Free Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris Page B

found myself glad to have a witness.
    â€œWhat about?”
    â€œI was there, in Nashville, for a while. That’s why I got this assignment.”
    I waited.
    â€œI really want to know how you knew ahead of time that Tabitha was in the graveyard.”
    â€œI didn’t.”
    â€œBut you did.”
    â€œIf you’re not in charge of the investigation, I don’t have to talk to you, do I? And I can’t think of any reason I’d want to.”
    â€œI’m Agent Seth Koenig.” He said that as if I should have heard the name.
    â€œI don’t care.” And I got into the elevator before he could, pressed the door close button, and smiled as he took a surprised step toward me, realizing I was actually leaving.
    After I showered, I knocked on the door to Tolliver’s room and told him what had happened.
    â€œThat bastard. That was an ambush,” Tolliver said.
    â€œThat’s putting it a little strong. It was more like a strategic approach,” I said.
    Tolliver recognized my description of Seth Koenig. The agent had been in the exercise room when he was, sure enough. “He thought you would recognize his name, huh?”Tolliver said thoughtfully. “Well, let’s see.” Tolliver’s laptop was already plugged in. He Googled the name and got several hits. Seth Koenig had been present at a few hunts for serial killers. Seth Koenig had been a heavy hitter.
    â€œBut all those are in the past,” I said, reading the dates. “Nothing in the last four years or so.”
    â€œThat’s true,” Tolliver said. “I wonder what happened to his career?”
    â€œAnd I wonder why he’s here. I haven’t heard any suggestion that Tabitha’s abduction and death was part of any serial killer’s pattern. And I think I’d remember if another girl had shown up buried in a cemetery, miles away from her abduction site, buried on top of somebody else, right?” I thought that over. “Actually, other than her burial, there’s nothing distinctive about Tabitha’s case. That in itself is pretty awful, when you think about it.”
    Tolliver wasn’t in the mood to discuss the degeneration of American society as exemplified by the emergence of the serial killer as common occurrence. He just nodded.
    â€œHe’s different,” I said. “Seth Koenig.”
    â€œDefine.”
    I shook my head. “He’s pretty intense, pretty deep. Not your regular law enforcement type.”
    â€œYou hot for him?”
    I laughed. “Nah. He’s too old for me.”
    â€œHow old?”
    â€œProbably in his early forties.”
    â€œBut in good shape, you said.”
    There are times when I just don’t appreciate Tolliver’steasing. “I’m not talking about his body. I’m talking about his head.”
    â€œCan you pin that down a little?”
    â€œI think…” I hesitated for a long moment, uneasy about putting my idea into words. “I think he’s more than professionally interested. Maybe obsessed.”
    â€œWith you,” Tolliver said, very levelly.
    â€œNo, with Tabitha. Not her personally.” I struggled to express what I felt. “He’s obsessed with the puzzle of it. You know, how some people spend a large part of their lives rehashing the Lizzie Borden case? How futile that is, because all the people involved are dead and gone? But there are still books appearing all the time about it. I think that’s how Seth Koenig is about Tabitha Morgenstern. Look at his work record. He hasn’t done anything newsworthy since he worked her case. And here he is, Johnny-on-the-spot, when she’s found. Not because of Tabitha as a person, or because of Joel and Diane, but because of the mystery of it. Like some of the law enforcement people in Colorado are about that little girl who was killed in her own home.”
    â€œThe little beauty queen. You think