Page 156 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“You know who’d totally love this so much?”

“I was thinking that earlier. He’d be busting his buttons.” She blinked furiously to contain the sudden rush of tears. “I’m so sad he won’t be able to visit us there.”

“He’ll be there. He’ll be right in the middle of it. You know that.”

“Yeah, I do. All right, I need to go talk to a former criminal who found Jesus in prison and is now a pastor at a Baptist church.”

“That’s a mouthful. Is he tied to Worthington?”

“His look-alike cousin, who was in all the trouble at the time Calvin was killed.”

“Are you thinking mistaken identity?”

“I was until Calvin’s girlfriend gave me another thread to pull. Javier Lopez, who’s in our custody with the Carter murder?”

“What about him?”

“He had fisticuffs with Calvin two weeks before he died, and it apparently escalated. Of course, none of this was in Stahl’s reports because he never bothered to talk to the girlfriend or the cousin.”

“I hate that son of a bitch for so many reasons, but if this turns out to be the tip of an iceberg with his cases…”

“I’d bet my badge on the iceberg.”

His deep sigh said it all. “I’ll talk to the chief. I’ll let you know.”

“Just a reminder that I’m leaving at four on Wednesday to do the viewing at the Capitol, and I’m out all day Thursday for the funeral and flight to South fucking Dakota. I guess I’m moving on Friday. I’m already in a pissed-off mood about this week, and it’s just getting started.”

“Are you flying on Air Force One?”

“I guess.”

“That’s so freaking cool.”

“You wanna go in my place?”

“I’d do it in a minute. I’ve always wanted to ride on Air Force One.”

“We’ll see what we can do to make that happen.”

“That’d be amazing. I guess I’ll see you when I see you, and when I see you, I’ll steer clear.”

“Good idea. Later.”

Sam’s stomach ached after the conversation about icebergs. It made her sick to think about cops cutting corners and victims of violent crime suffering as a result. She parked in the lot outside the church, approached the attached office and stepped inside to encounter one of her favorite things—a receptionist. This one was an older woman with a sweet, accommodating face. As she showed her badge, Sam hoped she was actually accommodating.

The woman’s face went flat with shock. “You… You’re… Oh my heavens!”

“Hi there, I’m Lieutenant Holland with the Metro PD, looking for D’Andre Worthington. Is he available?”

“He… I… You’re the first lady!”

For fuck’s sake. “I am. Is Pastor Worthington available?”

“He…” She stood so quickly she managed to upend her office chair, which crashed to the floor with a loud bang that brought the man Sam was looking for from an adjoining office to see what’d happened. D’Andre wore a dark suit with a white dress shirt and no tie. Even years later, Sam could see his startling resemblance to his late cousin.

“Are you all right?” He tended to his receptionist before he noticed Sam standing there. Then he did a double take when he too recognized her.

She introduced herself to him and asked for a minute of his time.

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