SAM FOLLOWED AVERY out of the office and noted the pit had filled up while she’d been in the office. She saw Cruz talking to Green, and once again thanked the god of partners for giving her such a great one. He knew today would be tough for Green and the squad and had made the overture. “Let’s move to the conference room to make a plan for the day, people.”
The others followed her into the room where the murder board had been updated—and the one for Peter thankfully dismantled. Captain Malone came in, tall coffee in hand, and nodded to Sam and Hill.
With everyone settled around the table, Sam said, “I want to start by welcoming Detective Green to the squad. We’re looking forward to working with you.”
Green smiled. “Likewise. Thanks, Lieutenant.”
“Look, I’m not going to mince words,” Sam said.
“Why start now?” Freddie said under his breath, setting off a wave of nervous laughter that had Sam smiling right along with her colleagues. A little comic relief was just what they needed.
“As I was saying,” Sam said with a glare for Freddie, “I’m not going to mince words about Detective Green joining our team and the very big shoes he’s filling.” Sam noticed Jeannie dabbing at the corner of her eye at Sam’s mention of Arnold’s big feet. “If anyone feels the need to reach out for assistance at any time, my door is always open, as is Dr. Trulo’s. If you need help, ask for it.” She took a breath to change course. “Agent Hill will update us on what the lab found in the car.”
Avery went over the lab’s findings and the deductions he and Sam had come to earlier. “My team will take a closer look at the possibility of domestic terrorism as a motive, although the drive-by shooting hasn’t been the MO of any known group. Not yet anyway.”
“Are we thinking the shootings are over or on pause?” Gonzo asked.
“Hard telling,” Malone said. “Last night was quiet, but who knows if tonight will be? We’ve had a few things come in to the tip line that’re worth follow-up.” He passed several sheets of paper to Gonzo, who handed them to Sam. After a quick perusal, she determined that none of them took priority over her original plan for the day.
“I want to spend today digging into our vics and witnesses as well as working the sharpshooter angle. Jeannie, will you take the couple who witnessed the shooting of Melody Kramer as well as the sisters of Jamal Jackson? Gonzo, you and Green can take the Kapoors. Freddie and I will dig into Melody Kramer and Caroline Brinkley. Everyone take one of these tips too.” She put the papers from Malone on the table.
“I’ll keep digging on the sharpshooter possibility,” Malone said.
“Great, thanks. Let’s meet back here at sixteen hundred to see where we are.” Hopefully, her meeting with Forrester wouldn’t take more than thirty minutes. The information Nick had given her had gone a long way toward allaying her worries, making it possible to get something done today.
The others filed out with their assignments.
“I’ll be back in touch if I have anything for you,” Avery said on his way out.
“Thanks.”
“Where to first?” Freddie asked.
“I want to talk to Joe Kramer.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“Lieutenant,” Malone called as Sam was ready to make her escape toward the morgue. “A minute of your time before you leave, please.”
“I’ll catch up to you,” she said to Freddie.
“I’ll meet you outside.”
Sam ducked into the office.
Malone followed her and closed the door. “About Stahl and the Alford plea...”
“No deal.” Sam met her captain’s cool gray eyes across the desk. “I spoke to my dad and Nick about it, and they agree. We want to hear him say he did it or watch him be convicted without giving him any kind of leeway.”
“I’ll pass that along.”
“I hope you understand, Captain. It might be easier for the department and everyone involved to take the Alford, but we’re not looking for an easy way out for us or especially for him.”
“I totally understand, and this isn’t about what’s best for the department. It’s about what was done to you and getting justice for you.”
“Letting him off the hook in any way wouldn’t be justice.”
“Understood. I’ll let you get to work. You’ll let us know what happens with Forrester?”
Sam glanced at the door and saw that everyone else was occupied. “Nick told me last night that he requested a courtesy heads-up from the AG if an indictment was imminent. There’s been no heads-up.”
Malone’s smug smile relieved some of the tension in his face. “Is that right? Well, that’s good to know.”
“I thought so too.”
“Bet you did. At any rate, let us know when he makes it official.”
“We need to prepare for Ramsey being less than pleased with the decision.”
“‘Less than pleased,’” Malone said with a laugh. “That’s a good way to put it. We’ll take care of him. Don’t worry about it, and for the love of God, stay the hell away from him.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I want nothing to do with him. I still have no idea what I ever did to deserve the shit he’s thrown my way.”
“You exist. That’s enough for him.”
“He’s a member of the good old boy network around here, and they hate to see a woman get ahead on the job.”
“I’ll never acknowledge the existence of this network you speak of, but your assessment is fairly spot-on.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Listen, Sam, not all of us old boys are members of that club. You’re one of the most effective members of this department, and everyone knows it. If people have a beef with your success, that’s on them, not you.”
“So you’re saying it’s more than just Ramsey?”
“I’m saying that success breeds contempt. Keep your friends close and ignore your enemies.”
“Thank you, Captain, for your unwavering support of me and my squad. It means the world.”
Flustered by the unexpected compliment, he said, “Sure, no problem. I’ll, ah, let you get to it.”
What was it with men who couldn’t take a compliment, Sam wondered, as she gathered her keys, phone and notebook and locked up the office to hit the streets. Nick was the same way. Every time she made a comment about his extreme hotness, he turned bright red and got all flustered. She loved making that happen and smiled just thinking about it.
“You won’t have much to smile about later,” said a snide voice that she quickly identified as Ramsey’s. “Forrester’s going to throw the book at you, you cocky bitch.”
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” she said without stopping or looking back.
“You’re going down, and there’re a lot of people here who’ll be celebrating.”
Sam didn’t justify that with a response. He couldn’t get to her if she didn’t let him, and she had no plans to let him. She began to actively look forward to the meeting with Forrester, if for no other reason than to see or hear about Ramsey’s reaction when he found out there wouldn’t be an indictment.
Sam giggled at the thought of his rage and pushed open the door to the swampy summer heat that was always such a relief after being inside the frigid building. The relief was short-lived, however. Within seconds, she began to perspire and walked faster to get to the cool comfort of her car.
Freddie leaned against the car, checking his phone while he waited for her to unlock the door. “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“What’d Malone want?” he asked when they were on their way.
“A decision about Stahl and the Alford plea.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“No deal. I’d rather go through a trial than let him off easy.”
“Good.”
“Is it wrong that I sort of relish the idea of his face turning purple when he hears that I refused the plea deal?”
“It’s not wrong at all. He deserves every bit of hell that’s coming his way for what he did to you.”
“On that we agree.”
“Speaking of hell, what’s the plan for Joe Kramer?”
“We’re ruling out anyone who might’ve had a beef with either of them. Working the case, checking the boxes. I don’t expect there to be anything, but you never know, so we check the boxes.”
“Got it.”
“Why don’t you take the lead with him?”
He all but spun in his seat, mouth agape, eyes bugged. “Seriously? Now you want me to take the lead?”
Sam tried to hide her amusement. “You’re at your best in situations that require a softer touch. You got this.”
“And you love to torture me.”
“That is simply not true. I’m training you. Big difference.”
“Whatever.”
“You used to be such a nice, respectful boy,” she said with a cluck of disapproval. “I can’t understand what happened.”
“You happened.”
Sam snorted with laughter. He was always so fun to mess with. “Let’s talk about your approach with Joe. Where will you start?”
“With our condolences and concern for him and his family.”
“Good. Then what?”
They went through it step-by-step until Freddie felt confident about what he needed to do.
“You got this.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so, and I’m always right. You know this.”
He muttered something under his breath.
“Let’s talk about your bachelor party. Do you want it to be a surprise or not?”
“No surprises.”
His emphatic response made her laugh. Poor, sweet Freddie had no idea how many surprises she’d dreamed up for his big night. Whether or not she’d act on any of them remained to be seen.
“It’s not funny. I swear to God, if you make me regret asking you to be my best-man woman—”
“Freddie... Of course I’m going to make you regret it. Was there ever any doubt?”
His tortured groan sparked another round of laughter for her. “I knew I should’ve asked Gonzo.”
“Um, I hate to tell you that he’s been my most willing coconspirator.”
“I have the worst friends ever.”
Sam couldn’t stop laughing. It was mean to torture him, but at least he was no longer obsessing about having to question Joe Kramer.
They arrived at Joe’s Eckington townhouse a few minutes later. The three-story dwelling had a brick front, black shutters, ironwork around the windows and black window boxes full of flowers. While they waited for someone to answer the door, Freddie said, “You’ll step in if I forget something, right?”
“Nope. You won’t need to me to step in. You’ve got this.”
The inside door opened, and Sam could immediately see the toll the last few days had taken on the handsome young man. They showed their badges out of habit, and he opened the storm door.
Sam nudged Freddie.
“We’re sorry to disturb you, Mr. Kramer, but we wondered if we could have a few minutes of your time.”
“Have you found the people who killed my wife?”
“Not yet, but we’re working on it. Do you have a minute to talk?”
His shrug conveyed a world of helplessness. “I have nothing but time.” He stepped aside to admit them. “My work told me to take a few weeks off, but that gives me too much time to think. I should just go back.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m the director of marketing at a creative firm in Alexandria.”
“And what did your wife do?”
Joe led them to a living room where they took seats next to each other on a sofa while he sat in an easy chair. “She worked in the financial management office at Interior.”
Freddie hesitated but only for a second. “I hope you know that we have to ask certain questions so we can fully investigate what happened. We mean no disrespect.”
“I understand.”
“Did either of you have problems with anyone in your lives? Family members, coworkers, neighbors? Anyone who might want to cause you harm?”
Joe shook his head. “I can’t think of anything, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of who could’ve done this to her. I just keep coming back to the same conclusion that it had to be random. Everyone loved Mel. She was a doll.” His voice caught and his eyes filled. “I’m still getting used to speaking of her in the past tense. How can she be past tense when she was just here two days ago?”
“I can’t imagine how hard this has to be for you and your family.”
He ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly until it stood on end. “It’s a fucking nightmare.”
“I also have to ask if either of you was having any sort of financial problems.”
“We had the usual challenges everyone has. We chose to live in the city for a few years before we have kids, and it’s not cheap to buy here so we decided to rent until we’re ready to buy. We also ran up some debt with fertility treatments. When we found out Mel was pregnant, we started talking about looking for a place in the suburbs. She wanted a yard for the baby.”
It was, Sam thought, so unbearably sad to sit with this man days after his life had been destroyed in a matter of seconds, most likely in a random act of violence that would never make sense.
“No gambling or risky investments or anything that might grab the attention of someone who wanted to hurt you?” Freddie asked.
Sighing, Joe shook his head. “Nothing like that.”
Freddie glanced at Sam, who nodded in approval.
“We won’t take any more of your time.” Freddie handed his card to Joe. “If you think of anything else that might be relevant, please call me.”
Joe took the card. “I will.”
“We’ll see ourselves out.”
“Is it possible you’ll never catch them?”
Sam turned back. “That’s always possible, but I promise you we’re doing everything we can. The FBI is assisting in the investigation, and every member of the MPD is looking for these people.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
“The minute we know anything,” Sam added, “we’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you.”
As they emerged into the swampy heat, Freddie released a deep breath.
“You did good. I knew you would.”
“It’s so hard to have to grill someone who just lost the most important person in his life.”
“It is, but you get why it has to be done, right?”
“Yeah, I get it. What’s next?”
“Now we check the boxes on some of the stuff that’s been called into the tip line.”
They spent the next few hours crisscrossing the city, talking to people, doing interviews, gathering information, none of which was of much use to them, but like the conversations with the victims’ families, it had to be done. At quarter to two, Sam asked Freddie to drop her at the federal building on Fourth Street Northwest for her meeting with U.S. Attorney Tom Forrester.
“You want me to wait for you?”
“Nah, I’ll walk back to HQ.”
“You don’t walk, especially not in this heat. Call me, and I’ll come get you.”
“Yes, Mom.” Sam got out and shut the door before he had time to form a retort. The intense heat smacked her in the face and had her dashing up the stairs to get inside. Never let them see you sweat.