“I caught a couple of Reese’s interviews earlier,” Carlucci said.“The cable shows are eating him up.”
“Of course they are,” Cruz said.“Which is exactly what these people wanted—for Sam to be on defense, defending her job and reputation.”
O’Brien scrolled through his phone.“Lenore Worthington made a statement in support of Sam.‘I’ve known Officer Holland and later Lieutenant Holland for more than fifteen years, since my son, Calvin, was murdered, and while I can’t comment on the specifics of what Mr.Reese is claiming, anyone who says she’s racist doesn’t know her at all.It’s patently false and an egregious accusation toward someone who stridently seeks justice for all victims, regardless of race or any other factors.’”
“That’ll mean a lot to Sam,” Cruz said.
“Let’s figure this shit out before they make it impossible for her to ever come back,” Gonzo said.“Where are we with the warrant to dump Ramsey’s phone?”
“He’s fighting back,” Malone said.“There’s a hearing in the morning on it.”
“What possible grounds could he have to fight back when he’s facing numerous felony charges?”Cruz asked.
“That’ll be my question at the hearing,” Malone said.“I’m on that, and I’ll let you know as soon as I have more info.”
A knock on the door preceded Deputy Chief McBride coming in and looking upset.“I just heard from a reporter asking me whether Sam and her father covered up a murder and if I knew about it, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Come on,” Gonzo said.“What the fuck is that about?”
Jeannie’s expression was grim and maybe a bit guilty.“Remember when Skip was in the hospital with pneumonia?”
“What about it?”Malone asked.
“Because we thought he might die for a time there, Sam asked me and Tyrone to look into the one case from his career that remained open—the murder of Tyler Fitzgerald, the youngest son of Alice Fitzgerald.”She was the widow of Steven Coyne, Skip’s first partner, who was shot and killed on the job in a case that went unsolved until they closed Skip’s case and tied the two shootings to the same people.
“I remember when you guys looked into that case,” Malone said.“Nothing came of it, right?”
“It got messy.We found out Skip had sat on some crucial information that would’ve tied Tyler’s older brother, Cameron, to the murder.”
Malone’s face went slack with shock.“What?”
Jeannie swallowed hard.“We found numerous irregularities in the original investigation, but because Skip’s health was so precarious at that time, Tyrone and I told the lieutenant we hadn’t come up with any new leads.We were thinking of him, and our goal was to protect his sterling reputation, especially if he died.”
Jeannie crossed her arms over her pregnant belly and looked down at the floor.“We made the decision to keep this from her.We thought we were doing what was best for her and Skip under the circumstances.But then he recovered and later found out we’d reopened the case.He was furious and wanted all the info we’d uncovered.That’s when she found out we’d lied to her.She suspended us for a week.”
“And what did she do about the case?”Malone asked.
“Skip flipped out about it, and she did what he told her to, which was nothing.He protected Alice the way he had since Steven was murdered.”
Malone stared at her, incredulous.“You’re telling me that Skip Hollandknewwho killed that kid and buried it, and when Sam found out he’d done that, shekept it buried?”
Jeannie’s expression was pained when she nodded.
“Motherfucker,” Malone said.“Who else knows about this?”
“Only me and Tyrone, and he’d never breathe a word of it to anyone.”
“Well, clearly, someone else found out about it, and now a reporter has it.”Malone headed for the door.“This is just great.”He slammed the door behind him as he left.
“What is this?”Jeannie asked, seeming devastated by the turn of events.
“I don’t know,” Gonzo said, “but let’s get busy finding out before they ruin Sam and the rest of us, too.”
Jake Malone walkedtoward the chief’s office, avoiding several officers who wanted a word with him by raising his hand to say “not now” as he kept moving, fueled by outrage, disbelief and fear.
The fear had his full attention.Whoever was orchestrating this hit job against Sam could end up taking them all down in the process, which probably wouldn’t break their hearts.If it was Ramsey, for instance, he’d be thrilled to see them all mired in scandal for the crime of doing their jobs.
