In the media room, she glanced over the statement Kyung had drafted, then stepped out in front of the cams and mics.
The questions blew out immediately. To deal with them she simply stood, silent until the noise level dropped.
Stony silence often worked on suspects, uncooperative wits in the box. It could take longer on reporters but generally did the trick.
“I’m not taking questions so don’t waste my time. The investigation into the murder of Leanore Bastwick and the murder of Wendall Ledo is active and ongoing.”
“Are there any new leads?”
“Do you have a suspect?”
“We believe the attack on Dirk Hastings last night was perpetrated by the same individual responsible for the deaths of Bastwick and Ledo. Mr. Hastings was injured, but has made a full recovery. The newest sketch of the suspect has already been distributed to all of you, so there’s no point in asking questions I’m not going to answer anyway on that element. The suspect fled when interrupted by a guest in Mr. Hastings’s residence. No, I will not reveal the identity of the witness.”
With thinning patience, she waited out the next barrage of questions. “We are evaluating all evidence, pursuing all leads, and will continue to do so until the suspect is identified and apprehended. I’ll add the suspect has my full attention.”
She chose a camera at random, looked straight into it as she spoke. “The suspect murdered two unarmed people, stunning them first. Mr. Hastings was also unarmed and stunned. The difference in this last incident is the presence of a witness and the suspect fleeing the scene rather than confronting someone who was not stunned unconscious. Draw your own conclusions.”
She turned her back dismissively, walked away while the questions rained after her.
“You intended to call the suspect a coward in front of the cameras,” Kyung commented.
“Draw your own conclusions,” she repeated. “Peabody, McNab, let’s go.”
She needed to see a friend before she went back to chasing a killer.