Page 187 of State of Alert

That put Zoe and Zeke in the vicinity of the house around the time of the murder.

“Can you shoot this over to my email?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you very much.”

She went out to the pit to share the news with the others. “Now we can prove that Zeke’s Mustang was used within the time-of-death window.”

“That’s huge,” Cameron said.

“Yep.” Sam loved the feeling that came with putting the pieces together to tie perps to murder.

Freddie came into the pit. “Uh, Sam, Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy are here.”

She had to think for a second about who that was. Zeke’s parents. “What do they want?”

“To talk to you and only you.”

“All right,” she said with a sigh. “Show them into interview one.”

Sam wanted to be able to record the conversation, and she couldn’t do that in her office or the conference room. She grabbed a bottle of water and her notebook from her office before she went to see what the Bellamys wanted. The were holding hands and looking terrified.

“I’m Lieutenant Holland.”

“I’m Greg Bellamy, and this is my wife, Lillian.”

“I’d like to record our conversation.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Do you both agree?”

They glanced at each other before nodding.

Sam engaged the recording device, noted who was in the room and that they’d given their permission to be recorded. “You asked to see me?”

“Our son, Zeke, is missing,” Greg said, “and no one will tell us where he is or what’s going on.”

“We believe he’s on the run with Zoe Myerson after they killed her mother.”

Lillian gasped. “What?He didn’t kill anyone! He’d never do something like that.”

“We’re not sure which one of them took a baseball bat to the back of Mrs. Myerson’s head, but we’re fairly confident they were both there.”

“There’s no way,” Greg said. “He has a scholarship to play baseball at Villanova next year. He’d never endanger that by being involved in something like this.”

“We can prove that his car was used during the time of Mrs. Myerson’s murder and that his Bluetooth was engaged for two twenty-minute rides, which is how long it would take to drive from Arlington to Crestwood.”

“You’re trying to pin this on my son when it was that girl who did this,” Lillian said. “Shehatedher mother!”

“How do you know that?” Sam asked.

She looked down, seeming embarrassed maybe. “Zeke told me. Ever since he met her, Zeke has been obsessed. She’s all he talks about. He’s let his grades slide, and he’s missed a couple of practices, which is unthinkable. This is hissenior year, Lieutenant. Every game counts. If he misses practice, he’s not allowed to play in the next game. Villanova made it clear that the scholarship is contingent upon him having a successful senior season. He has to get back to practice.”

Sam didn’t want to have to be the one to tell her that her son’s baseball career was likely over. Even if he hadn’t participated in the murder of Elaine Myerson, he’d helped Zoe run from the law and would be charged accordingly.

Unless, of course, he was willing to testify against her. Then they might be able to work something out.

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