AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sam tried very hard to never think about her former lieutenant or how he’d tried to kill her. Twice. Just hearing his name made her clammy and light-headed.
“Sam.”
Archie’s voice dragged her out of the rabbit hole she’d fallen into as she relived her near-fatal encounters with the disgraced former lieutenant.
Sam glanced at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah.”
Her hands were shaking, so she tucked them between her knees. As if that could stop the cold wave of dread that overtook her whenever she thought of that day in Marissa Springer’s basement when she’d been certain she was about to die in the most horrific way possible.
That’d been his goal, of course.
He’d been outraged by her refusal to engage with him in any way as he went about his sinister task.
Maybe he’d hated her because he couldn’t just kill her. She wasn’t someone he could “disappear” the way he might’ve done to these other women.
“Needless to say,” Malone continued, “we’re taking this new information very seriously and plan to devote significant resources to reopening the investigations into the disappearance of each of these women. After the all-hands meeting at eight, Crime Scene detectives will be descending upon Stahl’s home. We expect this to be a major local and national story.”
As he said the wordnational, he let his gaze land on her.
The national media would salivate over the news that the first lady’s former boss and assailant might be a serial killer.
Sam looked away, mortified that her stature on the national stage would add to the media frenzy that was sure to ensue after these new suspicions went public.
“How do we plan to handle the media on this?” Lieutenant Max Haggerty from Crime Scene asked.
“We’re not saying anything publicly until we know more. Stahl’s attorneys have been notified about the warrant to search his property. Apparently, the home once belonged to his grandparents and was left to him when they died. For whatever reason he didn’t live there, possibly because he used the place for nefarious purposes.”
The thought of that turned her stomach.
His property wouldn’t have been searched in the earlier cases because neither of the attempts on her life had taken place at his home.
Sam hadn’t known much about his life outside of work. She’d tried to avoid anything having to do with him during the miserable years she’d worked for and with him.
From the first day she’d been put under his command, she’d tried to stay as removed from the nasty lieutenant as she possibly could. That he couldn’t goad, rattle or intimidate her was part of why he hated her. Her last name hadn’t helped. He’d hated her father almost as much as he hated her. Though they’d started out together, Skip Holland had rapidly advanced through the ranks to deputy chief, while Stahl had remained a lieutenant.
“Lieutenant Holland.”
Sam’s gaze snapped up to meet Captain Malone’s. “Yes, sir?”
“Are you still going to Delaware this week?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please stay after this meeting for a minute, if you would.”
She nodded.
“Your teams will have questions,” Malone continued. “As we will do in the all-hands meeting, please tell them no one is to speak to the press about this case. That’s all.”
After the others had left the room, Malone sat next to her and handed her a sheet of paper. “Two of the missing women are originally from Delaware. We’d like you to see their family members and update them on the reopened investigation while you’re out there, if you don’t mind.”
I mind, she wanted to say, screaming on the inside at the thought of anything interrupting her time alone with Nick, let alone something having to do with Stahl.
“We know it’s a lot to ask, but everyone will be on this, and it would be a huge help.”
