Page 158 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“On the way back to HQ. You?”

“I’m there after learning my baby has a blown head gasket, and there’s no point to getting her fixed.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you are.”

“I’m truly sorry you’re sad about it.”

“Thank you.”

“I won’t, however, miss the backfiring that made me feel like I was under attack.”

“There it is,” he said, laughing.

“Do me a favor and ask one of the Millers to meet me at HQ in twenty minutes, if possible. Get Javier Lopez into an interview room and ask Green to get me a list of Lopez’s known associates from fifteen years ago. I just need two or three names.”

“Will do. What’s going on?”

“I think I’ve got the Worthington case put together.”

“Seriously? Already?”

“Yes, and it was revoltingly easy, actually. Our good friend Stahl didn’t do even the most rudimentary investigation. If he had, Lenore and her family wouldn’t have had to wait fifteen years for justice for Calvin.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Truly. I told Malone I’m going back to look at every one Stahl’s open cases to find out what other corners he cut. But first, I want to wrap this up for Lenore.”

His deep sigh said it all. “We’ll be ready when you get here.”

She ended the call and pushed the accelerator, eager to get to HQ and get this case sewn up for Lenore and Calvin. Sam couldn’t change the past, but she could correct a terrible wrong by making an arrest in Calvin’s case. Now she just had to figure out how she was going to play it with Javier.

That’s why she needed to talk to one of the identical blonde triplets who served the District as Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Sam arrived at HQ a few minutes later to discover a much larger Secret Service presence had effectively moved the media mob out of the way. “Huh, well, look at them being useful.” She parked in her usual spot outside the morgue and went inside, stopping first to check in with Lindsey. “Have we got DNA back from the rape kit on Shanice Williams?”

“Just now.” Lindsey handed her a printout of the report. “All five suspects matched.”

“Vile.”

“Extremely.”

“That poor girl.” After so many years on the job, Sam had become almost immune to the horrors she experienced on a daily basis. But some were worse than others. “I’ve possibly tied one of them to a cold-case murder from fifteen years ago.”

“Wow.”

“I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to play it with him. Maybe let him think I’m going to deal on the murder and assault of Carter in exchange for info on Worthington.”

“Good luck with it. I hope you can get some answers for the Worthingtons.”

“Me too.”

“So, um, Terry invited me to go along on the trip to South Dakota on Air Force One.”

“If you squeal like a girl, I’m gonna stab you.”

Lindsey cracked up laughing. “It’s Air Force One, Sam.”

“Go to work, Lindsey.”