Xo (Kathryn Dance 3)

"Just general things." Intentionally evasive.

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; She swallowed again.

Dance glanced down at a blank sheet of paper then up once more. She noted a faint glistening of sweat on Sally's forehead as she strained to see it.

The FBI has some really good equipment.

Dance again glanced down at the sheet and Sally's eyes dropped toward the desk in front of her as if the paper were two feet from her. Dance asked, "Your brother in Spokane? And your mother in Tacoma?"

"I just ... my brother, my mother?"

"Edwin was close to them?"

The stalker had not said more than one or two sentences about Sally Docking and nothing at all about her family. Dance had looked up the details through Washington state and federal records, after she suspected the true relationship between the two.

"Did he say anything about them?" Sally asked.

"They were friendly, weren't they? Close?"

"I ..."

"What, Sally? Would you be concerned if Edwin showed some interest in your family?"

Ah, the power of the hypothetical.

Some interest in ...

"What did he say?" she blurted. "Please tell me!"

"What's the matter, Sally?" Dance tried to appear perplexed.

"I ..." The tears began. "What did he say?" Behind her, one FBI agent shifted, perhaps sensing the edge of hysteria, as was Dance. "Edwin? What did he say about my family?"

Dance said evenly, "Why are you troubled? Tell me." Her brow furrowed.

"He's going to hurt them! He won't understand that I did what he wanted. If he mentioned them to you it means he's going to hurt them to get back at me. Please, you have to do something!"

"Wait." Dance looked troubled. "I hope you're not telling me that you're the one who wanted to break up."

"I--"

"Oh, no. That changes everything.... I mean, what I told Edwin ..." She stopped speaking and peered at Sally uneasily.

"Please! No! What did you tell him? Where is he? Is Edwin going to Tacoma, Spokane?"

"We don't know where he is, Sally, I told you that.... Let me think. Okay, this is a problem."

"Don't let him hurt my mama!" She was sobbing now. "Please! And my brother's got two babies!"

The scenario was playing out just as Kathryn Dance had planned. The agent had needed to plant the seeds of fear within the woman to get her to open up and had formed her questions to give the impression that Edwin was practically en route to kill her family ... and possibly then her.

Breathless with tears: "I did what he wanted. Why is he going to hurt us?"

Dance said sympathetically, "We can help you, Sally. But we can't do anything for you or your mother or brother if you're not honest."

In fact, she'd already talked to the local authorities and made sure that both Sally's mother's and brother's houses were being guarded, though the family members didn't know it at this point.