Claire leaned back in her chair and sighed in frustration.
“None fit that description, at least not by looking at their names. I mean, I obviously recognize some of the high profile people. But my records don’t focus on their advocacy efforts. They focus on the perpetrators of prejudice and violence.”
Now it was Jessie’s turn to sigh in frustration. Claire saw it and obviously felt bad.
“Listen, maybe I’m overlooking something,” she conceded. “Normally I wouldn’t do this, but I’m happy to share all my data with you. Maybe your team can go through it and pick up on something I haven’t. I don’t have easy access to criminal records like you do. Maybe someone in my hate group database had run-ins with all of your victims. I wouldn’t be aware of something like that. Or maybe a group that I track has had confrontations with IILA, either in person or online. I’m a one-woman operationso I keep my concentration tightly focused on what drives me. Maybe I have blind spots that you won’t.”
“You’d be willing to give us your data?” Sam asked, heartened by the suggestion.
“Of course” she said. “If it helps catch a killer, then who cares about that proprietary stuff. I would just ask that you keep it tightly held among your team. If it leaked out to the media, or god forbid, any of the groups I track, that could be devastating to my work, and maybe even to my safety.”
“You can trust us,” Sam assured her.
Claire smiled for the first time since they’d arrived.
“I never had any doubt about you, Detective Goodwin,” she said softly.
Despite his best efforts, Sam blushed. But when he spoke, his voice was strong.
“You should also take some extra precautions,” he told her. “If the person responsible for these murders had animus to these women because of their advocacy, rather than just their immigration status, then others who do that work could be at risk too. You might be a target.”
“Does that mean you’re offering me protection, Detective Goodwin?” she asked with a shy smile.
Sam was at a loss for words. Jessie did her best to cover for him.
“We can certainly arrange something for you,” she said quickly. “And maybe when time permits, Sam could check in on you to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’d like that,” Claire said, speaking to Jessie but keeping her eyes squarely on Sam.
“In the meantime,” Jessie continued, “If you could copy that stuff for us ASAP, we’d really appreciate it. Time is getting short.”
“Sorry, of course,” Claire replied. “I’ll do that now. And I don’t need any special police protection. Because of the people I track, I take precautions anyway. My building isn’t that big but it has a secured parking lot and there’s an armed guard in the lobby. All visitors have to check in with him and get authorization from the tenant before going up. Still, I’ll make sure to keep my door locked until this gets resolved. But I wouldn’t mind an escort to my car when we’re done here.”
Sam nodded nervously. “Not a problem.”
Jessie was glad that her efforts to play Cupid were paying off. But any blossoming relationship would have to take a backseat for now. They needed to get this data to Jamil. Lives might depend on it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Hannah checked to make sure her taser wasn’t visible.
Satisfied that it was well-hidden but easily accessible, she knocked on Polly Duress’s dorm room door. It was opened almost immediately. Polly, easily a full head shorter than Hannah, eyed her warily.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
In person, Polly was much cuter than the grainy fraternity footage suggested. Her dark hair was short and perfectly framed her delicate features. Her hazel eyes were pretty but a little red with dark shadows under them. It looked like she hadn’t slept much lately. She was wearing black sweatpants and a standard blue UCI sweatshirt, complete with the school’s mascot, a yellow anteater.
“Miriam Duress?” Hannah asked as if she didn’t know.
“Yes, but I go by Polly.”
“Hi, Polly,” Hannah said, launching into her prepared lie. “My name is Hannah Dorsey. I’m a sophomore with the Freshman Welcome Committee. We’re all assigned to check in with incoming students in the days leading up to the start of classes to see if there are any questions that have come up since you’ve been on campus. You know, stuff that doesn’t appear on a college website’s FAQ page. You’re on my list. May I come in for a minute.”
“I guess,” Polly said, holding open the door. She didn’t look excited by the prospect but clearly didn’t want to be rude.
Hannah walked in and took a seat in the desk chair of Polly’s roommate. From the barren look of that side of the room, it appeared that she hadn’t arrived yet. Polly sat on the edge of her bed.
“When does your roommate get here?”
