Free Cold Truth by Mariah Stewart Page A

paper for the remote control and turned on the television that sat on the counter across the room.
    She changed the channel, searching for her favorite morning show,
This Morning, USA.
Once she found it, she turned up the volume and resumed her cursory scanning of the
New York Times.
An article about an upcoming auction of American antiques at Sotheby’s caught her eye, and she’d just gotten to the sampling of early Pennsylvania furniture when something on the screen caught her attention. She reached for the remote and increased the volume.
    “. . . certainly of interest to anyone having plans to visit the New Jersey shore this summer,” Heather Cannon was saying.
    The screen split, half now occupied by a man in a police uniform who looked uncomfortable in front of the camera.
    “I feel your pain,” Regan muttered.
    “Chief Denver, with the finding of a third body there in Bowers Inlet, the reports coming from the South Jersey area are telling us that the signs all point to the likelihood that this is the work of a serial killer. Can you confirm that?”
    “You know, Heather, I hate that term, it stirs up so much . . .” The chief shifted in his chair.
    “Will you confirm that there has in fact been a third victim?”
    “Yes, there has been a third victim.”
    “And that all three victims have been young women in their early thirties . . .” Heather addressed the camera directly so that the man she was interviewing by remote would feel she was speaking directly to him.
    “Yes, all three victims have been young women, all local women. The first two lived in Bowers Inlet. The young woman whose body we found last night lived in nearby Tilden, but she was left on one of our beaches.”
    “Now, the information that we have indicates that all the women were dark-haired and similarly built . . .” Heather paused and looked up from her notes. “Is there a significance to this similarity, do you think?”
    “Right now we have no way of knowing. Yes, so far, there has been a resemblance between the victims, but whether or not we should read something into this, we just don’t know.”
    “The most disturbing bit of information we’ve received is that you have correspondence from the killer . . .”
    “Well, let’s just hold up here.” The chief was clearly agitated. “What we have are letters that were received after the bodies were found. I want to make that clear. They could have been sent by someone other than the killer, someone thinking to have a bit of fun with us. Right now, I don’t know for a fact who is sending the letters.”
    “But they could be from the killer . . .”
    “Of course they could be,” he snapped.
    “And the letters are sort of a taunt, aren’t they?” Heather glanced down at her notes. “
’Hey, Denver, did you find her yet?’
I understand was the first note. And the second was,
’Hey, Denver! Remember me?’
Both notes were comprised of letters or words cut from newspapers or magazines?”
    “That’s right.”
    “And was a note found after this latest victim?”
    “There was.”
    “May we ask what it said?”
    “It said,
’Hey, Denver, have you figured it out yet?’
”
    “Any ideas on what you’re supposed to be figuring out?”
    “A few.”
    “Any you’re willing to share?”
    “It would be premature.” The chief of police of Bowers Inlet stared stonily into the camera.
    “So what would you tell people who are planning to spend a week or more in your community this summer? I understand Bowers Inlet has many rental properties and enjoys a population boom in the summer.”
    “I’m telling the vacationers the same thing I’m telling our year-round residents. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t go off alone. If you’re going out at night, go in a group. But you know, those are things you should probably be doing anyway, no matter where you are. You need to watch out for yourself. Have a cell phone with you or a can of pepper spray. If you think someone