Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

Transitions II - IV

  "One aspect of the story that no one seems to be covering is the lead investigator, Jeremy Ashe. Since the start of the investigation, it's come to light that he had a personal connection with one of the victims of the incident: Jacqueline Nossinger, the sheriff of Rallsburg. Can you tell us a bit more about that?"

  "I was the chief of their precinct at the time they worked together. I assigned Jeremy to be Jackie's partner, actually."

  "Do you believe Agent Ashe could have compromised the investigation due to his personal connections to the case?"

  "Absolutely not. Jeremy's a professional. I don't believe for a second he let personal feelings cloud his judgment."

  "He was removed from the case by his superiors after the standoff in north Tacoma. Most speculation pointed toward incompetency and involving himself in events outside his jurisdiction."

  "Well, given what we've learned, that standoff doesn't seem so unrelated now, does it? When a dozen uniformed officers claim something supernatural occurred, and now we find out that maybe they weren't so crazy, I think it's probably worth looking into. Clearly, Jeremy was onto something."

  "Do you think he should be reinstated as the lead investigator?"

  "Right away. If anything, his old partnership with Jackie gives him the motivation to get this done right. Every detective and every good investigator has it drummed into them from the start. It's the only way we can get cases through the system. Do things right, every time."

  "Let's talk about Jackie for a minute. She was a detective in Homicide, right?"

  "That's right. We covered one of the worst parts of Seattle. I'm pleased to say during that decade, we reduced the crime rate by a significant margin. Murders in particular went down in record numbers."

  "Would you say she was instrumental to this success?"

  "It's hard to say what the specific cause of a reduction is, but I can say that Jackie always did her job well, above and beyond the call of duty. I was very sad to see her go."

  "She requested a transfer herself?"

  "Exactly. Worst day of my career, signing that sheet. She was moved out to state trooper, and eventually after a few patrols through the town, decided she liked it well enough to make it her home. She got elected sheriff in '09, and stayed there right until the end."

  "In one of the released excerpts from the Rallsburg Diaries, she features prominently. Have you read it?"

  "...I have."

  "She seems to be presiding over a town hall about the murder of a child in town. Obviously, we don't have much more context for the moment, but she certainly isn't painted in a good light. She comes off as weak and ineffectual."

  "I'd say the writer is biased. They were clearly being attacked throughout the meeting. We can't know the relationships in that room without more context. Jackie didn't come off great in that, I agree, but we don't know the whole story."

  "Too true. Well, the book won't be available until Tuesday, so until then, we'll be dissecting each of the portions in detail with our special guests. Up next, a profile of Hannah Newman, A.K.A. Ruby, the self-described 'soul mate' of Diaries author Cinza, and her father Ashley Newman."