at first, but then it was louder, “Katie”… ”Katie”…

* * *

“Katie!” the voice yelled. “You alright? Katie!”

Katie tensed. Her hands felt sweaty against the gun grip as she wondered if someone was really calling her name.

Cisco barked three times.

“Katie!”

She knew she heard someone calling her that time. “We’re here!” she yelled back.

Carefully, with Cisco following, she managed to get to the top of the hill where there was a small flat ridge and sat down—waiting still with her gun in a prone position. The dog hunkered down next to her side.

“Katie!”

“We’re here!”

She still didn’t recognize the man’s voice. There was some thrashing just on the other side of the downed tree and climbing to the top was Special Agent Campbell.

“Agent Campbell?” she said completely stunned. “Where did you come from?”

“Let’s get you out of here first,” he said.

“How did you know I was here?” Immediately, she was suspicious: why had he happened to be there just when she needed help to scare away the mountain lion? “Why are you here?” she demanded as her usual senses came back to her.

“A long story,” he lamely answered. “Let’s get you to safer ground.” He was dressed in jeans and a heavy jacket. His blond hair was perfect, considering they were outdoors.

Katie was uneasy about the situation, but she took him up on his assistance.

It took about fifteen minutes for Katie to climb over the tree trunk, but it was much simpler for Cisco because he had trained for all types of agility moves over the years.

When Katie got on solid ground and shook off the thought of that tree sliding down the hillside taking her and Cisco with it, she realized and was grateful that someone knew that they had taken a fall.

She felt one hundred percent better as they walked to the parking lot and she saw two SUVs—one was her Jeep. Turning to Campbell she said, “Why are you here?”

“I was following you,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Oh, now you know what I think?”

He laughed and turned to her. “I had some questions for you. I called you twice. Go ahead and check your cell.”

Katie had forgotten all about her cell phone. She pulled it from her pocket, relieved that it was still in one piece, and to her surprise saw that he had called her—twice. “You did call.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Why did you call, and on a Sunday?”

“I needed to talk to you,” he said calmly.

She scrutinized him for a moment, trying to decide if he was as innocent as he was making it sound. “You still haven’t told me how you found me.”

“That’s easy. I tracked you by your phone. It’s easy these days…”

“Isn’t that—”

“Illegal? No, not really. I wanted to know where a homicide detective working my cases was and I found her.”

Katie walked to her Jeep, opened the back and pulled out some water for Cisco. She looked down and realized what an incredible mess she was. “Agent Campbell, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing…”

He took a breath. “Dane.”

“Dane?”

“Yes, that’s my name. If I can call you Katie, then you can call me Dane.”

“I prefer Agent Campbell.”

“As you wish.”

She tried to clean her running pants with a towel. “Look, I’m not one that tattles, but you’re treading on thin ice. I don’t think it’s appropriate to spy on colleagues.”

“Look, Detective Scott, I’m sorry that this offends you. But I assure you it’s in good faith.”

Katie was beginning to dislike the agent even more—he wasn’t helping his case.

“I followed your cell phone signal and then I thought I’d take a trail. I heard the horrible tree crash, I came across the mountain lion, and well, I scared it away.”

Katie concentrated on cleaning her clothes and didn’t look at him. She was still deciding whether or not she wanted to speak to him again. She was angry, thankful, and annoyed all at the same time so she didn’t want to say something she would regret.

“New Jeep?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s actually the second one in a few months.”

“I see. What happened to the other one?”

“It was in a… well, it got rain and mud damage, which ruined the engine, dented the doors,” she mumbled. The truth was that her car was damaged working a previous missing persons case during a torrential rain storm.

“Look, I have some blankets you could wrap up in. Why don’t I give you a ride home?”

“Oh, no thanks. I’ll be fine. I don’t want to leave my Jeep here.”

“Well, let me at least lend you the blanket so you won’t wipe out your seats.”

Katie was tired and didn’t want to play the agent’s games. “Sure, that would be great.” She forced a small smile.

Agent Campbell went to his SUV and retrieved a gray blanket and brought it to Katie.

“Thanks,” she said and wrapped it around her as she was beginning to shiver.

“I mean it. I wanted to talk to you about the cases.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“I know you have quite the schedule, I just wanted to share some information.” He kept his focus on her, making her somewhat uncomfortable.

“Well…”

“Unless you’re busy for the rest of the day?”

“Okay,” she said reluctantly.

“Meet me at Tiny’s Diner. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes. In an hour?”

“That sounds good.”