At seven, Dani and Gigi handed off to the day shift and went home to get some rest. On the way out of the pit, Sam saw Gigi squeeze Cameron’s arm before they parted company. She loved the two of them together and had encouraged their relationship. They rarely worked on the same shift, and neither of them supervised the other, so it was no big deal to her.
She enjoyed seeing them happy, especially after what they’d been through with exes who’d refused to take “no more” for an answer. Gigi had been badly beaten by her ex-boyfriend, and then they’d both faced a nightmare at the hands of Cameron’s ex-girlfriend Jaycee.
They were still facing a wrongful death lawsuit from Jaycee’s family, which claimed she and her mother had died because of Cameron and Gigi. That was false. Sam was convinced the lawsuit would go nowhere, but it was still stressful for her detectives—and friends—to have to deal with that on top of the emotional fallout from the trauma.
When the day team was gathered in the conference room, Sam updated them on the developments from overnight. “I’m still waiting to hear something about Luna’s condition. I heard from Tracy that they all got some sleep overnight, and they expect Ethan and Tomas to be discharged later today.”
The others expressed relief that both boys had been found safe.
“Moving on to the Carver case, Gonzo and Freddie, can you please provide an update on what we know so far?”
Gonzo began with a recitation of the facts of the case thus far and the canvass he’d overseen at the hotel. Freddie picked it up with the review he’d done with Sergeant Walters from IT and how that part of the investigation was ongoing.
He’d no sooner said that than Walters came to the door, holding up a thumb drive. “Cruz asked me to bring this down and walk you through it.”
Walters went to the computer terminal at the front of the room and projected video onto the screen that showed a man in a black hoodie strolling confidently through the lobby toward the elevators. “We picked him up getting off the elevator on the sixth floor about twenty minutes before the time of death assigned by the ME. He goes into the ice room and doesn’t come out. But what’s interesting is that another guy, dressed similarly, entered the sixth floor from the stairwell. Here he comes now. He knocks on the door to Carver’s room, and he’s admitted as if he’d been expected.
“Both men ensured their faces weren’t picked up on video, which means they knew where the cameras were.”
Which spoke to premeditation, Sam thought.
“Keep watching,” Walter said.
A few minutes after the guy was admitted to the room, Carver came out, carrying the ice bucket.
“Wait for it,” Walters said.
Another minute passed before the other guy ducked out of the ice room and exited the hallway at the stairwell.
“Total setup,” Gonzo said.
“I was thinking professional job,” Cameron added.
“Well done, Sergeant Walters and Detective Cruz,” Sam said. “Thank you for your hard work on this case.”
“Glad to help.” Walters ejected the thumb drive and handed it to Gonzo, who was seated closest to him. “We’ll continue to work on reviewing on the outside cameras in the area to see if we can find anything else that might help. We’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks again, Sarge,” Gonzo said. “Great job.”
Walters was smiling as he left the room.
“Well,” Detective Neveah Charles said, “now we know how it went down. What’s our next move?”
“When considering motive,” Gonzo said, “I keep coming back to the wife.”
“What would be her motive in having her husband killed when she’s got three little kids at home?” Detective Matt O’Brien asked.
“Two things,” Sam said. “It would remove her drug-addict husband from her life, and she’d get a two-point-five-million-dollar life insurance payout.”
O’Brien released a low whistle. “Wow. That’s a serious policy.”
“They each had one,” Sam said. “Carlucci and Dominguez found them overnight. Apparently, Trisha Carver’s father is a big insurance broker. They’ve had the policies for years.”
“Possibly a wedding gift?” Cameron asked.
“Maybe,” Sam said.
“Is that a weird gift?” Freddie asked. “I mean, who’s thinking about death when they’re getting married?”
