The Lawyer's Lawyer

CHAPTER Three



You handled her very well,” FBI Agent Allan Peterson said to Danni when she entered the observation room where some of the agents and detectives were still huddled. Peterson was Danni’s partner on the task force formed to find and capture the killer.

“I wasn’t handling anybody,” Danni snapped. The words were out before she could catch them.

“Whoa! Excuse me,” Peterson replied. Danni realized immediately that her response was uncalled for. Peterson was trying to give her a compliment. The stress was getting to her.

“Sorry. Can we get down to business now?”

“We already have,” Peterson said. “We’re running down the Volkswagen and trying to decide what we’re going to do with the sketch besides giving it to every police officer within a hundred-mile radius.”

“Is somebody actually thinking of sitting on it?”

“Maybe. If he knows we have a good description of him, he might run.”

“And young college students may no longer be killed.”

“Be killed here, you mean. If he’s got the urge to kill, he’s going to continue no matter where he is.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Some serial killers have been known to stop for no apparent reason. If we can interrupt his pattern, he may stop.”

“Danni, we’re not in the hoping business. We’re in the catching business. And if we decide that distributing this sketch is going to cause our killer to run, we’re going to keep it on the down low.”

Danni knew he was right although she hated to admit it.

“And who’s making that decision?”

“The higher-ups,” Peterson replied. “They’re meeting as we speak. Where’s the girl?”

“Sitting at my desk waiting for her parents to arrive. I think they’re going to take her home.”

“Good decision. This guy knows she’s out there. He’s got to take another pass at her if she stays in school. She’s the only one who can identify him.”