Frankel confirmed that it was Leeds’s body that had been found in the shut-down Far Rockaway hospital. He acknowledged that they believed Leeds to be the fifth in a series of murders that began in London. Frankel named the other victims, reciting dates and the locations where their bodies had been found.

Grant could hear dozens of styluses tapping iPads and fingers clacking on laptop keyboards.

Frankel urged the public to remain vigilant and calm. It was a standard request that Grant knew Frankel was wasting his breath on. If anything, the Manhattan citizenry would just panic further. Frankel opened the floor to questions.

For the next thirty seconds, everyone called out at once.

Little let loose a shrill whistle, regaining a semblance of peace. Grant wondered if this ability to bring sudden order to chaos was what had landed the man his job. Little started calling on the journalists one by one.

The first question, from a New York Times stringer, was not unexpected. The bald reporter, who’d been covering crime in the five boroughs since Ed Koch occupied Gracie Mansion, asked what made them certain the five crimes were connected to one another and committed by the same person.

“There is a similarity in method to all five,” Frankel answered. “I’m not going to go into detail. Per usual, we need to keep certain information to ourselves.”

It was the answer they had all agreed on giving to the question they knew they’d be getting. This didn’t stop the next half-dozen reporters trying variations of the same query. Grant was impressed watching the detective sidestep each volley with a slightly different response that amounted to the same thing—they’d let everyone know more once they caught the person they were looking for.

The questions settled into such a monotonous pattern that Grant was caught unaware when a familiar voice sounded from a few rows back.

“I have a question for Commander Grant?” came a polite British voice.

Ferguson.

The Mail journalist rose and stared directly at Grant. “Isn’t it true that you had reason to believe Mr. Leeds was going to be the next victim?”

The crowd stirred.

“It was one possibility we were considering,” Grant replied. He glanced back over at Frankel, who gave him a tacit nod of approval.

“Then why wasn’t he afforded police protection?”

Grant started to respond but Frankel beat him to the punch. “Because by the time Leeds was on our radar, he’d already gone missing and we had to locate him.”

“Well, you certainly did that,” Ferguson pointed out.

This produced enough chortles from the crowd that Little had to issue another reprimand. “You’re point being, Mr. Ferguson?” pushed Little.

“That this isn’t the first time during this case that Commander Grant has been late on arrival,” answered Ferguson. The reporter stared at Grant with a gleam in his eyes.

Here we go.