The sheriff had donned his formal dress uniform for the meeting with the press.Sean and the others were all wearing two-piece suits, white dress shirts, and subdued ties—very professional.The somber group started down the hall toward the lobby.
“By the way,” Griffin said, “the ME can’t make it.His mother broke her hip this morning, and he’s at the hospital with her.Sean, the press will want to hear from the FBI, so be prepared for some questions.”
“No problem.”
As Lynch had told them earlier, the department’s press liaison, Sergeant Zweig and Captain Dworski, had set up the conference on the front steps of the station.On the top step stood a wooden lectern with over a dozen microphones on it.Griffin approached it and spent the next five minutes updating the crowd of television and print reporters scattered on the steps and walkway.He released Daphne Jones’s name as the sergeant handed out copies of the photo of her that her roommate had given them.The picture had been taken with Cheryl Armstrong’s iPhone the night she’d gone missing, and it showed Daphne’s smiling face, full of life.A life that was snuffed out a few hours later.
The sheriff asked for anyone who may have seen Daphne at Visions the night she was abducted to contact the task force and provided the department’s special phone number for information.He also said they would accept any tips on the other victims as well.
Sean was a little shocked at how many reporters there were.Apparently, when the local broadcast of a serial killer in Dare County hit the news, it had attracted an even larger audience, twice as many reporters as the day before.There were news vans from all over the state, as well as a few from across the Virginia border, Washington, D.C., and even one from CNN.By this evening, the task force would be on national television from coast to coast.Most killers loved the attention they garnered from their crimes, and Sean hated contributing to that, but it was a necessary evil.They would need the public’s help to solve these murders or a whole lot of luck.He didn’t care how they caught the killer—as long as they did.
“I’d like to introduce the members of the task force,” Griffin said into the multitude of microphones perched on the lectern he stood behind.“Lead detective, Brad Lynch, of the Dare County Sheriff’s Department.Detectives Rafe Montoya and Brian Malone of the SBI.And Special Agent Sean Malone of the Greenville FBI office.”He turned to Sean.“Agent Malone, would you like to make a statement?”
Not really.“Yes, Sheriff Griffin.Thank you.”He replaced the sheriff in the hot seat.Basically, he repeated what Griffin had already told them, adding that the FBI was doing everything it could to assist the local law enforcement agencies.
“Agent Malone,” one male reporter yelled out.“Are there any suspects yet?And if not, has the FBI come up with a profile of the killer yet?
“As Sheriff Griffin already stated, there are no official suspects yet, but we have several leads and are looking for anyone who may have known or come across any of the three victims at one time or another.As for your second question, we expect an FBI profiler to arrive this afternoon from Quantico to assist us.”
“Agent Malone, are you new to the FBI?”This came from a busty, bleached-blonde female reporter on the other side of the crowd.Sean was surprised at the question, and before he had a chance to recover, the woman added, “I tried to contact you through the Greenville office yesterday and was told you hadn’t officially started working there yet.Are you from another office?Is there a connection to other homicides in another state?”
Sean shot a glance at Griffin.The woman was hitting a little too close to home for his comfort.Where the hell was she getting her information from?“No, I’m not new to the FBI.I’ve been assigned to the Jacksonville, Florida, office for over seven years.I’m originally from North Carolina and recently transferred back here for family reasons.”He deliberately didn’t mention the homicides in Pennsylvania.The longer they kept a lid on the cases up there, the better.
Sheriff Griffin wisely stepped back to the lectern at that moment and ended the press conference.“We’ll hold another press conference at the same time tomorrow.But for now, there’s nothing else we’re releasing to the public.Please remind your female viewers to take extra precautions and not go out alone.They should travel in pairs and groups, avoid being alone around strangers, lock their doors, and be extra vigilant.If any member of the public has any information pertaining to this case, they can call our tip line.Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”
Several reporters shouted more questions, but the lawmen ignored them, returning to privacy behind the electronically locked door inside the station.
When they were finally away from the microphones, Sean repeated his earlier thought aloud.“Where the hell are they getting their information, and how the fuck did that reporter get my name?Does anyone know who she is and who she works for?”
“Jessica Daly, Channel Four News in Greenville, but she covers Dare and Currituck Counties,” Brad told him as they entered their conference room.“And she’s a bitch, a shark, and a mongrel with a bone all rolled into one.Always seems to be one step ahead of the other local stations.
“I’ve been on the receiving end of one of her quote-unquote investigations.She tried hitting on me to get information.I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.She may be hot, but she’s too ambitious for her own good.Even if I wasn’t happily married, she’s definitely not my type.
“Be careful around that one.She’s gonna get herself into trouble one of these days.I’d love to know where she’s getting her info, though.”
Sean shed his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair.“So would I.”
They all took seats at the oblong table and began to update each other and the sheriff with what they had learned since the morning briefing.Sean handed out copies of the reports Agent Winslow had emailed him.“She’s overnighting the rest of the stuff.”
Lynch took his copy of the reports and glanced at them.“Hey, what time does your profiler get in?My wife’s friend is the manager of the Day’s Inn up the street.I can call her and have a room set up for your agent.How many nights will she be here?”
“I haven’t a clue.But it’s… uh… no problem,” Sean replied.“I offered her the spare bedroom at the beach house.”
“Oh really?”his brother teased.“Getting cozy with the doc, huh?What happened to little Gracie?”
The younger Malone rolled his eyes.“Like I said before, asshole, Suki’s a friend—nothing more.I told her to take one of the spare bedrooms because it’s nicer than staying in a motel.”
Sean didn’t mention Grace, but now he realized she might take Suki staying at the cottage the wrong way.He’d have to introduce them to each other and explain to Grace that he had no romantic interest in Suki.
Why did it feel like he just dug himself into a deep hole?
Grace sighed with relief as the last physical therapist she’d interviewed left Pro-Care a few minutes after noon.Up until applicant number four, she’d thought she would never find another PT for the business.She wondered how numbers one through three had even graduated high school, much less gotten their physical therapy certifications.However, Tim Koppel, applicant number four, was perfect for the job.He was intelligent, friendly, seemed to have good references, and knew his stuff.
The forty-eight-year-old was a widower and father of two teenage boys.He’d been a physical therapist for almost twenty years in Seattle and had moved his boys to North Carolina to be closer to the rest of his family after his wife died of cancer two years earlier.He was currently working at one of the hospitals in Currituck County but heard he might be losing his job soon due to cutbacks and layoffs.Deciding not to wait for that to happen, he’d applied for the job with Grace as soon as he’d heard about it.
When she explained it was a new business and might be slow as they worked to develop a clientele, he responded he had no problem with that.Koppel had confided in her that he had an eye for investments and made enough money in the stock market to retire, but he was afraid he would be bored to tears if he did.Besides that, he loved working with people.
Grace would double-check his references this afternoon, and if all went well, she’d call him in the morning to offer him the job.
