Page 159 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

Sam left her laughing as she exited the morgue and headed for her pit. She’d always be more at home there than on Air Force One or at the White House. This was her world, and it was where she thrived. Maybe there was something missing in her that she didn’t feel the need to squeal like a girl over the trappings of the presidency. But then again, she’d never been a typical girl or gotten excited about things other women did. Sure, she loved shoes and clothes as much as the next gal, but she drew the line at squealing.

Freddie was waiting for her when she came in. “Faith will be here in ten, Lopez is in interview one, and Dr. Trulo is waiting for you in your office.”

“Great, thanks. Has the lab reported back about the prints on the knife that killed Carter?”

Freddie checked his computer. “I just got the report. There were two sets of prints—one belongs to Shanice Williams and the other to Fernando Toppa, one of our five suspects.”

“Excellent.” It worked out perfectly for her plan that Lopez wasn’t the one who actually stabbed Eduardo Carter. “Send Faith in when she gets here, and ask Captain Malone to sit in too.”

“Will do.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sam went into her office, where Dr. Trulo was in her visitor chair, scrolling through his phone while he waited for her. “You’re like a teenager with that thing,” she said with a teasing smile. After initially resisting the need for shrinking, Sam had come around to adoring the department psychiatrist who’d been so good to her during some of the rougher moments in her career—and her life.

“My daughters say the same thing. They say I’m addicted.”

Sam was ashamed to realize she hadn’t known he had daughters. “How old are they?”

“Twenty-nine, twenty-seven and twenty-three, and so far, they’ve given me four grandchildren, two of each.”

“Ah, that’s lovely.” She sat behind her desk and put her hair up in a clip to keep it out of her way. “What’s going on?”

“I wanted to check in to see how you’re holding up with everything that’s going on.”

Sam gave him her best blank look. “What’s going on?”

He busted up laughing. “You’re such a piece of work.”

“So I’m told,” she said, amused by him. “I’m fine. I’m coping. I’m doing my thing while he does his. It’s all good. For now, anyway.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re holding up well. My first thought upon hearing the news of President Nelson’s tragic death was for you, actually.”

“Why me?”

“Well, I’d like to think we’ve become friends over the years, and as such, I was worried about how my friend and colleague would cope with this rather major change in her life and her family’s life.”

“Thank you for thinking of me, but I’m quite determined to keep things as normal as possible for myself and the kids, and so far, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Good for you. It’ll mean so much to other women to see you continuing to do your job while taking care of your kids and supporting your husband. The country is lucky to have you both.”

“I’m glad you think so. Not everyone does.”

“I suppose that’s to be expected.”

“The only thing that truly freaks me out is someone trying to harm Nick simply because of the office he holds.”

“A logical concern, but he’s surrounded by the best security in the world, as you certainly know from his tenure as VP.”

“I do know, but still, I worry.”

“I’m here if I can help with that.”

“If it gets to be too much, you’ll be the first to know.”

“My door is always open to you, Lieutenant. The other reason I came by was to tell you I received a call from a producer with the Today show. They’d like to interview us about our grief group in the next couple of weeks.”

“For real?”

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