[MD2, 1:52PM, Campus Motor Inn Diner]

>"Can I have somebody come along with me while I look at the bodies. I feel
>it would be better for me to team up with someone rather than go it alone."
>Patrica said.

>"yes" Kate said.

>"I think I need to check these bodies out. I think the boy who committed
>sucide knew more than he was letting on and I think he killed himself out
>of guilt. I won't know this until I see the body to be sure" Patrica said.


Kate was not surprised when Flynn volunteered to accompany Patrica to the morgue. She'd noticed the night before that Flynn seemed to have developed some sort of connection to Brian, and the boy's suicide had bothered him. He wanted answers. The two of them headed out to the morgue at University Hospital.

"Dr. Burrell is supposed to be in class all day," Kate told Damian and Sharlyn, then checked her watch. "Which probably means he'll be through work just about any time now. His office is in the Arts and Science Hall, room 302. That might be a good place to catch up with him. Its up to the two of you if you want to initiate contact or just keep an eye on him for a while."

Damian nodded. "Guess we'd better get going, then," he said. "We'll contact you if anything interesting comes up."

"I'm counting on that," Kate said. "Good luck." After Damian and Sharlyn left for the university, she turned to Craig. "Looks like you're with me, then."

"Where do you want to begin," Craig asked.

"I'd like to…" The ringing of Kate's cell phone interrupted her. With a hint of trepidation - calls to team leaders' cell phones hadn't been bringing much good news today! - she answered it. "Calloway."

[Agent Calloway, this is Sharon Bixby, Mayor Richmond's secretary.]

"Yes! I've been waiting for your call."

[I've talked to the mayor. He won't be back in the office until tomorrow, but he said if its an urgent matter, you can meet with him at his home any time this afternoon.]

"We'll be there as soon as possible. What's the address?"

[1500 Hillcrest Drive. Take Highway 23 east, about a mile outside of town. Hillcrest is the first left past the golf course.]

"We're on our way. Oh, and by the way, Ms. Bixby, when I talked to you this morning, you *were* in your office, weren't you?"

[Yes. I've been here all day. I haven't even had a chance at a coffee break yet.]

"So, you haven't been to the university today?"

[The university? I haven't been on the campus since I graduated. That was nine years ago. Why?]

"Just wondering. Thank you. You might want to inform the mayor that we're on our way." Kate cut the connection. "As I was saying," she said to Craig, "I think we should start with the families of some of the other victims. Amy Richmond's father has agreed to meet with us, so let's start there."


[2:05PM, the Richmond home]

Kate pulled the car to a stop in front of a 1500 Hillcrest and stared at the house in wonder. The view was breathtaking. Perched on the top of a high hill, the house looked out over the golf course on one side, and beyond that the entire town of Virginville, and on the other miles of undisturbed nature. The house itself was gigantic, rivaling any of the stately homes in the suburbs of DC.

"Local politics must pay pretty well," Craig said.

Kate laughed. "Its not the paycheck. Its the perks. From what I've heard, Richmond isn't a very popular person around here."

"So how does he manage to stay in office?"

Kate shrugged. "Maybe he stuffs the ballot box, maybe he intimidates the voting public. But right now, our only concern is that fact that his daughter has been missing for three months."

They got out of the car and walked up the long sidewalk to the front porch. Kate pressed the doorbell. The chimes echoed from deep within the house, and a several moments later, the door was opened by a middle-aged, heavy-set woman in a maid's uniform.

"Yes," the woman asked.

"Special Agents Calloway and Hermes, FBI," Kate said, showing her ID to the maid. "Mayor Richmond is expecting us."

"Of course. Please come in." The maid stepped aside to let them pass, then shut the door behind them. "The mayor is on an important call just now. Won't be but a moment. Please come with me." She led Kate and Craig through the foyer, which had a tremendous vaulted ceiling and a chandelier the size of a Buick, and into a drawing room that opened onto a veranda on the back of the house and looked out over a tennis court, swimming pool and botanical garden. "If you'll wait right here, the mayor will be with you shortly. Shall I bring in some tea for you?"

"No, thank you," Craig said.

The maid nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Kate took a good look around the room. There was nothing garish or ostentatious about the furnishings or the art on the walls, but there was the definite feel of big money.

"Get a good auctioneer in here and you could pay off the national debt," she commented.

Craig nodded and indicated a security camera hidden in the corner of the room. "Think he's worried about someone stealing the art?"

"I'm no expert, but they do look like originals," Kate replied with a hint of irony.

"They are." The agents turned in unison to find a tall, distinguished-looking man standing in the doorway. "Pardon me, but I couldn't help overhearing. I'm Rudolph Richmond."

"Special Agent Calloway," Kate said. "And this is Agent Hermes. You have a lovely home, Mr. Richmond. The view is fantastic."

"Thank you, and it's Rudy." He walked to the window and made a show of taking in the scenery. "We enjoy it. Now, what brings the FBI to my home?"

"We're investigating the murders on the Karellon campus."

"Tragic. Are you close to breaking the case?"

"We have a number of solid leads. I was told that your daughter Amy is among the missing girls."

Richmond turned to face them, frowning. "Who would say such a thing? Amy is… away for a few months."

"Away where," Craig asked.

Agitated, Richmond circled the room and took a seat at an over-sized mahogany desk. "Is that really important?"

"If she's safe, we need to know it so we don't waste our time looking for her," Kate said. "If she's not, we need to know that, too."

Richmond thought about that for a few moments, then nodded. "The truth is, I don't know where she is. She's always been a problem, a little bit wild. She ran off three months ago and didn't tell anyone where she was going. But she isn't missing."

"What do you mean?"

"She calls once a week or so to tell us that she's all right."

"And you've never been able to find out where she is?"

"She always calls when no one's home and leaves a message on the answering machine."

"Forgive me, Mr. Richmond," Kate said, "but you don't seem terribly concerned about this. If the only contact I'd had with my sons for three months was answering machine messages, I'd be demanding action from someone."

"You don't know Amy. She can take care of herself," Richmond said.

"Are you certain that she was the one who left the messages," Craig asked.

"I know my own daughter's voice."

"I don't suppose you bothered to keep the tapes," Kate asked, allowing an edge of bitterness to creep into her voice. She didn't like Richmond's attitude, and she didn't care who knew it.

"No, they've been recorded over."

"I thought so. Is Mrs. Richmond at home. We'd like to talk to her, too."

"She's visiting her family in San Diego." Richmond dropped his polite pretense and glared at the two agents. "Now, if there isn't anything else, I really am very busy."




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