CHAPTER THREE
As May walked back to her car, she was worrying deeply about the case. A killer who had used explosives before - and now this person was at large, perhaps still in Tamarack County?
With a shiver of dread, she wondered how they were going to track him down, without incurring terrible risk to all the police involved. She couldn’t handle the thought of one of her own team falling prey to an explosive-wired trap.
Then, listening to the tramp of boots behind her as the group followed her up the slope to the road, May's worry veered to a more practical subject.
How were she and five FBI agents all going to fit inside her car? Apart from Kerry, they were all big guys.
May was fretting over whether she should do two trips, or whether it might be better to call a cab or an Uber, if any were around in this small town.
But luckily, that predicament was resolved as she was relieved to see a familiar vehicle pull up, with a squeal of brakes.
Owen Lovell, her deputy and investigation partner, had just arrived. He climbed out of his car, looking horrified. Never had she seen such an intensely serious expression on her tall, good looking investigation partner's face. His brown eyes were wide. His hat sat askew on his neatly trimmed dark hair.
At last, she had some moral support, and felt a flicker of reassurance in this scary and unexpected scenario.
"May!" he said. "I came here as fast as I could. I was in the swimming pool at gym when Sheriff Jack called. This is terrible." In a lower voice, he added, "I see the FBI are here."
"I’m glad you’re here, Owen," May said, the words heartfelt. "We're going straight to the police department in Sunnybrook for a briefing on the situation. Would you mind giving Special Agents Billings and Chris a ride?"
"Sure, of course," Owen agreed, giving the two a firm handshake. "Morning, gents. Good to have you here. Terrible situation."
May hustled over to her own car. Kerry climbed in next to her, and Adams and Ross got in the back.
May set off on the short drive into town, which led past the local church on the corner, and some shops and restaurants in the compact town center. Beyond them, on the far side of the local coffee shop, was the police department. May wasn't surprised to see that it, too, was a hive of activity this morning.
The parking lot behind the building was almost full. May took the last space, and behind her, Owen parked on the sidewalk outside.
As they hustled to the police department, there was a strong smell of good coffee coming from the lobby. May guessed that the coffee shop next door was working overtime to supply enough caffeine for all the personnel crammed into the building.
She followed the scent inside, where she saw a deputy at the front desk she recognized.
"Morning, Ella," she greeted the short, brown-haired woman who usually had a ready smile but looked stressed today.
"Morning, May," Ella replied.
"Is there a meeting room we can use? The FBI is here and we have to be briefed," May said.
Ella looked alarmed. She got on the phone and spoke quickly.
A few moments later, she put the phone down and nodded.
"You can go through. The small boardroom is available. The team inside has just wrapped up. Second door on the right. Do y'all want coffee?"
"Yes, please," May said gratefully.
They all filed through to the boardroom. May could feel the tension thrumming in the corridors. Phones were shrilling. Tense voices were raised. Footsteps thudded in and out of the offices.
They all crammed into the meeting room, which had six seats around a round table, a whiteboard, and a small desk in the front of the room. It had a nice view over the local park, May saw, but at this hour the green space was occupied only by a lone jogger and a woman walking her dog.
They all took a seat. Owen sat to Kerry's right. To her left was the big boss, Keith Ross. He sat down, drumming his fingers on the table thoughtfully as Kerry opened her laptop and prepared.
May looked around, at all the serious, professional faces. This was her first meeting with a high-level FBI team, she realized. And as deputy, she was representing her county, and would need to live up to their standards and expectations.
“Okay, folks, let's get started," Kerry said. "I'm going to brief you about the current situation regarding the killer, and what we know so far."
May listened intently, getting her notepad out of her purse in case she needed to write anything down.