Genesis (16 page)

"Obviously, Jackie's been in touch with her family and hasn't
changed her name. Her sister was going by Zabel, too." Faith
laughed, pointing out, "All of their names rhyme—Gwendolyn,
Jacquelyn, Joelyn. It's kind of weird, don't you think?"

Will shrugged. He'd never been able to recognize words that
rhymed, a problem he thought might be coupled with his reading issues.
Fortunately, it wasn't the sort of thing that came up much.

Faith continued, "I don't know what it is, but something about
having a baby makes you think the stupidest names are beautiful."
She sounded wistful. "I almost named Jeremy Fernando Romantico
after one of the guys from Menudo. Thank God my mother put her
foot down."

The door opened. Sara Linton joined them in the hallway, looking
exactly how you'd expect someone to look if they felt like they'd
just abandoned a child to social services. Will wasn't one to rail
against the system, but the reality was that no matter how nice the
social workers were, or how hard they tried, there weren't enough of
them and they didn't get nearly the support they needed. Add to that
the fact that foster parents were either the salt of the earth or money-hungry,
child-hating sadists, and you quickly understood how soul-killing
the entire enterprise could be. Unfortunately, it was Felix
McGhee's soul that would pay the most.

Sara told Will, "You were good in there."

He fought the urge to smile like a kid who'd just been patted on
the head.

Faith asked, "Did Felix say anything else?"

Sara shook her head. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Faith answered, a defensive edge to her tone.

Sara said, "I heard about the second victim you found last night."

"Will found her." Faith paused a moment, as if to draw out the
information. "This isn't for public consumption, but she snapped her
neck when she fell from a tree."

Sara frowned. "What was she doing in a tree?"

Will took over the story. "She was waiting for us to find her.
Apparently, we didn't get there quickly enough."

"You have no way of knowing how long she was in the tree," Sara
told him. "Time of death isn't an exact science."

"Her blood was warm," he returned, feeling that same darkness
come as he thought about the hot liquid hitting the back of his neck.

"There are other reasons the blood might still be warm. If she was
in a tree, then the leaves could've acted as an insulation from the cold.
She could've been medicated by her abductor. Several pharmaceuticals
can raise the body's core temperature and keep it high even after
death."

He countered, "The blood hadn't had time to clot."

"Something as simple as a couple of aspirin could keep it from-coagulating."

Faith provided, "Jackie had a large bottle of aspirin by her bed. It
was half empty."

Will was unconvinced, but Sara had moved on. She asked Faith,
"Is Pete Hanson still the coroner for this region?"

"You know Pete?"

"He's a good ME. I did a couple of courses with him when I first
got elected."

Will had forgotten that in small towns, the medical examiner's job
was an elected position. He couldn't picture Sara's face on a yard sign.

Faith said, "We were actually about to head over there for the autopsy
on the second victim."

Sara seemed to take on an air of uncertainty. "Today's my day off."

"Well," Faith began, again drawing out the moment. "I hope you
enjoy your day." She said it as a parting shot, but didn't make a move
to leave.

Will noticed that the hallway had gone quiet enough to hear the
clacking of high heels on the tiles behind him. Amanda Wagner
walked briskly toward them. She looked well-rested despite the fact
that she had stayed out in the forest as late as Will. Her hair was in its
usual unmoving helmet and her pantsuit was a muted dark purple.

As usual, she jumped right into the middle of things. "The
bloody fingerprint on Jacquelyn Zabel's Florida driver's license
belongs to our first victim. Are you still calling her Anna?" She didn't
give them time to answer. "Is this grocery store abduction related to
our case?"

Will told her, "It could be. The mother was abducted around five-thirty
this morning. The kid, Felix, was found sleeping in his
mother's car. We've got a sketchy description from him, but he's only
six years old. The Atlanta Police are cooperating. As far as I know,
they haven't asked for help."

"Who's on point?"

"Leo Donnelly."

"Worthless," Amanda grumbled. "We'll let him keep his case for
the time being, but I want a very tight leash on him. Let Atlanta do
the footwork and pay for the forensics, but if he starts to screw things
up, yank him off."

Faith said, "He's not going to like that."

"Do I look like I give a damn?" She didn't wait for a response.
"Our friends in Rockdale County apparently have some regrets
about turning over their case," she informed them. "I've called a
press conference outside in five minutes and I want you and Faith
flanking me, looking reassuring as I explain to the public at large that
their kidneys are safe from the hands of vicious organ harvesters."
She held out her hand to Sara. "Dr. Linton, I suppose it's not a stretch
to say we're meeting under better circumstances this time around."

Sara shook her hand. "For me, at least."

"It was a moving service. A fitting tribute to a great officer."

"Oh . . ." Sara's voice trailed off, confused. Tears welled into her
eyes. "I didn't realize you were . . ." She cleared her throat, and tried
to collect herself. "That day is still a blur for me."

Amanda gave her a close look of appraisal, and her tone was surprisingly
soft when she asked, "How long has it been?"

"Three and a half years."

"I heard about what happened at Coastal." Amanda was still
holding Sara's hand, and Will could see her give the woman a reassuring
squeeze. "We take care of our own."

Sara wiped her eyes, glancing at Faith as if she felt foolish. "I was
actually about to offer my services to your agents."

Will saw Faith's mouth open, then close just as quickly.

Amanda said, "Go on."

"I worked on the first victim—Anna. I didn't have the opportunity
to do a full exam, but I had time with her. Pete Hanson is one of
the finest medical examiners I've ever met, but if you want me to sit
in on the autopsy of the second victim, I might be able to offer a perspective
on the differences and similarities between the two."

Amanda didn't waste time thinking over the decision. "I'll take
you up on that offer," she said. "Faith, Will, come with me. Dr.
Linton, my agents will meet you at City Hall East in an hour." When
no one moved, she clapped her hands. "Let's go." She was halfway
down the hall before Faith and Will found it in themselves to follow.

Will walked behind Amanda, keeping his stride short so he
wouldn't run her over. She walked fast for such a small woman, but
his height always made him feel a bit like the Green Giant as he tried
to keep a respectful distance. Looking down at the back of her head,
he wondered whether their killer worked for a woman like Amanda.
Will could see where a different kind of man might feel outright hatred
instead of the mix of exasperation with a dash of burning desire
to please that Will felt toward the older woman.

Faith put her hand on his arm, pulling him back. "Can you believe
that?"

"Believe what?"

"Sara elbowing in on our autopsy."

"She had a point about seeing both victims."

"
You
saw both victims."

"I'm not a coroner."

"Neither is she," Faith shot back. "She's not even a real doctor.
She's a pediatrician. And what the hell was Amanda talking about at
Coastal?"

Will was curious about what had happened at Coastal State Prison,
too, but mostly he wondered why Faith was so angry about it all.

Amanda called over her shoulder, "You're to take any and all
help Sara Linton is willing to offer." She had obviously heard them
whispering. "Her husband was one of the finest cops in this state, and
I'd stake any investigation on Sara's medical skills."

Faith didn't bother hiding her curiosity. "What happened to
him?"

"Line of duty," was all Amanda would say. "How are you doing
after your tumble, Faith?"

Faith sounded unusually chipper. "Perfect."

"Doctor cleared you?"

She got even chippier. "One hundred percent."

"We're going to have a talk about that." Amanda waved the security
guards away as they entered the lobby, telling Faith, "I've got
a meeting after this with the mayor, but I'll expect you in my office
by the end of the day."

"Yes, ma'am."

Will wondered if he was turning more stupid by the minute or
if the women in his life were just getting more obtuse. Now was not
the time to figure it out, though. He reached ahead of Amanda and
opened the glass entrance door. There was a podium outside, a small
carpet behind it for Amanda to stand on. Will took his usual spot to
the side, safe in the knowledge that the cameras would capture his
chest and maybe the knot in his tie as they went in for the tight focus
on Amanda. Faith obviously knew she would not be as lucky, and she
perfected a scowl as she stood behind her boss.

The cameras flashed. Amanda stepped up to the microphones.
Questions were shouted, but she waited for the ruckus to die down
before taking out a folded sheet of paper from her jacket pocket and
smoothing it flat on the platform. "I'm Dr. Amanda Wagner, deputy
director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Atlanta regional office."
She paused for effect. "Some of you have heard the spurious
rumors about the so-called Kidney Killer. I am here to set the record
straight that this rumor is false. There is no such killer in our midst.
The victim's kidney was not removed; there was no surgical interference
whatsoever. The Rockdale County Police Department has denied
starting said rumors, and we have to trust that our colleagues are
being honest in this matter."

Will didn't have to look at Faith to know she was fighting the urge
to smile. Detective Max Galloway had certainly gotten under her
skin, and Amanda had just slammed the entire Rockdale County police
force on camera.

One of the reporters asked, "What can you tell us about the
woman who was brought into Grady last night?"

Not for the first time, Amanda knew more about their case than
Will or Faith had told her. She responded, "We should have a sketch
of the victim for you by one o'clock this afternoon."

"Why no photographs?"

"The victim suffered some blows to the face. We want to give the
public their best chance to identify her."

A woman from CNN asked, "What's her prognosis?"

"Guarded." Amanda moved on, pointing to the next person with
his hand up. It was Sam, the guy who had called to Faith when they
first entered the hospital. He was the only reporter Will could see
who was taking notes the old-fashioned way instead of using a digital
recorder. "Do you have a comment about the statement from
Jacquelyn Zabel's sister, Joelyn Zabel?"

Will felt his jaw tighten as he forced himself to stare impassively
ahead. He imagined Faith was doing the same thing, because the
crowd of reporters was still focused on Amanda instead of the two
shocked agents behind her.

"The family is obviously very upset," Amanda answered. "We're
doing everything we can do to solve this case."

Sam pressed, "You can't be pleased that she's using such harsh language
about your agency."

Will could imagine Amanda's smile just by the look on Sam's face.
They were both playing a game, because the reporter obviously
knew full well that Amanda had no idea what he was talking about.

She said, "You'll have to ask Ms. Zabel about her statements. I
have no further comment on the matter." Amanda took two more
questions, then wrapped up the press conference with the usual request
for anyone with information to come forward.

The reporters started to dissipate, off to file their stories—though
Will was fairly certain that none of them would take responsibility
for failing to fact-check their reports before running the specious rumor
about the so-called Kidney Killer.

Amanda's voice was a low grumble that Will could barely make
out when she told Faith, "Go."

Faith didn't need an explanation, nor did she need backup, but she
still grabbed Will by the arm as she walked toward the crowd of reporters.
She brushed past Sam, and she must've said something to
him because the man started following her toward a narrow alley between
the hospital and the parking garage.

Sam said, "Caught the dragon off-guard, didn't I?"

Faith indicated Will. "Agent Trent, this is Sam Lawson, professional
asshole."

Sam flashed him a smile. "Pleased to meet you."

Will didn't offer a response, and Sam didn't appear to mind. The
reporter was more interested in Faith, and he was looking at her in
such a predatory way that Will felt a caveman urge to punch the guy
squarely in the jaw.

Sam said, "Damn, Faith, you're looking really hot."

"Amanda's pissed at you."

"Isn't she always?"

"You don't want to be on her bad side, Sam. You remember what
happened last time."

"The great thing about drinking so much is that I don't." He was
grinning again, looking her up and down. "You look really good,
babe. I mean—just fantastic."

She shook her head, though Will could tell she was softening.
He'd never seen her look at a man the way she was looking at Sam
Lawson. There was definitely something unresolved between them.
Will had never felt more like a third wheel in his life.

Thankfully, Faith seemed to realize she was here for a reason.
"Did Rockdale give you Zabel's sister?"