Page 89 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“I used to have friends, but not so much now. Eddie and I… It was just us.”

“Is that the way Eddie wanted it?” Sam asked, working a hunch after hearing there’d been multiple domestic calls to their place.

“He… he said we were better off going it alone.”

So he’d isolated her from her family and friends, which was typical abuser behavior.

“Can I tell you something as a mom myself?”

“I guess.”

“If one of my kids was out there somewhere in need of help, I’d want her to call me no matter how long it’d been since we’d talked. It wouldn’t matter to me.”

“I… I guess you could call my mom.” Her chest heaved with a sob. “I’d really like to see her.”

Sam pulled the notebook from her back pocket. “What’s her number?”

The young woman recited the number.

“What’s her name?”

“Brandy Wilson.”

“I’ll call her for you.”

“You can tell her it’s okay if she doesn’t want to come. It’s been a while…”

“I’ll tell her.” She rested a hand on Shanice’s arm. “Try not to worry. We’re going to help you.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe the first lady herself is going to help me.”

“Right now, I’m not the first lady. I’m a cop and a mom and a friend, okay?”

Shanice bit her lip and nodded, wincing and blinking back new tears.

“I’ll check on you later.”

Chapter Eighteen

Sam left the room and went to the ICU waiting room, which was blessedly empty other than Vernon, Jimmy and Freddie, who was on his phone. She placed the call to Shanice’s mother.

The call went to voice mail. “Ms. Wilson, this is Lieutenant Sam Holland with the Metro Police Department. I’m calling about your daughter. Shanice is currently admitted to GW Hospital and gave me your number. She wanted me to tell you that it’s okay if you don’t want to come, but she’d like to see you.” Sam left her number so the woman could call her back and then slapped the phone closed. If she didn’t hear from her, she’d try calling again shortly.

“I asked Captain Malone to get the warrant, put Crime Scene on notice that we’ll need them at the apartment and made arrangements to get the rape kit to the lab,” Freddie said. “I also passed along Shanice’s descriptions of the men to Gonzo.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

“What’s next?”

“What do we know about Kelvin Evans?”

“I’m waiting for Gonzo to get me the lowdown on him.”

Sam’s cell rang, and she took the call, recognizing the number as the one she’d just called. “Lieutenant Holland.”

“This is Shanice’s mother. I… I got your message. What happened to her?”

“She was assaulted by several men.”