“I’m glad you told me,” she said. “I’m going to have a team of officers sent over there right now to do a welfare check. I might even have a few of them stick around until we get back. Okay?”
“Yeah,” Hannah agreed. The fact that she didn’t complain about Jessie overreacting or having a bunch of cops in her personal space was the strongest proof that he sister was truly worried.
“Text me when they get there and give you an all clear, all right?”
“I will,” Hannah promised, “as long as you keep me updated on Garland’s case.”
“It’s a deal,” Jessie said.
After hanging up, she immediately called Captain Decker and requested a security detail for her place. He didn’t need much convincing.
“I’ll have a unit over there in fifteen minutes,” he assured her.
“Thanks, Captain,” she said, relieved that she didn’t need to work to convince him.
“Not a problem. How’s it going down there?”
As she was about to answer, Jamil Winslow, who was frowning in concentration, hurried past her on the way to the room where Ryan and Brandee were.
“Lots of leads but nothing definitive yet,” she admitted. “We just got word a second ago that a local judge is going to approve a warrant to have unoccupied homes on the Strand searched. But he’s not letting us start until tomorrow at eight a.m. I guess he’s trying to find a compromise, but it doesn’t help us much. I’m worried about another attack tonight.”
“I can try to lean on him,” Decker offered. “But sometimes that backfires with judges in these independent jurisdictions.”
“That’s okay,” Jessie said. “I don’t want to risk him pulling the warrant altogether. Besides, we’re about to take another run at a suspect soon. His lawyer is on his way. We’re hoping we can still get him to talk.”
“Do you like him?”
“He doesn’t have a good alibi for any of the attacks. And he’s definitely a shady character. But is he a killer? Too soon to tell.”
“Well, keep me posted.”
“Yes sir,” she said and almost ended the call. But a thought made her stay on the line. “Captain, are there any plans for Garland Moses’s funeral? Is anyone planning anything?”
“I am,” he said, sounding surprised that she didn’t know. “He has a niece back east who’s coming out but they weren’t close. She asked me to handle things. There will be a service on Friday. He was Jewish and his faith prefers it happen sooner than that. But there’s been a massive outpouring from all over the country. At least fifty FBI agents plan to attend, several hundred LAPD folks as well. Even some families of victims are flying in to honor the man who gave them some measure of peace. We wanted to give them all time to make it. I assumed you’d want to be there.”
“Yes sir.”
“We’ll make sure to save you a seat. In the meantime focus on this case. But don’t forget to take care of yourself. You’re my top profiler now. I can’t afford to have you out of commission.”
“No sir,” she said before realizing he’d already hung up.
No pressure there.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The second Jessie stepped back into the station, she could sense that the energy of the place had changed.
Glancing through the window of the interrogation room, she saw that Barnard Hemsley’s attorney had arrived. Ryan was in the break area, having an animated conversation with Jamil Winslow, the police researcher they’d been working with all day.
For someone so young and inexperienced, Jessie had been impressed with him. He was only twenty-four and Manhattan Beach wasn’t exactly a criminal hotspot, so her expectations for the junior staffer assigned to them were low. But Jamil, short and skinny, was sharp, relentless, and seemingly indefatigable. Even at this late hour, he showed no sign of slowing up. He was also ambitious, having already asked if there were any openings at Central Station. She promised she’d look into it.
“What’s up?” she asked when she joined them.
Both men looked up at her. She could tell from their excited expressions that something had happened.
“Why don’t you tell her?” Ryan suggested.
The younger man nodded and dived right in.
“Lots of updates for you,” he said breathlessly. “First, the GPS on Hemsley’s phone shows him at his office at the time of all three murders, as well as the attack on Detective Hernandez. Of course, that proves little based on the theory that he could have left it there while committing the crimes.”
“Okay,” Jessie said. “That helps a little. We certainly can’t