“Don’t worry, Q,” Sam said.“The gloves are off in the SUV.”
“I guess so,” Q said.“I had no idea y’all were having so much fun on this detail.”
“I’m a good time had by all,” Sam said.
The two men cracked up.
Her work there was finished.
Sam took a call from Detective Carlucci.“Hey, what’s up?”
“I was thinking about something.Not sure if it’s relevant or not, but when I was in the academy with Dylan Offenbach, he organized a weekend party once at a camp his family owns in the Shenandoahs.I can’t remember exactly where it is, but there were cabins, a lake, hiking trails and shooting ranges.He told us he’d first learned to shoot there when he was seven or eight, and it’s where he’d honed his craft.”
Sam’s backbone tingled with sensation.“This is excellent info, Dani.I’ll pass it on to Avery.”
“I can’t believe Dylan is involved in something like this.He was so by-the-book back then.”
“At some point, he lost his way and made a series of bad decisions that led us to where we are today.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.I would’ve bet he was one of the good guys.”
“It’s always disappointing when people we came up with prove themselves unworthy of the badge and all it represents.”
“For sure.”
“Thanks for the call and for passing along the info.I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Sam closed her phone to end that call and reopened it to call Avery.“Hey, so I just talked to Detective Carlucci on my team.She went through the academy with Offenbach.”Sam told him about the camp in the Shenandoahs that Dani had recalled visiting with him at that time.“She said his family owned it.Not sure if it was the father’s family or the mother’s.”
“This is great info, as we’re currently no closer to finding him than we were earlier.I can figure out the mother’s family name.If they still own the place, we’ll find it.”
“Keep me posted?”
“As much as I can.Pass along my thanks to Carlucci.This could be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
“Will do.”
Sam ended the call and then texted Carlucci to pass along Avery’s thanks.
I sure hope it helps.
Me, too.
“Is there a lead?”Vernon asked.
Sam filled him and Q in on what Carlucci had told her and how she’d passed it on to Hill.
“I’m picturing this guy, Offenbach, pumped up to take his new cop friends to his family’s place in the mountains to show off his mad shooting skills,” Vernon said.
“Yes, and wouldn’t it be something if that very same outing led to his downfall?”
“Indeed it would.”
The SUV was makingthe turn into the White House gates when the BlackBerry buzzed with a text from Andy to her, Nick and Elijah.
Two bits of great news to share.First, the judge has set a date of April 20 for the adoption proceeding, and second, we’ve succeeded in getting Elijah’s juvenile record in California expunged.
