“Just that he took his frustration out on things rather than people.”

“Based on that and the financial report, I’d say he had some sort of stake in the game beyond the obvious professional interest.”

“It’s a thought worth pursuing. Collins mentioned the restraining order Willie had against Carmen’s brother. I took the liberty of asking my deputy to look into that further. I’ll let you know what we uncover.”

Sam wasn’t sure how she felt about him taking liberties with her investigation, but she chose not to express the thought since he had been quite helpful.

“We also need to take a look at Rick Lind,” Hill said.

“The closer? How come?”

“From all reports he was infuriated about Vasquez missing the catch, which put the loss and blown save on Lind’s record.”

“How infuriated?”

“He made firewood out of some of the furniture in the locker room and was ranting for quite some time after the game. Lots of witnesses.”

“We’ll talk to him after the meeting.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

How did she tell him she did mind? The less time she spent with him the better—for everyone involved. “We’ve got it from here. I really appreciate your help with Jestings and the team yesterday, but you’ve probably got better things to be doing than dealing with dead ballplayers.”

“Not at the moment. Things are kind of slow in my office.”

Before Sam could come up with a polite way to give him the brush-off, Freddie came in looking completely wiped out.

“Did you sleep at all?” she asked.

“A few minutes here and there. Carmen’s brother, parents, aunts and cousins got in around five. I was up all night with her. It was a tough night.”

“Her brother is here? Which one?”

“Eduardo.”

“Oh,” Sam said, disappointed. Too bad it wasn’t Marco. That would’ve made things easier for her. “Go home.”

He eyed Hill suspiciously. Her partner didn’t like the agent any more than her husband did. “That’s okay. I can put in a few more hours.”

“No need. We’ve got everyone else back at full speed today. Get some sleep and report back tomorrow morning.”

“All right. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“So,” Hill said after Freddie walked away, “looks like you’re in need of a partner for the day.”

“Looks like.” She headed for the conference room, determined to ignore him and the weirdness that lingered between them to focus on the job.

“Lieutenant,” Jeannie McBride called from the pit.

“What’s up?”

“They found Vasquez’s car—or what’s left of it.”

“Where?”

“On New York Avenue. IT got a hit on his cell phone that led to the car. It’s been pretty well picked over apparently.”

Great, Sam thought. “Let’s get CSU up there to process it. Do they have it roped off?”

“Yes, I asked.”