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she’d burn ‘em alive.
    Maureen held up both her hands, still in the rubber gloves, and said loudly above the din, “Listen, there is an on-going investigation. We do not have a lot of answers yet. No, I cannot confirm whether or not this is a serial situation. That is all I have to say for now. I’m certain the department will be arranging for a press conference as soon as possible. Until then, please be conservative with your comments.”
    Maureen handled the reporters beautifully. However, Holly knew it was highly unlikely the news crews would curtail their reporting. The media was all about sensationalizing. Maybe there was a reporter or two out there who would heed her advice. Doubtful. By the time the story hit the papers and TV news that evening, it would be hugely blown up, and the San Diego community would be frightened, outraged, and rightfully paranoid. It would be a community up in arms. One Holly really was not ready to deal with, and she knew that her boss would feel the same way. The Chief also shied away from the media as much as he could, but appearing before the cameras came with the job, and lately he’d had plenty of his share of media exposure in this town with the high profile cases that had happened here over the last few years. Holly would have no choice but to give the media a press release. Chief Greenfield had way too much on his plate with his wife’s pregnancy right now.
    She turned around and muttered to the uniformed officer on the porch. “See if you can’t get them to back off for me. Explain that we really have a job to do here.”
    “Yes, Ma’am.”
    “You can call me Holly or Detective.”
    He nodded, his southern drawl giving him away as he touched his forefinger to his cap in a quick salute. He was far more respectful than most of the cops. They still had a hard time coping with her gender. She and Maureen would go out over beers occasionally and joke about it. They laughingly called it the power of a certain female part and rolled their eyes at how it truly scared the shit out of men.
    Maureen came back inside the house. “Good work, Detective,” Holly said. “Want to grab a beer when we wrap?” It was a good idea to watch your back by maintaining tight friendships on the force.
    “Yeah,” Chad said. “Brooke and I are heading over to The Tavern around six, if it works out. You guys up for it?”
    “Sure,” Maureen said. “After today, I’m gonna need a stiff one.”
    “I’m not touching that at all,” Holly said. “I can grab a drink with you, but just one. I’ve got to pick up Chloe at a friend’s house. He’s also expecting me for dinner.” Holly realized that she’d slipped when Maureen and Chad exchanged curious glances. “No, no, don’t you two get any ideas. He’s a friend from Chloe’s school. His daughter is in the same class.”
    “Sure,” Maureen said. “Nice cover.”
    Chad winked at her.
    “Let’s get back to work, Cupid and his side-kick. I want to get this letter to Psych and see what the good doctor has to say about our UNSUB.” She tapped the sealed evidence with her finger, reading it again.
    “What do you mean?” Maureen asked.
    “I think we need to expect some overtime on this. The media is on it like flies on fresh shit. Once this is all out in the open, it will get ugly out there until we get this sicko. I think I’ll walk the scene. See what I get. Has anyone called Shannon McKay’s parents?”
    “Not yet,” Chad replied looking down at the ground.
    She knew that was going to fall on her shoulders, and she dreaded it.
    “But they have called her several times. Their messages sound worried, and they were planning for her to drive up north for Thanksgiving. I checked their locale. Looks like they’re up in the Napa area. You might want to play that last message.”
    Holly saw the blinking light on an answering machine hooked up to a kitchen phone. She pressed play. There were messages from a few friends. She jotted