Free Fatal Scandal: Book Eight of the Fatal Series by Marie Force Page A

releasing a deep breath. “I’m sorry to bother you.”
    “You didn’t. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.”
    She glanced again at the closed door. “He listens to you.”
    Sam nodded. “We go way back.” He’d been a huge part of her life growing up, as an adopted uncle. The chief and his wife had been unable to have children of their own. Sam and her sisters, among others, had helped to fill the void for them. Since she joined the department almost fourteen years ago, the two of them had worked hard to maintain a professional relationship in addition to the personal one.
    Sam knocked on the door and entered to find the chief along with Deputy Chief Conklin, Captain Malone and all the lieutenants. Wow, he’d called in the troops. She nodded to Archie and Higgins from the Bomb Squad. When had he made lieutenant? She scowled at Davidson and ended up in a seat next to Vice Squad Lieutenant Cole McDonald. Awesome.
    She and McDonald had locked horns at the end of the Springer case when his compromised narc investigation had fucked up her homicide investigation.
    “Is everyone here?” Farnsworth asked Conklin, who took a look around the assembled group and then nodded. “Thank you all for coming in on a holiday. I appreciate it very much. As you know, the department—and me in particular—is under fire for our handling of the Springer case. Bill Springer is channeling his grief over losing two sons into a witch hunt aimed squarely at this department and this office.”
    As Farnsworth spoke, McDonald looked down at his hands, which were twitching on his lap.
    He ought to be twitching. His fuckup had led to a nightmare for the department and the chief. Well, if she were being entirely fair rather than only outraged, he was probably as upset about it as anyone. Sam raised her hand.
    “Holland.”
    “I’m wondering if we have any more information about how the narc investigation was compromised.”
    Beside her McDonald froze, his discomfort and anger palpable.
    Sam knew she was an asshole for blindsiding her fellow lieutenant with the question, but one of her best officers had nearly died because of his team’s screwup, and she wanted answers.
    “McDonald?” the chief said. “What’ve you got?”
    “We’re continuing our internal investigation. I’ve spoken with every member of the undercover team in-depth, and no one had contact with Springer or any of our other marks the night before the shoot-out in Friendship Heights.”
    “So we still don’t know how he found out we were focused on him for the homicides?” Sam asked.
    “No.” McDonald spoke through gritted teeth. “We don’t.”
    “It’s been six weeks—”
    “I know how fucking long it’s been,” McDonald lashed back at her. “Do you think this isn’t on my mind every fucking minute of every fucking day?”
    “McDonald,” Malone said. “Take a goddamn breath.”
    “I’m breathing just fine, Captain. We’re doing everything we can to get to the bottom of what happened that night, but I don’t yet have the answers we all want and need. I wish I did.” He paused before he added, “You should know, myself and a couple of my guys have been receiving death threats. We suspect they’re coming from the other members of Springer’s posse who’re still in the wind after the investigation went to shit.”
    Farnsworth’s face looked like it had been carved from stone as everyone waited to hear what he would say. “How long have you been receiving death threats?”
    “Almost from the beginning.”
    “And you’re just now mentioning them?”
    “We know how to take care of ourselves, Chief. We’re not looking to make it into a bigger deal than it already is. These guys aren’t going to show their faces in this city again anytime soon. They know we’re looking for them.”
    “I want a full report, with details and specifics, about each of the death threats, as well as who has received them, by the end of the day,” Conklin