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perfect spot to hold press conferences. And that was where Lee had been told to report.
    About fifteen members of the LAPD were present, including Corso, Jenkins, and Wolfe. Lee nearly missed the latter because she was dressed in a full-on blue uniform complete with hat. But, that said, why was Wolfe there since she was in charge of the shadow team? The answer was glaringly obvious, as Wolfe leaned in to say something in Corso’s ear, and he laughed. Lee was looking at a grade-A suck-up.
    Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the department’s media-relations specialists appeared in front of her. The PR rep had a mop of dark hair, wide-set eyes, and a pointy chin. “Detective Lee? My name is Molly. The chief will speak first, followed by Deputy Chief Jenkins, and you. There will be some Q & A, so be careful . . . If a reporter asks a question about traffic lights, find a way to steer the conversation back to the Bonebreaker. Okay?”
    â€œNo problem,” Lee said, but that was far from the truth. Speaking to the press wasn’t one of her strong points. Maybe that explained why her palms were sweaty.
    Corso stepped up to a portable podium a few seconds later and flashed one of his thousand-megawatt smiles. Then, as the TV cameras zoomed in, the police chief delivered a carefully crafted thirty-second sound pop intended to remind the public of who the Bonebreaker was and why they should care.
    Next it was Jenkins’s turn to address the crowd. His job was to say all the things Lee couldn’t say about herself. After a mention of the now-famous bank shoot-out, and the recent trip into the red zone, he went for the punch line. “And that,” Jenkins said, “is why Detective Lee has been named to lead a new investigation into the Bonebreaker murders. And not only is Detective Lee supremely qualified to do the job, she’s the daughter of LAPD Sergeant Frank Lee, who is oneof the Bonebreaker’s nine victims. So who better to track this despicable killer down and put him behind bars? Detective Lee?”
    Lee knew that was her cue and felt slightly light-headed as she stepped up to the podium. Then, as the well-rehearsed words began to come out of her mouth, she felt slightly disassociated. As if out of her body and watching herself speak.
    Fortunately, that sensation began to fade once the thirty-second statement was over, and the Q & A began. Carla Zumin was there, her eye only slightly discolored, and she cut right to the chase. “The Los Angeles Police Department has been investigating the Bonebreaker murders since 2053 without any significant success. Why should we believe that
this
effort will be any more successful?”
    Lee was ready. “That’s a good question, Carla . . . For one thing, we plan to devote an unprecedented amount of resources to the case. I can’t get more specific without compromising security, but I can assure you that what I say is true.
    â€œAdditionally, we’re going to put some custom-designed software to work analyzing all of the existing data and looking for significant patterns, and we’re going to take advantage of some breakthrough profiling techniques to help us focus on the killer.”
    Both of those initiatives were entirely fictitious . . . But the Bonebreaker didn’t know that—and maybe the prospect would spook him. “Okay,” a second reporter put in. “But what about the issue of objectivity? How can
you
, the daughter of a murder victim, bring the necessary objectivity to the situation?”
    â€œThat’s where Deputy Chief Jenkins comes in,” Lee said with a smile. “He’ll be looking over my shoulder. And remember . . . While I may not be entirely objective, I care about this investigation in a way that only a murder victim’s daughter can.”
    That was the perfect exit line, and Molly knew it. So shestepped in to bring the press