with them all afternoon—can you please make arrangements to have them arrested?”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
“Who’s gonna do those reports?”
Sam sent him a salty look. “Who do you think?”
“Why did I know you were going to say that?”
“Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?”
“What am I charging them with?”
“Obstructing a homicide investigation by lying for their friend.”
“I’ll take care of it. Does this mean we’ve found Ginny’s killer?”
“I believe we have—along with most of the money she stole from her victims.”
“I thought the Feds couldn’t find it.”
“They couldn’t, but Green did.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
“It is, and it’s just what we need right now.”
“No kidding. All right, let me go start arresting people.”
“It’s going to be that kind of day. We’re charging Ken Sr. and possibly Mandi too. Stand by for paperwork.”
“I’m standing by,” he said. “I live to serve you.”
“That’s why you’re the best partner I ever had.”
“Yeah, yeah, save the charm, Lieutenant. I’ll still do your paperwork whether you charm me or not.”
“I am rather charming when I’m about to arrest a bunch of scumbags.”
“Arresting scumbags does bring out the best in you.”
A red-faced young Patrol officer appeared in the doorway to her office. “Mr. McLeod is in interview two, Lieutenant. My partner is watching him.”
“Thank you, Officer…”
“Daniels, ma’am.”
“Officer Daniels. Appreciate the assist.”
“I’d say it was no problem, but Mr. McLeod put up one hell of a fight.”
“Guilty people tend to put up the biggest fights.” Sam couldn’t wait to square off with Mr. McLeod. After Officer Daniels took off, Sam said to Freddie, “I’m taking Green in with me. He did some great work on this case.”
“He does great work on all of them.”
“I like to spread things around when I can.”
“No worries. I’ll be buried in paperwork.”
“You’re a good sport, Freddie Cruz.”
“I have to be to put up with the likes of you,” he tossed over his shoulder as he left the office.
Sam picked up her folders and notes and prepared for battle. “Green!”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“You’re with me. Let’s go.”
Cameron seemed surprised, but he responded quickly, walking with her to interview one.
“Follow my lead,” Sam said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sam burst into the room, once again startling Mandi. That never got old.
“Can I leave now?” Mandi asked.
“Not so fast.”
“Why not? I told you I didn’t do anything.”
“Well, you lied to us.”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, Mandi, you did.” Sam put the cell phone report in front of Mandi. “See this? The proof is in the pings.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Your cell phone disproves your story.”
“What? How?”
“Look here.” Sam pointed to the ping at Mandi’s dorm. “That’s you at one o’clock on Sunday afternoon.” She pointed to a different ping. “That’s you at two thirty at the hardware store near your parents’ home. That’s you at your parents’ home, and then that’s you back at campus at three thirty. You had a busy afternoon.”
“I told you I went to the store and my parents’ house after my brother called me in a panic.”
Sam put yet another report in front of Mandi. “That’s a printout of your incoming calls for Sunday between noon and five p.m. There’s no call from your brother, but interestingly, there’re two from your father.” Sam took the cap off a highlighter and colored the two numbers.
Mandi looked down at the pages and swallowed hard.
“What I’d like to know is why you pointed the finger at your brother for a crime you know your father committed?”
“I… He… My father… He threatened me.”
“Threatened you how?”
“He said he’d tell everyone that I knew where the money was all along unless I did everything I could to protect him.”
“Including implicating your brother?”
“His instructions were very clear. By any means necessary. He would’ve ruined my life if he told people that I knew where the money was and never said anything.”
“Even though it was true, right? You knew where it was and never said anything.”
Mandi broke down. “I didn’t know that until after the charges were filed. I pleaded with her to do the right thing, to return the money, but she just kept saying that wasn’t the plan. We had to stick with the plan. Except it wasn’t my plan. It was hers, and when I deposited those cashier checks in the Cayman Islands, I didn’t know where the money came from. If I’d known…”
“What would you have done?” Green asked.
She swiped at the tears that slid down her cheeks. “I… I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have done that to our family and friends. She… She was my mother. She