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couldn’t carry all of these folders and coffee. I would be lucky to carry all of the folders at the same time. I decided to bring the folders into the conference room and then get another cup of coffee. Was Mike testing me?

Chapter 10
     
    I felt all of the men’s eyes on me when I brought the folders into the conference room. Paddy pointed to where he wanted them placed. When I returned with my coffee there were ten men seated at the table. I took a seat at the far end of the table.
    Paddy immediately started talking. “Yesterday was the first time we met as a group and introduced ourselves and our respective departments. Today, we have a new member. Scott Tucker is attending Harvard and wants to get a real feel of what real investigative work is like. He has volunteered his services, of which I’m grateful.”
    Paddy continued, “Scott is going to buddy up with Mike. I’m sure they will get along famously.”
    Each of the men then introduced themselves along with the organization they represented.
     
    *.*.*
     
    Mike watched Scott’s reaction while each man introduced himself. It’s an impressive gathering of talent. He also wondered what Scott’s reaction was to the case material. Did he do the right thing letting him see the crime scene material? Well, he’s still here and looks like he wants to be exposed to what we’re doing. He didn’t know how he was going to respond to being Scott’s buddy, but he was starting to feel more comfortable with the process. He wondered if he could have done the same thing at Scott’s age.
    Paddy interrupted Mike’s thoughts. “Thanks everyone. We now have representatives from the FBI, the Massachusetts State Police, Boston, Cambridge and MDC police. In addition Dr. Thomas, Chris as he prefers, is a psychologist with Mass General Hospital. Later he will be giving us his thoughts on the killer’s profile. We have well over a hundred years of detective experience here and we’re going to need it. I would like to run through each of the twelve cases now.”
    Mike wondered if Scott was going to make it through this process. He decided he would keep a watchful eye on him .
     
    *.*.*
     
    “Case 12 – Butler: This was yesterday’s strangling on Commonwealth Avenue. She was twenty-two. All of you know the details of that case with the exception of Scott. He’ll see those details after this meeting.”
    “Case 11 – Russell. This was a strangling in Woburn on High Street. She was thirty-one. She was strangled—”
    After my cousin’s name was mentioned I could hear Paddy’s voice, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. I’m not sure how long Paddy had been talking. I had to close my eyes because the room was spinning. I grabbed the table to steady myself.
    “Scott.” I heard my name being called. I opened my eyes. Mike was standing beside me. “Scott, Paddy called a break. Why don’t we get a doughnut and talk for a few minutes. Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine, thanks. It’s just a little overwhelming when you think of the number of victims and families impacted.”
    Mike studied me without saying anything. “Yes Scott, that’s exactly why we have to catch this son of a bitch. Come on, let’s get some nourishment. It looks like you need another coffee.”
     
    *.*.*
     
    When we resumed I felt better. Chris Thomas was about to give his impression of the killer.
    Dr. Thomas stood and addressed the room. “This killer is driven to these killings by some sort of circumstances. Given similar circumstances, he will indeed be driven to kill another woman, who could be either elderly or young. You might say his desire to kill is not tied to a particular woman’s appearance, but only the proximity at the time his urge is so strong he can no longer control it.”
    He walked to the blackboard. “My thoughts, given the details in the cases, are that we are looking for a man under six feet tall, maybe inches shorter. He is married, but to an old-fashioned woman