“I’m from Massapequa on Long Island. I got separated from my mom at a bus station in the city when I was nine, and they took me. My mom is Allison Tattorelli. People call her Alli.”

“Do you remember her phone number?”

“I remember it started with 516, but I can’t remember the rest.”

“We’ll find her, honey,” Sam said, her heart breaking for the girls and their families and the ordeal they’d endured. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Detective Cruz will be here if you need anything.”

She got up and left the conference room, shutting the door behind her. In her office, she dropped into the chair behind her desk and took a moment to get her emotions in check before she called Ginger’s parents. It was a phone call she couldn’t wait to make but also dreaded at the same time.

Gonzo and Hill appeared at her door.

“Everything okay?” Gonzo asked.

“The girls we brought in from the motel were abducted years ago.”

“Oh, God,” Gonzo said. “What can I do to help?”

Sam handed him the paper on which she’d written down the information about Amber’s mother. “Can you find me a number for Allison Tattorelli in Massapequa, New York?”

He took the paper. “I’m on it.”

“What can I do?” Hill asked.

“Find me a connection between the Capitol Motor Inn and Elle Kopelsman. One of the girls was able to put her with Lind before he was killed. The other one was probably the last to see Willie alive.”

“He was there too?”

“He was a regular, just like Lind. Anything on the financials for Elle or Ray?”

“Nothing that stands out, but it’s a complicated maze. You were right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The paper is hanging by a thread, and it’s dragging the rest of the family’s holdings down with it.”

“She would’ve been desperate to protect her father’s legacy. She would’ve gone to any lengths to keep what he left her.” Sam’s spine tingled with the feeling she got whenever she was on to something. Everything was leading back to Elle Kopelsman Jestings.

“How would killing the ballplayers who lost the game for the team protect her father’s legacy?”

“It wouldn’t,” Sam said, more certain by the second that she was right about this. “But she would’ve been infuriated that they lost a game they should’ve won. She needed that win more than anyone else, and she would’ve blamed them for letting it get away.” Sam snapped her fingers. “The goons!”

“What?” Hill asked, startled by the shift in conversation.