apartment from the time they got home from the grocery store yesterday afternoon.”
“Good,” Freddie said with an audible sigh of relief. “That’s really good.”
“Except we can’t prove it.” She told him about the disabled camera in the building’s vestibule.
“Oh, crap. So what now?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m waiting to hear if the super is going to be able to get me the video they do have. If we can get an image of someone disabling the camera, that would at least give us something to go on. Malone is getting a warrant, but I’ve asked the super to cooperate. He’s calling the building owner.”
“Sam...”
“I know. Believe me. I know.”
“What can I do?”
“Rip her life apart. Find me someone else who had motive, and do it as fast as you can. I want the whole squad on this one. Call everyone in, tell them the order is from me.”
“Okay.” His relief at having something to do was conveyed with the single word. Gonzo was one of his closest friends, as well as his colleague, and he’d want to do anything he could to help him.
“Work fast. This investigation will probably be taken out of our hands the minute the brass finds out who our vic is.”
“Got it. I’m all over it.”
“Keep me posted. I have a meeting with the chief at noon, and then I’ll find you.”
“Assume it’s okay to share what we know so far with the rest of the squad?”
“Yes.” Sam agreed reluctantly. The more people who knew, the more likely they were to have a leak, not that any of her people would breathe a word without her approval. Still, if she had her way, no one would know who their vic was until they’d found someone else who’d wanted her dead.
Tony emerged from his apartment.
“I’ve got to go. Talk to you shortly.” She closed the phone and returned it to her pocket. “What’s the verdict?”
“He said to give you the video now, but he wants a copy of the warrant on file. Just in case.”
Under normal circumstances, Sam would ask just in case of what. But these were not normal circumstances, and she’d take the cooperation where she could get it. “I’ll get it to you as soon as I have it.”
“Come into the office.” He led her to the back of the building where a hole-in-the-wall served as the “office.” From a machine located in the back corner, he removed a CD that he placed into a case and handed over to her. “The last twenty-four hours,” he said, as he placed a new recordable CD into the machine.
“Would you mind signing something to indicate that you turned it over to me?”
“Um, sure, I guess.”
“I’m not going to haul your ass into court or anything.”
“So you say now.”
Sam shrugged to concede the point. For all she knew, her entire case could hinge on him, and she had no right making promises she might not be able to keep. From her back pocket she pulled out the notebook she carried with her at all times and scratched out a handwritten chain-of-custody note that she asked him to sign. “Print your name and phone number under your signature and date it for me if you would.”
He did as she asked and handed the notebook back to her. “Is your guy upstairs in trouble?”
“I don’t think so.” She stashed the notebook back in her pocket. “Thanks for your help.”
Tony handed her his business card. “Send me that warrant when you have it. Email is on the card.”
“I will. Thanks again.”
“I like him,” Tony said. “He’s a good guy and a great father to that little boy.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Sam left the office and went back upstairs to speak to Gonzo.
He must’ve heard her coming, because the door flew open. “What the hell took so long?”
“Good news, bad news. Which do you want first?”
His jaw clenched. “Bad.”
Sam would’ve made the same choice in his situation. “Someone disabled the security camera yesterday.”
“Fuck,” he said in a low growl. “So what’s the good news?”
“The
“Good,” Freddie said with an audible sigh of relief. “That’s really good.”
“Except we can’t prove it.” She told him about the disabled camera in the building’s vestibule.
“Oh, crap. So what now?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m waiting to hear if the super is going to be able to get me the video they do have. If we can get an image of someone disabling the camera, that would at least give us something to go on. Malone is getting a warrant, but I’ve asked the super to cooperate. He’s calling the building owner.”
“Sam...”
“I know. Believe me. I know.”
“What can I do?”
“Rip her life apart. Find me someone else who had motive, and do it as fast as you can. I want the whole squad on this one. Call everyone in, tell them the order is from me.”
“Okay.” His relief at having something to do was conveyed with the single word. Gonzo was one of his closest friends, as well as his colleague, and he’d want to do anything he could to help him.
“Work fast. This investigation will probably be taken out of our hands the minute the brass finds out who our vic is.”
“Got it. I’m all over it.”
“Keep me posted. I have a meeting with the chief at noon, and then I’ll find you.”
“Assume it’s okay to share what we know so far with the rest of the squad?”
“Yes.” Sam agreed reluctantly. The more people who knew, the more likely they were to have a leak, not that any of her people would breathe a word without her approval. Still, if she had her way, no one would know who their vic was until they’d found someone else who’d wanted her dead.
Tony emerged from his apartment.
“I’ve got to go. Talk to you shortly.” She closed the phone and returned it to her pocket. “What’s the verdict?”
“He said to give you the video now, but he wants a copy of the warrant on file. Just in case.”
Under normal circumstances, Sam would ask just in case of what. But these were not normal circumstances, and she’d take the cooperation where she could get it. “I’ll get it to you as soon as I have it.”
“Come into the office.” He led her to the back of the building where a hole-in-the-wall served as the “office.” From a machine located in the back corner, he removed a CD that he placed into a case and handed over to her. “The last twenty-four hours,” he said, as he placed a new recordable CD into the machine.
“Would you mind signing something to indicate that you turned it over to me?”
“Um, sure, I guess.”
“I’m not going to haul your ass into court or anything.”
“So you say now.”
Sam shrugged to concede the point. For all she knew, her entire case could hinge on him, and she had no right making promises she might not be able to keep. From her back pocket she pulled out the notebook she carried with her at all times and scratched out a handwritten chain-of-custody note that she asked him to sign. “Print your name and phone number under your signature and date it for me if you would.”
He did as she asked and handed the notebook back to her. “Is your guy upstairs in trouble?”
“I don’t think so.” She stashed the notebook back in her pocket. “Thanks for your help.”
Tony handed her his business card. “Send me that warrant when you have it. Email is on the card.”
“I will. Thanks again.”
“I like him,” Tony said. “He’s a good guy and a great father to that little boy.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Sam left the office and went back upstairs to speak to Gonzo.
He must’ve heard her coming, because the door flew open. “What the hell took so long?”
“Good news, bad news. Which do you want first?”
His jaw clenched. “Bad.”
Sam would’ve made the same choice in his situation. “Someone disabled the security camera yesterday.”
“Fuck,” he said in a low growl. “So what’s the good news?”
“The
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