Fatal Deception (34 page)

“What do you want?”

“Let’s start over, shall we? I’m Lieutenant Holland. This is my partner Detective Cruz. We’re investigating the murder of Victoria Kavanaugh and the kidnapping of her daughter Maeve.” Sam watched him closely for reactions to the Kavanaugh names, but his expression remained stubbornly nasty.

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“That’s what we’d like to know. Your name came up in our investigation.”

That got a reaction as his nastiness turned to outrage. “Who gave you my name?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me!”

“Why?”

As his lips curled into a snarl, Sam could see why young Sam had been so reluctant to tell them about Jerry.

“Because I’d like to have a conversation with the bigmouth.”

“How we found you is irrelevant,” Sam said. “We’d like to know where you were on Sunday.”

“Why?”

“Um, because.”

“I don’t have to tell you that.”

“Yes, you do, or I’ll have no choice but to arrest you.”

“On what charge?”

“Withholding information material to a murder investigation.”

“I don’t know nothing about no murder!”

“You got a record, Jerry?” With all the Jerry Smiths in the world, running him through the system before they came would’ve taken time Sam didn’t have.

At that, some of his bluster fizzled. “Yeah, so what?”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Assault, larceny, theft.”

“Lovely. Is your mother proud?”

That earned her another ferocious scowl. “Is there a point to this conversation?”

“Yeah, I want to know where you were on Sunday.”

“I was here all day. Watched the ball game, had a pizza, took it easy.”

“So while the rest of the campaign was swinging through the South, you stayed in town?”

“They didn’t need me. They had local drivers lined up at each stop.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Sometimes I go, sometimes I don’t. Depends.”

“On?”

“What else is going on. I go where I’m needed.”

“Did you see anyone on Sunday? Talk to anyone?”

“I keep to myself when I’m not working, especially when it’s hot as hell.”

“Go anywhere?”

“Couple of errands. Dry cleaner, grocery store, that kind of thing.”

“Did you make it over to Capitol Hill by any chance?”

“Not that I recall.”

“Let me ask you about the Patterson family.”

He was immediately on guard. “What about them?”

“You’re in tight with them?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“All of them? Christian, Colton, Arnie?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How tight is tight?”

“What’re you implying?”

“I’m asking how tight you are with them. On a scale of casual acquaintance to there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them, where do you fall?”

“They’re family to me. Have been since I was a kid.”

“In other words, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them?”

He shrugged as if that ought to be obvious.

“Would you kill for them?”

His eyes narrowed, and he looked like he wanted to kill her for asking that. “I want a lawyer.”

Sometimes they made it so damned easy. While the request for a lawyer could often be a pain in Sam’s ass, other times it was exactly what she needed. “Cruz, place Mr. Smith under arrest.”

“What for?” Smith yelled. “I didn’t do nothing!”

“Since we can’t question you any further without your attorney present, we’re required to transport you to HQ where your attorney will be called. Once he or she is present, we can resume our conversation. Cruz?”

“Mr. Smith, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

As Freddie recited the Miranda warning, Jerry fumed. The look he gave her should’ve made her wilt, but Sam wasn’t known for being the wilting type. She turned off the TV and followed them from the room, closing the door behind them. As they escorted Jerry to the elevator, Sam hung back and placed a call to Captain Malone.

“I haven’t heard from the judge yet,” he said when he answered.

“I need another one.”

“What now?”

She recited the name of the hotel, the address and the room number. “We have reason to suspect that the occupant of the room is the one who killed Victoria Kavanaugh.”

“Tell me what you’ve got.”

Despite her inclination to keep a tight lid on what they’d uncovered, Sam outlined what they’d learned about the Patterson campaign and Jerry’s role as their henchman. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who does laundry on a regular basis, so we may get lucky with some bloody clothes or DNA that would tie him to Victoria. I also need a warrant for his DNA. If it matches what we found under her nails, which I think it will, we’ve got a slam dunk on the murder.”

“Wow, good going, Holland. You never cease to amaze me.”

“Smith is the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry before this one is wrapped up.”

“Explain.”

“One or all of the Patterson gave the order to have Victoria eliminated.”

Malone released a low whistle. “You’ll take down the entire campaign with the accusation alone.”

“That’s why I’m going to be damned sure before a word of this hits the press.”

“Holy shit. You weren’t kidding when you said this was big.”

“You gotta help me keep a tight lid on this until we we’ve got it all sewed up.”

“Absolutely. What’s your plan?”

She lowered her voice and dropped back as Cruz marched Jerry to the elevator. “I’m going to let Jerry cool his heels at HQ in the hope that some time in custody might make him more forthcoming. He’s got a record, so he knows what he’s in for if he gets sent back to prison.”

“The Patterson organization will either swoop down en masse or abandon him completely.”

“I’m banking on option B. I think the second we arrested Jerry Smith, he became persona non grata to the Patterson family. They’re going to act like they’ve never met the guy, that anything he’s done was all his idea of loyalty. They had nothing to do with it. Yada, yada.”

“You’re probably right about that.”

“He’s about to get a hard lesson on who his so-called family will protect when the shit hits the fan. We’ll be right in.”

“I’ll request the warrants.”

“We need that DNA report on Victoria too.”

“I’m on it.”

“Tight lid, Captain.”

“You got it, Lieutenant.”

* * *

In deference to the media camped out front and because she wasn’t quite ready to tip her hand to the Patterson family, Sam and Freddie escorted Jerry Smith into HQ through the morgue entrance. “Take him up to processing,” Sam said to Freddie. Smith would be strip-searched, fingerprinted and photographed, which ought to enhance his good mood. She lowered her voice so only Freddie could hear her. “I want to know if there are any scratches on him.”

Freddie nodded in understanding.

“And then put him in interrogation.”

“Got it.”

Sam headed into the morgue to find Lindsey. “Hey, Doc?”

“In here,” Lindsey called from her office.

“I need you.”

“What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”

“I need you to take a DNA swab and rush through the results.”

“Do you realize that every request we receive has the word ‘rush’ attached to it?”

Sam smiled at the saucy reply from her friend. “You’re not going to get a rise out of me. I’m having a fantastic day. The best day I’ve had in longer than I can remember.”

“Are you about to break into song?”

“I very well could before this day is over.”

“I take it you’ve had a break in the Kavanaugh case.”

“Oh yeah, and wait ’til you get a load of this one. That’s all I can say.”

“Bigger than the DNC chairman, the speaker of the House and a senior senator?”

“Maybe not quite that big, but it’s big. We’re waiting on the warrant for the DNA. I’ll give you a call when it comes through.”

“I’ll be here. How’s the face?”

“Still hurts like a mo-fo, but nothing’s getting me down today, my friend.” Sam turned to leave but stopped herself. She’d been trying to make an effort to be a better friend to the people who mattered to her, and Lindsey mattered. “How are things with Terry? You haven’t said much lately.”

Lindsey smiled, and a soft glow lit her green eyes. “Things are great. I’m so glad I took a chance on him. It was so totally worth it. He was worth it.”

“I’m glad you’re happy. You guys look great together.”

“Thanks, and thank you for getting married and giving me the chance to meet him.”

“Happy to oblige, even if the cross-pollination of my world and Nick’s world continues to give me hives.” Sam added a shudder for dramatic effect.

“They have medication for that,” Lindsey said drolly.

“Ha-ha.”

“I hear you’ll be taking a trip to Charlotte later in the month.”

For a brief second, Sam didn’t know what she was talking about, and then she remembered. “Oh, right. The convention.” It hadn’t occurred to her until that very moment that she’d have to be there with Nick.
God, I really am a jerk
, she thought.

Lindsey raised a brow. “It’s a pretty big deal, Sam.”

“So I’m told.”

“Are you freaking out?”

“Me? Freak out? Of course not.”

“Whatever you say,” Lindsey said with a snort of laughter. “I’m freaking out, and it’s not my husband who’s doing the keynote at the Democratic National Convention.”

“Why are you freaking out?”

“Because my boyfriend is writing the speech, and he’s freaking out. He said it has to be perfect. No pressure or anything.”

Sam was almost ashamed to admit that she’d not given a thought to what would go into preparing Nick for his big moment. “I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”

“Yeah,” Lindsey said, her smile fading.

“What?”

“I worry, you know? His recovery is still so new, and stress can be a trigger.”

“He’s doing great, and he seems to be loving his new life. Why would he risk all that?”

“I know you’re right, but I still worry.”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out. He’s the perfect person to write the speech. Nick is lucky to have him on his team, and he knows it.”

Lindsey nodded in agreement.

“Stay close to the phone.”

“You got it.”

As Sam traversed the winding corridors from the morgue to the pit, she thought about the conversation with Lindsey, which had served as somewhat of a wake-up call that she needed to be more tuned into what was going on with her husband in the next few weeks. Her work almost always took center stage in their relationship, but his was equally important—never more so than now with the convention and election looming.

She was anxious all of a sudden to see him.

Freddie met her in the pit. “He’s in interrogation one. Officer DuPont is with him.”

“Phone call?”

Freddie nodded. “He called Christian Patterson, told him he’d been arrested and he needed a lawyer. Patterson said they’d send someone right over.”

“Excellent.”

“What do we do now?”

“We wait. If I’ve called this one right, Patterson won’t be sending anyone, and Smith has had his last contact with the Patterson family.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“When does that ever happen?”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“I have been told that a time or two.” Sam checked her watch. Four twenty-five. “Perfect timing. Everyone will be here for the four-thirty meeting in five minutes. Call the U.S. Attorney’s office and get one of the AUSAs down here. I want them in on this going forward.”

“Are you going to tell them what we’ve got?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“You’d better make up your mind. There’s Hill now.”

Chapter Twenty

Ignoring the inquisitive look Hill sent her way as he stepped into the pit, Sam went into her office to give her e-mail a quick scan before the meeting. She also sent a text to Tracy to ask how Angela was doing.

“She’s in transition,” Tracy replied a minute later. “Lots of pain, but hanging in there. You should have a new niece in the next couple of hours.”

“Tell her I love her,” Sam replied. “And I’ll be there soon.”

“Will do.”

Sam took a deep breath as a swell of emotions overtook her. She was excited to welcome a new niece and so happy for Angela and her husband, Spencer, who’d tried for four long years to have a second child after Jack was born and had nearly given up when Angela got pregnant. Still, Sam couldn’t escape the fact that she was also jealous that her sisters were able to have children when she’d been so cursed with fertility issues.

“Maybe this time,” she whispered.

“Everything okay, Lieutenant?” Hill asked from the doorway to her office.

Startled to see him, Sam said, “Sure. Yeah. What’s up? Did you meet with the doctor who implanted the GPS device?”

“Yep. He was on safari with the family when it happened, which is why we didn’t hear from him about the device.”

“I’d wondered about that.”

Checking his notes, Hill said, “According to the doctor, the GPS device is becoming more common. He said some parents are more paranoid than others. Victoria fell squarely into the paranoid department. When I asked him if she seemed to think she had good reason to be concerned, he said she was very thorough in vetting the safety and security measures at the hospital.”

“So she was worried from the beginning about someone taking her kid.”

“Seems that way.”

“I want to ask Derek about that before the meeting. I’ll be right in.”

Hill started to turn away but stopped himself. “I saw your new assistant at the hospital.”

“Shelby?”

“Yeah.”

“What was she doing there?”

“Seeing Saltzman and crying—a lot. She told me she’s trying to have a baby.”

Sam nodded. “She’s jazzed on hormones. They’re making her crazy.”

“Apparently. I’ll let you make the call.”

After he walked away, Sam picked up the phone and dialed the number for Derek’s cell phone. He answered on the third ring.

“Hey, it’s Sam.”

“Oh, hi. How’s it going? Do you know anything yet?”