Fatal Chaos

by Marie Force

  “Anything get worse overnight?”

  “Nope,” Nick said. “Lots of coverage about the shootings and the MPD’s advisory for people to stay inside until the shooter is caught. You guys will be under a lot of pressure to get that done, especially this time of year when everyone wants to be outside.”

  “I know. It sucks. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the lab will have something for us from the car today or that we’ll be able to get the gangbanger to talk. I hate feeling like we’re grasping at straws.”

  “I’m sure. Your new guy starts today, right?”

  “God, I almost forgot about that. In addition to working the case, I get to bring in the replacement for the officer who was murdered. This is shaping up to be a great day.”

  “It’s gonna be a great day for all of us,” Scotty muttered.

  Nick laughed and ruffled Scotty’s hair. “Your mom and I would love for the first day of eighth grade to be our biggest concern today.”

  “Stop making me feel petty for complaining about school.”

  Smiling, Sam bent to kiss his cheek. “I hope you have a fantastic first day of school and a great year. Make sure Dad takes pictures before you leave, and wear that navy blue polo we bought a couple of weeks ago. You look handsome in that.”

  “All right,” he said with a long-suffering sigh. He got up to put his bowl in the dishwasher and trudged out of the room.

  “The struggle is real,” Sam said to Nick, who rolled his eyes.

  “As is the drama.”

  “I feel his pain.” She bent to kiss her husband. “Thanks for a great night. It was just what I needed after a rough day.”

  “It was a terrible burden, but somehow I survived.” He patted her on the ass. “You’ll be careful out there, right?”

  “Always.” She kissed him again. “Call if you need me.”

  “Likewise. If you want me to come with you to see Forrester, I will.”

  “As much as I’d love to have you with me, if you’re there it becomes an even bigger deal than it already is.”

  “Understood, but call me the minute you know anything?”

  “You’ll be my first call, especially if I need you to bail me out.”

  “Not funny. Love you, babe.”

  “Love you too.” On her way out, she nodded to Melinda at the door and went down the ramp into the already-sweltering humidity that would make this an even more unpleasant day than it already promised to be. She drove to work thinking about the case, the arrival of Detective Cameron Green and the emotional impact on her squad as he replaced Detective Arnold.

  Sam placed a call to her sergeant, looking to feel him out on the arrival of his new partner.

  “Morning,” Gonzo said.

  “How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good after an unexpected full night of sleep.”

  “I know. Me too.”

  “You think it’s over?”

  “Hard to say. Only time will tell. Listen, I wanted to check in with you about Green starting today.” After a long silence, she said, “Gonzo?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. I knew this day was coming, and he seems like a good enough guy.”

  “Are you okay?”

  His gruff laughter masked a world of agony. “Yeah, I’m great.”

  “Gonzo…”

  “It’s okay, Sam. Life goes on whether we want it to or not, and it’s time to replace Arnold. We need the help, and you found someone worthy of our squad. It’s just going to take some time. That’s all I can say.”

  “No one will ever replace Arnold, for any of us. I hope you know that.”

  “I do, but thanks for saying so.”

  “I’ll be there shortly to handle the paperwork with Green.”

  “I came in early so I could do it. I’m your sergeant. That’s my job, not yours.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Will you promise me if you’re having any issues you’ll talk to me or Cruz or Trulo?” she asked, referring to the department’s staff psychiatrist.

  “Yeah, I will. Thanks for caring. Means a lot.”

  “We all care, Gonzo.”

  “I know. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  At HQ, Sam parked at the morgue entrance and stopped to talk to Lindsey, who looked far too chipper for first thing in the morning. “What’s got you all sparkly looking?”

  “A really great night with my guy.” Lindsey was engaged to Nick’s chief of staff, Terry O’Connor, brother of John and son of Graham. “He surprised me by making dinner last night and then we—”

  “Stop!” Sam covered her ears. “I don’t need to know what happened next. I can figure that out for myself.”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter, Lieutenant,” she said drolly. “I was going to say we binge-watched three episodes of The Crown, about Queen Elizabeth. It’s so amazing. Have you seen it?”

  “Can’t say that I have.”

  “You guys would love it. Even Terry really liked it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Did you see Caroline Brinkley’s parents yesterday?”

  “Yes,” Lindsey said with a sigh, some of her sparkle fading at the reminder of the dreadful case. “It was awful. Those poor people. They did everything right. Their daughter did everything right… I told them about finding the can of pepper spray rolled into her hand, and I could tell that little detail killed her dad. He always told her never to be without it. For all the good that did. Do we have any solid leads?”

  “I’m hoping the car yielded something useful, and we’ve got a gangbanger on ice who had issues with one of the vic’s sisters. I’m also planning to dig into our other victims today to see if anyone had a beef with them. Nothing solid yet, but we’re connecting the dots.”

  “I’ll let you get to it. Let me know if I can help at all.”

  “Will do.”

  Sam left the morgue and made her way to the pit, where the first thing she saw was Detective Cameron Green sitting in Arnold’s cubicle. The sight stopped her short, the same way a punch to the gut would have. She took a deep breath and fought through the emotional wallop of seeing someone new in Arnold’s spot. She cleared her throat and made her way over to welcome her new officer.

  “Good morning, Detective.”

  At the sound of her voice, he jumped up. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”

  Sam shook his outstretched hand, noting the starched light blue dress shirt and navy tie he’d worn for his first day. “Good to see you.”

  “Good to be here.” Tall, muscular and handsome, Green had blond hair and blue eyes, as well as a firm handshake. He’d impressed Sam with his attention to detail, which had led to the recovery of a missing college student, and his determination to get justice for a victim who’d tried to turn her life around. “I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”

  “Has Gonzo briefed you on the investigation into the drive-by shootings?”

  “I was just reading the reports.”

  “We’ll be meeting in the conference room in ten to review developments.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Sam started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face him since they had the pit to themselves for the moment. “This,” she said, gesturing to his cubicle, “is going to be a tough transition for the squad, and for Sergeant Gonzales, in particular. It’s nothing personal. I hope you know.”

  “I understand completely.”

  “If you have any issues or challenges, my door is always open. I want you to feel welcome and comfortable here, despite the circumstances.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Great. I’ll let you get back to reviewing the reports, then.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Pleased to note that her first impression
of him hadn’t changed in the months since they first met, Sam went into her office feeling encouraged about his arrival and his understanding of the emotional minefield he’d walked into.

  Sam booted up her computer, looking for a report from the lab on the car. Seeing nothing, she was about to place a call to check the status when Special Agent Avery Hill appeared in her doorway. She hated that, like always, she noticed how incredibly handsome Shelby’s fiancé was with his golden eyes, honey-colored hair and prominent cheekbones.

  Sam hadn’t seen him in weeks, since the culmination of the investigation that had led them to Christopher Nelson. “Agent Hill. This is a surprise.”

  “I wanted to check in to see if we can help with the shootings investigation, so I figured I’d bring the lab report over myself.”

  Sam reached out to receive the printed report. “You could’ve emailed it.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about something else if you have a minute.”

  “That’s about all I have.”

  He piqued her curiosity when he closed the door and took a seat. “I was wondering how you think Shelby has been the last few weeks.”

  “I haven’t seen much of her with being on vacation and her being on leave, but she seems thrilled with Noah and has bounced right back from having him.”

  Avery nodded. “She is indeed thrilled with the baby. I’ve never seen her so happy.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  The single word was packed with so many things, that curiosity had her wanting to dig in deeper even if she knew she ought to leave well enough alone. Avery’s ridiculous attraction to her had caused trouble for her and Nick, but nowhere near as much trouble as it had caused for him and Shelby. That trouble had led Shelby to quit her job for a time. “What’re you not saying?” Sam asked, telling herself she was being a friend to him and to Shelby by pursuing it further.

  He sighed deeply. “She and Noah are living with me, but things between us are different now.” He meant since he accidentally said Sam’s name at a critical moment with Shelby.

  “I thought you guys had gotten past that.”

  “I thought so too, but it’s…different. I just wondered if she’s that way with me or everyone, and I didn’t know who else to ask.”

  “As you and the rest of the world know, I’ve never had a baby, but I imagine if I did, he or she would take over my life to the exclusion of just about everything else.”

  “Including Nick?”

  Sam hesitated because she couldn’t picture any scenario that would result in her wanting to exclude Nick. “We’d both be preoccupied with the baby.” A shaft of pain lanced her heart. This topic struck way too close to home, especially after her recent pregnancy “scare.” Though she could hardly call it that when she wanted to be pregnant more than she wanted just about anything.

  “I’m sorry. It’s insensitive on so many levels for me to talk to you about this.”

  Sam’s fertility struggles were no longer a well-kept secret. She’d gotten a lot of attention for her address to an organization that supported fertility-challenged women like herself. “She’s a new mom at forty-three,” Sam said of Shelby. “She’s over the moon with the baby. Give it some time, Avery. Things will be back to normal in a few weeks when you settle into a new routine.”

  Nodding, he said, “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “When have you ever known me not to be?”

  His snort of laughter was more like the Avery she knew.

  “Why don’t you stick around and attend our morning meeting about the shooting? You can make the crime lab report.”

  “Sure, I can do that. And, ah, thanks. You know. For the advice.”

  “Anytime.” Sam wanted Shelby to be happy, and she wanted that for Avery too, even after all the trouble his crush had caused. She wanted that crush in the past where it belonged, and Avery’s concern about his relationship with Shelby was a good indication that he’d moved on. She could only hope so for everyone’s sake. “Give me the highlights of the report.”

  “We found prints belonging to the owner of the car, who’s in the system, as well as another set that we tied to his significant other, also in the system.”

  “A match made in crime.” Sam batted her eyelashes. “You gotta love a good romance.”

  “Indeed,” Avery said, grinning. “We found gunpowder residue on the passenger side and other hairs and fibers that’re being further analyzed. The conclusion was that this could be the car that was used in the shootings, but we can’t say that conclusively.”

  “Most people, even career criminals, don’t go around shooting at people from their car, so I think we can conclude there’s a pretty good chance this is our vehicle.”

  “I agree.”

  “So even though the car didn’t yield tangible leads, it told us one thing we didn’t already know—that we have perps smart enough to glove up so they won’t leave prints behind.”

  “What’re you thinking?”

  “Between that and a trigger man—or woman—who is good enough to shoot to kill at high speed, we’re looking for a professional marksman here, which probably rules out Simmons.”

  “What’s their endgame?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Domestic terrorism? Has there been any chatter about terrorizing the District in recent weeks?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary, but I’ll have my team dig a little deeper on that.”

  “That would help.” Sam gathered up the reports and her notebook. “Let’s move to the conference room to get everyone on the same page.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  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 witn
esses 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.”