Free Twisted Hunger by Marilyn Campbell

Angeles area recently, but no distinct message was left behind. The detective on the case has been talking to his informants inside some of the groups that might perpetrate such an extreme act, but no one’s taking credit for it yet.”
    “Detective Harris?”
    “Yes, that’s right.”
    “He sounds like a smart man. I’m looking forward to meeting him tomorrow night. He is coming up for the banquet, isn’t he?”
    “Yes, he confirmed that he would be one of our representatives.”
    Abraham relaxed back into his chair. “Has he had any more thoughts about it being some sort of serial killing?”
    “I don’t think he’s ruling anything out yet.”
    “Did you warn him not to express that opinion to the press?”
    “No problem. Harris is an old hand at dealing with the media. He knows better than that.”
    “That’s good to hear. And the same goes for keeping the FBI out of this. If they enter the picture, there’s no way we’ll be able to hide that from the press. This is a local homicide, and I don’t want it turned into fodder for Dennis Miller.” Abraham paused for a moment. “I’m not sure it bears consideration, but something Gregory Yates said to me earlier got me thinking of another possibility.” He paused again. “Never mind. It’s probably too far out in left field to even suggest.”
    “Tell me, please. If it occurred to you, I’d want to make sure we at least looked into it.”
    “Well, I’m not implying that Yates would do such a thing himself, but what if another gay rights extremist was behind the incidents of violence as well as this murder? Not because of a hatred of homosexuals, but because he was desperate to bring national attention to his cause?”
    Patterson let out a soft whistle. “That could cause some pretty serious damage to the homosexuals’ peaceful image.”
    “As I said, it was just a thought.”
    “What exactly did Yates say anyway?”
    “Let’s see, it was something about Neuman being a martyr, and how it sometimes takes something as gruesome as this to get people to take notice of an injustice. He also made some reference to the holocaust, but I was distracted by the look in his eyes. It was almost like there was a fire behind them.”
    “I’ll definitely pass your thoughts along.”
    “Oh, please don’t attach my name to it, not even off the record. You know how something like that could get misinterpreted.”
    “I understand perfectly. I’ll be glad to take credit for coming up with the new angle.”
    Abraham smiled. He could always depend on good ol’ Frank to rise to the occasion. “You mentioned other angles…”
    “It’s weak, but there is an ex-lover whose alibi for the time hasn’t been verified yet. Those who know him don’t believe he’s violent enough to kill, but we’ve heard that before.”
    “I see. At any rate, I could still say, with complete honesty, that the police have a new lead that they are following. Do you agree?”
    “Absolutely, but I thought you wanted a tight lid kept on this case.”
    “I still do. Other than a mention of the lead, I want it kept quiet until your men catch the killer. Murder never makes good press unless someone is arrested for it, and the suggestion of a serial killer on the loose is the worst. You and I go back an awful long way, Frank. And I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that a sheriff who gets bad press would stand little chance of ever filling that soon-to-be-vacant commissioner’s seat. Solve this one, Frank, or make it go away… quickly and quietly.”
    Satisfied that the diversionary seed had been planted in fertile ground, he allowed himself a moment to ponder over the other seed he had planted that afternoon. He had made himself wait until she was comfortable with him, but it had been worth it when he saw the way Miss Winters snapped at the bait he’d dangled before her.
    He gave her credit for the way she kept herself from questioning the misinformation he’d purposely given