Page 27 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

The captain followed her back to the pit.

Sam dropped off the water for Mr. Tappen in the conference room and told him she’d be back in a minute. She pulled the tickets she’d taken off the van out of her coat pocket and handed them to Malone. “These were on the van where Mrs. Tappen’s body was found. If you look at the dates, you’ll see that over the course of the weekend, Patrol officers left two tickets, but apparently, neither of them looked inside the van. She might’ve been found sooner if they’d bothered to look.”

Frowning, he took the tickets from her. “I’ll take care of it.”

A young Patrol officer came into the pit. “Lieutenant, we have Justin and Lucas Tappen here to see you and their father.”

“Please bring them to the conference room.”

Sam took off her coat, intending to stash it in her office, but stopped short when she realized the door was open. “Someone’s been in here. I locked it when I left earlier, and no one else has a key but you.”

“Step back.” Malone went to Freddie’s cubicle, found a ruler and used it to push the door open. With his flashlight, he revealed that the office had been tossed. Paper, files, framed photos and awards she’d received on the job were scattered on the floor. Glass had been broken, and the awards were in pieces. “Motherfucker.”

Her heart ached at the sight of the photo of her and her dad on the floor, shattered, as if someone had slammed it to the floor. “Do you think it was a coincidence that Ramsey was here late on a Monday night, and then we discover this?”

“We don’t believe in coincidences.”

Chapter Six

While Malone waited for Crime Scene detectives to comb through the carnage in her office, Sam returned to the conference room to check on Mr. Tappen.

“My sons should be here soon.”

“They’re here. One of our officers is bringing them in. Please allow me to tell them about their mother.”

He nodded, and judging from the puffiness of his eyes and face, he’d been weeping while he was alone in the room.

Her heart went out to him as he absorbed the terrible shock that came with a loved one’s murder. One minute, he’d been making dinner at home, and the next, his entire life—and his children’s—had been turned upside down.

Two handsome, dark-haired young men were brought into the room by a patrolman.

“Justin and Lucas, this is Lieutenant Holland,” Mr. Tappen said.

“You’re the first lady, right?” Justin, the younger of the two boys, asked.

“That’s right. Can you come in and have a seat?”

“Why are we here, Dad?” Lucas asked, eyeing her with curiosity.

“It’s about Mom,” Bob said when the two boys were seated next to each other.

“What about her?” Justin asked, his gaze moving between his father and Sam.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you that your mother was found dead today,” Sam said, having learned getting right to the point was the best strategy in these cases.

Justin’s eyes filled as he looked to his father for confirmation. “Is it true, Dad? She… She’s dead?”

Bob nodded and reached for his younger son, who broke down into sobs.

Lucas looked down at the table while his brother’s heartbroken sobs filled the room. “What happened to her?” Lucas asked, glancing up at Sam with torment in his expression.

“She was found bound and gagged in the back of her van, which was parked in Southeast.”

Hearing that, Lucas dropped his head into his hands. “Do you know who did it?”

“Not yet,” Sam said. “We’re in the earliest stages of the investigation.”

“Does Molly know?” Justin asked.