Free The Chase by DiAnn Mills

conversation.
    “What happens now with Cherished Doe?” she said.
    “We wait.”
    “Care to talk about how you feel the press conference impacted the media?”
    He shook his head. “No point in it. What we need are results.” He turned his attention back to the EC. “It went well. Like everything else, the indicator will be in the response.”

CHAPTER 10
    A ll afternoon and into the early evening, excitement wove through Kariss. She followed various TV channels on her iPhone and stayed at the FBI office past six o’clock to view the evening news’ live feeds. Each station had a unique spin, a heart-wrenching plea for community action. The reporters warned the viewers of the autopsy picture’s graphic nature and presented the reward as a way of encouraging those with information to step forward. The theme of every TV story was the atrocity done to Cherished Doe and the reality that she could be a child the viewer might recognize.
    Kariss expected someone to call within minutes, and Tigo had warned that an influx of prank calls would have to be analyzed for solid information. But she felt certain that by tomorrow, answers would be available and the case solved.
    Over four hours later, the agents who’d remained at the office buzzed with optimistic comments. Linc, Ryan, and Tigo were among them.
    Tigo took a quick look at his watch. “I need to get home.”
    “Sure.” Ryan stretched. “It’s been a long day.”
    “Yeah. I told Natalie I’d be home by nine, and here it is ten-thirty.”
    Kariss noticed that Tigo didn’t wear a wedding ring. He either had a live-in girlfriend or he viewed a wedding band as a determent to his undercover work. What about kids? Since he and Linc were college buds, he probably had a few of his own. Kariss cringed. She pictured Tigo as a no-excuse type of parent. Ah, maybe not. She shook off a twinge of what she recognized as jealousy. An emotion she didn’t need or want. Besides, he interested her about as much as a toothache.
    That was a lie. The more she was around him, the more she felt a strange attraction.
    “See you at seven in the morning,” Tigo said to Ryan. “We’ve got to work out a few details.”
    She wished she could be a fly on the wall during that early-morning meeting, but she was too tired to ask. Today had been enough to lift her spirits. Soon they’d all know Cherished Doe’s name and how she died, more so the identity of the killer. “Thanks for letting me stay to view the media reports.”
    “No problem,” Linc said. “What happened today in cooperation with the media is monumental. Let’s pray it works.”
    Kariss recalled Linc and Yvonne were Christians, like her family. The mention of prayer worked for them. She didn’t find it offensive, just part of who they were. But most people of faith seldom spoke openly about it in the workplace. Not sure how she felt about “witnessing.”
    She walked to her desk and gathered her purse and laptop. She’d check her phone messages on the way home.
    Tigo fell in step with her to the lower hall leading to the parking lot. He held the glass door open. “You were where you needed to be today. Like us, you were there in the beginning and never forgot the case. Thanks for pushing us to give it one more try.”
    “You’re welcome. We all have a stake in identifying the little girl.”
    “However, don’t tell anyone I admitted you were right.”
    “I’m sworn to secrecy.”
    He laughed and walked toward his black, sleek truck, an F-250 Ford Lariat.
    She appreciated his compliment. Tigo was an enigma. He fit the profile of a TV or movie superhero who cleverly saw what others didn’t. But she’d also seen him involved as a team player.
    She opened the door to her Jaguar and caught another glimpse of him. Respect for his position settled in her, and she hoped to understand him more over the days and weeks ahead.
    Shaking her head, she put aside her analysis of Tigo until she got to know him better. She