Tyler just wanted this day to be over. It couldn’t get worse.
Chapter Five
TYLER AND SAM hung out at the edge of the gathering crowd outside city hall for the press conference. All in all, it appeared the mayor’s office and the public were happy to see another dangerous criminal taken off the streets.
Tyler worried about Detective Stewart. He’d seen the detective off to the side talking confidentially with a barracuda of a reporter by the name of Janet James. Well known for getting the inside scoop and spinning facts for sensational sound bites. Not uncommon for her to stretch the truth and elaborate on details to get the ratings she needed to land the news-anchor job she coveted. So far, the only thing she’d landed was the reputation for sensationalizing news and turning it into tabloid fodder.
Tyler stayed alert and on edge. Agent Davies delivered his statement to the press, finishing up with thanks for the chief of police, the detectives, and the FBI agents who participated in the investigation. Tyler cringed as the press erupted, shouting questions at Davies. One after the other, Davies answered without revealing pertinent facts from the case.
Detective Stewart stepped forward to answer a reporter’s question regarding the timeline of the abductions from the first woman kidnapped to the last. Tyler’s gut had warned him to watch out for Detective Stewart, but he never saw this coming.
One mistake, trusting in the wrong person, and Tyler’s world crashed down around him.
“Detective Stewart, isn’t it true that you were against calling in the FBI? In fact, the SFPD was close to solving the case when the FBI took over.” Janet smiled for the camera and at the detective. Their earlier conversation had been a strategy session for working out the questions she’d ask and the responses he’d give. Tyler’s gut turned over.
“The SFPD worked diligently to solve this case. We collected a lot of evidence before the FBI joined the team,” Detective Stewart answered vaguely.
“Is it true the final details of the case came from a psychic the FBI brought in to help with the investigation?”
Tyler took a step toward the detective about to give away Morgan and ruin his and the FBI’s relationship with her. She’d made it clear. Don’t give out her name, or acknowledge her involvement with the FBI. Ever.
Now, because Detective Stewart was pissed about sharing the spotlight with the FBI, he was going to tarnish the FBI’s reputation and ruin their relationship with Morgan in the process.
Sam grabbed Tyler before he took another step toward the podium. “Just wait. He hasn’t said her name. It’s well known the FBI uses psychics on occasion. Maybe he’ll make it look like we exhausted every tool at our disposal to bring down Delgadillo.”
“The FBI did bring in a psychic,” Stewart answered.
“Detective, didn’t this psychic lead you to the ship in the San Francisco port that housed the abducted women?”
“The psychic provided the FBI with the name of the ship. She indicated that we would find the missing women onboard. As I understand it, she’s quite accurate and works closely with Agent Reed.”
The blood drained out of Tyler’s face and his whole body went slack and cold. He stood dumbstruck. Stewart couldn’t possibly be outing him and Morgan to the press.
Agent Davies tried to intervene, but the reporter and the detective were on a roll and the detective refused to give up his position in front of the microphones without a fight and stood firm.
“So you admit this so-called psychic actually predicted the correct name of the ship where the women were held?”
“That’s right. Agent Reed assured me and my partner that Morgan provided legitimate leads on multiple cases and is a tool he and the FBI relies on extensively. Agent Reed met Morgan in Texas, and she was instrumental in saving his sister. We were confident, based on the FBI’s recommendation, and those of Agent Reed, that the information from Morgan was reliable.”
At the linking of his name and Morgan’s to the press, Tyler heard Morgan scream No! in his mind so loud and with such anguish that he actually grabbed his head from the pain. Sam’s hands clamped onto his arms, and he dragged him away from the crowd, down the street to their car. He couldn’t think for the searing pain and pressure in his head. It took several minutes for the pain to subside. He stopped Sam’s progress and turned back to city hall and Agent Davies trying to end the press conference.