“Captain Kennedy, can you elaborate on how Tara Dawn Mae’s case is tied to that of Vanessa Page of Chicago, who went missing after a car accident in Canada twenty years ago?”
Kennedy and the others halted. He took stock of the other investigators before answering.
“Ms. Page, we’re aware of your interest and your story. I say, with the greatest respect and understanding, that we’re not in a position to discuss all aspects of our investigation at this time. Thank you.”
Reporters tried to get in last questions, but Kennedy waved them off as police officials gathered folders and left the room for a smaller glass-walled office adjoining it. The reporters immediately surrounded Kate and peppered her with questions under the glare of the TV cameras as the still photographers fired shot after shot.
“We read your story, Kate. Will you tell our listeners why you’re convinced your sister’s a victim here?”
“How did you learn your sister’s case was tied to this one?”
“What did you discover in Canada about your sister’s cold case and this one? Your story never said what Canadian authorities told you.”
“How have the past twenty years been for you, Kate?”
She looked at Anita Moore, the reporter who’d asked the last one.
“They’ve been hard and I’d give anything to see my sister again.”
At that point, Kate saw Brennan nodding at her from the doorway to the other officials in the glass-walled office. He mouthed the word now. She extricated herself from the press pack. Some reporters objected when Kate alone joined the cops in the office, for it appeared she was given journalistic preference.
“What’s going on, Ed?” the reporter for the Examiner asked.
Brennan dismissed them and closed the door after he and Kate entered the office where Kennedy, who’d loosened his tie, was waiting with the others.
“Our hearts go out to you, Kate,” Kennedy said. “We’re sympathetic to your situation. We appreciate that you’ve helped us, but our hands are tied.”
Kate said nothing, letting her resentment bubble as Kennedy continued.
“You have to let us do our job.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“Kate, we know—” Kennedy stopped to see news cameras recording them on the other side of the glass. “Would someone shut the blinds? Now, Kate, we know where you’ve been, who you’ve talked to and what you’ve been doing.”
“You’re stating the obvious, since I wrote about it for Newslead.”
“Yes, and I will thank you for keeping evidentiary details out of your story. That was important.”
“I’m not stupid, Captain.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that, Kate. We’re concerned about tipping off the suspect to everything we know. Our focus is finding Nelson and arresting him while we determine the scope of his crimes and identify the victims.”
“And everything points to my sister being one of them.”
“Yes, I’m afraid that’s possible. We haven’t identified the remains yet. Kate, you have to brace yourself for the possibility that she’s a victim.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing all of my life, Captain. But if you know something that I don’t, if those are Vanessa’s remains that you found, then you tell me right now!”
“At this point, we don’t know who the deceased is. But when the pathologist confirms the identity, we’ll release the information.” Kennedy paused. “Kate, we’re urging you not to interfere, to back off.”
“No. I’m not going to be the docile, grieving family member on the sidelines. I have a constitutional right to ask questions. I’ve lived with this all of my life. I’ve got a blood right to the truth. I’ll never back off.”
“We’re asking you to exercise a little judgment here.”
“Kate.” Kennedy rubbed his chin. “Just to remind you, those charges against you can always be brought back.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, but consider the ramifications. Kate, it’s dangerous to get too close to a case, especially when it concerns a dangerous fugitive.”
“He’s right, Kate,” Brennan said. “Nelson’s at large, and you’re involved in this. You should dial things down.”
“No, I’m not backing off.”
“All right,” Kennedy said. “I think we’re done here.”
Leaving the town hall with Jay, Kate was stopped by reporters insisting on more comments. Kate kept them short, then headed with Raney to his SUV.
“AP’s shooting still images for the pool,” he said. “Bloomberg will send copy. We should go with the pack to Nelson’s house, see what we can find there.”
“Sure, but I have to file something first. Let’s grab a coffee somewhere and I’ll write.”
At that moment, her phone rang.
“Kate, this is Nicky Green from the library. I found that news story from Denver you wanted, the one about a license plate and missing girl in Canada.”
“Great. Can you send it to me?”
“Just did.”
CHAPTER 24
Rampart, New York
Three blocks from the town hall, Kate and Raney shared a booth in Sally’s Diner.
Kate was anxious to read the old clipping from Denver, but her deadline was looming. She needed to file her story, and she was hungry.
While waiting for their food, they set up their laptops. Raney selected and adjusted images he’d shot at the news conference. Kate inserted an earpiece, plucked key quotes from her recorder, consulted her notes and wrote, her keyboard clicking softly as she tuned out the noise around her.
By the time the waitress set their burgers down—“My, you two are busy bees”—Kate was well into her story, stopping at each paragraph to take a bite. When she’d finished she’d filed seven hundred clean, solid words to Newslead, just under the deadline.
Raney was on the phone to the photo desk in New York. While he talked, Kate went to her email and the Colorado article. It was from the Denver Star-Times, a community weekly that had ceased publication nearly ten years ago. It was a short item:
Police Probe Possible Denver Link to Missing Canadian Girl
By Will Goodsill
Denver detectives are investigating a possible local link to a ten-year-old Canadian girl who recently went missing from a truck stop in Alberta, Canada.
Tara Dawn Mae vanished last week from the Grand Horizon Plaza, along the Trans-Canada Highway at
