“May we have your permission to search Angelo’s room for evidence and to make sure there aren’t lethal pills still in your home?”

“The thought of strangers in my home, going through his things…”

“They’re police officers, ma’am. They do this all the time and will be respectful of your home and Angelo’s possessions.”

“You really think this is necessary?”

“I’m sorry, but I do. If we find the pills, we may not need to exhume him.”

“That would be a blessing, I suppose. Okay, you can do it.”

“Thank you, and I’m sorry again to put you through this on top of losing your son.” Sam stepped into the hallway to make the call to Haggerty. “I’ve got another possible crime scene.”

Gonzo arranged for Patrol to take Mrs. Diaz to her sister’s home in New Carrollton, Maryland.

“What the hell is happening?” Haggerty asked Sam when he and three of his officers arrived at the Diaz home. “I left the rest of my team at the Newells’, making sure there weren’t more pills to be found.”

“We’re up to five sudden ODs that I know of, and I expect to find more before we’re done.”

“Is one of them your brother-in-law?”

“Yeah, but that’s not public knowledge.”

“I understand. We’ll get going and let you know what we find in both places.”

“There might be more after this.”

“Argh. You’re killing me.”

Sam laughed. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right. We’ll get it done.”

Back in the car, Sam gave Vernon the address for the White family and then called Captain Andrews. “It’s Holland,” she said when he answered with a terse, “Andrews.”

“What’s up?”

“We might need a body exhumed, and I’ve never had to do that before. I’m not sure what the steps are.”

“I’ll have to look into that and get back to you.”

“Thanks.” The phone line went dead. “Wow. Everyone is so happy to hear from me.” She made a joke, but inside, it pained her to realize her colleagues resented her for whatever reason. It could be any number of reasons. Such as her successful case close rate, her personal relationship with the captain and chief, her new role as first lady, the fact that she was a woman in a job still considered male territory. Who knew?

Each person with a beef probably had a different reason. Such as Offenbach, who blamed her for outing his affair—and the ensuing demise of his marriage—when he was the one having sex with someone who wasn’t his wife when he was supposed to be at a work conference. So, yeah, that was her fault.

Whatever.

People needed to grow the fuck up and get over themselves. She opened her messages and composed a text to Malone. When are you coming back?

Soon, I hope.

Good. I need you.

What’s up?

I might need to exhume a body and have no clue what’s involved.

Get a warrant to cover your ass.

How do I do that? You always do it for me…