“I need your help, Doc.”
“What can I do?”
“Do you recall doing an autopsy six years ago for a thirteen-year-old boy named?—”
“King Robinson?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“I remember that case vividly. It was never solved, as I recall.”
“It wasn’t, until today.” Sam gave him the overview of the day’s events, ending with their twenty-four-hour deadline to produce more evidence tying the parents to King’s murder.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said softly. “It was the parents.”
“What do you remember about them?”
“The mom was hysterical the entire time. The stepfather was supportive of her and asked a lot of questions about next steps and what they could do to help. It never occurred to me that it was them. They put on a good show.”
“Is there any chance you’re available to come in for a meeting today? We need all the help we can get, and since you worked directly on the case, we’d love your input.”
“I can be there within the hour. I’ll leave right away.”
“Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it.”
“Thanks for calling. It’s always nice to feel needed.”
“I’ll see you soon.” Sam ended the call and pulled up the initial report on King’s case. Detectives Dugal and Moran had investigated, and their narrative detailed all the same steps Sam would’ve taken in the investigation. The one thing she wanted to know was why they hadn’t searched King’s home for evidence.
She got up and walked to Malone’s office. “I want to talk to Dugal and Moran.”
“I’m one step ahead of you—I have calls out to both of them. I’ve asked them to come in as soon as possible to help with a cold case if they can.”
“Do you think we’ll hear from them?”
“I hope so. They were two of the good guys back in the day.”
“Why didn’t they bring Crime Scene into the house?”
“That’s one thing I have on my list to ask them. It’s possible they requested it, and it was denied due to budgetary constraints.”
“That actually happened?”
“Far too often. Perhaps because the body was found elsewhere, they might’ve been told to focus on the park and not on the house.”
“Which played right into the killers’ hands. It’s so weird to be investigating a murder where we know who did it, but we have to prove it.”
“It’s a different day at the office, that’s for sure.”
Freddie came to the captain’s door. “We have a report of a deceased man by Dupont Circle who might’ve been pushed out of a moving vehicle.”
Sam glanced at the captain for guidance.
“Send Gonzales and Green as point and the others to canvass. I need you two here to work on our deadline.”
“Should I pass that on to them?” Freddie asked.
“I’ll do it,” Sam said.
