Page 106 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

“I was thinking the same thing. It’s a relief that they backed the brass, which seems to protect the chief.”

“Yeah, for sure. We’ve had enough upheaval around here without them giving him the boot.”

“I wouldn’t want to do the job without his support.”

“Me either. Heard you caught another homicide-SA.”

“We did, and if the DNA matches the earlier cases, we’re going to make a plea for an exception to the FDS policy.”

“Let me know how I can help. That technology is fascinating.”

“Will do.”

“By the way, I never laughed so hard in my life as I did at that SNL sketch.”

“That topic is firmly off-limits in this building.”

“Haha,” Archie said. “You wish.” He walked away humming the “My Humps” tune.

Freddie and Gonzo entered the pit from the other side as Sam came in with Archie. Both men still wore winter coats, their expressions grim.

“As always, notifying friends and relatives that a loved one has been murdered ruins a perfectly good day.” Freddie unzipped his coat. “We talked to Ling’s roommates, who are shocked and devastated. She’s the first of her family to go to college, and her parents are in China. We’re going to need to arrange for a translator before we call them. According to the roommates, the parents don’t speak any English.”

Sam thought of people half a world away, going about their business, not knowing their daughter had been raped and murdered in Washington. Her heart broke for them and for the hopes and dreams that had died along with Ling.

“By all accounts, Ling was a quiet person who kept to herself. Didn’t date, had a small circle of friends in the Neurosciences Department and rarely socialized. Her roommates say she spent most of her time studying or in her lab. She just went back to running recently as a New Year’s resolution to exercise more.”

“And they said she was brilliant,” Gonzo added sadly. “They’re coming in shortly to identify her.”

“I want to find this guy,” Sam said, “and stop him before he can do this again. He keeps getting away with it, which has made him brazen. We warned women to stay away from the park, and he knows we’re watching, but he does it again. He knows we can’t tie the DNA to him, so he’s careless. He wants us to know it’s him every time—and he wants us to know he’s gotten away with it—again.”

“He’ll keep doing it until we stop him,” Gonzo said.

“Hold that thought.” Sam turned to head back the way she’d come with Archie, stopping at the captain’s office. “Come with me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Malone said. “Whatever you say, ma’am.”

They arrived at the chief’s suite.

“He’s still with Agent Hill,” Helen said. “Should I interrupt them?”

“Yes, please,” Sam said.

“She’s in charge around here,” Malone added.

Helen’s wide-eyed gaze darted between them, as if she was unsure what was going on. “Chief, Captain Malone and Lieutenant Holland are here and need to see you right away.” She put down the phone. “He said to go on in.”

“Thanks, Helen,” Sam said as she followed the captain into the chief’s office.

“What’s up?” Farnsworth asked Malone.

“Ask her. She’s the one who ordered me to attend this meeting.”

Avery huffed out a laugh. “That sounds about right.”

“We have two dead women and four sexual assaults. We haven’t got the DNA back from the most recent victim, but we believe it’s going to match the other three. Our guy isn’t in the system, which of course he knows. He’s getting ballsy. He’s getting away with it, so he’ll keep doing it until we stop him. We have no witnesses, no usable film and not a single lead as to who this guy is. I’d like to try FDS to see if we can get a familial link to lead us to a suspect.”

Chapter Twenty

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