“Must make those town council meetings fun.”
“They are, actually,” Hal said with a wicked grin. “The thing is, she’s the best mayor this town ever had. She had the vision, and she had the guts to see it all through. St. Dennis would be just another sleepy bay town without her. The other side of the coin is that she can be the very devil if you don’t see things her way.”
“I think Beck mentioned that she spearheaded the revival of the town.”
“And happily sunk that spear into the back of anyone who stood in her way,” he said. “But she’s made more friends than enemies, because she was dead-on about what St. Dennis could become. A lot of people made a lot of money because they listened to her and invested in the right places at the right time.”
“Including Hamilton Forbes.”
“Especially Ham Forbes. He owns more of St. Dennis than anyone else in town.”
“Does he own beach property? In Dewey or Rehoboth, maybe?”
“Not as far as I know. He’s kept his holdings right here in town. Likes being a big fish in a small pond.” Hal seemed to study her face. “I know what you’re thinking, but no, Ham’s kept it all right here. If he’d bought property over in Rehoboth or Ocean City, we’d have heard about it. He likes to talk about what he has. Compensation, I’m thinking, for what he lacks.”
“Actually, I was thinking about his son.”
“As far as I know, Mickey doesn’t own anything except the two businesses. He did have some interest in a property out along the highway, but he sold that when the new shopping center went in. Going to end up paying for his divorce, from what I hear.”
“The center right outside of town? The one with the movie theater and the fancy coffee shop and the gym?” Mia had passed it several times. “That must have been some divorce settlement.”
“Yeah, I heard Callie-the soon to be ex-is making out pretty good. Mickey was lucky to keep the sporting goods store. I’m not sure he minded though. He wants out of the marriage, but he wants his kids taken care of, too. So he’ll give Callie pretty much everything she wants.”
“I’d think sporting goods would do well around here.”
“Very well. He carries a lot of fishing and hunting gear, along with the sports paraphernalia. Runs some soccer clubs, lacrosse, softball.” Hal laughed. “Time was, if you were into sports, all you needed was a pair of sneakers and a ball, maybe a glove and a bat, but that was as complicated as it got.”
“You play a sport back then, Hal?”
“Played some minor league baseball, yes, ma’am.” He nodded. “Some thought I’d make it to the pros, but my number came up in the draft. One day I was on the mound throwing my fastball, the next I was dropping out of a helicopter into a jungle in Vietnam. Spent the next twelve months dodging bullets.”
“One of my uncles was in Vietnam,” she told him. “My dad said he wasn’t the same person when he came back.”
“None of us were,” Hal nodded solemnly. “For any number of reasons…”
Beck walked up behind him and put a hand on Hal’s shoulder.
“We’re just about to start,” Beck said. “Either of you have any last-minute thoughts?”
“Just that you might want to ask the TV cameramen if they’d scan the crowd from time to time.” Mia suggested. “We can borrow the tape later and see if anyone stands out in any way.”
“I thought I’d ask both of you to keep an eye on the crowd. I think you both know what to look for.”
“I’ll take the right side of the room, Agent Shields can take the left,” Hal offered.
“Fine with me,” Mia agreed.
“Let’s get this moving, then.” Beck made his way back to the podium, stopping to talk to each of the cameramen he passed on the way.
By the time he reached the front of the room, Mia had wandered to the front left side where she had a good view of the crowd, as well as the door leading to the hall.
“Good evening, thanks for coming,” Beck was saying. “You all know why we’re here, but for those of you who may not have heard the whole story, or who may have only heard rumors, let me start at the beginning. Last Sunday night, the body of Colleen Preston was found on her parents’ front porch…”
Beck began to recite the saga, from the time Colleen’s body was found. Mia turned her attention to the crowd. She felt certain the killer would be here tonight-no way would he miss out on this-and she knew, too, there was only a fair chance his behavior might call the attention of even a trained eye. She knew the basics-he’d be a white male in his early to mid-thirties. She guessed he’d be well-dressed-he had the means to have a vehicle to transport his victim in, and access to some place secluded enough to keep her for a period of time, where he knew she wouldn’t be discovered. He’s going to be very interested in the proceedings tonight, and he’s going to be hanging on Beck’s every word. But at the same time, he’s going to be feeling very smug. After all, he knows what no one else in the room knew. He knew who he was, what he’d done, and how. She hoped his smugness might manifest itself in some discernible way, but knew better than to bet on that.
Mia’s eyes scanned row to row, front of the room to the back. There were more than enough white males in their mid-thirties, none of whom appeared to be reacting in an untoward manner. She strolled along the side of the room slowly, hoping to get a better look at the small group standing along the wall. She thought there was a good chance that the man they were looking for would select such a vantage point rather than a seat. Standing along the side would offer him the opportunity to watch the faces of the people in the audience. He’d get to see the looks of horror and fear on their faces as Beck laid out everything that had happened over the past week, and their fear would give him power over the entire room.
She smiled at the members of the St. Dennis police department who ringed the room. On her side of the room, Duncan Alcott leaned against the wall, halfway between the first row of chairs and the last, his arms folded. He stole an occasional glance at the crowd, but for the most part paid more attention to Beck than to his surroundings. Mia watched him pull a stick of gum from his pocket, unwrap it, and fold it slowly into his mouth, never taking his eyes off Beck. Behind him stood a group of seven or eight girls who appeared to be of high school age. Behind them, Lisa Singer stood next to a tall, good-looking, dark-haired man-her husband, Todd? Further back, Mia saw Vanessa Keaton standing with Mickey Forbes.
Mickey’s eyes were shining with excitement, and a chill went up Mia’s spine. She realized he wasn’t the only man in the crowd who was tantalized by the whole bondage and rape scenario Beck had laid out, but he was the only man in the crowd who was spending a lot of time with the police chief’s sister. She knew the killer would want to keep his finger on the pulse of the investigation. What better way to do that than to wine and dine Beck’s sister? Then again, he could probably learn all he wanted to know from his mother.
She wondered if Mickey owned any property that neither Hal nor Beck knew about. Did his father own abandoned buildings that his son had access to?
And there was Lisa Singer’s husband. How much closer to the investigation could you get without actually being a part of it?
Then again, as she’d said before, there were a lot of potential suspects here in St. Dennis.
There’s the balding man there in the back of the room, by the door. And that guy standing there at the end of the last row, watching the crowd instead of Beck, his face void of expression.
And who knows how many possible suspects Hal was mentally lining up on the opposite side of the room?
“…and take some questions, if anyone has any,” Mia heard Beck say, as she tuned back in.