Irrefutable by Dale Roberts Page B

notes and went over possible questions in his mind, deciding which ones he would address and, on which ones to withhold comment.
    The storms from the night before had moved on, and the morning sun was working hard to dry the ground. The podium and media equipment were set up in front of the main entrance to the building, with the sign over the door clearly identifying this as the Cypress Village Police Department. Alex had made the decision to hold the conference outdoors. In his mind, this gave the impression that they were out working the case, rather than sitting inside waiting for information to come to them.
    Lt. Phelps and one uniformed officer accompanied him outside.
    As he approached the podium he was surprised by the number of reporters in the audience. Some he recognized, others he did not. He drew a deep breath and prepared himself for the ambush.
    “Good morning, I’m Detective Sergeant Alex Mendez with the Cypress Village Police violent crimes unit. I’d like to thank everyone for coming.” He placed his hands on either side of the podium. “As I’m sure many of you are aware, there have been two sexual assaults on local residents reported to police in the past four days. Through DNA evidence found on both victims, our forensic investigators have determined that both were the victims of one assailant. Neither victim has been able to make an identification of their attacker. We are currently working with a forensic psychologist to develop a psychological profile on the suspect.”
    “So are we to understand that the assailant is, as of yet, unidentified?” one reporter asked.
    “It seems that you’ve already identified him, The Trailside Stalker .” Alex tried to use humor to lighten the mood, but soon realized it was in poor taste, given the seriousness of the crimes. His audience seemed to agree, as no one smiled. “As I said, we do have DNA on the suspect, but as of this morning, we have been unable to find a match in the statewide database.”
    Several other reporters tried to ask questions, all raising their hands, speaking over one another. Alex held up his hand, “Please hold your questions until I have completed the official statement. I will then be happy to address them. Now, there are other facts in the case that we would like to put forward. Both of the victims were attacked while jogging alone. We have evidence that suggests the possible use of a sedating medication being injected, causing an amnesiac effect on the victims. Neither has been able to offer a physical description of the assailant. We strongly encourage any women who wish to participate in outdoor activities, to do so with at least one partner. It would be best if there were organized groups but we recommend at least a partner. This will tend to discourage any possible attacks. We do have other similarities between the two cases but we will withhold comment on any further details. Now if you have questions…”
    “You’re advising women run in pairs.” said one reporter. “What if there is more than one assailant?”
    “We have no reason to believe that there is more than one person responsible.”
    “Do you expect more rapes?” asked another.
    “That is certainly a possibility. That’s why we are asking women not to jog alone.”
    “Samantha Stone, Village Herald. We have heard that there is an investigation into a security breach at a local car dealership that involves financial information being stolen. Can you confirm this?”
    Alex was not prepared to answer these questions. How did word of this get to the press? “It is my understanding that there has been a breach in the computer files, but that case is being investigated by the District Attorney’s office. I have no direct knowledge so I cannot comment.”
    “Detective, what about the rumors that the two rape victims were among those on the list from the dealership?” Stone asked.
    Alex was speechless. His pulse quickened as his mind scrambled,