Page 42 of State of Suspense

“You guys…” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she tried fruitlessly to manage them. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Farnsworth said. “He’d do the same for us, and you know it.”

“Stop.” She laughed as she wiped away tears that wouldn’t quit. “You’re wrecking me.”

The chief smiled. “We don’t want you to worry about us leaving on top of everything else. We’re sticking it out for you, kid.”

“Please don’t do anything stupid like die before you can enjoy a long retirement, do you hear me?”

They laughed.

“We’ll do our best to stay healthy,” Malone said.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “You’ll never know what this means to me.”

“We know,” Farnsworth said. “Family takes care of family.”

As her chin quivered, she nodded. “God, I’m such an idiot, bawling like a baby over here.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Malone said. “We wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation as a badass.”

She laughed again as she wiped away more tears. “Gee, thanks.”

“Don’t eff up this situation with Cox, or we’ll all be out on our asses,” Malone said.

“I’ll try not to.” She took a couple of deep breaths to recover her composure after they’d flattened her with their news. “What are we hearing from Stahl’s?”

Malone shook his head and released a deep sigh. “Thirteen bodies at his house, and we’re getting closer to finding the owner of the storage unit. Charles and O’Brien are making progress, so I told them to stay on it.”

“That’s fine. Gonzo is working with the three detectives you assigned to get them up to speed and give them assignments.”

“Let’s keep up the pressure on Forrester,” Farnsworth said. “I’ll authorize whatever overtime is needed.”

“That’ll help, thank you. Although, I should mention I’m leaving at two tomorrow to meet with the Canadian prime minister’s wife and to prepare for the state dinner.”

“We’re looking forward to that,” Farnsworth said, smiling. “Marti and I can’t believe we’re invited to the White House.”

“Same with me and Val. Unbelievable.”

“Believe it. I’ll see you there.” She’d also invited every member of her squad and their partners, as well as Jeannie and Michael, her sisters, mother and stepmother. Lindsey would be there as Terry’s date, which meant all her closest friends would be in attendance, except for Shelby and Avery.

For the first time, she started to look forward to an event that had loomed as yet another challenge to be endured rather than enjoyed. She needed to change her attitude and do a better job of appreciating the perks that came along with the many headaches. “I’ll get back to it and keep you posted on all things Cox.” She paused as she realized what she’d said. “And that’s not a sentence I ever imagined saying to the two of you.”

She left them laughing as she went back to the pit, overwhelmed by what they were doing for her and filled with love for two men who’d been part of her life from the beginning. They were right. Her dad would want them there for her during this unprecedented time, and their support meant everything.

“Everything all right?” Freddie asked when she returned to the pit, wearing obvious signs that she’d been crying.

“All good in the hood. What’s up here?”

He gave her a curious look that told her he wasn’t satisfied with her answer. “We met with Lucas, Harper and Coheeny to get them up to speed. They’ve gone to interview the rest of Forrester’s staff, and then they’ll be back to comb through the phone data. Gonzo asked them to submit a written report by four thirty.”

“Excellent.”

“I’ve gone through everything I could find about Forrester and Cox from the time they were at Yale Law, and I’ve pieced together an interesting narrative.”

“Oh,” Sam said, “do tell.”

Chapter Eight

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