Newton was tipped off balance by the praise. He cleared his throat. “Yes, Mr. Mayor, er…thank you. Sir, can you tell me the cause of Karl Ruger’s death?”
“Of course. As I
“I see. And you say Mr. Ruger was shot several times?”
“The autopsy has not yet been performed, but the Bucks County deputy chief coroner, Dr. Saul Weinstock, said that a preliminary examination revealed what appears to be several bullet wounds.”
“Several? Wow,” said Newton in mildly mocking amazement. “So…with
Terry fixed a concerned frown on his face. “Obviously the wounds were not all that serious, though collectively they proved to be serious enough to have given Mr. Crow an edge in their second encounter.” Newton opened his mouth to speak but Terry stepped in with: “This morning I spoke briefly with Mayor Grayson of Philadelphia and also the Philadelphia police commissioner, expressing my gratitude for the exemplary work of Officer Jerome Head in the rescue at the Guthrie farm. I expect that he, too, will receive a commendation.”
“What about Rhoda Thomas?” asked a reporter from Trenton.
“Health-wise, she’s doing well. She is a fit young lady and a fine police officer, and I believe a commendation is in order for her as well.” Again Newton opened his mouth to speak and Terry took control of the moment by saying, “The police forces don’t always get a lot of good press, especially in these troubled and conflicted times, but I think we can all agree that the spirit of cooperation and the level of professionalism demonstrated over the last few days by officers from Philadelphia, Crestville, Black Marsh, and, of course, Pine Deep, present a fairer picture of the strength, intelligence, and courage of the modern law enforcement officer. I am proud to have played a part—a very small part, mind you—in the operation, and to have seen a terrible threat to society like Karl Ruger brought down.”
LaMastra leaned close to Ferro again, whispering, “That’s laying it on a bit thick.”
Ferro shook his head. “Look at them—they’re eating this up. Right now he could sell them subscriptions to their own papers. This guy’s incredible.”
The questions kept coming in from the throng of reporters, but now none of them had barbs on them. Terry was the story now and the reporters were hanging on his every word. Several times Newton tried to put some teeth back into the press conference but he was no match for Terry Wolfe, and in the end every time Newton asked a question the other reporters started giving him dirty looks.
“What’s next, Mr. Mayor?” asked a Scranton reporter. “Are there any leads on the whereabouts of Kenneth Boyd?”
Terry dialed up a graver expression. “Kenneth Boyd is now being sought as the primary suspect in the murders of Officers Cowan and Castle. Police departments in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York are working together to spread a net so finely meshed that I can guarantee you Boyd will not slip through.”
Newton snuck another one in. “What if he’s still here in Pine Deep?”
Terry’s eyes drilled holes through the little man. “Then God help him, Mr. Newton, because here in Pine Deep we have no compassion at all for cop-killers.”
Terry knew that he had just scored a classic sound-bite moment and he kept his grim game face on while the cameras rolled. A statement like that was a showstopper and from his body language alone he made it clear that this was the ball game. He held that face, forcing eye contact with Newton until the reporter dropped his own gaze, and then Terry turned to the general crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for coming here today. Without the resources and guidance of the press things could get out of hand and you are all to be commended on the tasteful and considerate way with which you’ve handled this crisis. You have my thanks. Now, as I’m sure you’ll understand, the law enforcement officers and I have some serious work to do and every minute counts. We want to wrap this thing up, so let us get to work.”
