“Even people who fought in war?”
That was a good point, and Faith acknowledged it.“Noted.So maybe Hayes didn’t believe the killer was a threat.Maybe he had some sort of past relationship with the killer that made him reasonably sure the killer wasn’t going to attack him.”
“Last mistake he ever made.”Faith’s face fell, and Jessica winced.“Sorry.That was insensitive.”
Faith shrugged it off.“You’re not wrong.He was the type to always see the best in people.Only people like us are trained to see the worst.”
Jessica shifted her posture uncomfortably before moving the conversation away from the victim and back to the killer.“What do you think the killer was angry about?”
“There are too many possible answers to that question for me to feel comfortable speculating,” Faith replied.“Let’s talk to some people who knew him—recently, that is—and see if any names pop up.”
Jessica nodded.“Fair enough.It might be a little late to get a hold of anyone tonight, but we can get names, at least.And who knows?Maybe there are some night owls who can give us a jump start before the sun goes down.”
“We’ll need that jump start,” Faith said.“Our killer just fulfilled a personal fantasy murdering Hayes up close and personal like this.People who successfully experience a fantasy always want to experience it again.”
“Meaning Hayes was only the first.”
Faith’s jaw tightened.“Let’s make sure he’s the last.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Jessica led Faith a quarter mile away from the hill before they headed for the road and hopped the fence.That turned out to be a wise decision.Three news vans had boxed in Jessica’s car.If they had been caught hopping the fence, that would have caused a scandal, a minor one, but even minor scandals were problematic.If they discovered Faith’s connection to Hayes, that would become far more problematic.
“Shit,” Jessica swore.“I shouldn’t have put on my hazards.I’m sorry, Faith.”
“They would have found us anyway,” Faith said.“They saw us checking out the scene.They would have come looking, and they would have seen you parked here.”
If Jessica had parked along the curb in one of the nearby residential neighborhoods, or in a business lot somewhere, then they might have avoided this, but Faith didn’t bring that up.The media was going to be a presence for this case, and they both had to learn how to deal with that.
The news crews scrambled to set up cameras and lights.Reporters both male and female checked their hair, clothing and makeup, glancing at the two agents like leopards watching a meal approach.
Turk growled low in his throat, and Faith reached down to pat his neck.“Easy boy.Play nice.”
Turk snorted irritably, but he stopped growling.
One of the female reporters sprinted towards them when they were about fifty yards from the car.Her cameraman and light guy cursed and stumbled after.The light guy carefully avoided an attempted trip from another reporter.God, they really were like vultures.
“Special Agent Bold!”the enterprising young woman called.“Special Agent Bold, has the FBI taken over this case?”
That was a harmless enough question that Faith decided to throw her a bone.“Yes.As this murder was committed on Federal property, the FBI has taken the case per Eighteen United States Code Section Eleven-Eleven.We will be making no other comments at this time.”
“Special Agent Bold, is it true that you personally knew the victim?”
Shit.They move fast.“See previous answer,” she said drily.
She walked past the reporter, ignoring the microphone and camera in her face.Jessica took advantage of the focus on Faith to move to her car, but she was waylaid by another reporter, the lone male of the trio.“Special Agent… Uh… Tors.What is your partner’s mental state?Is she able to think clearly despite the loss of her friend?”
Faith stifled a laugh as Jessica stared daggers at the man.“It’s Torres.”
“Yes, I apologize.”
The man waited for an answer to his other question, which Jessica didn’t provide.Instead, she said, “Will you please move your vehicles?”
The reporters, of course, didn’t acknowledge the request.The second female stuck a microphone in Faith’s face, deftly pushing the other reporter’s microphone out of the way.“Miss Bold, do you believe—”
“It’s Special Agent Bold.”
The reporter blinked, and the first woman jumped in, stepping closer and putting her microphone close enough that Faith could have kissed it.“Special Agent Bold, this is the fourth murder at a war memorial in the Washington area in the past year.Do you believe there is an epidemic of attacks targeting former servicemembers?”
