Read Fatal Flaw for Free Online Page A

was collateral damage. Since Daniel was as squeaky clean as it gets, my money is on Carl.”
    “The guy was totally innocuous. Who’d want him dead?”
    “I have no freaking clue,” she said.
    Joseph Alvarez was waiting for them when they returned to HQ.
    Sam’s stomach clenched the way it used to when she was strung out on diet cola.
    “Lieutenant,” Joseph said, his face lined with grief and exhaustion. “Tell me you’ve figured out who killed my Danny.”
    “Come into my office, Mr. Alvarez.”
    She gestured for him to have a seat and leaned back against her desk. “I wish I could tell you we have something, but we don’t.”
    His face fell with disappointment, which tugged at her. He’d already had more than his share.
    “We suspect this wasn’t a random crime, but rather something planned and calculated. We believe one of them was targeted and the other was in the wrong place at the wrong time. What we don’t know is what either of them could’ve done to bring this about. From all reports, both were well liked and respected. Mr. Olivo was low-key and tended to keep to himself.” She took a deep breath. “I’m afraid we’ve hit a dead end. We don’t have a shred of evidence pointing to a third person in that kitchen last night.”
    Dejected, he looked down at his feet. “So the person who did this to my Danny could get away with it?”
    “Not if I have anything to say about it. I’d like to go through Danny’s room. While it might seem invasive, we need to do it anyway. If he has a computer, we’ll remove it for analysis. It would be quicker to have your permission so we don’t have to get a warrant.”
    “Whatever it takes.”
    “We’ll work every angle we can, but we’ll never give up. I promise you that.”
    “I’ve read about you in the paper. I know how tenacious you can be.”
    “I’ll put that tenacity to good use on Danny’s case, and I’ll keep you informed of every development. I’ll do my best for you, Mr. Alvarez, and for Danny.”
    “I suppose I can’t ask for anything more than that.”
    After he left, Sam stood there for a long time rethinking every second since she arrived at Carl’s just after midnight. Finally, she turned and called for Freddie.
     
     
    They tore apart Daniel Alvarez’s bedroom as well as the basement computer room where he liked to hang out. The computer was sent to the lab for further scrutiny, but they found nothing else that would be useful to the investigation. Unlike many of his peers, Daniel had no deep dark secrets he kept hidden from his father. Sam was relieved they didn’t find anything that would add to Joseph’s grief, but the search hadn’t done a thing to further the investigation.
    They had similar luck—or lack thereof—at Carl Olivo’s small house. All his paperwork was in perfect order. The house was neat and tidy and held absolutely no hints to explain why someone might want him dead.
    Defeated and running on fumes after the night without sleep, Sam and Freddie returned to HQ to relieve Gonzo and Arnold who’d spent the day opening Sam’s mail. The grand total, at the end of the long day, was 4,132. More than thirty-five hundred cards had been sent to Nick’s office, the rest to Sam’s. Not one of the other 4,131 cards had contained a threat—thinly veiled or otherwise.
    “Is it weird that I read maybe ten of the cards that were sent to me and managed to find the single threatening one?” Sam asked Freddie as they polished off a pizza just after nine.
    “You think someone put it right on top where you were sure to see it?”
    “It’s possible.”
    “Which would mean it came from someone here. Who else besides Lieutenant Stahl would do something like that to you?”
    “No one probably, but who knows? Someone could’ve walked in the front door, handed the card to an admin who dropped it on my desk. Or handed it to any cop and asked them to give it to me. Because of the wedding, no one would think twice about