Page 19 of State of Alert

“We’ve tried to. As you can imagine, this is a very complex situation with numerous elements occurring simultaneously.”

“You’re also asking me to lie to my closest colleagues and my bosses, not to mention my husband.”

Truver never blinked as she returned Sam’s steely stare. “Yes, I am.”

“I don’t know if I can do that. I suck at lying. I always have. Nick will immediately know that something is up, and he’ll be relentless in asking me what’s wrong.”

“Certainly, with everything you deal with in your line of work, you can think of something that would account for your distress, not to mention your sorrow over the murder of Juan.”

This woman was too much like her, Sam decided, which was a scary thought. “I’d like to speak to Juan alone.”

Truver glanced at Juan, who nodded. Then she stood. “I’ll be right outside when you’re finished.”

After she stepped out, Sam turned to Juan. “Your mother is devastated. How can you put her through this?”

“I’m sick over that, but when NCIS presented this plan to me, they were emphatic that it had to look real, or it would be for nothing. That included my family going through the motions of mourning.”

“What will happen when your mother wants to see her son before she buries him?”

“She’ll be told that my injuries were so gruesome that it wouldn’t be in her best interest to see me.”

“And who will formally identify the body as yours?”

“You will. You knew me personally and can attest that the body is mine.”

“You’re asking me to lie to the people I’m closest to.”

“I’m sorry. I understand it’s a huge ask, and I hate it as much as you do. The thought of my mother thinking I’m dead… All I can say is I hope my miraculous recovery will make her so happy that she won’t hate me forever for doing this to her.”

“She’s apt to. If one of my kids did this to me, I’m not sure I’d ever forgive them.”

“If it was done for the good of the country, you would. They tried totake down the president, Mrs. Cappuano. They subverted the Constitution and the will of President Nelson when hechose President Cappuano to be his vice president and the Senate when they confirmed him. We can’t let them get away with that.” The young man’s voice quivered with emotion and outrage. “Everything I stand for as a naval officer and an American is at risk in this situation.”

His patriotism and courage were impressive, but the thought of lying to Freddie, Gonzo, Lindsey, Captain Malone and Chief Farnsworth—not to mention Nick—was unfathomable to her.

“You could always fall ill after you identify my body and step aside from the investigation,” Juan said.

“The president is traveling this week. I could join him, I suppose.” That was preferable to perpetrating a lie that would span days, if not weeks, as they made a case against a would-be killer. Thankfully, she’d never been in a situation even remotely close to this one.

“Please know that it’s because of your dual roles as first lady and the Homicide commander that you were brought in on this. If you weren’t the first lady, they would’ve let the case play out organically. I insisted you be briefed, or I wouldn’t go along with it.”

“Why?”

“I have tremendous respect for your husband and for you. He’s been so good to me, so encouraging and supportive. He certainly doesn’t need to invest his time and attention in me the way he has.”

“That’s who he is.”

“Yes, and this is who I am, Mrs. Cappuano. I insisted you be told the investigation was a sham, or I wouldn’t be part of it.”

“I have no idea how to proceed from here.”

“You’re being asked to play a role in a drama far bigger than you or your team. I know it goes against everything you believe in, but if I didn’t strongly feel it was in the best interest of the country, I’d never have done this to my mother.” He leaned in,intense and focused. “They tried tooverthrowthe United States government, ma’am. Surely we can’t allow that to stand.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Can we count on your support?”

Sam held his gaze as a million thoughts spiraled through her mind in the span of seconds. If she agreed to this, how many different ways would it ruin her life? Too many to count. In the end, her decision came down to one consideration, one man, the one person on earth she’d do anything for, even help to perpetrate a massive deception.

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