She stepped forward to take his card and it disappeared into the pocket of her trench coat along with her hand. I will.
See you later, Doc.
JUST ONE QUOTE, Kate. Vanessa Owen had shown up at the precinct offices late in the afternoon, thankfully without her cameraman, and ambushed Kate the moment she stepped off the elevator onto the third floor. I know we have historyand I know a lot of it was pretty badbut this isnt personal.
Nice speech. Kate took note of the visitor and press badges the dark-haired reporter wore around her neck, and quickly chucked the idea of having the doe-eyed beauty tossed out on her generous backside. Kate was in charge of public relations for the task force, after all. But that didnt mean she had to stand here and give Vanessa an exclusive interview when shed already made a formal statement to the press earlier in the day. Skirting around the reporter, Kate headed for the temporary refuge of her private office. If youll excuse me, I have work to do.
When she turned the corner into the hallway leading to her office, a uniformed policeman with a buzz cut of brown hair jumped out of the chair where hed been waiting and startled her. Dr.Kilpatrick?
Pete. Kate pressed a hand over her racing heart and retreated half a step from the frantic young man whod assisted her with controlling the crowd of reporters just that morning. Do we have an appointment?
No. But my girlfriend called me at work and she said
Pete. Kate stopped him before whatever the latest demand his girlfriend had requested of him turned into a full-blown rant. I cant hold your hand through every crisis. Now weve talked about ways to improve your communication skills. Try one of those strategies to tell her what youre feeling. You have to practice them.
But she said shed leave me.
Vanessa invited herself into the conversation. Officer, you interrupted us. I suggest you make that appointment.
Vanessa.
Five minutes of your time, Kate. Now Vanessa was ignoring the young man altogether. Thats all Im asking.
Keeping the irritation out of her tone, Kate patted the officers shoulder, giving him a little encouragement. Go on home, Pete. Talk to her the way we practiced. If it doesnt work out, Ill try to fit you into my schedule tomorrow.
Thanks. He glanced up at Vanessa, then back to Kate. Thank you, maam.
You dont deserve five minutes. As soon as Officer Estes had disappeared around the corner, Kate resumed the walk to her office. You cant talk to my clients that way.
You were dismissing him already. Vanessa quickly caught up with her, refusing to be ignored. Look, we are both professional women doing our jobs. Let me help you. Let me help the departments reputation
At that, Kate stopped and faced her. Theres nothing wrong with KCPDs reputation.
Vanessa arched a skeptical eyebrow. Youve been investigating the Rose Red Rapist for monthseven longer, if the departments claim is true that hes the same man who committed a series of unsolved attacks and then disappeared for a few years. Vanessa pulled a phone from her purse and prepared to text whatever Kate might say. Give me something to help calm the fears of the women in this city. Im happy to give them your spiel about smarter ways to protect themselves. But my viewers want information about the crimes that have already happened, not just a public service announcement. They want to know KCPD is making progress. That theres hope the crimes will stop and that this deviant will be put away for the rest of his life.
I hope youre not preaching gloom and doom to your viewers. Kate hiked her own purse straps higher onto her shoulder and unfastened the top button of her chocolate-brown coat, resigning herself to having this conversation. Perhaps if you put a more positive spin on things, the department would be less cautious about sharing their information with you.
I dont preach. I tell the facts. But I need some facts to talk about.
Kate glanced over at the late-afternoon bustle of activity in and around the detectives cubicles. The door to the boardroom where the task force was gathering had already closed. There was no way she could indulge herself and pass off this inevitable chat with Vanessa Owen to someone else. She unfastened two more buttons on her trench coat, buying a few seconds to consider what she could say that wouldnt compromise the investigation, yet would get her onetime friend out of her hair. You want facts? Were working on the serial rapist case, around the clock, utilizing experts from every department.
Blah, blah, blah. Thats rhetoric from the commissioners office and Chief Taylor, and you know it. I want the scoop from the task force, from the detectives who are on the front line of this investigation.
Kate turned her head to the side and inhaled a deep breath to chill her temper. This woman had a lot of nerve. But she didnt get to ruffle Kates composure. Not anymore. Have you ever not gotten what you wanted, Vanessa?
She could sense the lets-keep-our-personal-lives-out-of-it argument forming on the other womans expression again. Kate didnt want to hear it.
Fine. Just know that whatever I share with you Ill have to tell Gabriel Knight and the rest of the press following the investigation. The department cant show favoritism to one media outlet over another.
Not a problem. Vanessa smiled and raised her phone again, apparently relishing the victory of besting a former sorority sister again. Im listening. I can still get my report on the late news. Knight will have to wait until morning for his paper to come out.
Funny how that competitive spirit had once challenged Kate to accomplish so much. And all the time shed been busy accomplishing, Vanessa had been stealing behind Kates back, having an affair with her husband, Brad.
Just give her a quote and get her out of here.
But while the embers of regret and resentment burned inside her, outwardly, Kate presented a few nuggets of information as succinctly as her position within the department demanded. While we dont have a definitive suspect yet, we are developing a profile. Hes someone local because he knows the city well enough to blend in or hide without drawing attention to himself. And he targets strong, professional womenwhether theyre up and coming or have already established successful careers.
Vanessas thumbs hovered above her phone in mid-text. So hes looking for women who are likely to fight back or who have the means to prosecute him should he ever be identified? She resumed inputting Kates comments into her phone. This guy likes a challenge.
Which is part of why he goes to such lengths to hide his identity and mask the site of the original attacks.
Part of the reason?
Kate checked her watch. Unless someone else was running late, Spencer Montgomery had already started the task force debriefing on the days events. But leaving Vanessa with an unanswered question would only encourage the woman to come back.
She knew better than to publicize the unsubs penchant for sterilizing both the victims and the crime scene after the rape had occurredthat was a fact they were keeping to themselves to help eliminate bogus hotline tips and rule out evidence from assaults committed by someone else. But shed probably already shared more of the profile than she should. She needed to be the stronger woman here and not let her emotions dictate her interactions with this particular member of the press.