Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(78)

Brenda got up to walk her to the door and gestured to the keypad lock. “The code is my birthday. Come by anytime and let yourself in. My home is your home.”

Sam hugged her. “I’ll do that.”

“I’m here if I can help.”

“Thank you.”

When she was in the car, Sam put through a call to Malone.

“What’s up?” He sounded rushed and stressed.

“I’m doing some background work. I’ll be in shortly.”

“Okay.”

“I had a thought. I assume you and the chief spoke to Conklin the other night after I told you what Davis said?”

“We both did.”

“Might be worth a shot to dump his phone to see who he talked to after you guys were there.”

“Good thought, and if I wasn’t so shocked, I probably would’ve already done it. I’ll get a warrant and put Archie on it. People around here are buzzing about Conklin being arrested. We’re going to need to put up or shut up soon.”

“What’s Forrester saying?”

“That we need more.”

“Then let’s get it for him.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll be in shortly.” Sam directed her car to the home of Alice Coyne Fitzgerald. Sam knew where she lived these days because her son had been involved in an investigation last year. Poor Alice had had more than her share of heartbreak. In addition to losing her first husband on the job, a son from her second marriage had been kidnapped and killed.

The case had been the only one of her father’s career that had been left unsolved, and when Sam decided to dig into the cold case after taking command of the Homicide squad, her father had reacted badly. Later, she’d learned that Tyler Fitzgerald was Alice Coyne’s youngest son from her second marriage, and her dad had been protecting Alice by not pursuing the case against her older son. The situation had caused an unusual rift between Sam and her father, who’d pleaded with her to leave it alone. Sam later learned that her dad had gone to great lengths to protect Alice’s family, risking his own job, reputation and marriage.

Allowing someone to get away with murder wasn’t her usual groove, but she’d deferred to her father’s wishes and left the case officially unsolved, even as all the evidence had pointed to Alice’s older son, Cameron.

Sam parked two blocks from the home Alice shared with her sons’ father, Jimmy Fitzgerald. Sam had become acquainted with Alice after she reopened Tyler’s case and had seen her most recently at Skip’s funeral. Sam rang the doorbell and waited, hoping someone would be home. She didn’t think Alice worked anymore, but she honestly didn’t know what she did.

The inside door swung open, and Alice offered a warm, welcoming smile as she pushed open the storm door for Sam. “Hi there.”

“Hi. It’s nice to see you again.”

She ushered Sam into the house. “How’re you holding up? I was telling Jimmy that I was most worried about you. Skip talked about you all the time.”

Even though she knew that, it still struck Sam in the heart every time someone told her. “I’m holding up okay. As you know all too well, it’s a process.”

“It is indeed.” She led Sam to the back of the deep townhouse, into a sunny kitchen with white eyelet curtains on the window. “Can I get you anything?”

“A glass of water would be great.” She’d had more than enough coffee. Any more and she’d be jumpy, which was the last thing she needed.

When they were seated at the table, Sam took a close look at a still-pretty face lined with years that hadn’t been good to her. Sam took a sip of her water. “We’re taking another look at my dad’s case.”

“I heard that on the news. It makes sense with everyone talking about it again.”

“That’s what we think too, and that’s why I’m here.”

“What can I do?”

“I’m looking for some background from the early days of my dad’s career, the time he spent in the academy and with Steven as his partner.”

“That was a very long time ago.” Alice’s wistful look indicated the lingering sadness over her first husband’s sudden death. “A very long time ago.” She stirred cream into her coffee, her gaze fixed on the swirl of the liquid.

“I’m sorry to resurrect old hurts, but I’m in bad need of some perspective.”

“The old hurts are never far from the surface, even after all this time. I love Jimmy. I really do. But Steven, he was…” She shrugged helplessly. “You never really get over it. You just learn to live with it.”

Sam ached for her.

“Your dad was so very good to me afterward. I wouldn’t have survived it without him.”

“He loved Steven like a brother.”

“The feeling was mutual. They were quite a pair, those two.” Alice chuckled and shook her head. “Always laughing and joking. I used to tell them I felt left out because they had a language all their own, and I didn’t get their jokes half the time. Steven would tell me not to fret because the jokes weren’t worth the bother of getting them.”

“My partner and I are like that too. You spend so much time together, you develop a shorthand.”