“Will do.”
She was thankful to be so well supported in all aspects of her crazy life.There was a time, not that long ago, when she would’ve chafed against the constant “people-ing” and nonstop conversations that came with that tremendous support.Now she took comfort in them.
In the conference room, she found Captain Malone, Deputy Chief McBride and Chief Farnsworth waiting for her.
“Who called in the brass?”
“Lieutenant…” The chief looked at her with a combination of deep-seated affection and despair over her ordeal.
“I’m fine, and thankfully Jimmy is too.I appreciate the concern.What’re we hearing about the search for the shooter?”
“They believe it was another drone,” Malone said.“Massive manhunt underway.”
Sam’s heart sank at the worddrone.“I assume it’s all over the news?”
“You assume correctly,” McBride said.“We’re being overrun with requests for a comment from you.”
“I’ll get to it.First things first, are there any updates on the case?”
“We’ve scoured the financials and social media of all our victims and haven’t found anything that stands out or any commonalities,” Charles said.“By all accounts, they seem to be regular people going about their lives, minding their own business.”
“What are you hearing from Walters in IT about film in the areas of the attacks?”Sam asked.
“They’re still reviewing,” Green said, “but nothing useful yet.Freddie and Gonzo have been sending info about the cameras in Adams Morgan that we’re forwarding to IT for review.We’ve offered to help if they need some extra eyes.Walters said he’d let us know.”
“What’s the theory about whether the Adams Morgan kidnapping and assault are related to the other three victims?”Malone asked.
“We’re not sure yet,” Sam said.“Other than the hallmark knock to the back of the head, the rest of that situation is very different from the others.She was kidnapped, held for multiple days and sexually assaulted, whereas our other victims were killed instantly or left for dead.”Sam’s shoulders and neck were tight with the tension that came from frustration at not having more information after a full day of digging.She had the starting of one hell of a headache, too.
Captain Norris from Public Affairs came to the door.“Sorry to interrupt.I heard the lieutenant was back.Are you able to make a statement before they knock down the doors?”
“Yes, I can do that.”It was the last thing she felt like doing, but there was never a time when briefing the press appealed to her.Least of all when she was the story, which had happened far too often for her liking.“Give me five minutes to make myself presentable.”That was another thing she’d never cared much about until she was married to a high-profile politician.They’d take far too much pleasure in her looking like a hag.
To her team, she said, “Keep pulling the threads, people, and then turn it over to Carlucci and Dominguez.We’ll reconvene at zero eight hundred.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Green said for all of them.
Sam went into her office to brush her hair and touch up the makeup she wiped off after the shooting.She took a series of deep breaths to calm her nerves and brace herself for the onslaught.
“We need ten minutes to get our people in place,” Vernon said.
“Okay.”
Malone came to the door and nodded to Vernon as he stepped aside.“I can do it for you if you don’t feel up to it.”
“That’s okay, but thanks for offering.Let’s get it over with.”
“We’re all going out with you.”
“Thanks, Cap.”
“Too fucking close, LT.Too fucking close.”
She grabbed her jacket and put it on.“Yeah, for sure.”The day’s events were also a reminder that even world-class security could do only so much to keep their family safe against people who’d do them harm.No team could cover every possible eventuality, especially when the culprits were coming at them from the air using devices that couldn’t be traced.
When she was as ready as she’d ever be for a grilling by the press, she walked with Malone and Vernon to the lobby, where the chief and Jeannie waited for them.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?”the chief asked.
