Page 67 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

Sam sat in the chair facing his desk and trained her gaze on him.

He refused to look at her.

At least she knew for sure he had something big to tell her, or he wouldn’t be so easily intimidated or asking for a lawyer.

Ten minutes later, the guy came rushing through the door, red-faced and huffing. “So sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Cappuano.”

Sam rolled her eyes and showed him her gold shield. “Lieutenant Holland. My partner, Detective Cruz. Your name?”

“Joseph Holleran. Pleasure to meet you both. My wife won’t believe I met the first lady.”

“Enough with that,” Sam said, scowling. “I’m here as a police officer, as you well know, and the one thing I hate is people who waste my time. I’m trying to figure out who killed Pam Tappen. Your client has information relevant to the case that I need, so let’s get this moving.”

“I’d like a moment to confer in private with my client,” Holleran said.

Sam gestured for him to have at it. “Make it snappy.” She and Freddie got up and left the room.

“I thought I’d have to hold you back for a second there,” Freddie said, grinning. “When he added the part about his wife, I was ready.”

“Why do people have to state the obvious? Why, why, why?”

“Um, probably because they’ve never had a first lady pounding the pavement as a cop before?”

“Why do you have to state the obvious? You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Laughing, he said, “I am on your side, but it’s going to take a while for the novelty to wear off.”

“Anytime now.” She was giving them five more minutes before she went back in there to start kicking ass and taking names.

Three minutes later, the lawyer opened the door and invited them back inside. “My client is willing to speak to you about highly personal matters with the understanding that he’s doing so voluntarily and out of a desire to find justice for Pam.”

While Freddie cleared his throat to keep from laughing at the outrageous statement, Sam met the lawyer’s gaze head on. “Let me clarify some things for you, Mr. Hapigan.”

“It’s, um, Holleran.”

“Whatever your name is, this is a homicide investigation, which means I can arrest your client for failing to provide relevant information. He’s not doing us a favor here. He’s cooperating with a homicide investigation and thus saving himself from being arrested. Are we all clear now?”

“I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Pam!” Ouellette said.

“Shut up, Mark,” Holleran said.

“I didn’t! I cared about her. We were friends. I’d never harm her.” His chin quivered and his eyes filled, and Sam again felt the tingle that came with a potential break in a baffling case.

“What is it you wish to tell us, Mr. Ouellette?” Sam asked, forcing herself to use a patient tone when she was tempted to rip his head off for dragging this out.

“I want you to know that Pam was a wonderful friend, mother, wife. She did so much for so many people and was always willing to lend a hand when needed.”

“And?”

To her great dismay, he began to cry. For fuck’s sake…

“I love my wife and my kids. My family is everything to me, and Pam’s family was everything to her.”

“But?”

“We, I… We had an affair.”

Bingo. “When?”