Sam didn’t agree, but she wasn’t the one who needed to be convinced. “Crime Scene will process the house shortly.”
“What’re the odds they’ll find evidence of a six-year-old crime?” Hope asked.
“If we release them, we’re signing Amara’s death warrant. It may not be today or tomorrow, but they’ll find her and shut her up.”
“That’s my fear as well.”
Sam looked to the captain. “What can we do?”
“Let’s take it to the chief.”
“I need to make one quick call, and then I’ll be right with you.” Sam went into her office to contact Animal Control about picking up Amara’s cat and delivering it to her at Lindsey’s house, along with addresses for both houses and the door code at the Bingham house. “Please make sure your officers aren’t followed to Dr. McNamara’s house. We don’t want anyone to know where Amara is staying.”
“Got it. We’ll take care of it.
“Thank you.”
A knot of stress tightened in Sam’s stomach as she walked with Hope and the captain to the chief’s suite. There was no way they could let Louis and Thelma go, knowing what they’d done to King. After fifteen years of listening to interviews and “stories” that were both real and fictional, Sam knew the truth when she heard it. She’d go so far as to stake her reputation on the fact that Amara had told the truth.
The chief’s admin, Helen, greeted them. “He just finished a meeting, so go ahead in.”
“Thank you, Helen,” Sam said.
Malone gave a quick knock on the way into the chief’s inner sanctum.
Chief Joseph Farnsworth, known to Sam and her sisters as Uncle Joe growing up, was bent over a stack of files. He glanced up at them. “What’s up, citizens? And why the long faces?”
“We have a situation,” Malone said.
“No way, really?”
Normally, Sam would be amused by the chief’s witty sarcasm, but she was too afraid of the implications for Amara to find anything funny until she was certain they could keep the people who’d killed King behind bars where they belonged.
Hope explained that the new USA wanted suspects released in a case they all felt strongly about. “I shouldn’t even be involved in this conversation, but like Captain Malone and Lieutenant Holland, I’ve rarely heard a more compelling witness statement than the one provided by Amara Robinson.”
“Do we have anything else tying the parents to the murder?”
“Other than they didn’t report his ‘disappearance’ to the police, we don’t,” Sam said. “We immediately arrested them after receiving Amara’s report.”
“We have full confidence that we can build a case based entirely on her statement,” Malone said. “The judge agreed when the arrest warrant was issued for the parents. To release them now would be to put known killers back on the street and would endanger Amara’s life.”
The chief’s expression was pained. “I see both sides of this, guys. On the one hand, I trust the three of you and your judgment implicitly, but I do see where USA McDermott is coming from. It would help to have more to go on if we’re charging them with capital murder.”
“We’ll need some time to get more,” Sam said, “and in the meantime, we want the parents held. We have enough to charge them. Even if we have to drop the charges later, I’d rather we not take a chance letting them go.”
“We’d be risking a hefty lawsuit if we charge them with murder and can’t make the case,” the chief reminded her.
“We’re not in the business of releasing murderers, sir.”
“I’m aware, Lieutenant, and I empathize with your position, but in light of this department’s recent rough patch, the last thing I need is a murder case going sideways. I’ll talk to USA McDermott and tell her I’m giving you and your team twenty-four hours to come up with additional evidence tying these people to the murder of their son. If we fail to come up with anything else, we’ll release them reluctantly, as we feel the daughter’s testimony is extremely compelling.”
“Thank you, sir.” They had twenty-four hours to produce additional evidence in a six-year-old murder. Having that coincide with the disaster unfolding at the White House would make for an interesting day.
“If you could,” Hope said tentatively, “encourage USA McDermott to listen to Amara’s statement. I was unable to convince her that it would be worth her time. But if you could refrain from mentioning I told you that…”
“Understood,” the chief said. “I’ll find a way to bring it up with her.”
“Thank you, sir.”
