Page 123 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

“She’s more than upset. She’s dangerous. She almost hit me and my new girlfriend with the brick, not to mention the shattered glass all over us.”

“How do you know it was her?”

“She was waiting for me outside my place when we got home last night. I told her again it was over between us and asked her to leave before I called the police. The brick came through my window half an hour later. It’s being tested now for prints to see if they match what we have on file for her. I strongly suspect it’ll be a match.”

“I’m so sorry, Cameron.” The woman sounded tearful now. “She hasn’t been herself.”

Sam wanted to object to that. She suspected this was the real Jaycee, not the sweet, unassuming side she’d shown Cameron before he’d ended things with her.

“She told me she was pregnant and tried to pass it off as mine. If she is pregnant, there’s no way it’s mine. We haven’t been together that way in months.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Can you help us find her before she makes this worse somehow?”

“Y-yes, of course. Whatever I can do.”

“Mrs. Patrick, this is Lieutenant Holland. Detectives Cruz and McBride are on the way to your house. When they get there, please call Jaycee and ask her to come home. Tell her it’s an emergency. Will you do that?”

“Yes, I will. I just… This isn’t the girl I raised.”

After hearing the hateful things Jaycee had said about Gigi, Sam had so much she’d like to say to that, but she bit her tongue. The goal was to find and arrest Jaycee, not antagonize her mother.

“The detectives will be there shortly. Please don’t do anything until they arrive.”

“I won’t.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Patrick,” Cameron said. “I’ll be in touch.” He ended the call and looked up at Sam. “I hope this works.”

“One way or another,” Sam said, “we’ll find her.”

The mayor moved their meeting to earlier in the day. Sam rode to city hall with Farnsworth and Malone in a police SUV.

“Nothing like being followed by the Secret Service,” the chief said as he glanced in the side-view mirror.

“They’re good to have around in a pinch,” Sam said.

“Listen to you,” Malone said from the driver’s seat, “getting all Zen-like about having a detail.”

“I’ve gotten used to them, and they’re very good about staying out of my way. Not to mention, it’s been convenient to have them drive me around since the hip thing happened.”

“We’re all glad you have extra eyes on you, Lieutenant,” Farnsworth said. “Your sky-high profile gives me nightmares.”

“I know it’s not ideal, but I’m making it work.”

“Not ideal,” Farnsworth said on a huff of laughter. “That’s putting it mildly.” He glanced over his shoulder at her in the back. “The mayor will try to hard-sell you on the deputy chief thing again. You know that, right?”

“What? No, she won’t. We put that to rest.”

“You put it to rest. She hasn’t. It’s come up again several times since she first proposed it. She wants you.”

“I told her I don’t want it, and I haven’t changed my mind about that.”

“You should consider it, Sam,” the chief said. “It’d get you off the streets, which is more dangerous than ever for you now that Nick is president.”

A streak of panic cut through Sam, leaving her breathless. “Sir, with all due respect, I do not want to be deputy chief.”

“For what it’s worth,” Malone said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror, “I agree with him.”

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