Page 21 of Breaking Rules

“We did recover a large sum,” Sam said carefully. “But we’re still piecing together the details.”

“Mind if I ask where the money turned up?” Hartman’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sorry, I can’t say. It’s tied to an ongoing investigation.” Sam’s tone remained even, unyielding.

Hartman nodded slowly, lips pressed into a thin line. “Fair enough.” His gruff voice carried a hint of respect for police protocol.

An uncomfortable silence lingered for a beat before Sam spoke again. “Since you were the lead on the original investigation, is there anything that might help us now? Any loose ends or suspicions you had back then?”

Hartman stroked his jaw, brow furrowed in thought. The team watched him intently, the only sound the ticking of the wall clock.

Finally, Hartman grunted. “There was this guy, Eric Feldman. Worked at the bank.”

Jo perked up at the name. “What about him?”

“We looked into him hard but could never get enough to charge him.” Hartman shook his head slowly. “Just had a feeling about that one, you know?”

Sam nodded, knowing that detective’s gut instinct well. “What made you suspicious of him?”

“Little things, really.” Hartman’s gaze grew distant, drifting back decades. “He acted nervous whenever we brought up the case. Kept changing his story about where he was that day.”

Kevin made a note, pen scratching against paper. “Anything else?”

Hartman snorted humorlessly. “We put a tap on his line for a while, but he must’ve figured it out. Never said anything incriminating on the phone after that.”

The room hung on Hartman’s words, everyone picturing the investigation unfolding in their minds.

“So you had him pegged as being involved?” Sam pressed.

Hartman’s jaw tightened, a muscle twitching. “Like I said, we could never prove anything concrete.”

Reese frowned. “What happened to this Feldman guy?”

A grim look passed over Hartman’s weathered face. “Killed himself. Before we could even wrap up the case.”

The words settled over the room like a heavy pall. Even if Feldman had been involved with the bank job, he couldn’t have anything to do with the Alex Sheridan case.

Hartman turned back toward the door. “I’d appreciate it if you could keep me in the loop if you turn up anything new on that robbery case.”

“I’ll try,” Sam said.

Hartman glanced around the squad room. “Looks a lot better than that dungeon we were in when I was a cop. You guys have a good day.”

“Well, that was unexpected,” Jo said, leaning back in her chair.

“You think he’s just curious about an old case?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean?” Reese asked, her brow furrowed.

“Why show up now?” Sam mused, pacing the room. “After all these years?”

“Maybe he just wants closure,” Wyatt suggested, shrugging.

“Or maybe he’s trying to cover his tracks,” Kevin countered, tapping his pen on the desk.

“We need to look into this Feldman guy,” Sam said, his voice firm. “See if there’s anything there.”

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