Page 27 of State of Alert

“Noted, but we’re going to work this case the way we do all the others and follow the evidence. All other theories and hypothesizing should be kept to a minimum until we know more. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said as one.

Sam looked to her sergeant. “Due to Nick’s close professional ties to Juan, you’ll be taking the lead with the paperwork and the media.”

Gonzo nodded. “No problem.”

“Can you do a quick briefing of what we know so far?”

“Yep.”

“All right, everyone, let’s get busy. Cam, get on the financials, Neveah on Juan’s social media, and Matt, get me those warrants the second you have them. Let’s find some threads to pull.”

“What’s our plan?” Freddie asked her after everyone else except Gonzo had filed out of the room.

“I want warrants for Juan’s apartment and electronicsbefore we leave here. Put Haggerty’s team on notice that they’ll be executing the warrant at the apartment.”

“I’ll do that and get with Captain Malone to see about expediting before I do the briefing,” Gonzo said.

“Hey, Tommy?”

He stopped on his way out of the room and turned back. “Yeah?”

“Thanks again for taking the lead. I’ll be right there with you, but I need someone else to be the face of this one.”

“I get it. No worries.”

After Gonzo walked away, she looked to Freddie. “I wish I didn’t have to delegate so much lately.”

“It’s fine. We don’t mind, so don’t add that to your list of worries.”

“I appreciate you guys.”

“We know that. We get to work with the first-lady detective every day. Everyone in our lives thinks that’s wicked cool. It all comes out in the wash.”

“Wicked cool, huh?”

“Yes, you are, and that rubs off on us. Don’t sweat the stuff that doesn’t matter.”

“When did my grasshopper become a wise owl?”

He rolled his eyes. “Puleeze. I’ve been wise all along. How’s Nick doing?”

“Not well at all. He and Juan talked sports and kept it real, which is rare in his world these days.”

“I’m so sad for him, especially right after Fort Liberty.”

“Me, too. No president wants to see service members die on his watch, especially when he’s the motive.”

“Does that mean you secretly suspect the Joint Chiefs?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“Did NCIS give you any insight into what they’re doing?”

“Not much.” Sam wanted to tell him the truth so badly, it hurt not to. The words burned the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them. Not even to him, one of the few people shetrusted implicitly. She hoped he and the others would understand when—not if—the truth came out about this case. More than anything, she despised the idea of disappointing them in any way, especially when they did so much to make it possible for her to hold down multiple roles.

Without them at work, she couldn’t even pretend to be first lady or try to be a halfway decent mother. Lying to them went against everything she believed in, but what choice did she have? If lying to them was next to impossible, what would it be like to lie to Nick’s face when she got home?

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