Page 12 of State of Alert

“I know, but I still worry it’ll be too much for him and that I won’t see it coming.”

“You’ll see it. No one is more tuned in to him than you are.”

“I hope so.”

“You are, Sam. If he were buckling under the pressure, you’d see it. This situation with Juan is horrible, and it’ll break his heart, but he’ll be okay.”

“Thank you for the reassurance.”

“Any time.”

“Vernon is right,” Quigley said. “You two are hashtag couple goals.”

“What does that even mean?”

The two of them lost it laughing.

“Come on, Sam,” Vernon said. “Even I know what that means, and I’m a T. rex.”

“Well, maybe you can explain it to me, T. rex.”

“Yes, Vernon, let’s hear you explain it,” Quigley said with a smirk.

“It’s when a couple are so awesome that everyone wants to be like them, and they’re given the couple goals hashtag on social media.”

“Oh, I see,” Sam said. “I think.”

“How’d I do, Quigs?”

“It was an admirable effort, sir.”

“Is he patronizing me?” Vernon asked Sam, glancing at the mirror.

“I fear he might be, in the same way my grasshopper would’ve patronized me.”

“We’ve lost control of all our grasshoppers.”

Sam laughed. “I lost control of mine years ago.” And she felt better, she realized, after talking it out with Vernon—and Quigley. “Thank you for the conversation, the levity, the friendship. I appreciate it very much, and Agent Quigley, I hope you’ll respect the sanctity of the SUV.”

“Of course, ma’am. What happens in the SUV stays in the SUV.”

“Always a pleasure,” Vernon said with a warm smile.

“You have to protect me. You don’t have to be my friend, too.”

“It’s so much nicer to be friends if we’re spending our days together, right?”

“Very much so.”

They pulled up to the morgue entrance a few minutes later.

“Thanks for the lift.”

“Have a good rest of the day at the office, dear.”

Sam chuckled as Vernon held the door for her. “We’ll be heading out again shortly.”

“We’re always ready.”

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