Page 60 of Fight or Flight
Katherine almost choked on her sip of soda. “Hear what? I thought this was a tour of the clinic.”
Doc looked at Tyler. “He’s right, kid. Go on, Tyler. It’s yours to tell.”
“Detective Davidson did get a hit on the fingerprints,” Tyler admitted. “I didn’t tell you because you looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to ruin your first day out, even though I just did anyway.”
“It’s fine. Who is it? Is it someone from around here? Do either of you know this person?” She looked both men up and down.
“No,” Tyler said. “It’s the name of the father in that obituary. Jameson Thurman.”
It took Katherine a full minute to absorb this news. Karrie was right. Her father was insane. But how could he be in North Carolina, when just a few hours ago, he’d been at work?
“Karrie thinks he’s at work—I’m not sure where, but that’s what she told me. The break-in was last night. Do you think he’s still here?” Katherine asked.
“I’m not sure. That’s why I had Ilene put those watchdogs in place. They’re trained. Special Forces and then some. That’s all I’m at liberty to disclose to you. If he’s lurking around your place, he won’t be for long. Right, Doc?” Tyler said.
“Yes,” said Doc.
“What’s next? What do I tell Karrie?” Katherine was shocked at this news. But hadn’t Karrie warned her?
“Let’s go down to the police station and talk with the detective,” Tyler said. “He can give us more details about what Jameson was charged with previously.”
Katherine hadn’t even thought of that. So Karrie’s dad was not only mean and abusive; he was a criminal, too.
“I can look after Sam and Sophie, and introduce them to the girls, if you wouldn’t mind,” Doc Baker offered.
“Uh, sure, they need to meet other people,” Katherine told him. “Doc, I cannot thank you enough for sending Carson to use my stables. If not for that, I would still be inside.” She truly couldn’t express how grateful she was. “I’ll call when I can,” she told Doc. “You have that special food for the dogs, right?”
“Yeah, kid, don’t worry. I plan to spoil them while they’re here.”
Back in the Bronco, Katherine had more questions for Tyler. “Why didn’t you tell me Detective Davidson knew who those fingerprints belonged to? Am I so unstable I can’t take part in this investigation?”
Tyler shook his head. “Of course not. I think you’re brave as hell. We should go back to your place to get your burner phone before we go to the police. See if Karrie’s tried to call you again. If not, try calling her and see what story she comes up with.”
Five minutes later, they returned to Katherine’s house. “Doc’s place is close. No wonder he always gets here so quickly,” Katherine observed.
Tyler parked behind the house again. Katherine decided that this would be his spot if he were to become a regular visitor. Once inside the house, Katherine quickly located the burner phone. In and out in under five minutes, Katherine was eager to put this nightmare to rest.
On the drive to the station, Katherine decided it was time to explain who she was to the detectives and to the folks in Blowing Rock if she planned to continue living amongst them. She would definitely give the folks on the community website something to gossip about. Rather than seek revenge for their petty gossip, she would do something special for them instead. She wanted to be part of this community and hoped they would accept her.
“How do you feel?” Tyler asked for the tenth time that day, interrupting her thoughts.
“Strange. Excited. A little sad.”
“All normal emotions. This is good. Don’t keep issues bottled up; it’s damaging. Most people do just that, keep everything in. The next thing you know, they explode. Not necessarily in a mass shooting kind of way, but they throw something across the room, say mean things to someone they love, just because they happened to be there when they couldn’t take it anymore. They hurt people and destroy relationships.”
“I understand. I’ve had my moments. When I lived in Spain, the girls at the boarding school were so hateful. They mocked my accent and teased me when I had to stay behind at Burgess Hill for most of the holidays. There were moments I wanted to pull their hair and scratch their eyes out. Instead, their bullying ways inspired me to write the GWUP books.”
Tyler parked in front of a small white brick building, shut the car, and turned to Katherine. Taking her hands, he said, “You are amazing. You took those negative emotions and turned them into something that has delighted so many. I have no doubt now that you’re going to be fine. Remember, I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.”
“My knight in shining armor.” She squeezed his hand.
Once inside the police station, Katherine saw it resembled others she’d seen when working at theGlobe, though on a much smaller scale. A woman in her mid-fifties with short-cropped, dark brown hair was busy clicking away on her keyboard. Bulletproof glass separated them. Tyler tapped on the glass.
The woman jumped, placing her hand over her chest. “Oh dear Lord, rest my soul, you scared the bejeezers out of me. Now what can I help you with, Dr. Newlon?”
“I’m here to see Detective Davidson,” Tyler said. Katherine was surprised the lady knew Tyler. But he was a doctor, and this was a small town. Katherine wondered if this woman was a patient of Tyler’s. She wondered if his patients all knew one another. Did they compare visits? Medications?
“Of course, Dr. Newlon. He’s waiting for you. You can go on back, sugar,” the woman said. Then she looked at Katherine as if she were an annoyance. “Ma’am, how may I help you? Did you schedule an appointment with one of our detectives? Or do you need a permit for a yard sale? We only issue those on Fridays, and only two per year per person.”
