The St. Paul Conspiracy Read Online Free PDF

a serial killer. This is very high-profile. McRyan doesn’t look very senior. People might wonder, is all I’m saying.”
    “Your concerns are noted,” was Flanagan’s terse reply.
    With that, Miller and Peters got up to leave. The chief asked Peters to stay.
    With the door closing behind Miller, the chief asked, “She have a point on Mac?”
    “No,” Peters responded without hesitation. “Mac’s fine. He’s young, sure, but smart. Lich’s fine too if he’s with it, and I made sure he was properly motivated this morning. Mac doesn’t concern me.”
    The chief considered it for a minute “Real police. It’s in his blood.”
    “Yes, sir.” Peters replied. “He’s a natural at this. He’s level headed, a natural leader, he wants the responsibility. Plus, he’s smarter than hell.”
    Chief Flanagan thought it over. “You know, he reminds me of his old man.”
    Peters smiled. “Me too, Chief.”
    “Well, screw them all then,” Flanagan said, “We let the real police do their job.”

Chapter Four

“Claire’s dead.”

    Mac and Lich got back in the Explorer and drove to Daniels’ place. Mac was jacked. It was not often he got a case like this. Lich, catching the mood of the moment, put it right, “This type of case—bring it home, and you’re set, Mac. Screw it up, and you might get night watch down in the jail.”
    As they pulled onto Grand and were a few blocks away from Daniels’ place, Lich chirped, “Media’s in heaven. They’ll have a field day with us today.”
    Mac couldn’t argue with him, it was going to be rough, especially for the chief and Sylvia Miller.
    “What’s the plan, boss?” Lich said with just a touch of wry sarcasm.
    Mac caught the tone. “You gonna be okay following my lead on this?”
    Lich chuckled. “There’ll be no problem, Mac. I haven’t exactly been busting my hump lately, but I’m with you on this. No fucking around.”
    “Thanks.”
    “So, what’s on our agenda?”
    “Check out the condo. Then we’ll head down to Channel 6 and talk with her colleagues. Her mother’s been notified. We’ll have to talk with her as well, although word is they weren’t close.”
    As they approached Daniels’ condo, the media horde became evident, with television trucks and microphones everywhere, people running back and forth. To avoid it, Mac dumped the Explorer in an open spot along Grand, half a block away. He and Lich got out and made their way towards the condo, casually winding through the news vans, and ducking under the crime scene tape.
    Mac saw a uniform cop and said, “Go get me Clark and Green,” and to Lich, “Let’s take a closer look around the condo.”
    As Mac entered the bedroom, forensics was getting ready to transport the body. Morgan had nothing additional to give them; they would have to wait for the autopsy. On his first time through, Mac had gotten the feeling that very little was amiss, but he wanted to look around and get a feel for Daniels.
    The bedroom was really two rooms. There was the area where her bed, dresser and closet were located. Claire must have slept on the right side normally, as there was a phone and an alarm clock on that side of the bed. The drawer on the right nightstand was filled with the usual stuff one might expect, including a notepad and pen to take messages. The drawer on the left side held a brass tin that contained condoms, which was interesting, for if nothing else, she was prepared.
    He took a look at her closet, a deep walk in. Claire had been a clotheshorse, which was not surprising for a television reporter. There were a couple of boxes with personal effects, some family pictures, and a high school yearbook from Bristol, Ohio. Mac took out the yearbook and thumbed through it. Bristol was a small town as Claire’s graduating class looked to be about fifty students. He found Claire, with a last name of Miller, so she must have been married at some point or changed her name. Her graduation picture