come to terms with what had just happened.
Not too much time, though, he hoped, because once his consulting contract was over, he wouldn’t have an excuse to be around her anymore.
Then again, if Casey was going to come into the investigation now, he might decide he didn’t need Matt anymore and cancel the rest of the contract. That was a sobering thought. How could he stay close to Tessa and make her realize how good they could be together if he didn’t have an excuse to be near her? His mood took a nosedive as he walked her back to the car.
T ESSA GLANCED AT Matt, sitting beside her at the desk they’d been relegated to in the Charleston PD squad room. He was typing on his laptop, acting as if nothing amazing was going on around them, while she was nearly bursting with excitement. She was trying to stay patient as she waited for her boss, but the waiting was killing her.
When she’d spoken to Casey on the phone, she’d told him about Matt’s special search program that had led them to the Sharon Johnson crime scene, and from there to the John Crawford crime scene. She’d also relayed the information Detective Jimenez had confirmed for her, that broken glass at the Johnson house could have been from a Molotov cocktail. As to whether Sharon’s driver’s license had been taken, that couldn’t be confirmed since her purse hadn’t been found. But Casey had agreed with Tessa and Matt’s conclusions—the odds of the Johnson and Crawford murders being related to the letters were too high to ignore, especially after Matt’s program had found so many other potential cases related to other letters. Casey was all in. He’d already flown into Charleston, and a team of agents from the Savannah office was due to arrive any moment.
John Crawford’s body had been found less than six hours ago, and already a special task force was being established. Higher-ups were flying in from Quantico and field offices from every state where a letter had originated. The “Ashes Killer,” as the Quantico muckety-mucks were already calling him, would soon be behind bars. He didn’t stand a chance against the brain trust the FBI was assembling.
Casey was deep in conversation right now with the Charleston police chief at the front of the squad room, along with the unit chief of BAU-2, the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit that focused on crimes like serial murder. There were all kinds of important people going in and out, drawing on white boards, comparing notes. And yet Matt was ignoring everyone in the room, completely focused on his computer screen.
Tessa leaned toward him. ”Do you know who that is?” She pointed to the man who’d just walked up to Casey.
Matt glanced up, frowned. “Can’t say that I do.”
“He’s the head of the BAU at FBI headquarters. I can’t believe he’s here. This is huge, huge.”
His mouth quirked up in a half smile. “You’re really excited about all this.”
“I shouldn’t be. It feels so wrong, when people have died and more lives are at risk. But if I find this guy, if I stop him, it’s a guaranteed promotion. I could have my pick of jobs. I might even get my own field office. This is the kind of case that can make, or break, a career.”
His smiled faded and he punched some more keys on his laptop. “And if you got a promotion, you’d be willing to leave Savannah?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have family in Savannah?”
“Sure, my mom and dad. Why?”
“You wouldn’t mind leaving them behind?”
“I’d miss them, but I’d come back to visit.”
He gave her an odd look and focused on his computer again. Did he think she was wrong to be willing to move away? For heaven’s sake, she’d left home when she was eighteen. Her parents didn’t expect her to live her entire life in the same city as them. They would understand that her career came first.
She shook her head. None of that mattered. It was all hypothetical. What mattered right now was pouring all her
Not too much time, though, he hoped, because once his consulting contract was over, he wouldn’t have an excuse to be around her anymore.
Then again, if Casey was going to come into the investigation now, he might decide he didn’t need Matt anymore and cancel the rest of the contract. That was a sobering thought. How could he stay close to Tessa and make her realize how good they could be together if he didn’t have an excuse to be near her? His mood took a nosedive as he walked her back to the car.
T ESSA GLANCED AT Matt, sitting beside her at the desk they’d been relegated to in the Charleston PD squad room. He was typing on his laptop, acting as if nothing amazing was going on around them, while she was nearly bursting with excitement. She was trying to stay patient as she waited for her boss, but the waiting was killing her.
When she’d spoken to Casey on the phone, she’d told him about Matt’s special search program that had led them to the Sharon Johnson crime scene, and from there to the John Crawford crime scene. She’d also relayed the information Detective Jimenez had confirmed for her, that broken glass at the Johnson house could have been from a Molotov cocktail. As to whether Sharon’s driver’s license had been taken, that couldn’t be confirmed since her purse hadn’t been found. But Casey had agreed with Tessa and Matt’s conclusions—the odds of the Johnson and Crawford murders being related to the letters were too high to ignore, especially after Matt’s program had found so many other potential cases related to other letters. Casey was all in. He’d already flown into Charleston, and a team of agents from the Savannah office was due to arrive any moment.
John Crawford’s body had been found less than six hours ago, and already a special task force was being established. Higher-ups were flying in from Quantico and field offices from every state where a letter had originated. The “Ashes Killer,” as the Quantico muckety-mucks were already calling him, would soon be behind bars. He didn’t stand a chance against the brain trust the FBI was assembling.
Casey was deep in conversation right now with the Charleston police chief at the front of the squad room, along with the unit chief of BAU-2, the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit that focused on crimes like serial murder. There were all kinds of important people going in and out, drawing on white boards, comparing notes. And yet Matt was ignoring everyone in the room, completely focused on his computer screen.
Tessa leaned toward him. ”Do you know who that is?” She pointed to the man who’d just walked up to Casey.
Matt glanced up, frowned. “Can’t say that I do.”
“He’s the head of the BAU at FBI headquarters. I can’t believe he’s here. This is huge, huge.”
His mouth quirked up in a half smile. “You’re really excited about all this.”
“I shouldn’t be. It feels so wrong, when people have died and more lives are at risk. But if I find this guy, if I stop him, it’s a guaranteed promotion. I could have my pick of jobs. I might even get my own field office. This is the kind of case that can make, or break, a career.”
His smiled faded and he punched some more keys on his laptop. “And if you got a promotion, you’d be willing to leave Savannah?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have family in Savannah?”
“Sure, my mom and dad. Why?”
“You wouldn’t mind leaving them behind?”
“I’d miss them, but I’d come back to visit.”
He gave her an odd look and focused on his computer again. Did he think she was wrong to be willing to move away? For heaven’s sake, she’d left home when she was eighteen. Her parents didn’t expect her to live her entire life in the same city as them. They would understand that her career came first.
She shook her head. None of that mattered. It was all hypothetical. What mattered right now was pouring all her
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