Her nostrils flared and her eyes locked on Rand. Focused on the moment, she walked right into a microphone suddenly shoved in her face.
“What the—?” Sin stopped herself just before the profanity began. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the origin of her irritation.
“Are you in charge of this investigation? Why is the FBI being so close-mouthed about everything?”
Sin glared at the bleached-blonde, Barbie replica who was trying to shove the microphone in her face. She smiled politely and waved it away. “I will address your concerns during the press conference,” she said, without breaking stride.
Sin climbed the steps of City Hall never acknowledging Rand’s presence, but shook Mayor Sanchez’s hand. “What’s he doing here?” she said through a closed-mouth smile.
“The governor thought it would be a good idea to have him here to make the transition smoother, so I acquiesced.”
She glanced at her watch and noticed it was 7:58. “Let’s get this over with.”
Sin went to take her place behind the bank of microphones, but Rand nudged past her and banged on a mic. His action had the desired effect of quieting the crowd.
“As you all know, the FDLE and Mayor Sanchez have asked the FBI for their help in this case. Allow me to introduce you to Special Agent Sinclair O’Malley. I’m sure she will answer all your questions.”
Standing still, Sin faced the crowd of reporters and onlookers and began to read the prepared statement.
“Due to the nature of the crime committed, Mayor Sanchez has asked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s assistance. There is not much that I can tell you at this point other than we are checking every lead and have begun conducting a series of interviews in order to apprehend those responsible.” Sin eyed the crowd and the already-raised hands before continuing, “The FBI is giving this case top priority. With the cooperation of the sheriff’s departments in the tri-county area and the FDLE, as well as additional agents who are on their way to Miami-Dade, we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit for justice.”
Sin folded the paper and looked out at the crowd. “I will take questions from the press, but let me first state that I will not be giving out any information that might hinder or cause damage to the investigation.”
She pointed to a man in the front row.
“Agent O’Malley, Rick Martinez from the Miami Herald. Can you tell us if you have identified any suspects as of yet?”
“As far as we are concerned, everyone is a suspect. However, through verifiable leads, we have started to narrow that list significantly.”
“That seems pretty vague, Agent. Can you be more specific?”
“Not at this time.”
A slew of hands immediately reached for the sky.
Sin continued to deflect questions with vague answers which only led to more questions.
In her peripheral vision, she witnessed Rand’s smug expression. He seemed to gloat in the sea of turmoil that was churning around her.
The perky reporter who had shoved the mic in her face when she arrived pushed her way through the crowd until she was standing right in front. She waved frantically until Sin had no choice but to call on her.
“This is Tiffany “Tiff” Swenson of Action News reporting from the steps of City Hall and I . . .”
“This is a press conference, not a sorority talent show. Do you have an intelligent question or should I move on to someone else?”
Tiff’s expression hardened; she shot daggers at Sin as snickering rose from the crowd.
“It has come to this reporter’s attention that the FBI has wrangled the investigation away from the very competent hands of Captain Rand and the FDLE, and that you have stonewalled the press on purpose, thus endangering the citizens of South Florida. What exactly makes you think you’re capable of running this investigation?”
Sin bit the inside of her cheek in order to stop herself from saying anything she shouldn’t. She glanced to her left and noticed Rand winking in the direction of Tiffany Swenson and it took all of Sin’s resolve not to claw his eyes out. Instead, she targeted the pert reporter.
“Let’s get a couple of things straight, Biff. First,” Sin continued, “the FBI is not keeping the press in the dark. We deal in fact, not inference. When there are facts to report, we will do so. We will not discuss assumptions. That only leads to spectacles like this one. Second, your facts on why this case is being spearheaded by the FBI are wrong. The next time you decide to quote a source, make sure your source is credible.
“Now, if the rest of you will excuse me, I have an investigation to run. There will be no further word until I deem it necessary to report it.”
With her final statement, Sin turned, glared at Rand, and pushed her way past him. She made her way down the stairs, and the crowd parted like the Red Sea as she shouldered her way to her escape. With an angry thrust, Sin kick-started her Panhead, gunned the throttle, and screeched out of the parking lot.
15
Ash was glued to the television as the blonde reporter gave her final comments.
“I stand by my sources and will demand answers for my listeners. We, the public, need to stay in the know so we can better guard ourselves from falling victim to the Painted Beauty Killer.”
“She is such a wanker,” the voice said. “Look at that little bitch. There is enough space in her head for someone to smack a tennis ball around.” The voice sighed and began reciting, “Cruelty has a human heart, and jealousy a human face . . .”
Ash blocked out the rest as he concentrated on the TV. He couldn’t let on that he heard her or that she was getting to him. It would only make things worse. He brought his hands up to
