He wasted little time getting to the point

With Judge Henry's approval, the press conference was held in the main courtroom of the Chester County Courthouse, on Main Street in downtown Slone. Robbie had planned to hold it in his office, but when it became apparent that a mob would attend, he changed his mind. He wanted to make sure every possible reporter could be accommodated, but he didn't want a bunch of curious strangers poking around his train station. At 9:15 a.m., Robbie stepped to the podium in front of Judge Henry's bench and surveyed the throng. Cameras clicked and tape recorders were turned on to catch every word. He wore a dark three-piece suit, his finest, and though exhausted, he was also wired. He wasted little time getting to the point. "Good morning and thanks for coming," he said. "The skeletal remains of Nicole Yarber were found yesterday morning in a remote section of Newton County, Missouri, just south of the city of Joplin. I was there, along with members of my staff, accompanying a man named Travis Boyette. Boyette led us to the site where he buried Nicole almost nine years ago, two days after he abducted her here in Slone. Using dental records, the crime lab in Joplin made a positive identification last night. The crime lab is working around the clock to examine her remains, and their work should be completed in a couple of days." He paused, took a sip of water, and scanned the crowd. Not a sound. "I'm in no hurry, folks. I plan to go into considerable detail, then I will answer all the questions you have." He nodded at Carlos, who was seated nearby with his laptop. On a large screen next to the podium, a photo of the grave site appeared. Robbie began a methodical description of what they had found, illustrated by one photo after another. Pursuant to an agreement with the authorities in Missouri, he did not show the skeletal remains. The site was being treated as a crime scene. He did use the photos of Nicole's driver's license, credit card, and the belt Boyette used to strangle her. He talked about Boyette and gave a brief explanation of his disappearance. There was not yet a warrant for his arrest, so Boyette wasn't a wanted man.