A picture of Valerie, as well as one of Alicia, was accompanied by dates, times, and events. Next to each entry was a list of the persons related in some way to the victim. Beneath all that information were crime-scene photos and the few evidentiary details.
“This morning”—the chief moved on to more recent news—“we swept the scene again.” He surveyed those present. “We got lucky.”
Kale tensed. They found something? Next to him, Sarah perked up.
Lex August leaned forward. “We found a single boot print in probably the one thawed spot of ground in the whole area.”
The chief shook his head. “You’d think the fool stumbled all over the woods looking for that one place to step.”
Sarah leaned forward. “Boot? What size?”
August’s gaze met hers. “Ladies’, size eight. The same as yours.”
Tension whipped through Kale. He wanted to rearrange that perfect smile so bad.
“You now believe the unsub is a woman,” she said, her gaze never leaving August’s.
“That’s a possibility. We’re, of course, aware that the boot—the size imprinted in the mud—could have been worn by a male unsub with small feet.” The fed’s attention didn’t waver as he spoke. He seemed to be devouring Sarah with his eyes.
It was as if everyone else in the room had vanished. Kale’s fury just kept building.
The chief raised his hands. “Before we go getting too excited and making any announcements to the press, there are a few things we need to do.”
August turned to the chief. “I’ll start the interviews. The list is compiled and prioritized.”
“The rest of us,” the chief explained, “will divide up into teams and start tracking down leads. One team will run down anyone in the area who is prescribed the beta-blocker discovered in Alicia’s tox screen. That’ll take a while since it’s a pretty common drug. Another team will get a list of anyone local who competed against Valerie Gerard in that fourth-grade spelling bee—kids and parents, brothers, whatever. And the local competitors in any competitions Alicia Appleton participated in.”
“Now that,” Deputy Brighton noted, “will take some time.”
A rumble of agreement went around the room.
“I want every name,” the chief reiterated. “Narrow down those results by anyone who wears a size eight boot.” He gestured to the fed. “Agent August confirmed the male equivalent in case we’re dealing with a younger male. We’ll meet here to compare notes at midnight. No one sleeps until this is done.”
The group stood and filed out of the room, a new sense of urgency in their movements.
August rounded the table. “I assume you’ll accept my apology for yesterday.” This he said directly to Sarah despite Kale standing right next to her.
Sarah didn’t know what Lex was up to, but one thing was certain: He never apologized and meant it. “For what? Telling the truth? Not a big deal.” She stared straight at him, let him see the delight in her eyes. “Just remember, it works both ways.”
Lex adjusted his tie. “I suppose I was feeling a little territorial. You were here first, and it has been a while since we’ve worked together.” He glanced briefly at Conner before meeting her gaze once more. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been great.” She reached for her coat and pulled it on, then slung her bag on her shoulder.
“Excellent.” He smiled that million-dollar smile that had first tugged at her heartstrings. “It’ll be nice working with you again.”
Next to her, Conner shifted. If the glower on his face was any indication, he still wanted to beat the hell out of Lex.
“Lots of things are nice, Lex,” she returned. “But working with you in any capacity isn’t one of them.”
Sarah left him standing there. She didn’t look back to see if Conner was behind her. She could feel him. Her body tingled as she recalled hot, slippery sex in the shower that morning. But the feelings that overwhelmed all else were those confusing ones from the way he’d made love to her last night. So sweetly, so tenderly. No one had ever made her feel that protected, that secure.
She shook off the feelings and memories. She had to focus.
Though she was glad Lex had cleared the way for her to stay involved in the investigation, she understood he had a motive. Whatever his agenda, she wasn’t going to allow him to manipulate her reactions again.
Outside, she and Conner took the usual route to an out-of-the-way parking spot. The press was still camped out front in force.
“Hey.”
