The cameras flashed. Amanda stepped up to the microphones. Questions were shouted, but she waited for the ruckus to die down before taking out a folded sheet of paper from her jacket pocket and smoothing it flat on the platform. "I'm Dr. Amanda Wagner, deputy director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Atlanta regional office." She paused for effect. "Some of you have heard the spurious rumors about the so-called Kidney Killer. I am here to set the record straight that this rumor is false. There is no such killer in our midst. The victim's kidney was not removed; there was no surgical interference whatsoever. The Rockdale County Police Department has denied starting said rumors, and we have to trust that our colleagues are being honest in this matter."
Will didn't have to look at Faith to know she was fighting the urge to smile. Detective Max Galloway had certainly gotten under her skin, and Amanda had just slammed the entire Rockdale County police force on camera.
One of the reporters asked, "What can you tell us about the woman who was brought into Grady last night?"
Not for the first time, Amanda knew more about their case than Will or Faith had told her. She responded, "We should have a sketch of the victim for you by one o'clock this afternoon."
"Why no photographs?"
"The victim suffered some blows to the face. We want to give the public their best chance to identify her."
A woman from CNN asked, "What's her prognosis?"
"Guarded." Amanda moved on, pointing to the next person with his hand up. It was Sam, the guy who had called to Faith when they first entered the hospital. He was the only reporter Will could see who was taking notes the old-fashioned way instead of using a digital recorder. "Do you have a comment about the statement from Jacquelyn Zabel's sister, Joelyn Zabel?"
Will felt his jaw tighten as he forced himself to stare impassively ahead. He imagined Faith was doing the same thing, because the crowd of reporters was still focused on Amanda instead of the two shocked agents behind her.
"The family is obviously very upset," Amanda answered. "We're doing everything we can do to solve this case."
Sam pressed, "You can't be pleased that she's using such harsh language about your agency."
Will could imagine Amanda's smile just by the look on Sam's face. They were both playing a game, because the reporter obviously knew full well that Amanda had no idea what he was talking about.
She said, "You'll have to ask Ms. Zabel about her statements. I have no further comment on the matter." Amanda took two more questions, then wrapped up the press conference with the usual request for anyone with information to come forward.
The reporters started to dissipate, off to file their stories—though Will was fairly certain that none of them would take responsibility for failing to fact-check their reports before running the specious rumor about the so-called Kidney Killer.
Amanda's voice was a low grumble that Will could barely make out when she told Faith, "Go."
Faith didn't need an explanation, nor did she need backup, but she still grabbed Will by the arm as she walked toward the crowd of reporters. She brushed past Sam, and she must've said something to him because the man started following her toward a narrow alley between the hospital and the parking garage.
Sam said, "Caught the dragon off-guard, didn't I?"
Faith indicated Will. "Agent Trent, this is Sam Lawson, professional asshole."
Sam flashed him a smile. "Pleased to meet you."
Will didn't offer a response, and Sam didn't appear to mind. The reporter was more interested in Faith, and he was looking at her in such a predatory way that Will felt a caveman urge to punch the guy squarely in the jaw.
Sam said, "Damn, Faith, you're looking really hot."
"Amanda's pissed at you."
"Isn't she always?"
"You don't want to be on her bad side, Sam. You remember what happened last time."
"The great thing about drinking so much is that I don't." He was grinning again, looking her up and down. "You look really good, babe. I mean—just fantastic."
She shook her head, though Will could tell she was softening. He'd never seen her look at a man the way she was looking at Sam Lawson. There was definitely something unresolved between them. Will had never felt more like a third wheel in his life.
Thankfully, Faith seemed to realize she was here for a reason. "Did Rockdale give you Zabel's sister?"
"Reporter's sources are confidential," Sam answered, all but confirming her guess.
Faith asked, "What's Joelyn's statement?"
"In a nutshell, she said you guys stood around with your thumbs up your asses for three hours arguing about who would get the case while her sister was dying up in a tree."
Faith's lips were a thin white line. Will felt physically ill. Sam must have talked to the sister right after Faith had, which explained why the reporter had been so sure Amanda was in the dark.
Finally, Faith asked, "Did you feed Zabel that information?"
"You know me better than that."
"Rockdale fed her the information, then you got her on the record."
He shrugged another confirmation. "I'm a reporter, Faith. I'm just doing my job."
"That's a pretty shitty job—ambushing grieving family members, trashing the cops, printing what you know are lies."
"Now you know why I was a drunk for so many years."
Faith tucked her hands into her hips, gave a heavy, frustrated sigh. "That's not what happened with Jackie Zabel."
"I figured it wasn't." Sam took out his notepad and pen. "So give me something else to lead with."
"You know I can't—"
"Tell me about the cave. I heard he had a boat battery down there so he could burn them."
The boat battery was what they called "guilty knowledge," the sort of information only the killer would know. There were a handful of people who had seen the evidence Charlie Reed had collected below ground, and they all wore badges. At least for now.
Faith said what Will was thinking. "Either Galloway or Fierro is feeding you inside information. They get to screw us over, and you get your front-page story. Win-win, right?"
Sam's toothy grin confirmed her speculation. Still, he said, "Why would I talk to Rockdale when you're my inside man on this case?"
Will had seen Faith's temper turn on a dime over the last few weeks, and it was nice to not be on the receiving end of her anger for a change. She told Sam, "I'm not your inside anything, asshole, and your facts are wrong."
"Set me straight, babe."
She seemed about to, but sanity caught up with her at the last minute. "The GBI has no official comment on Joelyn Zabel's statement."
"Can I quote you on that?"
"Quote this, babe."
Will followed Faith to the car, but not before flashing a smile at the reporter. He was pretty sure the gesture Faith had made was not something you could put in a newspaper.
CHAPTER NINE
SARA HAD SPENT THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS PERFECTING her denial skills, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that it took a solid hour before she realized what a horrible mistake she had made by offering her services to Amanda Wagner. In that hour, she'd managed to drive home, shower, change her clothes and get all the way to the basement of City Hall East before the truth hit her like a sledgehammer. She had put her hand to the door marked GBI MEDICAL EXAMINER, then stopped, unable to open it. Another city. Another morgue. Another way to miss Jeffrey.