Chapter Ten
Shelby left Sam and Nick’s home, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Nick had been nothing but supportive and happy for her. Knowing what Sam had been through with her history of miscarriages, Shelby had dreaded telling them about her baby. Thinking about how and when to tell them had taken some of the excitement out of it for her.
Now she felt like she had permission to wallow in the joy that had filled her from the moment she first heard the incredible news from the fertility doctor she’d been working with for more than a year now. With Nick taking care of telling Sam, Shelby had one more person she needed to tell, and she was equally anxious about how her news would go over with Avery Hill.
The sexy FBI agent was a big part of her exciting new life as the personal assistant to the vice president and his amazing and accomplished wife. She’d met Avery through Sam and had been immediately attracted to him. Thinking about the day he’d come to interview her fertility doctor as part of a homicide investigation and found her in the waiting room could still make Shelby cringe all this time later.
The way she’d gone after him and asked him out for coffee was mortifying. She’d blamed it then on the hormones and the emotional wallop of pursuing her goal of having a baby for the out-of-character pursuit of a man who seemed well out of her league. Or so she’d thought until she got to know him better and found that he suited her in many of the most important ways.
He’d known from that day forward that she was trying to have a baby. They’d talked infrequently about her side “project” while they continued to spend more and more time together, so she honestly had no idea what to expect from him when she finally shared her news.
She drove to the Adams Morgan neighborhood where he lived and spent fifteen minutes trying to find a parking space. Everyone was home today with it being a holiday, and parking spots were in short supply. Luckily, her tiny pink Mini Cooper fit into the one spot she was able to find. The three-block walk to Avery’s place gave her time to collect herself and prepare for whatever might happen during this long overdue conversation.
Since she’d texted him to ask if it was okay to stop by, she wasn’t surprised when the door swung open as she came up the stone steps to his townhouse.
“Come in.” He swooped her into the heated warmth of his gorgeous home. Everything about this guy reeked of style and class, two things Shelby appreciated tremendously. “What’re you doing out in this freezing cold weather?”
“Coming to see you,” she said, smiling at him even as her nerves went wild when she thought about what she’d come to tell him. At some point over the last few months, she’d become rather attached to the sexy devil and would hate to lose him. Shelby followed him into the cozy den where he spent most of his time at home. She went straight to the fireplace to warm her hands over the flame. “I love this room.”
“So do I. The rest of the house is sort of wasted space. As you know, I use this, the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. That’s about it.”
“Still, it was a good investment that you’ll never regret.” She’d helped him shop for a place to live when he’d been made the director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Unit. This had been their favorite of all the places they’d looked at.
“Come sit,” he said, extending his hand to her.
Shelby crossed the room to join him on the soft leather sofa that she’d also helped him to pick out. His e-reader sat on the coffee table, open to the biography on J. Edgar Hoover that he’d been reading lately.
He put his arm around her and brought her in for a lingering kiss. “Hi there,” he said.
“Hey there.” She never got tired of looking at that face with the amazing cheekbones, the sensual lips, the golden eyes. Don’t even get her started on that South Carolina accent.
“This is a nice surprise.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She’d wanted some time to herself so she’d gone home after their midnight celebration last night, and they hadn’t made plans for today. “You’re enjoying your day off?”
“For the moment. I’m waiting for a call from our favorite lieutenant to consult on a case, but as usual, she’s dragging her feet where I’m concerned.”
“You’ll hear from her if she’s supposed to call you.”
“I’m sure I’m dead last on her to-do list, but she’s got a hot one that’s getting hotter by the minute.”
“What happened?”
“The mother of Gonzo’s child was murdered.”
“Oh my God. They don’t think he had anything to do with it, do they?”
“No, but the media is reporting that he’s the primary suspect and quoting MPD sources.”
“Come on,” Shelby said. “They can’t honestly think he’d do that.”
“They don’t, but a ‘well-placed MPD source’ apparently does.”
“Wow. That’s crazy. Sam must be furious.”
“I can only imagine, but something tells me you didn’t come here to talk about Sam.”
“No, not really.”
“Is something wrong, Shelby?”
“Not at all. Something is actually really right, and I’m so excited to tell you about it.”
“What is it?”
“You know that ‘project’ I’ve been working on since we met?”
“The baby project?”
“That’s the one. It seems that it’s been successful.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“That’s great news. Congratulations. I know how much you’ve wanted that.”
“What does this mean for us, Avery?”
“I don’t know. What do you think it means?”
“I fear that it means you’ll be running for the hills, since you didn’t sign on for a package deal.”
“Didn’t I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t I know from the beginning that this was a possibility?”
“Well, yeah, I guess so, but that doesn’t mean I expect you to be part of it. Unless you want to be, that is.”
“Is there any chance this baby is mine, Shelby?”
“I...I suppose there’s a chance.”
“Then I’d say I’m part of it.”
“And if it isn’t yours?”
“I’m still part of it if you want me to be.”
“I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I don’t feel obligated. I feel...sort of excited actually.”
“You do?” Despite her fervent desire to get through this without them, tears filled her eyes anyway. “You’re not just saying that?”
“Shelby,” he said with a chuckle as he drew her in closer to him, “I’m not just saying that.” With his lips close to her ear, he said, “Every time we made love without protection, I knew what could happen. I’ve known all along what you wanted, and I hoped maybe I could be the one to give it to you.”
She rested her hand on her chest. “I think my heart just stopped for a second there.”
“What do you think this has been about all this time?”
“I wasn’t sure. We don’t really talk about it.”
“No,” he said with a sigh, “we don’t, and that’s my fault mostly.”
“How so?”
He hesitated, sighed and sat up straighter. “If I tell you, you might not want to be with me anymore.”
“I’ll still want to be with you.”
“You should wait until you hear what I have to say.”
“Are you married? Gay? Really a woman?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No to all of the above.”
“Then what could be so bad?”
After another long pause during which she wanted to beg him to just tell her what was on his mind so they could move forward, he said, “Long before I ever met you and before I knew she was married, I sort of had a thing for Sam.”
“Sam, my Sam?”
“Yeah.”
Shelby pulled back from him as a thousand disturbing thoughts riffled through her mind one right after the other. “Is that why you started seeing me? To stay close to her?”
“Had nothing to do with it. I just happened to meet you through her. That was the full extent of it.” He took hold of her hand. “Think about all the time we’ve spent alone together. Think about the hours we’ve spent in bed together, the nights you’ve slept in my arms, the time we’ve spent watching TV, making dinner, hanging with Scotty. What did any of that have to do with her?”
“Were you ever going to tell me you’d had feelings for her?”
“I’m telling you now.”
Filled with disbelief, Shelby blew out a breath. “Now, months after this started, you tell me you had a thing for my boss and close friend. That’s kind of a sin of omission, Avery.”
“When would’ve been a good time to tell you? When could I have told you when you wouldn’t have thought exactly what you’re thinking right now, that I used you to get closer to her?”
“Did you?”
“No! You and I have nothing to do with her other than the fact that we both work with her.”
“This is why Nick doesn’t like you.” So many things came into sharp focus in the span of a few seconds. “They know, don’t they? They both know this, and no one told me. God, how big of a fool could I possibly be?” She pulled free of his grasp and got up, her legs wobbling under her until she recovered her bearings. “I...I have to go.”
“Shelby, come on. Stay here and let’s talk about this.” As he spoke, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and swore under his breath. “Please don’t go.”
“Take the call. I can see myself out.”
“Shelby, honey, please. Stay and talk to me.”
She wanted to tell him not to call her that, but the words got stuck on the huge lump in her throat. Blinded by tears, she rushed out of his house and tripped on the last stair, falling to her hands and knees on the sidewalk.
The impact took her breath away as searing pain from her knees and palms tore sobs from her chest.
Avery came running down the stairs. “Shelby! Are you okay?”
She wanted to fight him off, to tell him to go to hell, but he scooped her up as if she were weightless and carried her back into the house. “God, honey, you’re bleeding.”
She was also crying too hard to speak. Her heart ached almost as badly as her knees did.
Avery deposited her on one of the stools in his kitchen, carefully placing her legs on the next stool. “Hang on just a second. Let me get the first aid kit.” He went into another room and when he returned, he was on the phone, speaking in a clipped tone.
“Get to HQ and see what’s needed.” After a pause he said, “I was going to handle it, but now I can’t. I’m giving you an order, George.” He put his phone on the counter and got busy cleaning up her cuts. Of all days to wear a skirt with her favorite pale pink tights. They were now a shredded mess, just like her knees.
The pain was ridiculous and reminded her of the time she’d fallen on the street in front of her house when she and her sister were trying out Rollerblades they’d gotten for Christmas. She’d never gone near the Rollerblades again.
He dabbed antibiotic ointment on the wounds, and Shelby gasped from the shocking pain.
“Sorry, honey.”
His use of that word caused shocking pain in the vicinity of her heart. She’d loved the way that endearment had sounded coming from him. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your honey. Not anymore.”
“Yes, you are.”
She pushed his hand away from her leg. “No, I’m not. You lied to me and used me and God knows what else.”
“I didn’t do any of those things.”
“You wanted my friend and settled for second best when she wouldn’t have you.”
“That’s not true.” He took her by the chin and forced her to meet the steely gaze he directed her way. As always those honey-golden eyes made her melt until she remembered why she was so upset. “Nothing about you is second best. You’re first-class all the way, and every minute I’ve spent with you was because of you and no one else but you.”
“I don’t believe you. The only reason you’re saying those things is because I might be carrying your baby.” She wiped angrily at the tears that continued to fall from her eyes even though she’d moved from hurt to fury. “I wish I’d never told you that.”
“Well, you did, and now I know.” His movements were jerky as he cleaned up her other knee. “I’m taking you to the ER to make sure you didn’t hurt more than your knees when you fell. After that, we’re coming back here and we’re going to talk this through.”
“I’m not going to the ER and I’m done talking.”
“You are going to the ER, and we’ve only begun to talk.”
“I don’t want to be with you.”
“Okay.” As if she hadn’t said a word, he grabbed his keys, pulled on a coat, picked her up and carried her to his car in the garage.
Knowing she was no match for him, Shelby went along with it. But the minute she could, she would break free of him. Permanently.
* * *
Gonzo felt like he was having a heart attack as he watched the news unfolding in the city. A police source had named him as the chief suspect in the murder of his son’s mother. The talking heads rehashed the custody battle he’d waged with Lori, picking apart every detail and obsessing about the fact that he hadn’t disclosed his previous connection to the judge.
“Attorneys for Lori Phillips broke the news of the connection between Gonzales and Judge Leon Morton three days ago, and now she’s dead,” the CBC talking head said almost gleefully. “Coincidence or is the man recently hailed a hero actually a cold-blooded killer?”
“Oh my God,” he said as the shock ricocheted through his body, leaving him reeling. Didn’t all his years of impeccable service count for anything?
Christina came into the room.
“Where’s Alex?”
“With your mom. She’s reading him a story and trying to get him to nap.”
“This is totally out of control, Chris. They’re having a field day at my expense. I’m never going to be able to work again in that city if someone doesn’t fix this quickly.”
“We need a lawyer, and we need one now.”
“I’ve tried to call Andy.”
“We need a criminal lawyer. I want to call my brother.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Tommy, babe, I know that. You know that. We need to make sure you don’t get railroaded for something you didn’t do.”
“How can this be happening? The cops investigating this case are my friends. They’re like family to me. Why aren’t they saying it’s not true?”
“They probably haven’t had the chance because they’re trying to figure out who really killed her. Let me call Carson.”
“If I bring in a big-time criminal lawyer like him, I may as well declare my guilt at the same time.”
“You need to protect yourself.”
“If I lawyer up, Christina, everyone will think I’m guilty.”
“Baby, they already do! My phone is ringing off the hook.”
“Fuck. This is a motherfucking nightmare. And why the hell isn’t Sam returning my calls?”
“I’m sure she’s doing what she can... Oh, look! She’s making a statement outside HQ.”
Gonzo spun around and nearly fainted from the relief of seeing his boss and friend approaching the microphone.
“I have just a brief statement. This morning, the body of Lori Phillips was found in a parked car near West Potomac Park. Ms. Phillips had been strangled. You are correct in reporting that she is the mother of MPD Detective Sergeant Thomas Gonzales’s young son. You are incorrect in reporting that he is a suspect. I will repeat myself to ensure that you hear me. Thomas Gonzales is not a suspect in the murder of Lori Phillips. Whatever information you may have received from a so-called police source was erroneous. The only police source with credibility on this case is me.”
A bottle blonde from one of the local TV stations asked, “How can you investigate a case that involves one of your own people?”
“Did you just hear me say this case does not include one of my own people?”
“How was Detective Sergeant Gonzales eliminated as a suspect?”
“He has an alibi and is a decorated police officer who was recently grievously injured in the line of duty. In addition, we have a person of interest currently in custody and will have more information in the next few days. In the meantime, if you continue to broadcast and publish Sergeant Gonzales’s name in connection to this case, you’ll be opening yourself to civil litigation. I wouldn’t blame him for suing your asses off. That’ll be it.”
“When does your husband begin work at the White House?”
Sam rolled her eyes at the reporter who’d asked the question and turned away from the reporters to go back inside.
“There,” Christina said. “Do you feel better now?”
Thanks to Sam’s statement he was now able to get air to his lungs. “Yeah. But I won’t really feel better until they catch whoever actually killed her.”
Christina stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hold on to me, baby. Just hold on to me.”
Her nearness, her affection and her support calmed him. He put his arms around her and did as she requested. She was the only thing holding him together and the only thing he couldn’t live without.
“How will I ever be able to do my job again with people thinking I’m capable of killing someone? I’ve spent my career tracking down killers, and now they think I am one?”
“Let me tell you something I know for sure. The news cycle has a limited lifespan. In a day or two, something else will happen and people will forget all about this.”
“That might be true, but I’ll never forget.” And he’d sure as hell find out which one of his brothers or sisters in the police department had seen fit to point the finger at him.
* * *
While Freddie took Hughes to Central Processing, Sam headed for the detectives’ pit to check in with the rest of her team. The first one she ran into was Gonzo’s partner, Detective Arnold. The young officer approached her tentatively. “It’s not true, is it, Lieutenant? He didn’t kill her, did he?”
“No, he didn’t kill her, but someone wants us to think he did. And I’m starting to think that someone is in this building.”
“Seriously?”
“How else would the press be hearing from a ‘police source’ with information about the investigation?” She released the clip that held her hair, ran her fingers through the length and then resecured it. “Where is everyone?”
“Jeannie and Tyrone tracked down some of Lori’s coworkers, and they went to interview them. Carlucci and Dominguez are with Crime Scene at Lori’s place.”
“Warrant?”
“Yes, ma’am. Captain Malone was able to secure it for them.”
“Excellent.”
“I’m working the phones trying to track down the social worker who oversaw Gonzo’s case. She’s out of town for the holidays, but I left several messages on her phone.”
“Good work. Thanks for the update and keep me posted.” Sam went into her office and did a quick scan of her email, where she found a report from Lindsey detailing the findings of the autopsy. Lori had been manually strangled, but there were no usable prints on her neck. “Of course there weren’t,” Sam muttered. The semen found in Lori’s vagina had been sent out for DNA analysis that would take about forty-eight hours, and Lindsey had included detailed information about the drugs and alcohol found in Lori’s system. No defensive wounds to the victim’s hands, indicating that the fatal attack had possibly taken her by surprise. “Someone she trusted,” Sam deduced. “We need to get closer to her inner circle.”
“Talking to yourself, Lieutenant?” Captain Malone asked as he came into her office.
“Working the case, Captain.”
“What’ve you got?”
“A woman who worked hard to turn her life around found strangled in a parked car belonging to her brother. She had an elevated blood alcohol count and traces of cocaine in her system.”
“So she was off the wagon.”
“Seems that way. And all of this is happening days after she went public about Gonzo’s previous connection to the judge who heard their custody case. What I want to know is what ‘police source’ is telling the media he’s our prime suspect.”
“We’re looking into that.”
“What did Conklin find out when he talked to Ramsey?”
“Ramsey said he didn’t do it.”
“I don’t believe him. I saw him on the stairs this morning, and he told me to fuck off when I said hello to him. I reported it to Davidson, for all the good that’ll do.”
“What beef does Ramsey have with you?”
“Who knows? I worked with him on the Kavanaugh investigation and have had a couple of other brushes with him, but nothing that would cause him to do something like this. And I don’t believe for a second he had nothing to do with it. We had words this morning, I complained about him to his lieutenant and a couple of hours later my second in command is being accused of murder by an ‘inside source’? You do the math on that one.”
“It does smell fishy. We’ll stay on it. In the meantime, where are we with figuring out who really did it?”
“We’ve got a guy in custody I’m going to talk to as soon as Cruz gets him through Central Booking.” She told him about Hughes, the outstanding warrant on child support charges and the new warrant being processed to search his house for evidence in the Phillips case.
“You’re working with Baltimore on that?”
She nodded. “They’re getting the warrant and are aware that we arrested him.”
“Excellent. I’ll be sure to include ‘plays well with others’ on your evaluation. Speaking of playing well with others, Hill’s Deputy Agent Terrell is here to consult on the case.”
“Why not Hill?”
“Apparently, he had a personal matter to attend to today and was unavailable.”
“Huh, interesting.” Since the only personal life Hill had, that Sam knew of, involved her assistant, she was immediately curious. And then she told herself that his personal business was certainly none of her business. “Where is Terrell?”
“I put him in the conference room until you got back.”
“I’ll bring him up to speed on what we’ve got so far.”
“Thank you for that and for what you’re doing for the chief in the morning.”
Sam almost asked him what he meant and then she remembered promising to make the rounds on TV with the chief. The thought of it made her stomach quiver with nerves. But she’d do it for him. “The bullshit may as well be good for something, right?”
Cruz came to the door. “Hughes has been processed. He’s in Interrogation Two with Beckett watching him.”
“Go see to Elin.”
“Are you sure? I can wait until after we talk to him.”
“Arnold is here and the FBI dude. We got it covered.” To Malone, Sam said, “Detective Cruz’s girlfriend was assaulted this morning at her place of employment.”
“The gym on Sixteenth?” Malone asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Heard about that. Word is she took one hell of a hit. We got the guy in custody. He’s cooling off downstairs.”
“Go, Cruz. Report in later and let me know how she is.”
“I will, thank you.”
“She’s okay, right?” Sam asked Malone.
“I think so. Officer Andrews is the one who said she took a bad hit, but that’s all he said.”
In a day full of things to worry about, Sam thought, now there was something else.