“McBride and Gonzales, I want you to talk to Brody, Hoda and Nico before their arraignments this morning and find out anything they know about Billy Springer. They were friends with his brother—at least Hoda and Brody were. Nico might know something too. Get me anything you can.”

“On it,” Gonzo said as he and Jeannie headed for lockup.

“We’re going to talk to Brooke,” Sam said to her partner. Because she hadn’t gotten around to eating breakfast, she said, “Bring me one of those circles of fat and don’t you dare say a word about the fact that I’m eating it. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They got their coats and walked out to Sam’s car. When they were buckled in, Freddie silently handed her the doughnut wrapped up in a napkin.

Sam took the first bite and nearly moaned from the pleasure of the sugar and grease exploding on her tongue. Aware of the half hour she’d given the vice commander to rally his troops, Sam drove faster than she should have through the city’s congested streets.

“Can you even believe this crap?” Freddie asked.

“Farnsworth told me it was because of the huge investment they’ve made in the undercover operation.”

“He let this guy get away because of money?”

“It’s more complicated than either of us can possibly understand. The chief is under a lot of pressure to justify the city’s investment in the department, and if they didn’t get a successful prosecution out of all the hours that went into that investigation, it could affect what we get next year.”

“Still, the guy killed nine kids. How is money more important than that?”

“They asked for one night to finish their investigation.”

“I’d really like to know how they managed to lose him.”

“So would I. You gotta figure they’re not having the best day of their careers.”

“Yeah. True. Is this going to turn into a big scandal?”

“Not if I can help it.” Sam figured she had about twelve hours before it would blow up into a scandal. Too many people knew they’d let Billy Springer get away. Someone who was looking to get Farnsworth fired, who had an ax to grind, who was looking to get ahead in their careers could blow the lid off the whole mess. As much as she liked to think the department was one big happy family, it was also a very dysfunctional family full of hidden agendas and ulterior motives.

At the hospital, they hustled into the ICU where they learned that Brooke had been moved to a regular room. By the time they found it, they’d used twenty-five of the thirty minutes she’d given the vice commander.