Page 7 of The Girl He Crowned

Before she’djoined it, Paige hadn’t considered the possibility that the FBI could be hemmedin by politics or privilege but, increasingly, it seemed that things weren’tthat simple. Yes, she had a mandate to go and try to catch the worst killersout there, but she also had a boss who was telling her to be careful, and notupset too many people. If she went against that, then she might find herselffired.

Maybe that was apart of what her performance review was about, not just the danger Sauer saidshe’d placed people in. He’d obviously been upset by the bad publicity she andChristopher had gotten back in Lexington. Maybe he was getting pressure in turnfrom people further up the food chain at the FBI. She imagined that it couldn’tbe easy, doing his job.

“We can’t let anyof this stop us from doing our jobs,” Christopher said. “We’re here to catch a killer.So long as we stick within the rules while we do that, Agent Sauer won’t haveanything to complain about.”

Paige nodded, butshe found herself hoping it would be that easy.

“This looks likethe bridge we’re looking for,” Christopher said, gesturing to it a little wayaway.

The bridge inquestion sat at the heart of the town. It looked old, at least as old asanything else there, built in brick and brass, rather than more modern concrete.It seemed that repairs were going on around it, with scaffolding encasing itlike a spider’s web. Currently, that scaffolding was empty of workers, butPaige guessed that it wouldn’t be long before contractors were scurrying allover it, effecting repairs to the brickwork and brass fittings of the historic bridge.The space around the bridgewasn’tempty. As she and Christopher gotcloser, Paige could see that there seemed to be a collection of reporterswaiting there, trying to get news.

Paige was moreinterested in the space beneath the bridge as she and Christopher parked asclose as they could get. As they approached, the reporters turned their camerason them, one of them calling out.

“Lucille Bale,EddisGazette. Are you here to help with the investigation? Can you tell theresidents of Eddis anything about what’s going on? Is this a serial killer likethey’re saying?”

Paige guessed thatAgent Sauer wouldn’t be happy if she and Christopher said too much only a fewseconds after arriving at the crime scene, so she concentrated on getting tothat crime scene instead, even as she hated herself for focusing on what Sauerwould want. Was the whole investigation going to involve her second guessingherself like that? Paige didn’t know, but she hoped not.

There were stepsleading down, but they were blocked by police tape. As Paige and Christopherstarted to head down, a woman in a sheriff’s uniform moved to intercept them.She was perhaps forty, taller than Paige but still not tall, and solidly built.Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she had the slightly brittleexpression of someone who hadn’t slept a lot in the last couple of days. Sheheld up a restraining hand to stop them.

“I’m sorry, folks,but I’ve told all you reporters, this way is closed off at the moment.”

Paige took out herbadge and saw Christopher do the same.

“Agent King andAgent Marriott, with the FBI,” Paige said. She saw the look of almost purerelief on the sheriff’s face as she said that. Paige found herself wonderingjust how difficult things had been here.

“Oh, thank God,”the sheriff said, and then clearly realized that made her look as if she wasn’tin control of the situation. “Sorry, it’s just been a lot the last couple ofdays, and the reporters up top aren’t making it any easier. I’m Sheriff CorrinaMay.”

She held out ahand and Paige shook it. The sheriff’s grip was firm, almost like she wasgrabbing onto the first help that she’d seen since the investigation began.

“This isn’t thekind of thing that’s meant to happen in a town like Eddis,” Sheriff May said.

“It shouldn’thappenanywhere,” Paige replied.

“Of course not, ofcourse not,” Sheriff May said hurriedly, “buthere? You hear about thiskind of thing in more deprived towns, or places where crime is just overrunningthem, but here? We don’t have any of that.”

Paige wondered ifthat were true. Statistically, there were higher and lower crime areas, but shedoubted that any reasonably sized town could truly be without crime.

“What do you havehere?” Christopher asked. He sounded as though he didn’t believe it any morethan Paige did.

“Oh, a fewtroublemakers, a few kids who get into drugs, a few people who see all themoney around town and decide that robbery or fraud is the best way to get theirshare,” Sheriff May said. Her voice had taken on a slightly defensive note.“I’m not saying Eddis is perfect; it’s just not somewhere you would expect aserial killer.”

Paige foundherself wondering where exactly the sheriffwouldexpect such a killer.The killers she studied struck anywhere and everywhere, from the most run-downneighborhoods to affluent areas. Yes, the more opportunistic killers oftenfound that it was easier to pick victims from the fringes of society, but thatdidn’t mean that killers couldn’t take anyone, from anywhere. Their actionscouldn’t be predicted and guarded against in the same ways that other criminalsmight be. That was a part of what made them so terrifying and so fascinating,all at once.

“Why don’t youtalk us through the crime scene?” Christopher suggested. Paige suspected thatit was at least partly to get the sheriff to focus on helping them to solvethis, rather than on the sheer tragedy of it happening in her town.

Sheriff May noddedand started to lead the way down the steps. “Of course, this way. The coroner’speople have already removed the body. I have a team still going through thescene. They’re working to retrieve the pendulum found there now.”

Paige and Christopherheaded down to the space beneath the bridge. The arch of the bridge stood therein red brick and brass, the scaffolding adding an almost skeletal edge to it.It was shadowy down here even in daylight, lit up here and there by flashlightsand LED lamps while a team looked for any clues that might remain.

“The body wasfound over here,” Sheriff May said gesturing to a spot underneath some of thescaffolding on the inside of the bridge, near a space where it was open to theair above, obviously in the middle of a repair.

The pendulum stillhung there, on a slender thread that would have let it swing freely. It didn’t swingnow, though, its energy long spent. Instead, it hung straight downwards like anarrow pointed at the earth beneath, its brass shining in the light of thesheriff department’s flashlights.

“It’s prettyhigh,” Paige observed as the sheriff’s people worked to get it down withoutcontaminating any evidence on it. Even hanging down, it was well out of herreach, and the tallest person there wouldn’t have been able to come close toaffixing the cord that held it there.

“I guess so,” thesheriff said.

“So how did thekiller get it up there?” Paige asked.

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