“CRIME SCENE IS on the way to Chevy Chase,” Captain Malone said as he stepped into Sam’s office. “What else do you need?”
She corralled her hair into a ponytail, twisted and clipped it to get it out of her way while she reported the little she knew so far to the captain. “Cruz,” she shouted.
He came to the door. “You bellowed?”
“Where are we with the dentists?”
“I’ve heard back from about seventy-five percent of them. Nothing yet.”
“What’ve we got on the victims?” Malone asked.
“Still assuming the victims are the people who lived in the house, not much of anything,” Cruz said. “They have almost no online presence, which is odd these days.”
“There has to be something,” Sam said.
“We’re digging, but we aren’t finding anything.”
“Let’s go try again with the neighbors.”
“Sounds good.”
“Give me five,” Sam said.
After Cruz walked away, Sam returned her attention to the captain. “I was going to request some time off, but now I’m not sure I should with a new case.”
“If you’re thinking we can’t function without you, Lieutenant, I assure you that’s not the case.”
“You won’t function as well without me, so don’t try to deny it.”
“I would never be so foolish as to deny the truth. What kind of time are we talking?”
“Nick wants me to go on the Europe trip with him.” Under her breath, she added, “Three weeks.”
Malone’s gray eyes went wide. “Three weeks?”
“I have the time.” She’d rarely taken so much as a day off before she married Nick, so the time had stacked up.
“I’m well aware that you have more time on the books than just about anyone in the department.”
“So, it shouldn’t be a problem if I take some of it, right?”
“You’d be back before Stahl’s trial?” he asked.
The reminder that she’d soon have to testify against her former lieutenant made her feel sweaty and sick, so she didn’t allow her mind to go there. “Well before.” The trial was firmly stuffed into a compartment in the back of her mind that wouldn’t be accessed until it absolutely had to be. Not one second before.
“Let me run the request up the flagpole and get back to you. I assume you’d leave Sergeant Gonzales in charge of Homicide?”
Sam hesitated but only for a second. Whatever was going on with Gonzo, she’d get to the bottom of it before she left. Looking up at Malone, she said, “That’s the plan.”
Cruz came back to the office door. “Gonzo has been in an MVA. He’s fine, his car is fine, but the car he hit is pretty messed up. He’s dealing with that now and will be in shortly.”
“All right.” Sam wondered if there was more to the story. “Text him to meet us in Chevy Chase and tell Green and McBride to come too.”
“Will do.”
Sam gathered her handheld radio and car keys. “Was there anything else, Captain?”
He looked like he might want to say something else, probably about her punching out of work for three weeks, but he shook his head.
“Catch you later, then.”
* * *
THE BEAUCLAIRS’ BEAUTIFUL neighborhood was marred only by the blackened frame of the house that had burned. In most neighborhoods, emergency action of any kind drew a crowd. Chevy Chase wasn’t most neighborhoods. A lone woman with a dog on a leash stood outside the yellow crime scene tape wiping tears. She wore her blond hair in a ponytail and was dressed in workout clothing.
“Excuse me,” Sam said as she approached the woman while Freddie conferred with the firefighters.
The woman glanced at Sam and then did a double take when she recognized her. That happened far too often for Sam’s liking since Nick became vice president and raised their already-high profile even higher. Sam hated the added attention, but she’d gotten used to it. Sort of.
“You’re...”
Ignoring the reference to her second lady status, Sam said, “Did you know the family who lived here?”
She nodded. “Are they all gone?”
“All being who?”
“Jameson, Cleo, Alden and Aubrey. Jameson has an older son, Elijah, who’s away at college.”
Sam pulled her notebook from her back pocket and wrote down the names. “How old are Alden and Aubrey?”
“They’re five-year-old twins.”
Sam waved Green over and spoke so only he could hear her. “Let the fire marshal know we’re looking for five-year-old twins in the house.”
Green winced and nodded before seeing to her order.
“What’s your name?” Sam asked the woman.
“Lauren Morton. I live one block over. My kids play with Alden and Aubrey.”
“How well do you know the parents?”
“I don’t know Jameson well at all. He works a lot. But I know Cleo through the kids.” Lauren looked at Sam, her eyes watering with new tears. “Are they...”
“We have two adult victims, but we haven’t found the kids.”
Lauren nodded and wiped her tears. “Was it an accident?”
“We don’t know yet.” Sam couldn’t and wouldn’t divulge details that could compromise the investigation. “Do you know what they did for a living?”
“He was in some sort of international business. Cleo said he worked all the time, and I know he traveled a lot, because she was alone with the kids. She doesn’t work, but she volunteers at the kids’ school.”
“What school is that?”
“Northwest Academy on Connecticut.”
Sam made a note. “Do you know where his older son goes to school?”
“Princeton, I think.”
They needed to track down Jameson’s son so they could undertake the dreadful task of notifying him of his family members’ deaths after they got positive identifications. “Could you please give me your full name, address and phone number?” Sam asked, handing her the notebook and pen.
“How come?”
“In case I have follow-up questions.”
“I’ve told you what I know.”
“I like to be thorough, so if you wouldn’t mind...”
Lauren stared at the notebook for a second before she reluctantly took it and wrote down the info Sam had requested. “My husband doesn’t like when I get involved with neighborhood drama.”
“This hardly counts as drama. I’d categorize it under neighborhood tragedy. Did Mrs. Beauclair have other friends in the neighborhood?”
“A few.”
“Write down their names, addresses and phone numbers, if you would.”
Lauren used her cell phone to look up the numbers and wrote down three names with the accompanying information. “You don’t need to tell them you got their names from me, do you?”
“No.”
“Oh good. I’d rather not be involved.”
Honestly, Sam wanted to say. People are dead, and you’re worried about getting involved?
“Why are you investigating the fire?” Lauren asked after she handed over the notebook. “I thought you were a Homicide detective.”
“I am.”
“Oh, so, does that mean...”
“It means we’re conducting a full investigation.”
“I see.”
No, you don’t. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the family that might assist in our investigation?”
“I heard she fired her housekeeper yesterday,” Lauren said. “Cleo suspected her of stealing from them. The housekeeper had worked for them for years and was very hurt by the accusation, according to my housekeeper.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Her first name was Milagros. I never heard her last name.”
Sam made a note. It was the closest thing to a motive she’d heard yet and the timing lined up. “What did you know about Cleo’s background?”
“Not much. Just that she’s from out West originally. She never did say where. She didn’t talk about her life before DC.”
“And you never wondered why?”
Lauren shrugged. “People are private. I’m private. I don’t pry into areas that are clearly off-limits with my friends.”
“Did she ever express concern for her safety or that of her family?”
“No, nothing like that. Not to me anyway.”
Sam handed her a card. “If you think of anything that might be relevant, call me. My cell number is on there.”
“I will.”
“Thanks for your time.” Sam went to confer with Freddie, who was talking to another neighbor. “Anything?” she asked when the man had walked away.
“Nah, he didn’t know them. Just curious about the people who died.”
It constantly amazed Sam that tragedy drew spectators the same way sporting events did. “I’ll never understand the attraction to watching someone else’s life fall apart.”
“Makes them feel better about their own lives, I suppose.”
“I guess. I’ve got the names of some neighbors who knew the family. Let’s go see if they’re home.”
They walked a block and a half to the address Lauren had given her for Janice McMillian.
“I’m trying to imagine being able to afford to live in one of these houses,” Freddie said. “We’re in the wrong business.”
“You’re just now figuring that out?”
He laughed. “We’re in the wrong business for many reasons, not the least of which is that we’ll never be able to afford this neighborhood.”
“That may be true, but not one of these people could do what we do every day—and trust me, they’re damned glad we’re out here doing it.”
“That’s for sure.” He rang the doorbell, which chimed like church bells. “Aren’t you going to tell me that rich people have better doorbells than the rest of us? You always say that.”
“I don’t always like to be predictable.”
Freddie peered into the window at the side of the door and then rang the bell again. “God forbid you should be predictable.”
A uniformed woman came to the door. “May I help you?”
Sam held up her badge. “Lieutenant Holland and Detective Cruz to see Mrs. McMillian. Is she at home?”
The woman stared at Sam, seeming stunned to see the second lady on her employer’s doorstep.
“Hello?” Sam said, waving her hand in front of the lady’s face. “Mrs. McMillian. Is she home?”
“Just a moment.” She closed the door and walked away.
“I can’t believe she didn’t invite us in for tea and cookies while we wait,” Sam said.
“People around here aren’t used to cops showing up at their front doors.”
“Hard to believe this neighborhood is in the same city as some of the other places we frequent.”
A trim blonde woman came to the door, also dressed in workout attire. Was that the new dress code for upper-class women? “I’m Janice McMillian. You wanted to see me?”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges again as Sam introduced them.
“May we come in for a minute?” Sam asked.
“Sure,” she said, the word dripping with reluctance.
Here was another neighbor who probably didn’t want to get involved in the tragedy unfolding down the street.
“What can I do for you?” she asked after showing them into one of those fancy rooms wealthy people kept pristine for guests.
“You’re acquainted with the Beauclair family?”
“I am. My children are close in age to the twins. They play together. I was heartbroken to hear about the fire. It’s such an awful tragedy.”
“Yes, it is,” Sam said.
“Are they all...”
“We found two adult victims but haven’t yet positively identified them. We’re still looking for the children.”
Janice’s blue eyes filled with tears.
“How well did you know the Beauclairs?”
“I only knew him socially. He traveled a lot for his business. I knew Cleo quite well. We’re both stay-at-home moms and met at the park about two years ago. Since our kids are around the same ages, we hit it off right away.”
“What do you know about her personally?” Sam asked.
“Just that she was very devoted to her kids and her family.”
“Where is she from originally?”
“I... I don’t know. We never discussed that. We mostly talked about our kids and coordinating rides to activities and things like that.”
“Did you ever get a sense of the Beauclairs’ marriage? Were they happy together?”
“Oh yes. She worshipped the ground Jameson walked on. They were very much in love, or at least they seemed that way to me the few times I saw them together.”
Sam made a note of that.
“Her only complaint was that his business took him away from home too much. She missed him when he was gone. She lit up around him. After a neighborhood Christmas party last year, my husband commented that they’re like newlyweds because they held hands the entire night.”
“Did you know her housekeeper?” Sam consulted her notes. “A woman named Milagros?”
“I’ve met her, yes. I heard they let her go yesterday.”
“Do you know Milagros’s last name or where we might find her?”
“I don’t but let me ask my housekeeper.”
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Sam said, “bring her in here when you ask her.”
“Why?” Janice asked, seeming perplexed.
“Because I asked you to.”
She clearly wasn’t used to anyone speaking to her that way, and her displeasure was obvious in the tight set of her lips. “Just a moment.”
“She didn’t like that,” Freddie muttered.
“Too bad. I want to see the housekeeper’s reaction when we ask about Milagros.”
“I know that, and you know that, but she’s pissed that you’re telling her how to manage her own staff.”
“Whatever.”
Janice returned with her housekeeper.
“Your name, ma’am?” Sam asked.
She glanced at Janice, who nodded. “Luisa Sanchez.”
“Do you know the Beauclairs’ housekeeper, Milagros?” Sam asked.
Luisa, who had dark hair and pretty brown eyes, nodded. “I know her. They fired her.”
“One of the other neighbors told us that. Do you know where we can find her?”
Luisa looked to Janice again.
“If you know where she is, I need you to tell me,” Sam said.
“Tell her,” Janice said harshly. “Right now.”
“I—I don’t want to get her in trouble. She’s undocumented.”
“I’m not interested in her immigration status. We need to talk to her about what happened to the Beauclairs.”
“She wouldn’t hurt them. She loved them. They hurt her.”
“That’s enough, Luisa,” Janice snapped.
“I need her address,” Sam said.
“I have it in my purse in the laundry room.”
“Hurry up and get it,” Janice said.
Luisa scurried off while Sam, Freddie and Janice coexisted in awkward silence until Janice cleared her throat.
“We don’t want any trouble.”
“I’m sure the Beauclairs didn’t either.” Sam had zero compassion for this privileged, pampered woman who was only worried about herself when her friend and her friend’s husband were most likely dead and their children missing.
Luisa returned with a slip of paper on which she’d written Milagros’s address.
“Thank you,” Sam said. “Please don’t tell her you spoke with us.”
“She won’t,” Janice said. “Is there anything else we can do?”
“Not at this time.” Sam handed her a business card. “If you think of anything else that might be relevant, let me know.”
Janice started to speak but stopped herself.
“Whatever you know,” Sam said, “it’s better for you to tell us now than have us find out later that you held out on us. That can lead to charges.”
Janice swallowed hard. “I’m not sure if it’s relevant.”
“Every detail is relevant at this point in an investigation.”
“I liked Cleo a lot,” she said hesitantly. “She was a lovely person, but I remember telling my husband months after we’d met that I felt like I didn’t really know her at all. She didn’t give much away, if you know what I mean. We never made it past the surface.”
“That’s interesting.” Sam wrote down the information to stew over later. “Did she have other friends that you knew of?”
“A few of the other neighborhood moms.” She listed names that Sam had already gotten from Lauren. “She also volunteered at the kids’ school.”
“Did she ever mention being afraid of anything or anyone?”
“Not that I ever heard, but I doubt she would’ve confided in me. She wasn’t like that.”
“Did she have friends she would’ve confided in, that you know of?”
“I can’t think of anyone she was extra close to.”
“Thank you for sharing that. We appreciate your time.”
“I hope it’s okay to say that my husband and I admire you and your husband very much.”
“That’s nice of you,” Sam said, surprised by the change in tone. Perhaps the thought of criminal charges had softened her. “Thank you.”
“We were sort of hoping Nelson would resign.”
“We’re sort of glad it didn’t come to that,” Sam said, deadpan.
Janice laughed. “I’m sure you are. I don’t get why anyone would want that job. It’s somewhat thankless.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You don’t have Secret Service protection?”
Sam shook her head and rested a hand on her service weapon. “I can take care of myself.” At the front door, she turned back to face the other woman. “Thank you again for your help.”
“They were a sweet family. I’m heartbroken that this has happened to them.”
“Call me if you think of anything else.”
“I will.”
Outside, Sam turned to Freddie. “Impressions?”
“We might be spinning our wheels talking to the friends if she kept her relationships at a surface level.”
“Agreed. What I’d like to know is why she did that? In my experience, women overshare more than they undershare.”
“Is undershare a word?” Freddie asked. “It rhymes with underwear.”
“Stop,” she said, cracking up. “I’m actually being serious here. Women talk about everything. It’s weird that she didn’t.”
“Just to play devil’s advocate... You aren’t like that.”
“I’m talking about regular women, not badass cop women.”
“I see, and I stand corrected. As always, I bow to your wisdom, Lieutenant.”
“Quit your sucking up. Despite your limited experience with women, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Freddie rolled his eyes, as she’d known he would. She loved to razz him about marrying the first woman he’d slept with. He said he preferred quality to quantity. Elin made him happy, which was good enough for Sam.
“What’s next?” he asked as they got in her car.
“A stop at the kids’ school on Connecticut Ave.”
“While we’re in that area, can I pick up my tux?”
“No personal errands on city time,” she said sternly, directing the car toward Connecticut Avenue.
“It’s so close.” He rubbed his always-empty belly. “And it is almost lunchtime.”
“Fine. If you must.”
“It’s the only thing Elin told me to do this week.”
“You guys get off so easily when it comes to weddings. You show up in a monkey suit at the appointed time and get married.”
“You’re tossing around a lot of stereotypes today, Lieutenant. I’ll have you know I was heavily involved in the planning of my wedding.”
“You were not.”
“Yes, I was! I helped decide on everything.”
“From choices she had pared down from thousands of options.”
“You don’t know that.”
Sam gave him a withering look. “About to get married and still so much to learn about women, my young grasshopper. She has been planning this day in her mind since she was old enough to know what a wedding was. You did not help to plan the wedding. You validated choices she’d already made.”
Scowling, he said, “I’m getting married this week. You could take the week off from being mean to me, especially since you’re my best man-woman.”
“How am I being mean?”
“You just are. I helped whenever she asked me to.”
“I’m teasing you. Don’t be oversensitive. It takes the fun out of it.”
“For who?”
“Me, of course.”
“And it’s all about you, even the week of my wedding.”
“Duh.”
He huffed out a laugh. “At least you’re consistent.”
“I pride myself on my consistency and my predictability—most of the time.”
“I still can’t believe Nick made such an insanely cool place available to us to use for our wedding. Elin and I want to pinch ourselves that we get to be married at the Naval Observatory,” he said of the traditional home of the vice president.
“He is rather awesome, and he’s not using it, so it’s all yours.” When he became vice president, they had stayed in their own home, primarily to remain in close proximity to Sam’s paralyzed father, who lived three doors down the street from them.
“It was so nice of him to offer it,” Freddie said.
“He was thrilled to do it. It’s a beautiful spot for a wedding.”
“It certainly is. We couldn’t be happier about it. I feel like Saturday is never going to get here.”
“It’ll be here before you know it.”