Corrected entry: Sheriff Sam's research on Richie Cusack leads him to wonder if there really is a connection between Tom and the Philadelphia mob. In a scene at the house, Tom and Edie convince him otherwise. Yet days later, Richie is killed in what would be considered a high-profile mob rubout. This should reignite Sam's original suspicion of Tom, in a sense voiding Tom's return to a peaceful life. The movie wants us to believe that Sam will ignore the fact that Tom is an obvious suspect in Richie's killing.
Twotall
20th Jul 2006
Correction: We never see what happens after Tom returns home to his family either. It is left up to the imagination, so it might very well be that Sam would come after Tom. To say that "the movie wants us to believe Sam will ignore this" is the submitter's own interpretation of the last, ambiguous scene in the film.
Twotall