situation for a few minutes, she decided to do something she rarely did and called the chief on his cell phone. She saved that card for only the most critical of situations. This certainly counted.
“Hey,” he said when he answered. “What’s up?”
“This is your niece Sam calling her uncle Joe for a work-related personal favor.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Have the zombies arrived and no one told me?”
That made her laugh too. “Not yet, but I’ll let you know if they do. This is about Gonzales.”
“Ah, yes, and the plea deal, I presume?”
“That deal is total bullshit. He was suffering from PTSD after his partner was murdered right in front of him. Rather than charging him with a crime, we ought to be thanking him for his service.”
“You know I completely agree with you, but people found out about it, and now it’s out of my hands.”
“People meaning Ramsey, who’s been digging for shit on my team because of his beef with me.”
“I never heard where the info came from, just that it was credible. It was sent anonymously to the USA’s office. By the time I heard about it, there were already charges pending.”
“Call USA Tom Forrester, Chief. Remind him that Arnold was killed three feet from Gonzo after he let him take the lead for the first time. Gonzo believes he should’ve taken the bullet himself. We have to at least try to fix this.”
“I’ve been talking to Tom and doing what I can. No guarantees.”
“I appreciate the effort. Here’s what I’m thinking: We have Gonzo make a statement, owning what he did and why and going public with the struggles he’s endured since his partner died. It’ll be a big ask of him after everything, but I think he’d do it. So he owns what he did and understands that as a law enforcement officer, he should’ve done better. I think we could spin it in conjunction with Forrester, who could say, in light of Sergeant Gonzales’s long stint in rehab and his distinguished career, as well as the circumstances of his partner’s murder, he’s declining to pursue charges because no one was hurt by what Gonzo did except Gonzo.”
“It’s a good idea. I’ll pitch that to Tom and see what he says.”
“Gonzo might object to playing the sympathy card to avoid charges, but I say it’s worth a shot. I can probably talk him into it.”
“If anyone can, you can.”
“Thank you. I think. And thank you for trying.”
“Anything for you, kid, as long as you never tell anyone I said that.”
“Said what? Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Sam closed the phone and got out of the car as Nick came down the ramp toward her.
From the checkpoint, reporters began shouting questions at them.
“Why aren’t you running?”
“Tell us the truth. Why don’t you want to be president?”
“Any chance you’ll change your mind?”
“Is it because of the Nelson scandals?”
Nick put his arm around Sam and escorted her up the ramp and into the sanctuary of their home.
Sam nodded to Nate, the Secret Service agent working the door, while wondering if her detail would go home for the night or stay outside. She didn’t care enough to ask.
“I was worried when you didn’t come in,” Nick said.
“I was on the phone. Christina called about Gonzo’s plea bargain, asking me to do something to stop it. I called the chief, and he’s going to talk to Forrester again tomorrow.”
“I hope they can work something out, because it’s screwed up that they’re even considering charging him.”
“Agreed.”
“What do you want first? Kids or food?”
“Definitely kids. Are the Littles still awake?”
“Yep. Scotty is reading to them.”
“Let’s go.” As she led the way upstairs, Sam said, “After I close this case, I want a full day with my family. We’ll take them to the farm.”
“Graham was just saying we haven’t been there in too long.”
“Maybe we’ll sleep over at the cabin.” John O’Connor had left Nick a small cabin located a few miles from Graham and Laine’s place in Leesburg. They used it as a getaway from time to time. “I hate that I have so little time with the kids on days like this one.”
“You give them plenty on the other days. Don’t worry. They’re very well loved, and they know it.”
“Keep telling me that.”
“Anytime you need to hear it.”
At the doorway, they stopped to watch as Scotty read to the twins, who were snuggled up on either side of him. Seeing the three of them together always made her heart feel too big