Page 146 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

“I know, right? I’m walking on the wild side lately. You can let her attorney in to see her. And let’s finish with her phone in the meantime.” It surely seemed as if the stars were aligning in her favor today, Sam thought, as she went into the conference room to finish going through Grace’s messages from the days prior to Pam’s disappearance and afterward. One of them, from the day after, stopped her in her tracks.

Lucas Tappen texted, Did you do it?

It’s taken care of. Now it’s your turn.

I don’t know if I can.

You agreed this needed to happen. Now do your part, or I will if you’re not man enough.

I said I’d do it, and I will.

He’s at his office every morning by seven. His staff doesn’t arrive until eight. There’s your opportunity. He also stays late after they leave at four. I’ll be waiting.

“Holy shit,” Sam whispered, grabbing the receiver of the phone on the table and putting through a call to Patrol. “This is Lieutenant Holland. I need people on Mark Ouellette immediately.” She gave his office and home addresses. “I believe his life is in imminent danger.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the Patrol sergeant said. “We’ll dispatch officers to both places right away.”

“Thank you.”

When Freddie returned from taking Grace’s attorney in to meet with her, Sam said, “Grace was in cahoots with Lucas Tappen. She’d take out Pam if he did her dad.”

“Come on.”

“It’s all right here.” Sam showed the texts to Freddie, who scanned them quickly.

“Lucas knew she was going to kill Pam, and he’s planning to take Mark out.”

“These are high school kids plotting murder.”

“They’re high school kids who caught their parents having an affair and decided to take matters into their own hands, except only one of them followed through with it.”

“Are we picking him up?”

“He knew his mother was going to be murdered and did nothing to stop it. You bet your ass we’re picking him up. Let’s go.”

They were almost to the Tappens’ home when Sam took a call from an unknown number on speaker. “Holland.”

“This is Patrol Sergeant Kramer. When my officers arrived at Mr. Ouellette’s office, we found the subject deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.”

“Oh fuck,” Sam muttered as she slammed her hand against the wheel and pressed the accelerator to the floor, planning to go by the Tappens’ home to look for Lucas before proceeding to Mark’s office. “We’ll be there shortly.”

To Freddie, she said, “Get Gonzo, Cameron, Jeannie and Matt over to Mark Ouellette’s office to process the scene and put out an APB for Lucas Tappen. List him as armed and dangerous.”

“On it.”

They were two blocks from the Tappens’ house when Freddie said, “Sam, look.”

As they went flying by a parked car, she caught a glimpse of a young man bent over the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes to make a U-turn.

While Freddie called Gonzo and updated him on the situation with Mark Ouellette, Sam pulled up behind the parked car, got out and withdrew her weapon as she approached the vehicle. Knowing he was armed, she stood back when she knocked on the window. The young man inside startled and looked up at her, his face red and his eyes ravaged. His shock at seeing her registered in the second before he aimed a weapon at her.

She kept her weapon trained on him, praying she wouldn’t have to use it. “Put it down and get out of the car!”

Freddie appeared on the other side of the car with his gun drawn.

She took a step forward, hoping to make eye contact with him. “Put it down, Lucas, and get out of the car!”

He took a shot through the window that caught her in the arm. The shock and impact knocked her off her feet. Son of a bitch, if he shot her again while she was down, that could be game over. But damned if she could make her limbs work to get herself out of harm’s way.