All Fall Down Read Free Page A

to loosen it. “The murder occurred in our community, and I have citizens to account to. Like it or not, they’re stuck with us.”
    His mouth thinned. “This is a big one. All eyes are going to be on us. Pressure for a quick resolution is going to come from all quarters and it’s going to be intense. The press is going nuts already, and Andersen’s begun pulling in markers. Keep your heads and do your job. Don’t let the heat get to you.
    â€œThe truth is,” he continued, “the CMPD’s more experienced. They have more manpower, better facilities, deeper pockets. Fine, we accept their help. But that’s as far as we bend. Any questions?”
    â€œYeah,” Melanie said. “The FBI guy, Parks. What’s his story?”
    â€œWondered how long it’d take you to ask.” Her chief smiled, his first of the afternoon. “A bit of an asshole, isn’t he?”
    Bobby laughed. “A bit? That guy was a walking, talking pucker.”
    â€œAnd no stranger to the bottle,” Melanie added.
    The chief frowned, looking from one to the other of them. “He’d been drinking?”
    â€œDrinking?” she repeated. “No, that word implies restraint. Moderation. Parks looked and smelled like he’d been on a year-long binge.”
    Her chief seemed to digest that information, his expression tight. “Connor Parks is a profiler. Until a year ago he was a bigwig at Quantico, what was then calledthe Behavioral Science Unit. I don’t know the details, but rumor has it he publicly embarrassed the Bureau. He was censured and demoted.”
    A profiler. No wonder. Melanie had attended an FBI-sponsored seminar on profiling a year or so ago. She had found the information presented fascinating. The way the agent had explained it, every killer unwittingly left a signature at the scene of his crime. It was the profiler’s job to read that signature, to put himself or herself in the head of both predator and prey and re-create the how, why and most importantly, the who of the event.
    Which was exactly what Parks had been attempting to do today.
    â€œSo what’s he doing in Charlotte working on our puny case?” Bobby asked.
    â€œCharlotte’s his demotion.” The chief looked from her to Bobby once more. “Make no mistake. The man’s good at what he does, booze or not. Use him.”
    â€œWith that personality, he’d better be good,” she muttered, jotting a note to call him, then meeting her chief’s gaze again. “What’s next?”
    â€œI want you to question the victim’s friends, her family members and fellow students. Find out who she was seeing, where she hung out and what she was into. But first, get over to CMPD headquarters. Make sure they haven’t already sent somebody out. If they have, find out who and track them down. We have to appear a united front. Andersen will flip if it looks like we’re not. Next thing I know, the mayor’ll be crawling up my ass.”
    That’d be a neat trick. To hide her smile, Melanie glanced down at her notes.
    â€œAnything else?” Bobby asked.
    â€œYeah,” he barked. “Get moving!”
    They did, jumping to their feet and hurrying out of their boss’s office. The first thing Melanie did was call her twin sister, Mia. The other woman picked up right away. “Mia, it’s Mel.”
    â€œMelanie! My God, I was just watching channel six. That poor girl!” She lowered her voice. “Was it awful?”
    â€œWorse,” Melanie replied grimly. “That’s why I’m calling. I need a favor.”
    â€œShoot.”
    â€œIt’s crazy around here, and I don’t expect it to let up in time for me to pick Casey up at preschool. Would you mind?” Melanie glanced at the picture of her four-year-old son on her desk, her lips lifting in an involuntary smile. “I’d ask Stan to do it but I