Page 184 of State of Denial

“I want to be sure I understand this,” Darren Tabor said. “The Cortezes were unhappy with Eloise Blanchet’s success as a gymnast, picked a fight with her and her parents online and then killed the family after Mrs. Blanchet called them racist animals in front of other parents?”

“That’s the gist. We had the same incredulousness as the pieces began to fall together in this case. That two parents of young children of their own could be driven to mass murder because of an insult that they had more than earned with their actions. But we followed the evidence, all of which pointed to them before we were handed the slam dunk in the form of the video.”

He answered numerous other questions without having to refer to his notes, and when he was finished, he thanked the reporters for their time and escaped the podium before they could hold him there all day.

“Good job,” Sam said when they were back inside. “You stuck to the facts and didn’t give them any openings into other areas. That’s the way to do it.”

His phone buzzed with a text from his parents.We’re so, so, so proud. Our son on TV! Can’t wait to hear all about it.

Thanks for watching. Dinner this weekend?

Love to!

Chief Farnsworth approached them and shook Freddie’s hand. “Fine job, Detective.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I understand you were here all night.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Finish up the reports and head home. We’ll see you back here on Monday.”

“Will do. Thank you again.”

Freddie walked away with a huge feeling of accomplishment after leading his first investigation.

Gonzo met him in the pit. “We found Colleen. She and Pascal had an affair that ended six months ago. Her husband found out about it, left her and is living in Texas now. I just talked to him to confirm his whereabouts.”

“Thanks for closing that loop.”

“No problem.”

Freddie went to his computer and got to work on the last of the reports, eager to get home to celebrate with Elin.

“You’re beaminglike a proud mama, Lieutenant,” the chief said after Freddie walked toward the pit.

“I feel like a proud mama. He did a great job.”

“He was trained by the best.” After a beat, he said, “Can you come into the office for a minute?”

“Sure.” Sam nodded to Helen as she followed the chief into his office and closed the door. “What’s up?” She took a seat in one of his visitor chairs.

“You heard about Gibbons?”

“I did. I’m sorry. I know it’s personal to you and Captain Malone.”

“It’s very personal. He was a close friend and colleague.” He sat back in his desk chair. “I need someone to run point on this and the Davies situation with the media. Since you’ve already been involved in dealing with Stahl’s cases, I wondered if you’d be willing.”

“Of course.” That would also keep him from being the face of more scandal associated with the department. “I’ll take some time to get up to speed, and then I’ll do a briefing.”

“Thank you,” he said, seeming relieved. “I think it’ll mean more coming from you.”

Because Stahl had twice tried to kill her and was now serving a life sentence. “I understand.”

He gave her the penetrating look he did so well. “I heard you took some personal time this week. Everything okay?”

“It is now. I took care of some things in the rest of my life that needed tending to.”

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