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Marshak, Chief Executive Officer and heir to the Marshak Department Store empire, which owns and operates two hundred fifty-three department stores throughout the United States and Europe.”
    “Yes, that’s true.”
    “Rumor has it you two married quickly—that it was a whirlwind romance. How did you and Margaret meet?”
    “We met a year ago,” I said. “It was at a fundraiser, and I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. We dated briefly and got married last year in a very small ceremony right before Christmas.”
    The interview moved to the Headless Corpse Killer and my involvement in the investigative task force. I had spoken with Lieutenant Netter earlier, and he approved details that could be released to the media. They would be the same details he would reveal in the media briefing at three o’clock later that afternoon.
    I told Sally the perpetrator was now referred to as Jack Plum, and gave her a breakdown of the task force members and what some of their assignments were. “My assignment is research,” I said. I then described the crime scenes to the extent permitted by Netter, and told her the task force was investigating several leads and had narrowed their search to a handful of suspects. It was a lie promoted by the City of Cary to give the illusion of containment and prevent panic. I finished my interview by saying, “All task force members, along with volunteers, will man the tip hotline twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. My turn is Thursday evening.”
    Sally wrapped up the program by asking viewers with any information about the crimes to call the tip hotline number displayed.
    “Good luck with the investigation, Ben, and thank you for joining us tonight.” She turned and looked directly at camera one. “That’s our show for tonight. I’m Sally Briggum for Carolinians In the News . Good night, everyone.”
    We sat motionless until the light on camera one went out. As Sally pulled the microphone from her lapel, she assured me that the telephone number for the tip hotline would be shown at the bottom of the screen when the segment aired during the six o’clock news hour.
    It was over. I had survived death by interview, and I was sweating like a pig. As I started to get up, a chill suddenly ran down my spine and I froze, staring at Sally.
    “Is something wrong, Ben?” she asked, unnerved.
    “Yes. This segment will be viewed by thousands of people, and one of them may be Jack Plum. I hadn’t noticed it until just this instant, but you have a strong physical resemblance to our two victims. I’d advise you to please take caution and try not to go anywhere alone. Don’t answer your door at home unless you’re absolutely certain you know and trust who’s on the other side. This is nothing to take lightly.”
    After scaring the shit out of Sally Briggum, I walked out of the building, tugging to remove my necktie. I threw it and my jacket onto the back seat. It was drizzling, and I sat behind the wheel listening to the rain dance on the windshield.
    I pulled out my cell phone and dialed my daughter, Amanda Jane. She would be at school with her phone turned off, but I wanted to leave a message and tell her I would be on TV that night. Her mother criticized me every chance she got, and I was always looking for opportunities to boost Amanda Jane’s perception of me.
    My phone rang just as I finished my message. It was Netter. “What’s up?” I asked.
     “I’m going to be at the Clancy crime scene at one o’clock. You interested?”
    “Does the pope shit in the woods?” I asked.
    “Probably. So, how’d the interview go?”
    “Better than expected,” I said. “But get this. Sally Briggum is a dead ringer for the two victims.”
    Netter grunted at the other end. “Damn,” he said uneasily and hung up.
     
     

CHAPTER 6
     
     
    I arrived at 3812 Greentree Place, parked in front of Netter’s brown sedan, and smiled as I got out and took my briefcase from the back seat.