I didn’t respond, letting her think some more until she shrugged again. “Blue Suburban goin’ like a bat out of hell, left turn, that’s all I really know for sure. That’s my final answer.”

The fact that she wasn’t inclined to fill in details actually boosted my confidence in her. It’s incredible how many people do the opposite, sometimes just to please the interviewer. A few minutes later, I thanked Bettina for her time and help, and let her go.

Then I found Jeanne Galletta to tell her my thoughts. We met in an unused guest room on the second floor. Jeanne told me that another hotel patron had corroborated the story.

“Around two o’clock, he saw a large, dark-blue SUV tearing out of the parking lot from his room on the third floor. He couldn’t see too much, but he said it might have been a woman driver.”

“That doesn’t mean it was Mary Smith,” I said. “But if it was, this would be huge for us. At least two people saw the same vehicle leaving in a hurry.”

Jeanne nodded silently, weighing the idea. “So then the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question remains: How big do we go with this?”

There were risks either way, and I puzzled it out loud, partly for her and partly for myself.

“Time’s not on our side. Mary Smith hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Just the opposite, in fact. She seems to be evolving. This is a chance to use the press to our advantage and speed up the search—if that’s what you want.

“On the other hand, people are already scared, and they’re going to react to every blue Suburban they see, probably to every blue SUV. If this blows up in your face, then it’s one more reason for the public not to trust the Department. But if it gets you Mary Smith, then everything’s okay and you’re a hero.”

“Russian roulette,” she said dryly.

“Name of the game,” I said.

“By the way, I don’t want to be a hero.”

“Goes with the territory.”

She finally smiled. “America’s Sherlock Holmes. Didn’t I read that somewhere about you?”

“Don’t believe everything you read.”

I could almost hear the clock ticking inside Jeanne’s head, but maybe it was her heartbeat.

“All right,” she said, looking at her watch. “Let’s do it up. I’m going to have to clear this with the Department, but if I go now, we can get in a press conference before the early news.”

She paused at the door. “Jesus, I hope this isn’t a mistake I’m making.”

“Just go,” I said.

“Come with me, Alex. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said. “In spite of the Sherlock Holmes remark.”

Chapter 66

Chapter 66