Page 50 of Every Last One
“Okay, thank you. All of this has been very helpful.”
“Please don’t let anything happen to Meg.”
“Everyone is doing their best to ensure the safety of everyone in that hospital, ma’am.” Eric ended the call and selected Lieutenant Coleman’s number. Neal picked up on the second ring, and Eric announced himself. “It’s Detective Birch.”
There were a few seconds of silence, then, “What did you find out?”
“I have a potential lead.”
“Great news. I’m putting you on speaker.”
Eric gave it a few beats before he continued. He imagined Sandra sitting on the other end listening in, and just the thought brought him closer to her. “Beal received threats against her on what seems a regular basis. But the most recent one had her quite concerned, and it seems like for good reason.” When he finished, there was silence while he assumed everyone was absorbing his message.
“A clipping of her hair? That’s a littleSilence of the Lambs,” Brice piped up.
Eric wasn’t going to correct the reference. There were no hair clippings in the movie, and there was no evidence Celeste was a cannibal.
“She could fit,” Sandra said, and Eric picked up on the nuance in her tone.
“Couldfit? Is there something I’m missing?”
“The woman in that boardroom feels unheard, and it also seems that this might be about money. But I hesitate for one reason, and it might be down to interpretation. It could also be the use of plural pronouns that is throwing me, but she made it sound likeno onewas listening or cooperating. I wonder if she is appealing to the group.”
“Right,” Eric said, though the change in direction made him feel like he may have wasted his time. But following leadsto their conclusion was what investigations were about. Some panned out, while others smacked into a dead end.
“Again, I might also be wrong and reading it too literally,” Sandra amended. “And regardless, even if this woman’s issue is primarily with Beal, she could hold everyone in the room accountable.”
“Then what do you think I should do? See if I can track this Celeste down? If I find her, she’s obviously not in that boardroom. And if I can’t find her, I can talk to her closest friends and family.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Sandra said. “And I can try to elicit a reaction by using her name.”
“So what is it, Lieutenant Coleman?” Eric asked, eager to know his next steps.
“Go, see if you can track down Barrington. But I also have another lead for you to follow if that doesn’t pan out.”
“Name it.”
As Coleman filled him in on Jamie Radcliffe, Eric couldn’t ignore the negative voice in his head that said both these leads could turn to dust. Not putting them any further ahead. The fact he had Cross in custody was the only thing currently soothing his conscience. Even then, he still didn’t know who Cross let into that server room. The ongoing search at his house hadn’t turned up anything of value.
TWENTY-SIX
2:15 PM
Sandra had worked crisis incidents like today’s before, including a prison riot that had the inmates assuming control. That one lasted for thirty-six hours, and she and other negotiators were brought in on rotating shifts. Today’s situation wouldn’t be allowed to go on that long, not with so many innocent lives on the line. ERT would find justification and develop a strategy to breach. But, so far, their best lead came from Eric. Before his call, Neal had heard from officers who had visited the medical companies belonging to the CEOs on the hospital board. No one flagged.
“I think we’ve caught a break.” Gibson’s declaration had everyone in the vehicle turning in his direction. “One of these last vehicle registrations matches the photo we have of the HT from the second floor. Meet Carmen Feeney, thirty-seven. Single, no record.”
She noticed Gibson had stepped in to help with the registrations after the officer dropped off the last batch. He still had an ear out and the radio scanner running in the background, but there hadn’t been any activity.
“Can we connect her to Radcliffe, or is there any apparent motive?” Neal asked.
Gibson returned to his computer, and Brice started tapping on his laptop. Sandra watched as windows opened and layered over each other.
“Her credit score is bad,” Brice said a moment later.
“I can’t see a clear connection to Radcliffe,” Gibson said.
Monica was busy on her computer too. “I’ve found Feeney’s Facebook profile. It is rather inactive with the last post from nine months ago about some Pilates class she took. The pictures in her media library don’t include any of the other HTs we know about. There is nothing noted for her relationship status.”
