“Special Agent Marcus Reid,” Marcus said.“This is my partner, Special Agent Kate Valentine.”He flashed the newcomer a wide, slightly sheepish smile.“Sorry to catch you by surprise like this.”
Kate had seen that smile work to great effect on many people over the course of their partnership, and Gloria Prentiss’s daughter was no exception.She relaxed, returned a tentative smile of her own and said, “That’s all right.I assume you’re here to investigate my mother’s murder?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Why?She was just a retired schoolteacher.Why would the FBI be interested in her?”
“To be honest, ma’am,” Kate began.
“Olivia,” the woman replied.“Olivia Ferris.”She smiled again, sadly this time.“Formerly Prentiss.”
“Olivia,” Kate continued, “we believe your mother’s murder may be tied into another investigation of ours.”
“What investigation?”
“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say.”
Olivia crossed her arms, a typical defensive reaction, though Kate detected surprise more than guilt on the woman’s face.“Was… Was my mother introuble?”
“No,” Kate assured her.“We just feel her case might be connected to others.”
“Other murders?Like a serial killer?”
“It’s still early in the investigation,” Marcus replied.“We’re here to examine the scene and confirm that it fits with our other case.Or that it doesn’t.”
“Since you’re here,” Kate added, “Can you tell us if there was anyone new in your mother’s life?Anyone she mentioned?A visitor or a new friend?”
Olivia scoffed.“A visitor for mother?Not likely.She was… Well, she was good with kids.Not so much with adults.”
“Was she religious?”
"Lapsed Catholic," Olivia said.Her brow furrowed.Then her eyes widened."Oh, God.It's not that priest is it?"
Kate and Marcus shared a glance.On one hand, they weren’t authorized to share details about the case.On the other hand, Winters had just put out a public service announcement stating that Cox was disguising himself as a priest to kill people.
“Oh my God.”She brought her hands to her mouth.“I just saw that on the news.That guy, the one who burnt that church in Maine, he’s going around killing people.Oh my God.”
So that cat was out of the bag.Probably a good thing.Maybe people would be more careful.“Did your mother mention anything about a new priest?”
Olivia shook her head.She hadn’t started crying yet, but Kate knew that once the shock wore off, the tears would come.“No.I mean…”
Her eyes shifted to the left.Kate kept her tone gentle but her face stern.“Olivia, if there’s anything you know that could help us find the person who did this to your mother, then you need to tell us.We believe he’s still out there.Other lives are in danger.”
“Oh, God.”Olivia closed her eyes, possibly to pray.Lapsed religious people tended to unlapse really fast when they detected a threat to their lives.“Um… No, I don’t know anything.It’s just… My mother and I weren’t on the best of terms.”
She opened her eyes.Tears were there now, not falling yet but swimming around her eyes and threatening to fall.Her expression beseeched Kate and Marcus for forgiveness, though Kate wasn’t sure for what yet.
“There was trouble between you two?”Marcus prompted.
“Not trouble, exactly,” Olivia replied.“She… had a bit of a… problem.”
Kate had a feeling she knew what the problem was, but she pressed anyway.“What sort of problem?”
Olivia sighed heavily.Slowly, each word fighting escape, she admitted, “She was a thief.”
Kate and Marcus shared a grim look.“I see.”
“It was never anything major.She never embezzled money or stole jewelry or anything like that.It was always little things.Stupid things.Stuff that made no sense.I’d catch her shoplifting makeup or stealing forks from restaurants when we went out to eat.I always kind of laughed it off.Then she took the picture, and I…”
