Before he entered the room to which he’d been summoned, Cameron took a minute to breathe and calm himself. No matter what transpired, he could not and would not make this any worse for Gigi than it already was.

  When he was as ready as he’d ever be, he walked into the room.

  Andy Simone greeted him with a handshake. “Gigi did great. I think this is a formality to cover all the bases.”

  “Okay,” Cameron said, feeling somewhat reassured.

  “Detective Green,” Jeannie said. “Thank you so much for joining us. Please have a seat.”

  Thankful for the presence of his close friend, he nodded to her and took the seat next to Andy.

  Jeannie glanced toward Offenbach, confirming Cameron’s suspicions. “Officer Offenbach, you asked to speak to Detective Green to resolve some outstanding questions. You have the floor.”

  “Detective Green, will you please tell us the timeline of your relationship with Jaycee Patrick and detail how it ended?”

  “Of course. I met Jaycee through a friend and dated her for about a year before ending it months ago.”

  “Why did you end it?”

  “Because I felt it had run its course.”

  “Was it also because you wanted to date Detective Dominguez?”

  “My feelings for Detective Dominguez had nothing to do with my decision with Jaycee. I had known for quite some time that I wasn’t happy with Jaycee and had waited for the right time to tell her it was over for me.”

  “And how did she react when you told her it was over?”

  “Badly. She got very upset and screamed at me about promises I’d made to her that she would make me keep. I had never seen her behave the way she did that day. Her last words to me were, ‘This is not over. This will never be over.’”

  “Did you report her threats to anyone?”

  “I didn’t because I thought she was venting because she was upset. I never expected her to slash my tires, throw a brick through my window or attack my new girlfriend. In all the time I spent with Jaycee, I never saw any sign of that side of her. It was shocking, to say the least.”

  “Is it true that you’d asked Jaycee Patrick to marry you?”

  “That’s absolutely false. We never discussed marriage.”

  “According to her sister, Tanya, Jaycee had told her family you were engaged and even had a ring that she said you gave her.”

  “Not only did I never buy a ring for her, I never considered marrying her. As much as I enjoyed spending time with her, I didn’t love her.”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  “Only after she forced me to tell her the real reason I was ending things with her.”

  “Her sister told me Jaycee had a wedding venue booked.”

  “I found that out after I broke up with her. She never discussed that with me.”

  “It must’ve come as a shock to you to hear that,” Jeannie said.

  “To say the very least. That was when I first realized that something might be wrong with her in a medical or mental health sense.”

  “Did you alert anyone to your concerns?” Offenbach asked.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “I’ll bet you wish now that you had.”

  “That’s enough, Officer Offenbach,” Jeannie said. “The panel is directed to disregard that comment.”

  “If I may…” Cameron knew he ought to let it go, but how could he with so much riding on the outcome of this hearing? “I told her sister shortly after we split that I didn’t propose to her or agree to a wedding venue or ever talk about marriage with her. I didn’t specifically indicate a potential mental health concern, but I rather hoped her sister might realize something was wrong after I told her the truth. I felt like I’d done what I could to put them on notice of a possible problem. Her family was also aware of her actions after she slashed my tires and threw a brick through my window.”

  Jeannie glanced at Andrews and Offenbach. “Are there any further questions?”

  The two officers shook their heads.

  “Thank you, Detective Green,” Jeannie said. “We appreciate your input.”

  “Of course, and if I may add… Detective Dominguez is an outstanding, dedicated detective with an incredible future ahead of her in this department.”

  Andy put a hand on his arm to stop him from saying anything else, which was just as well, because his voice was already wavering with emotion.

  “That’s all I wanted to say.”

  He got up and left the room with Andy.

  “You did good, Cameron,” Andy said. “I only stopped you so you’d quit while you were ahead.”

  “Thanks for being there and reining me in.”

  “You and Gigi have done everything you could. Now we just have to wait and hope it was enough.”

  Cameron would go mad waiting for the verdict.

  He shook hands with Andy. “Thank you again for being here.”

  “No problem. I’ll be in touch with next steps on responding to the lawsuit, but your testimony has given me an idea of how we might proceed.”

  “How so?”

  “Jaycee’s sister and family know about what she did with your tires and the brick. They know you didn’t propose to her or agree to marry her. You told her sister you knew nothing about a wedding venue. There was indication of some sort of break with reality or delusional thinking that they either ignored or failed to properly address. We also have evidence of her mother acting erratically before the day she held Jeannie hostage. We can countersue them on those grounds.”

  “That feels a little dirty to me, if I’m being honest.”

  “I understand, but our goal is to get them to drop their suit. If you countersue and show that you’re willing to make their family’s dirty laundry public, it might have them thinking twice about coming after you two.”

  “Let me talk to Gigi. I’ll let you know about that.”

  “I’ll wait to hear from you.”

  The two men shook hands. “Thanks again, Andy.”

  “No problem.”

  Cameron walked the attorney downstairs and said goodbye as Andy headed for the morgue exit, and then he went to the pit to get his head back in his job. Before he did that, however, he texted Gigi to tell her he’d been called upstairs to answer questions about his relationship with Jaycee. It’s all good, though, he wrote. Nothing to worry about.

  Thank you for doing that. I hate this.

  Me, too. The waiting will drive me crazy.

  Same.

  Are we still talking to Dr. Trulo later?

  Yes, he’s coming by at seven.

  I’ll be home before then.

  See you then. Love you. You’re worth all of this.

  I’m very lucky you think so. Love you, too.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Gonzo came out of Sam’s office to see that Cameron had returned. “How’d it go?”

  “I think it was okay. Offenbach had questions about my relationship with Jaycee and the promises I made to her, which were none.”

  “Sam said that guy would be the ringer.”

  “She was right.” Cameron rubbed the back of his neck, which was tight with tension. “Where are we, and what can I do?”

  “Gordon is in the office. He’s having a very hard time coping with what happened to Rachel. He’s naturally blaming himself.”

  “I read the reports last night, and I really feel for him. He’s living what could’ve been my worst nightmare with Gigi.”

  “That’s an interesting point. Maybe you could have a word with him. He’s in rough shape.”

  “Sure, I’d be happy to.”

  “Thank you. I’m waiting for Randy Bryant’s attorney to arrive so we can talk to him. His prints match those on the pizza box that the PG County detectives found in the nearby dumpster, and the kid working the desk in the dorm has identified him as the guy who delivered the pizza to Rachel the night she was murdered.”

  “It’s all coming together,” Cam said. “What’s the word from Stahl’s?”

  “More remains being recovered from his backyard.”

  “It’s just unbelievable and believable all at the same time. I never worked with him, but after hearing all your stories, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “I worked with him, knew how horrible he was, but I’m still shocked by this latest development.”

  “I saw the news this morning. The whole world is coming for the chief on this.”

  “As if he wouldn’t have stopped it if he’d known.”

  “I know. I never understand the rush to change the leadership at a time like this, when we need him more than ever.”

  “I don’t get that either. He’s the best possible person to guide us through these trying times.” Gonzo stopped himself. “Maybe we should have a bunch of officers say that publicly.”

  “Probably couldn’t hurt. Count me in.”

  “I will.”

  “I’ll go talk to Gordon.”

  “Thanks, Cam. Keep me posted on what you guys hear from IAB.”

  “Will do.”

  Cameron stepped into Sam’s office, where Gordon sat in one of the visitor chairs, staring blankly at the far wall. That he didn’t even seem to notice Cameron had entered the small room said a lot about his state of mind. “Hey, Gordon.”

  The younger man glanced at him.

  “I’m Detective Cameron Green. I work with Sergeant Gonzales and Detective Cruz.”

  “Hey.”

  “Do you mind if I sit for a second?”

  Gordon shrugged. What did he care? The woman he loved was dead.

  “I wanted to tell you that I understand a little of what you’re going through. Something similar happened to me. My new girlfriend didn’t die, thank God, but it was close. I just wanted you to know that I empathize with what you’re dealing with and how guilty you feel.”

  “It’s all my fault. Rachel would still be here if she’d never met me.”

  “It’s not your fault, Gordon. You loved her. You never would’ve hurt her, and you had no idea Tori was capable of the things she’s accused of doing.”

  “I’ve known her forever. I mean, I knew she was upset that I wanted to see other people in college, but to do this?” He shook his head. “How did I not see that?”

  “Because she didn’t want you to see it.” Cameron realized that by talking to Gordon, he was helping himself, too. “I was with my ex for more than a year. I never saw anything but her sweet, accommodating side. After we broke up, I saw a whole new version of her. She’d reserved a wedding venue even though we’d never once talked about getting married.”

  “Whoa. That’s effed-up.”

  “Sure was. I was shocked. And it just got worse until she took my new girlfriend hostage, assaulted her and forced my Gigi to kill her to save herself. It’s been a nightmare. I came so close to losing Gigi, so I feel for you, man. I really do.”

  “It’s the worst feeling to know Rachel is dead because she dated me.”

  “That’s not why she’s dead. It’s because Tori couldn’t accept your choice to see other people. That’s on her, not you.”

  “Still…”

  “Yeah, I get it. It’s hard to not feel responsible.”

  “She was amazing.”

  “I’m so sorry you lost her.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cameron handed Gordon his business card. “Reach out if you need to talk to someone who understands.”

  “I will.”

  “As horrible as this is, it won’t always feel this bad. Someday, you’ll remember the good times, too. I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Hang in there, okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks again.”

  Cameron stood and squeezed the other man’s shoulder before he left the room.

  In the pit, Gonzo was talking to a man in a designer suit, who was a foot taller than Gonzo.

  “There’s no way you’re pinning this on my client,” he said in a thundering tone. “Do you have any idea who his father is?”

  “Ask me if I care who his father is. The evidence has led us to your client, and he’ll be charged accordingly.”

  “You’ll regret this.”

  Gonzo stared at him without blinking. “I don’t think so.”

  “We’ll see about that.” The lawyer turned and stalked off.

  “Who’s the father?” Gonzo asked when the lawyer was out of earshot.

  “U.S. Representative Damien Bryant of Wisconsin’s fourth district, representing Milwaukee,” Cruz said.

  “Well, that’ll make for an extra shitty shit show.”

  “All our shows are shitty,” Cruz said.

  Gonzo grunted out a laugh. “True, but some are shittier than others. I wonder why the mother didn’t tell me who the father was when she called. People tend to drop names at times like this.”

  Cruz clicked around on his computer. “Ugly divorce fifteen years ago followed by an uglier custody battle for Randy and his sister.”

  “Ah, that explains it. I’d better go brief the captain.”

  * * *

  Gonzo found Captain Malone coming out of a meeting in the chief’s conference room. “Could I have a minute?”

  “That’s about all I’ve got. We’re fending off attacks from all corners since the chief’s news conference about the Stahl case.”

  “How’s the chief holding up?”

  “He’s resolute.”

  Gonzo followed Malone into his office and closed the door. “Two things. One, I’m hearing from a number of people that they’d like to make a statement in support of the chief from within the ranks. We’d like it to say that, at a time like this, the last thing we need is a leadership change.”

  Malone sat behind his desk as he pondered that. “I like it.”

  “We’ll get to work on that.”

  “Keep it on the down-low until you’re ready to go public with it. We’ll make sure to use it to our full advantage. Great idea, Sarge. The chief will appreciate it.”

  “No problem. We thought it was important that the public—and the mayor and anyone else—hear it from the people who work for him.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, but we need to act quickly. The pressure on him to resign is intense.”

  “We’ll be quick. Second thing… We’ve pretty much got Randy Bryant nailed on murder-for-hire charges in the Fortier case. We’ll be talking to him this morning. But there’s a wrinkle.”

  “Isn’t there always?”

  “This is a big one. His father is a congressman from Milwaukee.”

  “Well, that doesn’t change the facts, right?”

  “No, it doesn’t, but I wanted you to be aware that he’s got a big-time lawyer talking about how he’ll have our badges.”

  “Got it. Thanks for the warning.”

  Gonzo appreciated that the lawyer’s empty threats had no effect on Malone. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Thanks.”

  Gonzo left Malone’s office and returned to the pit, where Cruz and Green were working at their desks. “Green light on the petition in support of the chief, but he wants us to keep it on the down-low until we’re ready to go public. He said we need to act quickly.”

  “We’ll get on it,” Cruz said.

  “What did he say about Representative Bryant?” Cameron asked.

  “That who Randy Bryant’s father is doesn’t change the facts. Let’s get him and the attorney in a room and get this one finished up.”

  “Do you want the AUSA?” Cruz asked.

  “Yeah, give them a call and get someone over here.”

  Gonzo went into Sam’s office and grabbed the case file that contained printed reports of everything they had so far tying Randy Bryant and Tori Stevens to the murder of Rachel Fortier. His phone rang with a call from a number he didn’t recognize. “Sergeant Gonzales.”

  “This is Caroline Fortier, Rachel’s mother.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I was wondering if there’s any news in my daughter’s case.”

  “We think we know what happened.”

  “Can you tell me? The not knowing… It’s… Well, it’s all just devastating.”

  “It’s not official yet, but we believe that Gordon’s ex-girlfriend—”

  “The one who was harassing my daughter?”

  “Yes. We believe she hired someone to kill Rachel.”

  “Oh my God. How does a college student have the money for such a thing?”

  “She’s from a wealthy family.”

  “Good Lord.”

  “We plan to charge them both with capital murder.”

  After a long moment of quiet, she said, “I thought maybe knowing why and how would help, but it doesn’t. My daughter was a beautiful person, inside and out. She didn’t deserve this.”

  “We’ll make sure they pay for what they did to her.”

  “Thank you to you and everyone working to get justice for my Rachel.”

  “I’ll be back in touch after charges are filed.”

  “Thank you again.”

  “I wish there was more we could do.”

  “What you’re doing is very important to us.”

  After they said their goodbyes, Gonzo sat for a moment behind Sam’s desk, thinking about people like Caroline Fortier and Graciela Blanchet and how they showed such enormous grace during the darkest time in their lives. People like them made this awful job so rewarding. Though justice would never bring back their loved ones, it would at least give them some answers.

  With Mrs. Fortier in mind, Gonzo went to the pit to grab Cruz. “Let’s get this sewn up.”

  * * *

  Joe Farnsworth had spent most of his adult life dealing with the worst the world had to offer. Murderers, rapists, child abusers, animal abusers, drug dealers… You name it, he’d seen it. After the revelations about his former deputy chief had come to light, that Conklin had sat on information that would’ve solved Skip Holland’s shooting years ago, he thought he’d seen the lowest of the lows within his department.

  More than anything, Joe had been hurt by what Conklin had done to Skip and the rest of them by not coming forward with what he knew. In the case of Leonard Stahl, anger was his primary emotion. He had never been this angry. Not once in his entire life had he burned with this kind of rage or wished another person dead the way he did that guy. He’d never imagined wrapping his hands around another person’s throat and squeezing until the life seeped out of him until recently. Now he dreamed about choking the life out of Stahl for what he’d done to so many innocent people while pretending to be a police officer.