Page 5 of State of Denial

“I also wanted to confirm one of your quotes.”

“Which one?”

“‘I have three very important jobs—first and foremost as a wife and mother to three young people. Second as the lieutenant overseeing the Metro PD’s Homicide division. And last, but certainly not least, I’m proud to serve as the nation’s first lady.’ Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“My editors wondered whether you might want to play up the first lady part more than you do in that statement.”

Sam thought about that for a moment. “The point of this story you talked me into doing was for people to get to know me better, right?”

“That’s the goal.”

“Then it’s important to me that they also know where my priorities lie.”

“You’re apt to get some pushback on listing first lady last.”

“I can handle that.” She made a mental note to alert Lilia and Roni in her first lady office, so they’d be ready for anything.

“All right, then. I think we’re set.”

“This won’t be a hatchet piece, right?”

“Sam… And here I thought we were friends.”

“We are. For now, anyway.”

“You’ll like it. I promise. Thanks for giving me the exclusive. That’ll never be forgotten.”

“I do what I can for the people.”

“Happy to be one of your people.”

“When did I say that?”

“Have a good day, ma’am.”

“If you call me that, you’ll never be one of my people.” She slapped the phone closed for added emphasis while hoping she didn’t come to regret giving the interview Darren had pleaded with her to do.

Vernon drove her around to the morgue entrance at the back of HQ to avoid the media scrum always positioned outside the main door. She’d learned to wait for Vernon to get the door for her, because it mattered so much to him. She would’ve preferred to do it herself, but she’d compromised on that. See? She was growing up.

“See you in a bit, gentlemen.”

“Have a good day at the office, dear,” Vernon said, earning him a grin over her shoulder.

It’d taken serious effort to get him to call her anything other than ma’am.

Her partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, was coming toward her as she stepped into the antiseptic smell coming from the morgue. “Morning,” Sam said.

“We’ve got bodies.”

CHAPTER TWO

“Bodies as in plural?” Sam asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Freddie walked with her to the detectives’ pit. “We’ve got a family of six found shot to death in Cathedral Heights. The father failed to show up for work, so one of his colleagues requested a wellness check.”

“What do we know about them?”

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