Chapter 21
SHANE HATED BRIEFINGS almost as much as he hated press conferences. He glanced around the small conference room. Captain Morrell leaned against the doorjamb, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking none too happy. Kara and Foster leaned against the windowsills on the other side of the room. Pollack, Benster, and three other detectives sat at the table, looking disheveled and tired, as they’d been out half the night following a few leads while working their own cases. Jones took his place next to Shane, in front of the whiteboard, corkboard, and wall of images. Shane disliked these kinds of briefings because it was a rehashing of things they already knew, a slew of questions they didn’t have answers for, leaving them no better off than when they started.
“I’ve put Doug on the far wall.” Shane pointed to the other side. “He’s involved with Emily, but not any of the other murders.”
“We also put Haughton there, since we can only link him to Emily so far,” Kara said.
“What about the religious whack jobs?” Benster asked.
Kara rose and tapped the back wall. “The one from Kentucky is still a suspect. One of my team members has eyes on him. No movement and no record of him coming into New York, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have someone doing his dirty work. However, we need to consider that our perp is someone in the medical field, or at least had some training. And is left-handed,” Kara said.
“I got word this morning,” Shane interjected, “that the judge granted us partial access to donor records of our victims,” Shane said. “I glanced at them. All died on a Thursday, but not all of them in Rochester.”
“But,” Jones started, “all of our recipients had their transplants in Rochester.”
“We’ve been pulling deaths on Thursdays in this area so we can interview family members about organ donation, but if the donors are from all over the place, it makes things more difficult.”
“Excuse me,” a uniformed officer said, standing at the door, holding an official confidential envelope. “This just came for Agent Martin.”
Kara strode across the room, exuding power. She thanked the officer and opened the envelope. Shane waited patiently as she scanned the documents.
Jones, on the other hand, couldn’t wait. “What is it?”
“I had our analyst check for missing cadavers around the country. I’m shocked by the numbers,” she said. “I also had her look at all open missing person cases in the Rochester area in the last year.”
“How many cases?” Pollock asked. “
“Too many,” Kara said. “But we need to go talk to the family members and see if any of them had a transplant in the last year.”
“Anything else?” Shane asked.
Kara shook her head, nose still in the papers.
“Where are we on the soccer connection?” Shane asked.
“Nowhere,” Pollock said. “Doesn’t connect all the victims when we add in the case from Boston. Even Iris is a stretch for that connection.”
“I’d say that’s a dead end,” Foster said.
“Agreed.” Shane nodded. “Then we focus on the organ connection.”
“So, let’s address the elephant in the room,” Foster said. “It’s Thursday. Thursday means something to our killer. If he hasn’t already killed today, or a Thursday weeks ago, then we’re looking at another homicide by morning.”
“If our theory is correct,” Shane said, doing his best to remain impartial. As if his son wasn’t a heart recipient. “We have only four organs left, and I requested a list nationwide of all donors and recipients of those four organs.”
“We already know one of those recipients,” Morrell said.
The room fell silent for a long moment. The tension was palpable. The implications deafening.
“Foster,” Kara started, “why don’t you and Jones pound the pavement with these missing person cases? Shane and I will dig through public records for deaths on Thursdays.”
“Pollock and Benster,” Shane said, doing his best to cover his annoyance. This was still his case, not the FBI’s. While he wanted her help, he didn’t like how she hijacked that call-in front of his boss. Not because he would have done anything different; just, it was his call. “Take a break, then connect with Jones, splitting the rest of the list.”
Shane stood in front of the wall as everyone but Morrell and Kara filed out of the conference room.
“Agent Martin,” Morrell said. “Can you give us a moment?”
“Sure.” She stepped out into the hallway. When Shane turned to face his captain, Kara stood just outside the door, waiting.
“How are you holding up?” Morrell asked.
“I’m fine.”
“We need to discuss the obvious conflict. Everyone in the office is painfully aware that Kevin could be a target if your theory is correct.”
“And you’re worried I won’t stay focused,” Shane said.
Morrell nodded.
“You can’t pull me off this case.”
“I’m not going to,” Morrell said. “For now. But I will if you give me a reason, or if anyone on that task force does.”
Shane nodded. No use in arguing with the captain.
“We’re putting a car on Kevin. Won’t be ‘round the clock, we don’t have the resources, but I’ll check with Kara as well.”
“I appreciate that.”
“One more thing.” Morrell pointed to Kara. “She really was your girlfriend all through high school?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Shocked that a dumb jock like you could get a girl like that,” Morrell said.
“Stranger things have happened.”
“I suppose,” Morrell said as he moved toward the door. “Good for you back then. Not a good idea now.” He stepped into the hallway and disappeared down the corridor.
“What did he want?” Kara asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Not much,” Shane said, letting his frustration out with his tone. “Next time, don’t go assigning people shit on my task force. You had no right.”
“Would you have done it differently?”
“Not the point.” He pushed one of the chairs into the table. “Not only did you take over, you did it in front of my boss.”
“What are you really mad about? Because it certainly isn’t that.”
“Really?” He glared at her. “Because of that he thinks I’m not focused. Considering taking me off.”
She clicked the door closed and took a few steps toward him, resting her hands on the table. “Maybe you should take yourself off. No one would blame you.”
“Screw you,” he said, turning his back. “I’m not stepping down. Kevin wouldn’t understand.”
“Yes, he would,” Kara said.
He laughed. “You’ve been around a couple of days, and you think you know my son? Please.”
“That hurt.” Her fingers wrapped around his bicep with a gentle squeeze. “I know you, so tell me what this is all about.”
“It’s Thursday. I hate briefings. The woman I’m sleeping with just hijacked my briefing. My boss thinks I’m screwing the FBI agent who is here helping.”
“We all know you’re not Foster’s type.”
He chuckled, but his mood turned serious again. “Morell is putting a car on Kevin, but it won’t be all the time. I can’t leave Theresa and Kevin alone at night.”
“I agree,” she said. “So, let’s come up with a plan that works so you don’t have to drop lead and your son is safe.”
“I texted Theresa and told her to go to my parents’ after she picks up Kevin, then come home when I get there.”
“We can take our paperwork back to your place,” she said. “That’s why I wanted to make sure we got that task.”
“I know.” He looked down at the hand still firmly around his bicep. “Not professional.”