“I want him alive,” Sam said. “Put out the word. I know he had something to do with my dad’s shooting. He’s no good to us dead.”

“You got it, L.T.”

She checked her watch. Ten after midnight. She’d been up almost twenty-four hours and was starting to feel muzzy around the edges. “Release first shift now. Let second shift go at four. Get everyone back to HQ by eight to regroup. We’ll divide the resources—half on Reese, the other half on Sinclair. Everything else is back burner for now. Any sign of Reese, I want a call.”

“I’ll put out the word, and I’ll be over there as soon as I can. Everyone wants to come.”

“I’d rather you went home and got some sleep.” She glanced at Christina across the waiting room and wondered why she was still there since Nick had left. And then it dawned on her—Christina was hoping Gonzo would show up. Sam wasn’t about to tell him his “girlfriend” was waiting for him.

“I’m not sleeping until Cruz is out of the woods.”

Knowing there was no point in arguing since she agreed with him, she said, “I’ll see you when you get here.”

She closed the phone and found her father watching her.

“What does Reese have to do with my case?”

Her stomach clenched with pain. “Let’s go out in the hallway.”

Leaving Celia to comfort Freddie’s mother, Skip followed her out of the room.

Sam willed herself to stay calm, to take deep breaths, and to keep her stomach out of the equation.

Skip looked up at her expectantly. “Tell me.”

“We found stuff in his house. Newspaper articles, pictures—”

“About the shooting?”

She nodded.

“And when were you planning to tell me this?”

“When I knew more. I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I was sure.”

“It’s a good thing I can’t throttle you right now.”

“For what? Wanting to protect you from more disappointment?”

“I want him caught, Sam. I really do. But once he’s behind bars, I’ll still be in this chair. Nothing’s going to change for me.”

“How can you stand knowing he’s out there living his life when you’re trapped in hell? How can you stand it?”

“What choice do I have? I’ve got the best detective in this city looking for the guy. I know she’s going to get him one of these days. Beyond that, I don’t give it much thought to be honest with you.”

She stared at him. What was with the men in her life tonight? “You don’t give it much thought?” Tossing up her hands, she said, “It’s all I think about.”

“That’s because you have the ability to actually do something about it. I don’t.”