Page 78 of Pied Sniper

“It’s funny how knowing you changes a man’s mind.”

“I consider that a compliment.” I looked around at the currently small assembly of people and realized this wasn’t what I expected. “I thought there would be more people here.”

“Like her fans?” asked Solomon. “Or the media?”

“Both, I guess.”

“I think your hopes were just realized,” he said, and pointed as two more news vans turned up. We watched people hopping out of the cabs and pulling back sliding doors. More people were laden with camera gear, pointing to, what I presumed, were the best spots to set up. As they went about their business, a group of solemn young women walked past, battery-operated candles in their hands and waving flashlights like it was a vigil. I supposed in some ways, it was.

“I’m going to mingle,” I said. “I don’t see the others.”

“Like I said before, they’re incognito. If you see anyone suspicious, let me know.”

I gave Solomon a quick kiss and got out. Zipping my jacket, I stuck my hands in my pockets as I walked over to the crowd. The noise was minimal, just a few coughs and throat clearings amongst the soft conversation. Everyone was waiting patiently for the press conference to begin. Most of the assembling crowd were young women, Tiffany’s demographic, and that didn’t surprise me. I sidled as close as I could get, listening in to their conversations. Some of them were talking about how scary the last livestream video was, some were talking about the audacity of it, and how women should be more concerned for their safety. I heard someone wonder if Jonathan would turn up and why he’d been so quiet. Another opined he was out searching while someone else scoffed that they were broken up. Someone pointed out a woman standing near the podium and asked if she were Grace. I didn’t hear the reply but I did look over and was fairly sure I saw Grace there. I raised a hand to wave, decided she wouldn’t see me, and instead passed through the crowd easily to stand with her.

“Hey,” I said and she jumped.

“Lieutenant Graves asked me to be here as Tiffany’s representative,” said Grace. “Before you ask, Jonathan didn’t come. We both thought that was a bad idea. Most people won’t recognize me since I barely appeared on camera but he thought I should do an appeal anyway.”

“I think you’ve already been recognized,” I told her.

“Damn. I hoped no one would notice me. I spoke to Abigail. She said one of us should be here and since she’s waiting for a call…” Grace trailed off.

“It’s kind of you to turn up, given your feelings,” I said and Grace huffed.

“Tiffany’d get such a kick out of this, you know,” Grace said. “All the media turning up. People bringing candles. They don’t know that they mean absolutely nothing to her. No one does.”

“I’m sure that can’t be completely true.”

Grace raised her eyebrows. “Then you don’t know her.”

“I’m learning a lot about her.” I looked around and spotted Delgado in the crowd. He was standing with a young couple I didn’t recognize and they were chatting. I figured he probably didn’t know them, but blended in like he was one of the dads. Despite that, every couple of minutes, his gaze swept the area. No one would guess the small group weren’t together. “Do you see anyone familiar?”

Grace shrugged. “No, but it wasn’t like Tiffany made any friends here.”

“Did you spend a lot of time with her?”

“Most days, worst luck.”

“What about anyone you might have met before? Back in New York. Not just a friend either. Perhaps someone who appeared to know Tiffany.”

“No, sorry. I don’t see anyone familiar.”

We stood in silence as my brother walked out, flanked by Maddox and Farid. I was almost surprised when Maddox stepped up to the microphone.

“I’ll catch up with you soon,” I told Grace, before slipping into the crowd and away from the cameras. I found a new position off to the side, away from Solomon.

“Thank you all for coming,” Maddox said as cameras flashed in front of him. “I’m Special Agent Adam Maddox, lead investigator on the task force assembled to find Tiffany Rose. Despite an extensive investigation with several leads, we have yet to locate Ms. Rose. Most of you are aware of the footage posted on the internet of the night Ms. Rose was allegedly abducted and we ask that you refrain from speculating at this time. If you have any information about her whereabouts, the tip line is open and you’ll see details about that and the reward for any information leading to her safe return on your screens. I’ll take some questions now.”

While Maddox spoke, I continued my slow sweep of the growing crowd. I wasn’t surprised to spot Flavia, her long, blonde hair partially covered by a chic, white beanie. She held up a camera, recording Maddox’s speech and when he finished, she turned it towards her, speaking into it while gesturing wildly.Of courseshe was vlogging it; I just couldn’t fathom what she could possibly be saying. Was she coming clean to her audience? I was pretty sure I’d find out online soon enough. I wondered if she had gleaned any more information about Tiffany from their mutual friends, and if so, when did she plan on telling us?

Fletcher and Flaherty were at the back, near a family group. Most of the crowd seemed to be in pairs or small groups but there were some lone people, most of them women. The male contingent seemed to be teen boys either with their female friends or girlfriends. Several other men stood near the sidewalk, apparently attracted by the spectacle. But there was one man, who stood at the back of the crowd, his arms crossed, his face stony. When Maddox was answering a question about the reward, the man sucked in a deep breath and clenched his jaw tightly. I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Solomon suggesting he focus on this man.

I skirted around the crowd, stopping as a couple got in my way, causing me to stumble and cry out.

“Hey, watch it!” said the taller girl.

“Excuse me,” I squeaked, stepping around them just as the man looked over. He startled, his eyes flashing wide, then he moved forward into the crowd. I darted forward too, wanting to know why he made the sudden dash to get away. I could just make out his head bobbing above the others and squeezed my way ahead. Then, I lost him. As Maddox fielded another question from a reporter, I looked around, disoriented, when I saw him again, off to my left, pulling on a hat. I jostled my way past a group of girls with candles and aFind! Tiffany! Now!poster and burst out of the crowd. The man hurried across the grass towards the sidewalk. “Hey!” I called. He glanced back and hurried faster. I jogged to catch up as he traversed the grass and darted across the road between traffic. “Hey!” I called again, my voice lost to the air as a truck rumbled past. I found a lull in the traffic and ran across, hoping no overzealous police officer pursued me for jaywalking. As I reached the corner, I saw the man running and then he dodged right and disappeared. I ran after him, stopping at the alley I was sure he entered. Behind me, a car screeched to a halt and I glanced over my shoulder, tense, then relieved when I saw Solomon.

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