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“I don’t. What Elin doesn’t know about me, you do, and I’m sure that between Nick, me and your sisters, you’re fairly well known, too.”
“Granted, but some people have a whole other side to themselves that no one ever sees. Think about some of the most famous serial killers and how people close to them said they had no clue they were capable of such a thing.”
“Graciela’s certainty that it couldn’t have been him is weighing on me.”
“I know,” Sam said. “Me, too. A lot of times, family members will say, you know, he was a little off lately, or things were strange or something. She’s been unwavering in her conviction that he never could’ve done such a thing.”
“But of course a mother would say her son was incapable of such a thing,” Freddie said. “Mine would.”
“There is that,” Sam said. “She also had no idea about the pending lawsuit, which means she didn’t have a full understanding of the pressure he was under or how much he might’ve been dreading that information going public.”
“That’s true. So what now?”
“This is when you start from scratch. Go through it all again from the beginning. Start with the video surveillance from the house, the text messages, emails, social media posts, autopsies, crime scene. Every time you look at it, you’ll see something new or different. At least I do. Work the case, pull the threads, do what we do. And if, at the end of the day, all roads lead to Marcel, then so be it.”
“I’m worried we’re wasting time by looking beyond the obvious,” he said.
“We have at least five murdered victims, possibly six if it wasn’t him,” Sam said. “It’s our job to look beyond the obvious to get at the truth, whatever that might be.”
Freddie nodded. “Are you still sure I’m the right one to be running such a big investigation?”
“I’m absolutely positive. Rely on your colleagues. Delegate. Be open to ideas and thoughts from everyone. You know what to do.”
“It’s much easier to watch you do it.”
Sam, Vernon and Jimmy cracked up laughing.
“I’m sure it is,” Sam said. “But I’m enjoying watchingyoudo it.”
“I bet you are.”
“It’s like raising a child you’re super proud of and then sending him off to college.”
Vernon chuckled as he caught Sam’s eye in the mirror.
She was glad she’d come back to work. Being with Freddie—and now Vernon and Jimmy—felt like normalcy, which was what she needed. The numbness hadn’t completely worn off, but she felt more engaged than she had the day before yesterday. Spending time with her loved ones had helped, and letting Freddie take the lead on the case had relieved some of the weight on her shoulders.
Sam had to take her own advice during these complicated times for her and Nick. She needed to delegate and rely on the team that would do anything for her, especially the partner she had trained and nurtured, as well as the sergeant who had the same sensibilities as she did. Outside of Nick and her sisters, Freddie and Gonzo were her closest friends, and they would have her back, no matter what.
Back at HQ, Sam and Freddie went to the conference room and dove into the stacks of paper that had already accumulated on the case.
She started with the text messages and emails for Marcel and Liliana Blanchet, beginning with the most recent ones and working her way backward. Their exchanges were fairly routine for the busy working parents of four active kids. Coordinating rides and discussing a call they’d received from their son’s day care about his propensity to kick his classmates when he wore a certain pair of boots. They talked about who was picking up what for dinner and other household matters.
As she read through the messages, she noted the lack of warmth and humor like what marked every exchange she had with Nick. They were always laughing, teasing, joking. These two were all business all the time. She went back a month, looking for any sign that they were a happily married couple and not roommates who shared children.
“Freddie.”
“Hmm?”
“Marcel and Liliana were barely speaking.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Read the texts. It’s all business about the kids, the house, the car that needs an oil change, the soccer car pool, the son’s day care.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Read me your last five texts with Elin.”
