“We just heard you were outside,” Vernon said, seeming perturbed. “We should’ve been there with you.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s okay this time, but try to remember in the future,” Vernon said. “We try to leave you alone when you’re in the building, but we need to know when you go outside.”

“I’ll do better. Sorry again.”

“It’s okay.” He gave her a side-eyed look and a smile. “This time.”

As they returned to the pit, Sam picked over the infuriating details of a case that had been more baffling than most from the outset. These dealers were like ghosts, operating on the fringes of society, always available when someone wanted their product, but impossible to find otherwise.

She stopped short in her tracks. “We need to send someone out looking to buy pain pills.” Entering the pit, she called for Freddie.

He popped up in his cubicle. “You bellowed?”

“Come with me.”

He followed her into her office.

“One of us needs to go looking for Oxy on the street.”

“You’re not asking me to do that, are you?”

“Get Gonzo on the phone, and let’s make a plan.”

For the first time since Spencer’s untimely death last weekend, she felt like maybe she had an idea that might work.

When Gonzo answered his phone, Freddie told him, “The LT has a big idea she wants to run by you.”

“What’s that?”

“One of us needs to go undercover to score street Oxy.”

“And you’re bringing me in on that because I know how it’s done?”

“Maybe,” Sam said, “but it’s not going to be you who does it.”

“I might be the best one. You know, the former junkie who’s relapsed. I could sell that.”

“I’m not risking your sobriety for this, Gonzo.”

“There’d be no risk. I have zero desire to go back to that life.”

“Won’t they question the timing?” Freddie asked. “We’re making pleas for info about people dealing laced Oxy, and suddenly our sergeant is off the wagon and looking to score?”

“That’s a good point,” Gonzo said.

“It needs to be someone they don’t know is a cop,” Freddie said.

“I have a thought,” Sam said. “Officer Charles. No one would attach her to me or us or even the department if we play this right.”

“I assume you’ll bring Narcotics in on this,” Gonzo said.

“Definitely. I want every base covered if I send her into this hornet’s nest.”

“I think it could work,” Gonzo said. “I’ll give her some of my contacts, and she can reach out, since none of them got back to me.”

“I’ve got to clear this with Malone—and with her—so hold off until you hear back from me. DEA Agent Kevin Kavanaugh is coming in to meet with us in an hour if you want to join us.”

“I’d like to,” Gonzo said, “but I forgot Alex has a tumbling class this morning. I’ve missed the last two, so I was hoping to catch this one.”