Page 52 of Aftermath
I shifted uncomfortably,standing slightly behind Agent Beck. The woman at the front desk encouraged us to take a seat while she went to find if one of the deputies in charge was in.
We found two seats off to the side and sat down. Beck seemed quieter, more anxious than usual. Maybe I was projecting my own anxiety onto him.
The woman disappeared behind a locked metal door, the only one in and out of the rest of the building. While we waited, a few more people trailed in. I heard a couple murmuring about a car break in. I tried to focus on them instead of obsessively worrying about the chance someone could recognize me.
I tapped my foot, unable to stop myself.
“Agent Beck,” the woman called out, reappearing from the door. “Come with me.”
He stood and made his way towards the door while I remain seated. Beck froze and turned back to me.
“Are you coming?” he asked.
It hadn’t crossed my mind I’d even be able to join. I quickly stood and trailed behind him, unwilling to wait alone in the lobby.
The backside of the station was far different. There were a few desks and cubicles spread across a middle space. Larger offices lined the space, and I read the plaques outside each door as we passed, realizing they were for deputies who worked their way up the chain.
The woman led us to a room with a single door and window. By the time I made it inside, I realized the window was one way glass, so we couldn’t see back out of the room. She motioned for us to sit at the two chairs pulled up to the table.
Why did I suddenly feel like I was the one being interrogated? We came to find more information on the case, but I couldn’t help that anxiety snaking its way through me, the voice telling me over and over that they know what I did. It was unforgivable; I barely could forgive myself for it.
I’d been weak, and I let someone else control me.
“You alright?” Beck asked softly, his eyes studying me.
I hated that he did that, knew everything about me with a single glance.At the same time, it made my cheeks warm.
“I’m fine,” I said weakly.
Someone quickly knocked on the door and entered. An older gentleman with a round belly stepped inside. His face looked aged by the job.
“I’m Sheriff Graham,” he said. “How can I help you?” His beady eyes glanced over us both and settled on Beck.
“Are you the one who was in charge of the Coastal Killer case?” Beck asked.
“I was one of them,” he affirmed. “But that was a bit ago.”
“I was hoping you tell a little more about the case,” Beck pushed.
I sat quietly and folded my hands on the table. I was far too nervous to chime in.
“There’s not much to tell beyond what’s already in the case file, which the FBI should already have,” he said. “Although, I wouldn’t put it past you bureaucrats to have lost things.”
I caught the scoff at the end of his sentence. His eyes remained fully on Beck, ignoring me.
Beck barely flinched at his words, but I caught the slight shift in his leg under the table. It moved ever so slightly closer toward me, like he was protecting me.
I was imagining it. I had to be. Had I really become that desperate for someone to give a shit about me?
“Yes, I’ve read the file, and I do think there are some holes in it. We’re missing a statement from the local deputy in charge of the case, for instance,” Beck started. “We also seem to be missing statements from those who work at the bar each victim visited before they were killed. It would seem the first team to look this case over completely missed that detail.”
I could tell Beck was watching the way the sheriff reacted, gauging how much of a help he would be to us. Graham’s brows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes, his nose flaring.
“My deputies did not miss anything. If there were things overlooked, then that’s on the FBI.”
I caught the way Beck swallowed hard, like the accusation got under his skin. It still baffled me that not a single person put it together before. The High Tide Pub was clearly a hunting ground for whatever vile person killed all these women.
Beck cleared his throat. “That’s why I’m here, to make sure the FBI doesn’t miss anything this time.”
