Page 28 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

“I’m glad you’re in a good mood, because I need to talk to you about that order you gave concerning Stahl’s cold cases.”

“What about it?” he asked, all hints of frivolity gone from his stern tone.

“It’s like this… And I did try to call the captain first. When we received that order, Detective McBride was already far along on an eleven-year-old missing-person case involving a teenage girl. For Jeannie, it became a matter of deciding whether she could live with herself if she didn’t see it through to completion.”

Sam grimaced at Nick, who grinned at the face she made.

“With that in mind,” Sam continued, “Detective McBride is in Richmond with my blessing and believes she’s located Daniella Brown, the friend of Carisma Deasly’s mother who went missing around the same time as Carisma and was widely believed by Carisma’s mother and others who knew them both to be involved in the girl’s disappearance.”

“What are you asking me?”

“I’d like to bring in Jesse Best and let the U.S. Marshals take it from here. With your permission, of course.”

“Now you’re asking for permission, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, sir, and apologizing at the same time. I hope you can understand the way Detective McBride and I felt, knowing she might be close to getting answers for a family that has waited too long for them.”

“I do understand that, but I had a very good reason for telling you to hold off.”

“And I respect that, as does Detective McBride. We aren’t looking to bring any more negative PR down on the department. That’s why we’re asking to call in the marshals. We’re more than fine with them getting the credit for anything that happens next.”

“I’ll authorize the call to the marshals if Detective McBride—and I assume Detective O’Brien—aren’t part of the raid.”

“Understood.”

“I hope you do understand, Lieutenant, that there’re only so many hits this department can take under my watch before the mayor, the city council and the residents begin calling for new leadership. I assume that’s the last thing you’d want to see happen.”

“The very last thing, sir.”

“I expect you and your team to follow my orders, regardless of who we are to each other.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you just saying that to appease me?”

“No, sir. I take your orders seriously, as does Detective McBride. I hope you can empathize with the position she was in, having already done a considerable amount of work toward finding this missing person when the order came down.”

“I do empathize, and I’m not a monster, Lieutenant. I intended the pause on examining Stahl’s cold cases to be temporary, until we get past whatever fresh hell is coming our way in the FBI report.”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad.”

“I’m under no illusions. And while I have you, I should let you know the union is pushing back hard against Sergeant Ramsey’s firing and intends to appeal it in court unless he receives due process.”

Sam couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “They honestly think they have a case when he was caught vandalizing my office?”

“He says he didn’t do it.”

“They have his prints!”

“He says that could’ve happened during the regular course of business as the two of you work together.”

“Anyone who knows either of us is aware that we do not work together.”

“I wanted you to be aware that he may be back on the job while we dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”

“Thanks for the great news.”

“Try not to worry about it. We have other ways of getting rid of troublemakers, and I intend to do whatever it takes to permanently rid us of him as soon as I can.”