Page 130 of State of Retribution

“What’s that, Cap?”

“How people never fucking learn.They can be run out of an organization in total disgrace and still manage to make it worse.Remarkable, isn’t it?”

“Truly.And disgusting.”

“That, too.”

A gagging sound from the back seat had Freddie spinning around and Malone looking for a place to pull over.

“He’s choking, Cap!”

Malone brought the SUV to a skidding stop by the side of the road and jumped out.

Freddie got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door to find Conklin foaming at the mouth, his eyes bugging and his lips already turning blue.

“Motherfucker,” Malone said.“He took something.”

“When?He was cuffed!”

“Before he answered the goddamned door.”

“Oh… Crap.Now what?”

“Now we drop his useless ass at the hospital so they can declare him dead and then dump his phone to find out who paid him to tell tales out of school.”

Sam was sittingup in bed, sipping a glass of wine as she tried to decompress from the events of the day.After dinner earlier with Nick, the kids and her mom, her spirits were much better than they’d been when she got home.But she was still reeling from the hits she hadn’t seen coming, hits that could no longer be treated as anything other than a coordinated, deadly smear campaign.

If they’d killed, attacked and assaulted innocent people in an effort to get at her, how would she ever live with that?Harlowe and the other victims’ families were counting on her to get answers for them.What would they think ifshewas the cause of their agony?

The thought of that was just too big for her to process.

Her phone rang with a call from Freddie that she took because he was her best friend, and she needed him.“Hey.”

“Sam, you’re not going to believe what happened.”

As he relayed the evening’s events, Sam listened in stunned disbelief.“He said he needed the money?Those exact words.”

“Yes.Exactly that.”

“So someone paid him for dirt on me.My dad must’ve confided in him about how he’d protected Alice from further heartache by letting Cameron go into the military rather than sending him to jail.Maybe he even told him that I’d reopened the case and how he’d had to shut it down again.And now Conklin’s dead.That fucking coward.”

“That’s what everyone here is saying, too.I’m so sorry to have to tell you this.As if he hasn’t already hurt you and your family enough.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”Her phone beeped with another call from the chief.“Hey, Farnsworth is calling.I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.”

Sam took the call from the chief.“Hey.”

“Have you heard about Conklin?”

“Yeah, just now.”

“Sam, I’m so sorry.That he could’ve been involved in something like this after what he’s already done… I lack the words to properly convey my outrage.”

“It’s okay.Nothing surprises me anymore.Do you believe me now that a coordinated effort is underway with a goal of ruining my career and reputation?”

“I do.Your suspension is lifted as of tomorrow morning.Come back to work and help us nail these sons of bitches.”

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