The Devil's Song by Lauren Stahl

Author:Lauren Stahl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2017-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-three

As Kate was climbing the stairs of the Hill Street Prison, Chief Detective Kevin Joseph was making his way up the steps inside the courthouse’s rotunda toward the podium. Microphones jutted out from the wooden box, eager to capture the words spoken by the chief detective. Sam stood off to the right of the podium with Bowers, the two of them whispering, heads bent toward each other.

Members of the press occupied the folding chairs set out in the domed, circular arena. They waited quietly, leaning forward in anticipation. The chief was a man known for few words and even fewer press conferences. This marked his second public address in a week.

Sam and the chief had agreed ahead of time that Kate and her father would be left out of the dialogue. The press and public could make their own connections to the Magda family. He wasn’t sorry that he’d arrested Tess, but he was sorry he’d hurt Kate. She did everything in her power to disassociate herself professionally with her father and his political relations, only to end up more connected than ever.

Chief Joseph cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. I’m going to keep this brief. It has been a long few weeks for our detectives, especially Detective Hart, who’s been working around the clock to locate and arrest the Mission County Killer.”

Sam cringed at the mention of his name.

“And I know it’s been a long few weeks for you, the public, as well. We’re aware the community has been on edge with the Mission County Killer walking the streets of our town freely, but that ended today. At approximately eight thirty this morning Detective Hart arrested and lodged the Mission County Killer—”

The crowd erupted and questions about the killer were hurled at the chief.

“Who was it?!”

“Can you give us a name?!”

“A name!”

“Have you identified the victim?”

Chief Joseph raised his hands, silencing the crowd. “Tess Patricia Conway, a resident of Mission County, has been arrested for the murder of Winter-Dawn Harris. Detective Hart, during his investigation, discovered evidence directly linking Ms. Conway to the third victim’s murder. Ms. Conway was preliminarily arraigned an hour ago and she pleaded guilty in front of District Judge McManus. While Ms. Conway was being arraigned, she openly confessed to being responsible for the first two victims’ deaths.”

Again, voices exploded. Sam lowered his head, hands in his pockets, while the questions reverberated off the hundred foot–high domed ceiling. He felt the hair on his arms stand up as they shouted his name, congratulating him.

This time, Chief Joseph didn’t have to worry about silencing the crowd because as Cameron Cox strolled across the rotunda floor toward the podium, brushing the chief aside, the room quieted. Not one person spoke. Not even the chief.

“Excuse me, Kevin,” Cameron said as he stepped into the chief’s spot in the center of the podium. He wore a crisp oxford shirt tucked into slim-fitting jeans, underdressed compared to the designer suits he usually wore around the courthouse.

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