A Face to Die For (Forensic Instincts 6)
Casey glanced around. “We all got electronic copies of Brianna Mullen’s deep bio, courtesy of Ryan. Questions?”
Claire, Ryan, and Emma shook their heads.
“This is comprehensive, as always.” Casey scanned the documents on her iPad Pro, opening each one using the Box app. She’d already read them through three times. Ryan turned up information that few others could—not unless they knew how and where to look and were willing to go the route of the less-than-legal.
First came the easy stuff.
Brianna Mullen.
Age: twenty-seven.
Height: five-foot-seven.
Weight: one hundred thirty pounds.
Race: African-American.
Background: grew up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Current living arrangements: a studio apartment on Waverly Place near Washington Square Park. (Note: For past three days, has been staying with Lina Brando, her best friend, at her one-bedroom apartment on West Eighth Street.)
Occupation: full-time graduate student at NYU Stern Business School, studying for her MBA in marketing. GPA: 4.0.
Current Employment: During school year, works twenty hours a week at the Starbucks on Fourth Street, about a block away from Stern Business School. Currently (summer months), working full-time at Zolmer Advertising, Inc. (See next section: prior employment).
Prior employment: 2011-2016 (full-time)—Zolmer Advertising, Inc., Madison Avenue, New York. Jobs held: Media Associate, (2013-2016), Junior Media Associate, (2011-2013), focusing on clients’ digital, mobile, and social media marketing programs.
Then after a list of Brianna’s online and social accounts came the more probing stuff.
Personal life: Dated infrequently and discerningly. Studied religiously. Had a small nucleus of close friends (list appended as Schedule A), all of whom helped her start an anonymous GoFundMe page for female stalking victims. A portion of the donations helped her pay Forensic Instincts’ fee. No arrests. No drinking. No drugs. No falling-out with family. Mother a pediatrician; father an investment banker—both affluent enough and willing enough to pay for Brianna’s tuition and a good chunk of her living costs. The rest, Brianna paid, including all personal expenses.
Actions taken re stalking threat: three visits to the NYPD Sixth Precinct to report incidents. None of the attempts yielded any results other than three filed complaints.
“She’s scared enough to be staying with
her best friend, rather than at her own place,” Casey noted aloud. “Also, given the support she’s getting on her GoFundMe page, it’s clear that, while the police might not believe her, her friends do. That speaks to her character and her social circle. Or, if the stalker is someone they know, his lack of character. Or both.”
Claire nodded. “She seems to be a fine young woman, a hard worker with a supportive bunch of friends and family, and no known vices or offenses.”
“No unknown ones, either,” Ryan responded with an emphatic glare. “Deep bio means deep bio. If she’d gotten drunk and thrown up even once, that data would be in those searches.”
“Of course it would.” Claire rolled her eyes. “My apologies, Mr. Peabody.”
Ryan’s glare disappeared, replaced by a huge grin. “The ultimate genius straight from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Great analogy. Thanks for the compliment.”
“I didn’t mean it as one.”
“True. In that case, the idea of accepting your apology hangs in the balance.”
“My heart breaks.”
Casey was about to intervene, when the thermal and proximity sensors registered a heat source at the front door.
“Ms. Brianna Mullen has arrived,” Yoda announced. “Body temperature elevated. Respiration rate high. No weapons detected.”
“I’m on my way, Yoda.” Emma sprang to her feet and hurried down the hall.
She returned a minute later with their client at her side and Hero at her heels.