The St. Paul Conspiracy Read Online Free PDF Page A

whiff of cigarette smoke, although a quick scan failed to reveal an ashtray.
    “Lich, how are you?”
    “I’m fine, sir. Thank you for asking.”
    “Well, boys, the shit’s hittin’ the fan. We’ll be speaking with the media soon,” Flanagan said, wincing. “I know you probably don’t have much, but Peters, Sylvia, and I need an update. So,” the chief said, pointing to Mac, “give us what you’ve got.”
    Mac pulled out his notebook to give the basic run down. He finished with, “Forensics preliminarily puts time of death between midnight and 2:00 a.m.”
    “How’d the killer get in? Were there any signs of forced entry?” asked the chief.
    “Not so far.” Mac replied, explaining about the new door locks and key they found.
    “Anything missing?”
    “Doesn’t seem to be,” Mac answered. “The house isn’t ransacked in any way. She had jewelry in her bedroom, some fairly expensive pieces, which appear to be undisturbed. So, at this point, it looks like whoever got in was let in, or had a key. Maybe a boyfriend.”
    “Do we know anything about who she was seeing?”
    “Not yet. We’ll need to get down to the station and talk to the people she worked with. Maybe we’ll learn something there.”
    Sylvia Miller, the department spokeswoman, piped in. “The media knows that it’s Claire Daniels. I’ve already been getting calls, and they, being the media, want to know when we’ll have something to say. What can we offer at this point?”
    Mac was about to speak, but first looked to Flanagan, who nodded. “I know the heat’s on, but I don’t think we should release much. She was found dead this morning in her condo. I’d give them the usual bullshit that an autopsy will be performed. Indicate that we’ll be questioning people in the neighborhood, people she worked with, that sort of thing. Beyond that...” Mac shook his head.
    “We’re getting hammered here, with the serial killer and then this,” Miller pleaded. “Can’t we go with more, the strangling, time of death, the sex information... any of that?”
    “Not yet,” Flanagan answered. “It’s way too early. I don’t want us to get hung based on speculative information we’ll have to retract later. I don’t wanna compromise the investigation.”
    “I understand that, but information’ll get out on a case like this,” Miller pushed. “The media pressure’ll be immense. One of their own is dead here. We need to throw them a bone, or we’re gonna get skewered.”
    “Damn it, I fuckin’ know that!” yelled Flanagan, who then caught himself, obviously regretting the outburst. After a quiet moment and an exhale, he said more calmly, “I’m sorry. I do appreciate your situation, Sylvia. But we must let the detectives do their work. If we catch the guy, we’ll be fine. If not, I’ll take the heat.” Flanagan then turned to Mac. “This is your case to run. But be smart. You need help, boyo, ask, and keep Peters in the loop. And, son, all media requests go to Sylvia for now.”
    “Avoiding the media is fine by me,” Mac replied.
    “That goes for you too, Lich,” added Peters, his tone just a bit accusatory.
    Mac smiled inside. Lich liked to talk.
    “What’d I do?” pleaded Lich with his arms held open.
    “Dick,” said Flanagan, “you have a rep for leaking. Not here. Keep your mouth shut.” It was not a request.
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Okay, boys, go to it.”
    Mac and Lich left the room.
    Once they were gone, Miller, always evaluating the public perception of things asked, “Chief, isn’t McRyan kind of young to be handling this?”
    The chief gave Miller a long, severe look before answering. “You know his background. He’s got four good years as a detective. He’ll be fine. From your perspective, he should be someone we want in front of the camera. People will recognize the name.”
    “That’s all true, but this isn’t a public service announcement. This is a murder case of a well-known reporter on top of