06 Fatal Mistake Read Free Page B

that.”
    “True.”
    “And since I can’t live without her...all the talk might be a moot point.”
    “What’s a moot point? What does that mean?”
    “It means there’s probably no point in talking about it when it can’t really happen without Sam being on board.”
    The divider window opened and Eric turned in the passenger seat to face them. “Sorry for the delay, Senator. We’re stuck in traffic.”
    “Any word on the game?”
    “It’s over. The Feds went down swinging in the bottom of the ninth.”
    Scotty let out a tortured groan. “We were so close.”
    “They’ll be talking about this one for years to come,” Eric said with a sympathetic smile for Scotty.
    “Poor Willie,” Scotty said. “He must be so upset.”
    “I’m sure he is,” Nick agreed.
    “I’m going to write him a letter. When we get home, I’m going to write to him and tell him I don’t blame him. Accidents happen, even to Major League ballplayers.”
    Nick’s heart swelled with love. “I think that’s a brilliant idea, buddy.”
    They shared a smile that made him so very grateful for the boy who was now his son. Soon enough the adoption would be official. Nick couldn’t wait for that day.
    * * *
    Sam arrived at HQ pissed off about being called into work on a night she’d planned to spend with her guys. They got so few free nights together, especially during Nick’s campaign, that she tended to be greedy about every one. She sauntered into the situation room where Chief Farnsworth, Deputy Chief Conklin and Detective Captain Malone were consulting with the lieutenants who ran the Special Response Team and Patrol Division.
    She took a seat next to Detectives Dani Carlucci and Giselle “Gigi” Dominguez, the two third-shift officers under her command. “Well, this blows, huh?” Sam said.
    “You said it, LT,” Gigi said. “All over a stupid baseball game.”
    “Too bad people don’t go nuts over homelessness or something that matters,” Dani added.
    “I was just saying that same thing to Christina,” Gonzo said as he took a seat behind them.
    Freddie came in with Detectives Arnold, McBride and Tyrone.
    “The gang’s all here,” Sam said, nodding to each of her detectives.
    “The Feds have lost the game,” Farnsworth announced to groans. “The Special Response Team is handling crowd control in and around the stadium along with the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies who were already on standby in case we needed them. It’s my belief that we’re going to need them tonight. Everyone listen up as Deputy Chief Conklin hands out assignments.”
    Conklin gave out the special radio channel the Operations team would monitor during the night and mentioned the cameras the Special Response Team had trained on the stadium were showing increasing unrest in the area. He went through the roster, doling out orders. Everyone became a patrol officer on a night like this, when the city was overtaken by the unruly masses working out their frustrations over a game gone wrong.
    “That’s it, people,” Conklin concluded, after he’d given other tactical instructions. “Let’s hit the streets and be careful out there.”
    Sam waited until the others filed out of the room to approach the brass. Her partner, Freddie Cruz, had been sent out with McBride and Tyrone, leaving with a quizzical look for Sam.
    “You forgot someone,” Sam said to Conklin.
    “No, I didn’t.” He glanced at Farnsworth. “I’ll let you handle this one, sir.”
    Farnsworth waited until Conklin and Malone left the room before he met Sam’s intent gaze.
    “What gives?” she asked.
    “I need you here, helping with command and dispatch.”
    “With all due respect, sir, that’s a bunch of happy horseshit. Tell me what’s really going on.”
    His steel gray eyes hardened. “I could point out that you’re being insubordinate, Lieutenant Holland. Again.”
    “You could but you won’t. What’s the real story? Why am I being wrapped in