Page 138 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“The cousin’s name was D’Andre. It just came to me.”

“That’s great.” Sam wrote down the name. “Give me a shout if you think of anything else that might be helpful.”

“I will, and if I may… I’d just like to say that I’m an admirer of your husband’s. I like the way he conducts himself. I’m wishing him—and you—all the best in your new roles.”

“Thank you. We’ll take all the good wishes we can get.”

“You’re staying on the job?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Good for you. I’ve admired your career too. You’ve got a lot of your old man in you.”

“That’s… That’s the highest compliment you could pay me. Thank you again, Detective Morse.”

“Happy to help.”

Sam ended the call and looked to Malone. “I should’ve reopened this case the minute I took command of this squad.”

“It’s not like you’ve been sitting around twiddling your thumbs over the last two years, not to mention investigating your dad’s case every spare second you had.”

“Still, I knew how Stahl operated and should’ve done something before Lenore showed up to remind me of unfinished business.” She took another minute to get her thoughts together before placing a call to Lenore Worthington. “This is Lieutenant Holland,” she said when Lenore answered, sounding out of breath.

“Oh, hi. I wasn’t sure if I’d hear from you again after everything that’s happened.”

“What happened?”

Lenore laughed. “Other than your husband becoming president?”

“Oh. That.”

“Just another weekend, right?”

“That’s how I’m trying to treat it.”

“And how’s that going for you?”

“Um, well…”

Lenore laughed again. “I’m glad you called. I wanted to thank you again for starting the grief group. I’ve already made some lovely friends from it, and we’re all looking forward to the next meeting.”

“That’s great to hear. I’m so glad it’s been helpful, and we’re just getting started.”

“It’s a good thing you’re doing for the people forever changed by murder.”

“It feels good to me too. I’m hoping to make that effort part of my platform as first lady.”

“That’s an excellent idea.”

“So the reason I called is I’ve been doing some work on Calvin’s case, and I have a few questions for you. Would you mind if I stopped by in an hour or so?”

“My daughter and grandchildren are coming for lunch, but please feel free to join us.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your time with them.”

“I’ve waited fifteen years for justice for my son, Lieutenant. Please come by. I’ll even feed you lunch.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.” Sam wanted to see Lenore before she spoke with Javier Lopez. She grabbed her coat as well as the car keys Freddie had left on her desk and headed for the pit. “Where’s Cruz?” she asked Green.

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