Chapter Fifteen
“The knife attacks began on Tuesday, January sixth, with a fatal attack on Isabella Rios, a twenty-four-year-old employee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Sam read from the meticulously written reports Gonzo had filed.
Nick and Freddie listened intently to every word.
“She and all the victims were attacked at night. Rios was outside the McPherson Metro station and died from a fatal stab wound to the jugular. Dr. McNamara has determined that Rios was attacked from behind and most likely never saw it coming. Video surveillance from around the Metro station didn’t provide a good enough look at the attacker to aid in the investigation.
The next attack was two days later on a forty-eight-year-old mother of two, Deborah Gainesville, who had gotten off a city bus in Brentwood and was also attacked from behind.
It’s believed that she bled out slowly on the street before she was discovered dead about an hour after the attack.
“Next up was thirty-six-year-old Barry Scanlon, a bartender, who sensed the attack was coming, whirled around to confront his attacker and took a knife to the gut. After four days in ICU, he’s been moved to a regular room and should be released in the next few days.
William Enright, age twenty-seven, is an associate at Griffen and Smoltz, a graphic design and marketing firm in the city.
The report says he was on a side street in the Gallaudet neighborhood, on his way home from a night out with friends when the assailant approached him from behind, grabbed his arm, swung him around and stabbed him in the abdomen.
He remained coherent enough to fight off the attacker and call for help, but sustained a life-threatening abdominal wound as well as significant lacerations to his hands and arms in the battle.
He’s the one who turned us on to Besozzi, who was a former client. ”
“Why former?” Freddie asked.
Sam read aloud from the report Gonzo had written about what Enright had told them.
“Apparently Enright sounded the alarm to his higher-ups when Besozzi asked him to include chat rooms and webcam capabilities in the website for a T-shirt store. Gonzo and Arnold met with the Griffen in Griffen and Smoltz yesterday, and he said he and his partner agreed that Enright’s concerns were valid and cut Besozzi loose as a client.
Because the website was close to finished when this happened, Besozzi was furious. ”
“And there’re no other connections to Besozzi among the other victims?” Nick asked.
“Everyone is doubling back today to ask about him,” Sam said. “And Hill is working on figuring out whether Besozzi is an Italian citizen or if he’s pretending to be, as one of Enright’s colleagues suspected.”
“He’s not an Italian citizen,” Hill said as he came into the office bearing papers that he handed to Sam. “The Italian embassy was very helpful and they have no record of anyone by that name entering the U.S. in the last year.”
“Interesting,” Sam said. “So he’s an imposter then.”
“Have we pulled a warrant to search his place?” Freddie asked.
“Malone was handling that. Let me check.” Sam picked up the phone and placed a call to her captain.
“Malone.”
“It’s Holland checking on the warrant for Besozzi’s house.”
“We’re leaving Arnold’s parents’ home. I’ll call to check on it.”
“Um, how’d that go?”
“As you’d expect.”
Sam closed her eyes against the now-predictable rush of emotion. “How’s Gonzo?”
“As you’d expect. We mentioned to Arnold’s parents that you’d be by later today to see them, and they seemed appreciative of the gesture.”
She glanced at her husband. “Nick and I will head up there as soon as I brief the press.”
Nick nodded in agreement, and she smiled at him.
“That’s good of both of you. It’ll mean a lot to them. So, um, she wants to see him.”
“Oh God, really? Did you tell her he’s in bad shape?”
“Yes, and she said he’s her son, her baby, and she wants to see him.”
Sam sighed deeply. “Lindsey can arrange that for us.”
“I’ve already called her.”
“Thanks, Cap. Keep me posted on the warrant.”
“Will do.”
“So his mother wants to see him?” Freddie asked.
“Yes.”
“I’d like to see him, too.”
“I don’t think that’s such a great idea. He was shot in the face, Freddie.”
“He was my friend, Sam. I want to see him.”
“All right. Let me brief the media, and then I’ll go with you to see him before we head out to see Arnold’s folks.”
“I’m going to sift through the reports while you do the briefing and get up to speed,” Freddie said.
“I’m supposed to remind you that you’re suspended and technically can’t be on the case.”
“I’m on the case whether I get paid or not.”
Sam would do exactly the same thing, so she didn’t argue. “I’ll be back.” On the way out of the office, she bent to kiss Nick. “You can watch the briefing on the TV in the conference room if you’d like.”
“I’d like.” He squeezed her hand and conveyed all the love and support he could in the way he looked at her.
Jeannie appeared at the office door holding a piece of paper. “Photo of Besozzi from Griffen and Smoltz.”
Sam looked into the black eyes of the man who’d killed her detective and made a silent vow to Arnold that they would get justice on his behalf, no matter what. “Thank you. Can you get me some copies for the briefing?”
Jeannie handed her a stack of copies.
“You’re the best, thanks.” Sam grabbed her coat on the way out of the office and put it on while she walked.
As Sam left the pit, Nick’s Secret Service detail stepped aside to let her by.
John “Brant” Brantley Junior, the lead agent on Nick’s detail, said, “I’m very sorry for your loss, Lieutenant.”
“Thanks, Brant.” She kept moving, putting one foot in front of the other, because she had no choice. Curling up into a ball and wailing wasn’t going to change what’d happened and it wouldn’t do a damned thing to catch Besozzi.
The chief was waiting for her in the lobby. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
They walked outside together. The moment the door opened, reporters started screaming questions at them.
As she always did, Sam waited for them to quiet down before she began to speak.
“At eleven thirty-eight last night, after several hours of surveillance on a home in the Manor Park neighborhood, Detective Sergeant Thomas Gonzales and Detective Arnold John “A.J.” Arnold approached a person of interest in the knife assault case. Detective Arnold took the lead, and before he could finish announcing himself, the suspect opened fire, striking Detective Arnold in the face and mortally wounding him.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd of reporters as she confirmed an officer had been killed in the line of duty.
Sam held up the photo of Giuseppe Besozzi.
“We’re looking for this man, known as Giuseppe Besozzi, in connection with the shooting of Detective Arnold and as a person of interest in the knife attacks.
We have reason to believe that Besozzi is not his real name, but we have not yet been able to confirm that. ”
“What led you to Besozzi in the first place?” Darren Tabor from the Washington Star asked.
“He was connected to one of the knife attack victims. We’re looking into whether there’re connections to the other victims, but so far we know of only one connection.”
“Assume Arnold’s family has been notified?” a reporter asked.
“Yes, this morning.”
“Can you provide any more details on the shooting? Where was he shot? Was the wound immediately fatal or was he treated?”
“I’ll only say he died almost immediately. We’re not releasing the other details at this time.”
“Was Sergeant Gonzales wounded?”
“No. He was able to fire several rounds, and despite that and pursuit by Patrol officers who were backing up the detectives, Besozzi managed to get away. The FBI and the U.S. Marshal Service are assisting in our efforts to locate and apprehend Mr. Besozzi. We ask the public’s assistance in helping to locate him, but we ask that no one approach him directly.
If you know where he is, call us. I want to repeat that he is armed and dangerous and has already gunned down a police officer. Do not approach him.”
“Lieutenant, you’ve been on an extended medical leave since you were attacked by Lieutenant Stahl,” Tabor said. “Did the death of Detective Arnold bring you back to work?”
Sam gave him her best death stare. “What do you think?”
“It’s a fair question,” Tabor added. “You’ve been out for weeks, and you’re back today of all days.”
“Where else would I be when one of my officers has been brutally murdered in service to this city?”
“Can you tell us what role the vice president is playing here today?”
“He’s here in a supportive role because an officer of mine and a friend of ours was killed on the job. I would think his reasons for being here today would be rather obvious.”
“You were seen at the White House during your leave,” one of the bottle blonde TV reporters said. “Are you taking on a more active role as second lady?”
“Any more legitimate questions about the investigation?” Before anyone could form a question, she was walking away from the podium and into the building with Chief Farnsworth right behind her. “We have an officer killed in the line and they’re going to waste my time asking about the White House?”
“I guess they have to get that in during the rare moments when they have access to you.”
“It’s inappropriate. Especially today.”
A young woman approached them. “Pardon me, Lieutenant,” she said, nodding to the chief. “I’m Tara from public affairs. We have requests from all the major networks asking for interviews about the shooting of Detective Arnold. The story is making the national news.”
“Fantastic,” Sam said. “We’ve got a cop shooter on the loose, and I’m supposed to stop what I’m doing to give interviews to the networks who are only interested because Arnold worked for the goddamned second lady?”
Before her eyes, the young Public Affairs officer shriveled.