Chapter Three
When she arrived in her pit, Sam’s team was already hard at work in their cubicles. “Morning, everyone. Sorry I’m late.”
“Morning, LT,” Gonzo said for all of them. He was tall and handsome, with dark hair and eyes that spoke to his Cuban heritage.
“Anything going on?” she asked
“Not at the moment,” Detective Freddie Cruz said. Her partner caught the eyes of women everywhere they went with his wavy dark hair, dimples, soft brown eyes and sweet smile. “We’re taking the opportunity to catch up on the reports.”
“Good idea.”
“When do you testify in the Nelson trial?” Freddie asked.
“Tuesday afternoon, if not before. Faith will let me know.”
“How’re you feeling about the trial, LT?
” Detective Cameron Green asked. He was blond, with a muscular physique and blue eyes.
As always, he was immaculately dressed, today in a patterned dress shirt and a navy tie.
Sam had told him he didn’t have to wear a tie to work, but he said it made him feel more professional to dress the part.
“I’m eager to put it behind me.” Christopher Nelson, the former president’s son, had set out to discredit Nick, his father’s popular vice president, and had gone so far as to torture and kill Sam’s ex-husband, Peter Gibson, among other egregious crimes.
The incident had nearly driven Nick out of public service.
Could it be the trial and her upcoming appearance there making her so anxious? Possibly. Revisiting that case and her sordid history with Peter Gibson was never at the top of her list of things she wished to do, let alone in a public forum where every word would be recorded for posterity.
“Have you been following the trial coverage?” Freddie asked.
“Absolutely not. Living through that nightmare once was more than enough for me—and for Nick.”
“You should know the press is relitigating it all, as they do,” Gonzo said.
“I’m sure they’re taking great pleasure in running us through the meat grinder over something that was done to us and failing to mention that we had nothing to do with it.”
“There was a pundit last night reminding the panel that President and Mrs. Cappuano were victims of Nelson’s crimes and should be viewed as such.”
“I’m glad someone is saying that.” Sam hated that her appearance in court would lead to more headlines about how the former president’s son had threatened the lives of everyone Nick Cappuano loved, hoping he would resign and take his soaring popularity with him.
They’d learned that Christopher Nelson had presidential aspirations that were derailed when Nick’s popularity made him the party’s de facto candidate for the next election cycle.
How disappointed Christopher must’ve been to learn that Nick had chosen not to run and would’ve gotten out of the way all on his own without Christopher’s murderous crime spree.
“What are you thinking?” Freddie asked.
“How Christopher’s plot was all for naught. I wish I could’ve seen his face when Nick announced he wasn’t going to run for president in the next election.”
“Right?” Gonzo said. “Imagine going to all that trouble, getting caught and charged with felonies that’ll put you away for life, and it was all for nothing.”
“I hope he’s suffering the way he made Peter suffer,” Sam said.
Nelson had paid a man to torture her ex-husband, hoping to get information he could use against her and Nick.
Peter had been a vindictive, horrible, no-good excuse for a man, but for whatever reason, he’d protected her in the end, and for that, she’d always be grateful.
Thinking about him and how he’d plotted to keep her and Nick apart for six long years after they first met always turned her stomach.
“Anyway. Enough about all that. Have you heard anything about what time Mike’s arraignment will be?”
“I heard it’s at eleven thirty,” Gonzo said.
“Do you think I should be there?”
Gonzo rubbed the stubble on his jaw as he thought about that. “Your presence might make it seem more important than we’d like it to be.”
“True. I really hope Devon gets the charges dropped. This is the last thing they need on top of everything else.”
“Agreed. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks, Gonzo.”
Sam unlocked her office door, turned on the lights and was firing up her computer when Captain Jake Malone appeared in her doorway. At about six feet four inches, he filled the doorway. As usual, the gray-haired captain was in uniform that included the white shirt worn by lieutenants and above.
“Could I have a moment, Lieutenant?”
Sam waved him in. She always had time for her boss and mentor who’d also been one of her father’s closest friends. “How was your weekend?”
He closed the door and took a seat. “It was… Well…”
Her spine tingled with a sensation that had her sitting up straighter. “What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I found out Friday afternoon, which made the weekend stressful.”
Shocked and dismayed, Sam got up to go around the desk to sit in the chair next to his. “How bad is it?”
“They think they caught it early, and treatment should be effective.”
“Well, that’s good news.”
“I have to have a PET scan in the next couple of weeks to determine if it’s spread, but my doctor is optimistic that it’s still localized.”
Sam was stricken with fear at the thought of losing this man who’d been such a giant in her life. She rested a hand on his arm. “I, um, is there anything I can do for you or your family?”
“No, we’re good, but I wanted you to know why I might be in and out over the next couple of months. The other captains will cover for me as needed.”
She nodded as she struggled to process what he was saying. “Do you… Are you in any pain?”
“Nope, but I’m told the radiation therapy will wipe me out for a while. Not looking forward to that.”
“So no chemo?”
“Not unless something shows up on the PET scan.”
Her mouth had gone dry, and her hands were suddenly sweaty, so she withdrew her hand from his arm.
“Sam.”
Startled out of her spiraling thoughts, she glanced at him.
“It’s very treatable, and we caught it early. Try not to go to the worst-case scenario. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Yes.” She forced a cheerful tone for his sake. “That’s a good way to look at it.”
“On another note, I’ve been asked to inform you that Captain Ruiz has filed a formal complaint about your actions during the Mayfield case.”
Sam stared at him as his words landed.
“Before you react, hear me out. She isn’t gunning for you, but she wants the missteps addressed so they don’t happen again.
She’s made a case for a formal complaint, but Joe, Jeannie and I told her we wouldn’t support that.
We agree that if she wishes to discuss it further with you, she has our blessing, and she suggested we dock you some vacation days. ”
When Sam had caught her breath and was able to think again, she said, “Do you agree with her?”
“Yes and no. On the no side, I believe you did what any of us would’ve done if a family member was missing.
I can’t imagine what that was like for you, and I hope I never find out.
That said, you repeatedly ignored orders from superior officers, ran a shadow investigation and withheld relevant information from the rest of the team. ”
“What if I acknowledge I did all that and promise it won’t happen again? Would that be enough for her?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to discuss it with her.”
Sam winced. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, Sam, you have to.”
“You say she isn’t gunning for me, but it feels like she is.”
“She said she respects you and the role you play in the department, not to mention how you juggle all the rest.”
That was an interesting way to summarize her additional roles as a wife, mother and first lady. All the rest…
“But she added that after thinking it over, she couldn’t let it slide because it was so egregious.”
“I know. It was. I can’t deny that.” She glanced at him. “And I wouldn’t change a thing if I had it to do again, so it’s possible her disciplinary discussion might be lost on me. I don’t know how to be anyone other than who I am.”
“I might’ve made that point in our meeting this morning.”
“So there was a whole meeting about me?”
That could very well explain the spike in anxiety, although she’d known nothing about the meeting, so how could she have been anxious about it?
“A small meeting. Just the four of us.”
Joe Farnsworth was the chief of police and another of her father’s closest friends.
Jeannie McBride was the deputy chief, formerly one of her detectives and one of her good friends.
Sam had tangled with Ruiz, who ran the Emergency Response squad, in the past and again during the investigation into Ethan’s abduction.
“And you guys agreed with Ruiz?”
“You agree with her. You just said that.”
“Am I in trouble here?”
“No. We all recognize that these were special circumstances. There was also some agreement that it needed to be addressed in light of who you are within the department, so we’re not accused of playing favorites.”
“Then the goal is for everyone to know I stepped out of line. That way, they’ll know that if I get called out, they will, too?”
“Something like that.”
“I thought personnel matters were confidential.”
“They are. We want to be able to say we did address it if someone makes an issue of it in the future.”
“This feels kind of… shitty.”
“I know. And I hear you when you say you wouldn’t do it any differently if you had it to do over.”
“The whole time Ethan was missing, all I could think of was what we’d ever do without him. I would’ve broken the law, if that’s what it’d taken, to get him back safely.”
“I’d advise that you keep that part to yourself if or when you speak to Ruiz about this.”
Sam wouldn’t have expected to laugh right then. “I’ll try to contain myself. Am I looking at a rap here?”
“Nothing official. Due to the sensitive nature of the case, Joe, Jeannie and I are inclined to give you latitude and told Ruiz we supported her discussing it with you but wouldn’t support formal disciplinary action.”
“Thank goodness for small favors.”
“It’s actually a big favor because you were way out of line, as you said.”
“I know, and I do appreciate it, as well as the heads-up on incoming from Ruiz.”
When he stood to leave, she said, “Don’t forget to keep me in the loop on the other thing.”
“I won’t.”
“Cap.”
He turned back to her, brow raised.
“I know it doesn’t need to be said, but you… you mean a lot to me, to all of us.”
He smiled. “I promise to stick around to bother you for a good long time.”
“I intend to hold you to that promise.”
“Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Sam was still processing the things Malone had told her when Freddie gave a knock and ducked his head in. “Everything okay with Malone?”
She gave a quick nod, because no, everything wasn’t all right, but it wasn’t her news to share.
“There’s a young woman here asking to speak to you and only you. Wouldn’t say what it’s about. Seems extremely nervous. She’s carrying two bags, and I asked to see what was in them to make sure she’s not carrying. It was all clothes and stuffed animals.”
“Bring her in.”
Freddie returned a few minutes later with a tall woman with brown skin, long braids and troubled brown eyes. She had a backpack on her shoulder and held a second bag in one hand. “This is Lieutenant Holland.”
“Thank you for seeing me.”
“Of course. What’s your name?”
The woman put down both bags, removed her coat, sat in one of Sam’s visitor chairs and then glanced at Freddie, silently asking for privacy.
“I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
After the door clicked shut behind him, Sam got up and came around the desk to sit next to her. “You’re obviously upset.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ve been counting down to this day for years.”
Sam pulled a tissue from a box on her desk and handed it to her. “What’s special about today?”
“It’s my eighteenth birthday.”
“Oh wow. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“It’s Amara Robinson.”
“I’m happy to meet you, Amara.”
“It’s so cool to meet you. All my friends think you’re amazing.”
“That’s nice to hear. Thank you.” Sam understood that whatever Amara had come to say was deeply upsetting and possibly traumatizing for her and was prepared to give her all the time she needed.
When Amara looked down at her hands in her lap, Sam noticed they were trembling.
She reached over to cover Amara’s hands with her own and noted how cold they were. “I’m here for whatever you’ve come to talk about. Tell me how I can help you.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. “Do you remember six years ago when the body of a thirteen-year-old boy was found in The Yards, down by the waterfall?”
Sam searched her memory but couldn’t recall the case. “What was his name?”
“King Robinson. He was my brother.”
“I don’t remember the case off the top of my head. Can you tell me about it?”
“He… They found him frozen to death in the park, or so they thought. The autopsy showed he’d been strangled.”
“I’m so sorry. Was the killer caught?”
She shook her head and wiped away more tears.
“I’m very sorry that you never got justice for him.”
Amara turned toward Sam, her expression now fierce. “That’s why I’m here. To get justice for him.”
Sam was taken aback by Amara’s sudden vehemence. “Do you know something about what happened to King?”
For a long moment, Amara only stared right at Sam as if reliving her own private hell. And then she blinked and looked down. “I know exactly what happened to him. That’s what I’ve come to tell you.”