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“Really?” Parkerasked, sounding truly shocked. “I can’t wait to hear why, Ms. Hunt.”
“First,” Jessiesaid, not loving the disdain she heard, “As Detective Hernandez said, we haveyet to establish a connection between Vaughn and Clarissa Langley. Without one,the rest of the case could crumble.”
“But your peopleinvestigating his files could find one at any time, yes?” Parker prodded.
“They could,”Jessie conceded, “but that hasn’t happened yet. In addition, the window of timefor Vaughn to have committed this crime and returned to his office, where aneyewitness confirmed his presence, is very brief.”
“Too brief to havedone it?”
“No,” Jessie said.“But it would have been especially challenging without any stops along the way.And we understand that no gas mask was found in his car, which suggests hewould have had to dump that en route to his office, adding even more time tothe trip.”
“What makes you socertain that he had a gas mask?”
“I can’t becertain,” Jessie acknowledged, “but this chemical is extremely volatile, andthe killer knows that better than anyone. The idea that they handled it withoutprotection seems very unlikely.”
“But notimpossible,” Parker noted, unmoved. “Any other reason I shouldn’t tell ChiefDecker that he can hold a news conference saying we’ve got our guy? I know he’swanted to get that out by the 5 p.m. local news.”
“Yes, Captain,”Jessie said, feeling like a salmon swimming upstream. “We haven’t gotten printsback from the trophy that was used to kill Avery Sinclair. They mightdefinitively identify the killer.”
Even as she saidit, Jessie knew this wasn’t her strongest argument. Ryan’s wince validated herconcern. And sure enough, Parker pounced.
“Ms. Hunt, are youtelling me that our killer had the foresight and wherewithal to planttimer-based, motion-activated poison-filled canisters inside the homes of threewoman without being captured on surveillance video or leaving any other traceof usable evidence at the scenes, including zero prints on those canisters, butin this one instance, they forgot to wear gloves? How likely does that sound?”
“Not very,” Jessieadmitted, “but this murder was different than the others. I believe Sinclairsurprised the killer while they were planting the canister, leading to thebludgeoning. Maybe the murderer removed their gloves at some point. MaybeSinclair was able to pull one off in a struggle. What’s the harm in waiting afew hours for more firm results?”
"The harm isthat there is a city full of scared people out there who want some sense thatthey are safe and secure in their own homes," Parker told her."Unless you can offer something more concrete than 'maybes,' I don't thinkwe've got a strong enough reason to keep all these Angelenos so fearful."
“There’s anotherthing, Captain,” Jessie said, hoping a different tactic might make the Parkerre-think her position. “Whoever committed these crimes was smart andpainstakingly methodical. Mitchell Vaughn is not that. He’s a hothead whoappears to operate on instinct. He’s also a gambler in massive debt to…whoknows? He exudes sweaty desperation. It doesn’t fit with these murders.”
She waitedsilently, hoping that argument would be compelling. But Parker was undeterred.
“I don’t see it,Ms. Hunt,” she said impatiently. “It sounds like he simply didn’t have as muchpersonal antagonism to the first three victims as he did to the last one, whichsuggests how he could have been more calculated in prepping their murders. Butin Sinclair’s case, his animosity may have gotten in the way, clouding hisjudgment and leading to the trophy attack.”
Jessie felt agrowing sense of hopelessness. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was fightingthis so hard. Parker was making powerful counterpoints to everything shebrought up. But something just didn’t feel quite right about Vaughn.
“Captain,” Ryanfinally said, sounding cool and collected despite the deteriorating situation,“I don’t want to speak for Jessie, but I do know that, like me, she hasenormous affection for Chief Decker. He has been incredibly supportive of usboth. When I was near death after Jessie’s ex-husband attacked me, he was therefor me. And last spring, he used every tool at his disposal to help rescueJessie when she was kidnapped by Andrea Robinson. We love and respect him. Andwe’re just uncomfortable letting him put himself out there, making broad claimson the news that might ultimately come back to bite him and undermine hisauthority.”
Jessie stared ather husband, her heart filled with admiration and love. He had just verbalizedexactly what Jessie was feeling but couldn’t identify.
“I appreciatethat, Detective Hernandez,” Parker replied, “But it’s actually Chief Deckerdriving the bus on this one. He wants to give that press briefing, and soon.”
“Captain Parker,”Jessie pleaded, “if Vaughn is the killer, don’t you think that it’s a littletoo obvious for him to have smashed Avery Sinclair’s head in with the verytrophy she beat him out for the night before? Couldn’t someone be turning himinto a patsy?”
“Perhaps,” Parkerconceded, “but you yourself said that he’s more of a volatile personality thana meticulous one. Maybe he just lost himself in the moment.”
“Maybe,” Jessieagreed, “but doesn’t that uncertainty earn us a few hours to follow up? It’sstill only 2:15. Chief Decker could hold his press conference at 4:30 and stillhave more than enough time to get it on the news. Hell, I bet some stationswould carry it live. Please, just give us a couple of hours to follow up onthese loose ends.”
There was a longpause in which Jessie assumed Parker was pondering the request. But when thesilence extended to ten seconds, she thought maybe the call had dropped.
“Captain?” Ryansaid.
“I’m sorry,”Parker said, her voice heavy with concern. “I was just getting an update frommy assistant.”
“On the case?”Jessie asked.
“No,” Parker said.“Regarding Dr. Janice Lemmon. Officers are at her office. There’s been anincident.”
Jessie felt herheart stop.
