Stolen Daughters (Detective Amanda Steele)

“Okay.” His face was stoic.

She was ready to abandon the whole “flies with honey” thing. It hadn’t lasted long, but at least she’d given it a shot. “We know that you found out that her tongue was severed.”

“Ah, sure. You read my article?”

“What article?” Her core rushed with molten lava.

He grabbed a tablet from a side table and swept his finger across the screen. “This one.” He held it up for Amanda and Trent to see.

The headline read: “Murder and Mutilation in Dumfries.”

She shot to her feet and grabbed the device from him and scanned the article. Shannon Fox’s name was there, along with the details of the mutilation. She took a few minutes

to compose herself and cool her anger, then said in an even voice, “Where did you get this information?”

Fraser glanced from her to Trent, then rubbed his chin. “Ah, a source.” Stated calmly with no shame or remorse.

“The PWCPD’s Public Information Office is the only source you should be listening to right now. And they aren’t saying anything.”

“Uh-huh, exactly.” Fraser was the epitome of put-togetherness.

“Let me see if I understand your point,” she began. “The police aren’t talking to you, so you wrote your own story based on some source?”

“Yeah.”

“Who’s your source?”

“I’m not going to tell you that,” he scoffed. “The press has constitutional rights, and the public deserves to know what’s happening in their city.”

“The police have rights, too, just as Ms. Fox has the right to justice. No one but the victim’s friend, the police, investigators, the medical examiner, and the killer knew about the dismemberment. Do you gather where I’m headed with this?”

He sighed dramatically.

Amanda pressed on. “You’re hiding behind your source.” She added finger quotes. She longed to jolt him into speaking. “But maybe you’re the source. Did you kill Ms. Fox?”

“That’s absurd!” he exclaimed.

“Where were you between four and six Friday morning?” she asked. Fox’s time-of-death window.

“I submitted a piece to a newspaper around five that day. I can get you proof of the submission.”

“We’re going to need that,” Trent chimed in and stole Fraser’s gaze.

The reporter shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t know it was a huge secret.”

“Sure you did. That’s why you put it in the paper. You wanted admiration for providing that tidbit before anyone else.” She paused and scanned his face, and he showed no signs of being bothered by what she was saying. “You need to take that article down immediately.” She nudged her head toward the tablet in his hands.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“You will,” she said firmly.

“I won’t, and I couldn’t if I wanted to. It’s with the paper now.”

“Let me put it to you this way. I’ll make it crystal clear so there’s no room for misinterpretation. If you didn’t kill Ms. Fox, then your ‘source’ did.” She felt confident in saying that. After all, it seemed apparent that their killer wanted attention for his actions. He’d be the most interested in making sure his story got out there. “Did this person give you their name?”

He shook his head. “He said no names. Many sources prefer anonymity.”

“Especially killers or those with something to hide or protect,” Amanda rebutted, and she flopped into the chair she’d been in before.