Chapter Twenty-Four
When Malone returned to Sam’s office almost an hour after he’d left, he looked much better than he had earlier.
He’d showered, shaved and changed into a navy pullover and khakis.
He wore his gold badge on his belt, and his normally amiable eyes had taken on a hard edge that was so unlike him that it startled her.
“Are you ready to talk to Mayfield?” he asked. “Lindsey has done the DNA swabs.”
“I’m ready when you are, and Charity Miller is standing by, too. How do you want to play this?”
“My plan is to trap him with his own hubris.”
“I’m down with that. I’ll let you take the lead and step in if needed?”
“Sounds good. I’m very determined not to get emotional.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take it so you don’t have to?”
“I thought about handing it off, but I decided the emotion will make me more effective if I can just keep it in check.”
“You will. You’ll find your zone and get it done.”
“If I falter…”
“I’ll be right there and ready to take over.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Sam texted Charity that they were ready to proceed with the Mayfield interrogation that she would witness from an adjoining observation room.
“After this, we’ll have to brief the media,” Malone said.
“We need to announce Luna’s murder and that we have suspects in custody.
We’re not announcing that other kids have been found in units rented by Mayfield until we have time to figure out who they are and who they belong to.
We can announce that additional charges are expected. ”
“I’ll be right there through the whole thing.”
“Let’s get this done. I want justice for that sweet little girl and the other kids he’s harmed.”
Sam knew he was thinking of his own daughter, Mel, and his young granddaughter as he walked toward the room where Asher Mayfield was being guarded by Officer Montgomery.
The young patrolman nodded to Malone and Sam.
“Nice to see you, Officer Montgomery,” Sam said.
“It’s been a minute.” He’d been first on the scene when she and Nick had been chased into a rollover car crash early in their relationship.
She’d been knocked unconscious, but Nick had later told her that Montgomery had been critical to their survival.
“Yes, ma’am. Good to see you as well.” He tipped his head toward the interrogation room. “This guy’s a piece of work. Full of himself.”
“He’s a fucking monster,” Malone said.
Charity Miller joined them in the hallway. “I just read the preliminary report. Tell me we’ve got this guy nailed.”
“Not completely, but hopefully we will after this.”
“What about the son?”
“Let’s see what the DNA shows, and then we’ll figure out what to do about him,” Malone said. “It’s possible he didn’t participate in what was done to Luna.”
“What’s your gut on that?” Charity asked.
“I honestly don’t know if the dad acted alone once he got what he needed from Brecken, Ethan and Tomas,” Malone said. “Or if Brecken was involved in the whole plan and execution. That’s part of what I aim to find out.”
Lindsey McNamara came down the hallway, carrying two manila folders that she handed to Malone and Charity. “Preliminary photos.”
Sam swallowed hard. She so did not want to look at those photos.
Lindsey’s expression conveyed the empathy that made her so good at her job. “You may want to prepare yourselves.”
With justice for Luna front of mind, Sam forced herself to look at the images that depicted a brutal physical and sexual assault. Bile burned her throat as she tried to remain professional and focused on the task at hand. Inside, however, she broke for Luna and her devoted parents.
“Good God,” Charity whispered as she closed the file.
Her face looked like it had been bleached of all color.
Sam reached out a hand to her.
Charity took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Then they shook it off as best they could, determined to make sure that the man, or men, who’d tortured and killed Luna never saw the light of day outside prison again.
They burst into the room, as they often did, but this guy… Oh, he was a cool customer. He wasn’t rattled by the sudden entrance of detectives, but he did cast a smarmy little grin Sam’s way.
“Oh wow, I’m honored. I get the first lady.”
“Shut the fuck up, Mayfield.” Malone turned on the recording device and recited the names of those present in the room and in observation. Then he recited the Miranda warning. “Do you understand these rights as they’ve been presented to you?”
“Yep. Nothing I haven’t heard before.” Asher had the same wavy dark hair as his son with hard hazel eyes that were the same shade as Nick’s, but with none of the warmth that his had.
“You must be so proud of your extensive criminal history,” Malone said.
He shrugged. “What can you do? Shit happens.”
Malone put a printout on the table that detailed Mayfield’s long rap sheet. “Shit seems to happen to you more often than most.”
“I’m misunderstood.”
“Are you, though?”
“What can I say? People piss me off.”
Malone put a school photo of Luna on the table. “What’d she do to piss you off?”
“Who’s that?”
“Oh please. Like you don’t recognize the girl who disrespected your son and sent you into a murderous rage.”
“I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
Malone laughed. “That’s not what your son said.”
Mayfield’s entire disposition changed. He sat up straighter, his smile fading. “He never told you anything about me.”
“Is that what you think?” Malone put the photos of Luna’s battered body on the table. “How do you think we found her? And what do you think the DNA will tell us?”
Mayfield glanced down at the photos, seeming incredulous as a muscle twitched in his cheek. “I’d like an attorney.”
“I’ll bet you would. Who should we call?”
“It’s not like I’ve got someone on retainer.”
“Oh, funny. I would’ve thought a guy like you would have an attorney on speed dial.
Or did you not pay the last guy?” Without giving him the chance to reply, Malone said, “I’ll call the public defender.
Will probably be a day or two before they send someone over.
” Malone pressed the recorder to end the interview and headed for the door with Sam.
“I can’t wait to tell all my friends I met the first lady. They think you’re a hot piece, but you’re probably a bitch like all the others.”
Sam couldn’t resist turning back to him. “Oh, I am a hot piece, and like all the others, I want nothing to do with you.”
The look of pure hatred he gave her made it worth dignifying his comment with a reply.
“Well said,” Malone muttered when they were in the hallway.
“Sorry you had to hear that about, you know… the hotness of my piece.”
He barked out a laugh, which was a welcome sound after a grim few hours.
Charity joined them in the hallway. “I’ll be looking for the DNA and autopsy reports while I prepare to file charges.”
“Are you including the son?” Sam asked.
“At least for participating in the kidnapping of Ethan and Tomas, with possibly more charges coming depending on what the DNA says.”
“We’ll get Lindsey’s report to you as soon as we have it,” Malone said.
“I’ll be back in touch.”
After Charity walked away, Malone leaned back against the tan concrete wall, closed his eyes and exhaled.
Sam stood next to him, providing silent support to someone who was always there for her.
“I’m never going to forget this one.”
“Is it weird that I want to go see her mother?”
“It’d probably mean a lot to her.”
“Normally, I’d run from something like that, but I feel this overwhelming need to see her.”
“Because you’re a mother yourself now, and you feel for what she’s lost.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it. I’ll go after I do the briefing.”
“I’ll come with you,” Malone said.
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s okay. I’ll see it through, and then I’m going home.”
“Will you come back?” Sam asked, going for a moment of levity.
“I’ll let you know.”
“Please do.”
“Sometimes it’s just far too fucking much.”
“Almost all the time, it is.”
“Yeah.”
“You know what’s encouraging?” she asked.
“There’s something encouraging?”
“It’s that you’ve been doing this job for decades, and you still care so much that you’re devasted by the loss of this young girl. At times, I’ve worried about becoming numb to it, but you’re showing me that we never become entirely numb.”
“It’d be nice if we could, right?”
“Definitely. Will you see Dr. Trulo after you get some rest?”
“We’ll see.”
“Will you do it for me?”
He gave her a side-eyed look full of exasperation. “That’s low, Holland. I expect better from you.”
She shrugged. “Friends take care of friends.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“And you won’t get mad at me if I make sure you do it?” They’d become experts at avoidance of the kind of help Trulo provided. However, after he’d saved her sanity and her career—more than once—Sam had become a fan of his way of helping.
“Who’s the boss around here, anyway?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
His grunt of laughter was his only answer. “Let’s get this shit finished so I can get the hell out of here.”
She walked with him into the pit, where they used her office to pound out a statement about finding Luna Ahern’s body. “I’ll update on the Carver case, too.”
When they were ready, they walked to the lobby, where they encountered Chief Farnsworth in a discussion with Deputy Chief Jeannie McBride.
“What’s up, guys?”
“I was coming to tell you we’re getting pushback from the judge on the warrant for the phones of Carver’s wife and sister-in-law,” McBride said.
“We’ve got Detective Charles on the way to retrieve them,” Sam said.
“We have to make a stronger case to the judge to get the warrants,” McBride replied. “Who wants to take that?”
“I’ll ask Gonzo to do it after I do the briefing,” Sam said.
“While you do the briefing, I’ll talk to Gonzo so Charles’s trip isn’t in vain.”
“Great, thanks, Jeannie.”
“Where do we stand on the Ahern case?” Farnsworth asked.