“It’s very treatable, and we caught it early. Try not to go to the worst-case scenario. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Yes.” She forced a cheerful tone for his sake. “That’s a good way to look at it.”
“On another note, I’ve been asked to inform you that Captain Ruiz has filed a formal complaint about your actions during the Mayfield case.”
Sam stared at him as his words landed.
“Before you react, hear me out. She isn’t gunning for you, but she wants the missteps addressed so they don’t happen again. She’s made a case for a formal complaint, but Joe, Jeannie and I told her we wouldn’t support that. We agree that if she wishes to discuss it further with you, she has our blessing, and she suggested we dock you some vacation days.”
When Sam had caught her breath and was able to think again, she said, “Do you agree with her?”
“Yes and no. On the no side, I believe you did what any of us would’ve done if a family member was missing. I can’t imagine what that was like for you, and I hope I never find out. That said, you repeatedly ignored orders from superior officers, ran a shadow investigation and withheld relevant information from the rest of the team.”
“What if I acknowledge I did all that and promise it won’t happen again? Would that be enough for her?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to discuss it with her.”
Sam winced. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, Sam, you have to.”
“You say she isn’t gunning for me, but it feels like she is.”
“She said she respects you and the role you play in the department, not to mention how you juggle all the rest.”
That was an interesting way to summarize her additional roles as a wife, mother and first lady. All the rest…
“But she added that after thinking it over, she couldn’t let it slide because it was so egregious.”
“I know. It was. I can’t deny that.” She glanced at him. “And I wouldn’t change a thing if I had it to do again, so it’s possible her disciplinary discussion might be lost on me. I don’t know how to be anyone other than who I am.”
“I might’ve made that point in our meeting this morning.”
“So there was a whole meeting about me?”
That could very well explain the spike in anxiety, although she’d known nothing about the meeting, so how could she have been anxious about it?
“A small meeting. Just the four of us.”
Joe Farnsworth was the chief of police and another of her father’s closest friends. Jeannie McBride was the deputy chief, formerly one of her detectives and one of her good friends. Sam had tangled with Ruiz, who ran the Emergency Response squad, in the past and again during the investigation into Ethan’s abduction.
“And you guys agreed with Ruiz?”
“You agree with her. You just said that.”
“Am I in trouble here?”
“No. We all recognize that these were special circumstances. There was also some agreement that it needed to be addressed in light of who you are within the department, so we’re not accused of playing favorites.”
“Then the goal is for everyone to know I stepped out of line. That way, they’ll know that if I get called out, they will, too?”
“Something like that.”
“I thought personnel matters were confidential.”
“They are. We want to be able to say we did address it if someone makes an issue of it in the future.”
“This feels kind of… shitty.”
