Page 17 of So Sinister
“Hey,” Faith snapped.“Focus.I get that you’re upset, but snap out of it.You have a job to do, and in about two minutes, you’re going to have a half-dozen reporters hounding you.You can’t be frazzled like this.You need to project strength and control even when you don’t feel it.”
Suresh nodded.He took a deep breath and said, “I only got a brief glimpse before bomb squad pushed me out.It didn’t appear suggestive.Her feet were crossed, and the bomb was in between them.She was bowing over it like she was praying to it.So no, not sexual.Just fucked up.”
“It always is,” Jessica said.
Faith crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip.Praying to the bomb.That was interesting.The victims’ jobs were to detect and disarm bombs.Was this some oblique way of saying they worshipped their jobs?But if so, then where was the personal connection?
Or maybe the killer was taunting them, saying,Look at how much stronger and more capable I am than you are.You might as well bow down and worship me.
That could explain the dud bomb at Entwhistle’s house.Icouldhave blown all of you up.Ichosenot to.
That was assuming this bomb was also a dud.“Any idea how difficult this one is to disarm?”
“Well, they’re still in there, and there’s no media circus dictating that they dot their i’s and cross their t’s.”
“Faith!Jessica!”
Suresh sighed.“Here come the clowns.”
Faith rolled her eyes and lifted a hand to stop Bridgette.Bridgette, of course, ignored the warning and ran full tilt into the officers maintaining the cordon around the complex.She weighed probably a hundred pounds even with her microphone and whatever she was using in her hair to make herself seem five inches taller than her natural five-one, so she didn’t get very far.
She stuck the microphone out as far as she could and said, “Special Agent Bold, can you comment on the suddenness of this second murder.”
“You know I can’t, Bridgette,” Faith replied.“This is a developing situation.”
“Should the public be worried about a serial bomber?”
“If this bomb is as pathetic as the last one, definitely not,” Jessica said.
Faith flashed her a warning glance, then glared at Bridgette.“We are not able to comment at this time.We’re in the middle of an active crime scene.You need to back off and let us do our jobs.”
Bridgette flashed Faith a hard-eyed, toothy grin and turned toward her camera.“Clearly a very tense situation here in the Riverside neighborhood of Baltimore as federal and local agents grapple with—”
Faith let her jaw at the camera and walked away, pulling Suresh with her.When they were out of earshot, she said, “I want them to let us inside.I don’t think the bomb’s still active.I think this killer is taunting people by making fake bombs.I think he wants to show us that he doesn’t need to make a real bomb to ‘beat’ his victims and us.I think he gets off knowing he can make so many people freak out over nothing.”
“I mean, he murdered two people,” Jessica reminded her.“So not nothing.”
“I can’t let you guys inside,” Suresh said.“It’s against department policy.”
“Then I’m officially taking control of this case on behalf of the FBI.I’m certain our superiors will hash out the official details when time allows.”
Suresh looked relieved.“Understood, Special Agent.”
Faith led Jessica and Turk into the building.Behind them, Bridgette called out, “Special Agents, is the bomb defused?Is the public safe?”
“I’m going to kill that woman,” Jessica muttered under her breath.
“Before or after you feed her critical information about the case?”
Jessica winced.“Yeah.Sorry about that.”
“I appreciate that, but you still need to be careful.If the press starts ridiculing this killer for planting dud bombs, he might plant a real one just to show he’s tough.”
“I get it.I’m sorry.”
Faith sighed.“Yeah, me too.I’m just upset.It’s not your fault.”
They entered the apartment and found Givens standing in front of the couch with his helmet off.In front of him was the body of their victim.
