Phil let Mary take the lead, and took in the house. He knew she had been alone for a bit, and was impressed that the house looked pretty well kept. Mary was normally a steady, level-headed girl. This was all a tragedy. Phil had this sinking feeling that it would tear the town apart in ways they hadn't imagined yet.<br/><br/>"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said when he saw her hesitate right before the door. He took her trembling hand, went ahead and opened the door himself and pushed it open. As he did so, a thought occurred to him. You never stop being a cop, Lorenzo had often said.<br/><br/>"Mary, were there any others you and Sarah and Michale were close to?" He could think of a couple of names in Colton. He knew most of the town, after all. But it was best to make sure he got things right. He and Mary were friendly, but there might be others in her circle he didn't realize existed. And that could mean another lead.<br/><br/>Out in the distance he could see Mom's car, with Sue Ann in tow.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/>Lamar nodded, agreeing with what Clyde had to say. "Lorenzo is pretty surehanded," he said. And he was doing well with Trinity Dale, he thought. But not something to say out loud. "Not from around here, though. May not realize what a murder like this can do to a small town."<br/><br/>Up ahead, Lorenzo was getting ready for his first ever press conference at the town hall. Bob was around, chatting with some of the folks who had already arrived. There was an angry, anxious buzz in the air, and Lorenzo was glad that the state troopers had seen fit to have a couple of their uniforms attend this meeting.<br/><br/>He saw Trinity a little apart to one side, chatting with some girlfriends. She gave him a coy smile that irritated him. Sure, they were together, but this wasn't some damn game. He wished just this once that she could pretend they weren't having an affair. Her husband was talking animatedly with a few other townsfolk just a few feet away, for Chrissake.<br/><br/>Lorenzo knew he was a good cop and a competent investigator. But although he had risen to the rank of detective with the New Jersey State Police he had only held that post for two years. He had never investigated a major homicide case. And certainly not one that seemed to involve a psychopath.<br/><br/>"Uh, if you folks want to get seated, we'll begin soon," he said into the mike at a podium.