AFTER THEY CONFERRED with the children—or Aubrey, who’d spoken for both of them—about what they’d like to have from home, Sam ushered Ms. Finklestein out the door just as Nick’s chief of staff, Terry O’Connor, came up the ramp. “Hey, Terry.”
“Hi, Sam. Heard you’ve caught another homicide.”
“Look at you, speaking the lingo.”
“That’s what happens when you live with the medical examiner.”
“She’s raised you right. Come in. Nick is in the shower. He’ll be down shortly.”
“I talked to him briefly this morning, and he indicated there might be a complication with the trip?”
Shelby emerged from the kitchen with Noah asleep on her chest and Aubrey and Alden holding her hands.
“Meet the complications,” she said in a low tone only Terry could hear. “Terry, this is Alden and Aubrey. They’re staying with us for a while.” To Shelby, Sam said, “My sister left a bag of clothes for the kids.”
“Great,” Shelby said. “We were going to go upstairs and take showers and get dressed.” She gestured for the kids to go ahead of her and took the bag from Sam.
“Thank you, Shelby.”
“It’s no problem at all. They’re adorable.”
“Yes, they are.” Add Shelby to the list of people becoming invested in the children. It would hurt like hell when they had to turn them over to someone else, even if that someone else was their family member.
“The dining room is probably the only place you’ll get some quiet today, Terry,” Sam said, gesturing for him to go ahead and make himself comfortable there. “I’ll send Nick in as soon as he comes down.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
Left alone in the living room, she decided to call Gonzo to check on him before she moved on to Elijah Beauclair. Gonzo’s phone rang several times before he took the call.
“Hey, Sam. I hope you got the message I gave Carlucci and Dominguez.”
“I did. I’m calling to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’m okay.”
“What happened?”
“Things got a little intense last night with Christina, and I don’t know... I guess my heart rate and blood pressure bottomed out. I don’t remember much of it.”
“It’s a good thing you were already there when it happened.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s up with Christina?” Sam asked, even though she already knew. She wanted to hear his take on it.
“She says we’re done. I don’t know anything more than that. The nurses told me they released Alex this morning, and they went home. I haven’t heard from her.”
He sounded so broken. Sam couldn’t think of a better way to describe the vibe coming from him. Closing her eyes, she searched for the right words. “I’m sorry.” That was all she could think of to say. “Maybe this is just a bump in the road, and she’ll feel differently after she gets some rest.”
“I don’t think so. She seemed pretty sure last night.”
Sam had gotten the same impression. “How long are you going to be there?”
“Until later today. They wanted to monitor me for at least twelve hours before they release me.”
“If you need somewhere to stay, we can squeeze you in here.”
“Thanks, but I’ll figure something out. I heard you took in the Beauclair kids.”
“Yeah, much to the Secret Service’s dismay.”
He grunted out a laugh. “I’ll bet.” After a pause, he said, “I’m sorry about the shit I said last night. It was uncalled-for.”
Yes, it had been, but Sam decided to let it go in light of the bigger things he was currently dealing with. “Gonzo... I want you to do something for me.”
“Um, okay.”
“Will you talk to Trulo?” she asked.
“Aw, come on, Sam,” he said on a groan. “Been there, done that. Don’t make me go there again.”
“You’re not yourself, Tommy. Anyone who knows you can see it. I want you to feel better and get back on track.”
“Are you saying I’m not doing the job?”
“Did those words ever come out of my mouth? I’m worried about you, my friend, not my colleague. But I won’t lie to you. I’m worried about your personal issues eventually leaking into the job. If that happens, I can’t promise I’ll be able to protect you.”
He had no response to that.
“I’m going to ask Trulo to stop by today. It’s up to you if you talk to him or not, but I’d really encourage you to try. He helped a lot after Stahl attacked me.”
His deep sigh came through loud and clear. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Tell him how you feel, Tommy. Tell someone, before it ruins your life.”
“Hasn’t it already?”
“Not yet it hasn’t. You can still put things back together, but you have to want to. Let us help you, please?”
After another long pause, he said, “I’ll talk to him.”
“Thank you.”
“Not sure what good it’ll do.”
“Give him a chance to help you. That’s all I ask.”
“Yeah, all right.”
“I’ll call him now.”
“What’s happening on the case?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve got it covered. Just focus on you right now and take care of yourself. Please? A lot of people care very much about you.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll check in later.”
“Okay.”
Sam ended the call and put through another to Trulo, who answered on the first ring.
“Lieutenant,” he said. “To what do I owe the honor?”
Sam smiled. “Good morning, Doc. I need a favor.”
“Whatever I can do.”
“My sergeant, Tommy Gonzales, is in the hospital after suffering some sort of attack that resulted in his heart rate and blood pressure bottoming out.”
“Hmm.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m just wondering if he’s on anything. Like opiates, for example.”
The words struck fear in Sam’s heart. Of course, she and her team were well aware of the epidemic raging all around them and regularly saw signs of it on the job. But Gonzo wouldn’t... Oh God, would he?
“Sam?”
“I’m just processing this possibility. I honestly don’t know. The thought never occurred to me. He’s been in bad shape since he lost his partner, but we thought he was doing better. Now I don’t know. I just don’t know. And his girlfriend, who has been a mother to his child, broke up with him last night.”
“Ouch. Sounds like things are piling up on the guy.”
“Indeed. They’re monitoring him for the day at GW. If there’s any chance you can go over there and talk to him, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’m on it. Thanks for letting me know.”
“If there’s anything I can do to support him, say the word. I’ll do whatever he needs.”
“Will do. Try not to worry. Grief is a process, and it’s never pretty.”
“Thanks, Doc. I appreciate your help.”
“You got it.”
Sam closed her phone, hoping Trulo could get through to Gonzo, that someone could get through to him before whatever was going on got any worse.
Nick came down the stairs, fresh from the shower and dressed for the day in the jeans and sweater he’d had on earlier. He came over to sit next to her on the sofa.
“Terry is waiting for you in the dining room.”
“First things first. How’d it go with Ms. Picklestein?”
“Stop!” Sam said, laughing. “Don’t put that in my head, or I’ll end up calling her that!”
“You gotta admit, the name fits.”
“You should’ve seen her after she caught sight of you, shirtless and sweaty. She was positively giddy.”
He grimaced. “Stop it. She was not.”
“Oh yes she was. Even Picklesteins know a smoking hot man when they see one.”
Rolling his eyes, he said, “Anyway, about the kids...”
Sam smiled at his predictable deflection and studied his handsome, freshly shaven face.
“What?” He rubbed his cheek. “Did I miss some shaving cream?”
“Nope.”
“Then what’re you looking at?”
“My wonderful, sexy, amazing husband, who let me bring two kids home, even if it caused him headaches, and is doing everything he can to protect them while they’re with us. I just appreciate it—and you—very much.”
“My headaches are nothing compared to their heartache.”
“Isn’t that the truth?”
“Have they been told anything yet?”
Sam shook her head. “I’m going to call their older brother now and discuss the best way to broach that topic.”
“You ought to make that call somewhere they can’t overhear it.”
“I will.”
“And when the time comes to tell them, we’ll do it together.”
“Okay.”
Nick leaned in to kiss her. “What if they can’t find anyone who will take them?”
The question landed like a punch to her gut. “They will. They have family.”
“What if?” he asked again, looking madly vulnerable.
She shook her head. “I can’t go there. I’m already worried about how attached to them everyone is getting—you, me, Scotty, Shelby...”
“Think about it anyway. Just in case.”
“In case of what?” she asked, feeling more undone by the second.
“Sam. Take a breath. I’m simply asking you to consider what we’ll do if Picklestein can’t find anyone to take them.”
“We... We can’t, Nick. It’s too much. They’ll need everything, and we...”
“Could give them anything and everything they need.”
She shook her head. “Please. Don’t do this to me. It’s already going to be hard enough to hand them over to their family members.”
“Fair enough.” He kissed her forehead and then her lips. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I appreciate what you’re saying, but I just can’t go there.”
“I understand, babe.” He kissed her again. “Maybe the little ones will take a nap this afternoon and we can score some time alone on this unexpected day at home.”
“That’d be nice.”
“Let’s try to make it happen.” After stealing one more kiss, he got up. “I’d better go see what I can do about this trip I’m supposed to take, in light of the fact that we now have two extra kids living with us. I probably shouldn’t be out of the country while that’s happening at home.”
“Definitely not,” she said, smiling. “Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
She enjoyed the fine sight of him walking into the dining room to find Terry before she took her phone and went upstairs. Outside the bathroom in the hallway, she could hear Aubrey chattering and Shelby talking, but still nothing from Alden. She wished there was something she could do or say that would make everything better for him, but there was nothing anyone could do to reduce the impact of what he and his sister would have to be told—soon.
With that in mind, Sam went into her bedroom to place the call to Elijah.
“Hello?” he said, tentatively. He was probably afraid to answer his phone after the dreadful call he’d received last night.
“This is Lieutenant Sam Holland, Metro PD in Washington, DC.”
“You’re the one who’s married to the VP.”
“Yes, I am. I’m also the one who’s taken temporary custody of your brother and sister.”
“How are they? They’re all I can think about.”
“They’re doing okay, but they’re going to need to be told what’s happened. I wondered if there’s any chance you might be able to come here. It would help, I think, if you were here when we tell them.”
“I’ve got tickets on the train at noon. I’ll be there by midafternoon.”
“That works.” Sam gave him their address. “I’ll let the Secret Service know you’re coming. They’ll need ID at the checkpoint.”
“No problem.”
“Could we talk for a minute about your father and stepmother? I know you’ve been away at school, but did either of them mention any problems they were having with other people, any issue that might’ve led to something like this?”
“I’ve been trying to think of anything since Agent Hill called me last night, but there’s nothing that I knew of, except the madness with his former business partner, which I’m sure you already know about.”
“Yes, we’ve been briefed by the FBI. What was your dad doing for work since relocating to DC?”
“He’d been consulting with high-tech companies who wanted his expertise on the software he developed. I don’t really know the specifics, but he was in demand.”
“Do you know if he continued to work under his real name or if he used the alias?”
“His real name.”
“I’m wondering why he did that if he’d gone to the trouble to relocate his family under new names.”
“That was the name his professional reputation was tied to—or what was left of it after that son of a bitch Piedmont ruined everything for him—and the rest of us. It’s been a fucking nightmare.” He paused before he said, “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. I can’t imagine what you and your family have been through.”
“I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t lived through it. My poor dad. Everything he worked for his whole life, gone because of someone else’s greed. And then we had to change our names and go into hiding. Because of him. Because they were afraid he would do something just like this.”
“Can you think of anyone else, besides Piedmont, who might’ve had a beef with your father and stepmother?”
“It was him. It had to be him.”
“I understand why you would be so certain, but I’ve learned to look beyond the obvious when investigating homicides.”
“Agent Hill said they were tortured, bound and set on fire. No one else in this world would have reason to do something like that to them other than Piedmont, who blamed my father for everything when he was the one who ruined their lives. Not my dad.”
Sam could tell she wasn’t going to get anything else from the son, who firmly believed there could’ve only been one person responsible. “Are you in touch with your mother?”
“Yes,” he said tentatively. “What about her?”
“Can you tell me her name and where I might find her?”
“Why do you need her? She’s been out of my father’s life for fifteen years.”
“Just being thorough.”
“Her name is Margaret Armstrong. She never changed her last name after they divorced.”
“And she lives where?”
“Ojai, California.”
“When did you last see her or talk to her?”
“I saw her over the summer and talked to her last week. I still don’t understand why you’d ask about her.”
“I’m covering all the bases, Elijah. That’s how this works. Was your parents’ divorce amicable or hostile?”
“Sorta hostile. They fought over me for two years. My mom said my dad squashed her with his money. But that was a long time ago now.”
“What precipitated their breakup?”
“He met Cleo.”
And there we have it, Sam thought. “Can you tell me more about how that transpired?”
He sighed deeply. “Cleo was hired as a marketing expert to help promote the software developed by APG. My dad swore to me that nothing happened between them until after he and my mom had split, but my mom never believed that.”
“What do you believe?”
“My dad never lied to me. If he said nothing happened, nothing happened. Things between my parents were messed up long before he ever met Cleo.”
“How so?”
“My mom is a good person, a really good person, but she’s had a lot of challenges.”
“What kind of challenges?”
“This won’t be in the paper or anything, will it?”
“It’s for my information, unless our investigation leads in your mother’s direction.”
“It won’t,” he said emphatically. “She had nothing to do with this.”
“Tell me about her challenges.”
“She’s suffered from schizophrenia in the past. She’s on good meds now and doing really well. It’s been years since she’s had any kind of incidents.”
Sam took frantic notes. “In the past, when she would have incidents, what did they involve?”
“There were voices, in her mind, that directed her to do things that were wildly out of character for her.”
“Was she ever violent?”
“Sometimes,” he said hesitantly before quickly adding, “but not because she wanted to be. It was the disease.”
“Was she ever violent with you?”
“I don’t get why this matters. She had nothing to do with my dad’s murder. If she were going to murder him, she would’ve done it years ago.”
“Do you think she’d be capable of murdering him?”
“I gotta go. I’ve got class and then a train to catch.”
“I understand that this is extremely difficult for you, but you and I are on the same side. We both want justice for your dad and Cleo, and for you and your siblings.”
“My mom didn’t do it. Duke Piedmont killed them. That’s all I can tell you.”
“One more thing before I let you go. When was the last time you saw your dad and Cleo?”
“I was home for the weekend two weeks ago.”
“Did you pick up on any unusual tension or anything out of the ordinary?”
After a pause, he said, “No, I didn’t. I need to go, or I’ll be late for class.”
“No problem. We’ll see you when you get here.”
When the line went dead, Sam closed her phone and drew a big circle around the name of Margaret Armstrong. There was definitely more to the story there, and Sam would be looking hard in her direction.