Page 89 of State of Suspense

“Oh shit. You must be so torn. I’m sorry, babe.”

“It’s okay. He’s right. We’re getting nowhere fast on Forrester, and I’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.”

“And I’m cutting your day short.”

“It’s fine.”

“I can’t stop thinking about Avery and how they just had the baby…”

“I know. It’s horrible.”

“Could it be related to the home invasion?”

“Not sure how. The people who did that are in custody.”

“It was just a thought.”

“It’s a good thought, and I’ll pass it on to the team working that case.”

“Hang in there, babe. He’s young and strong. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“Look at you… Worried about Avery Hill. Once upon a time, you wanted to kill him yourself.”

“Times change. He’s a friend. I’m worried.”

“Me, too. I’ll text you if I hear anything.”

“Thanks. Be careful with my love, especially with someone out there shooting your colleagues.”

“Will do. See you soon.”

“Can’t wait.”

Gonzo came to the door, looking pissed off. “Motherfucking traffic in this city. Thirty minutes to get across the Memorial Bridge.” He took a closer look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Avery was shot this morning, coming out of his gym on 22nd.”

“Oh my God. Is he okay?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Jeez, and they just had a baby.”

“Yeah.”

Sam was still standing there, lost in thought, when Freddie and Malone appeared behind Gonzo, who turned to them.

“How’d it go?” Sam asked.

“Brutal,” Freddie said.

“He did a great job telling them what we know so far and that we’re working the investigation with all available resources, etc.”

“Thank you for handling that, Freddie.”

“I’d say it was no problem, but I may need hazardous duty pay. Any word on Avery?”

“Nothing new. We need to get going to the meeting with Cox.” To Gonzo, she said, “Pick up where Carlucci and Dominguez left off with the paper trail. Get me a thread to pull.”

---