State of Affairs

by Marie Force

  “Is he dancing in this vision you have?”

  “Like a bloody fool.”

  They shared a laugh and a tearful hug.

  When she pulled back, Celia used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face. “What’s the latest?”

  “We’re moving to the White House on Friday.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s just… Wow.”

  “I know, and I was wondering… Would you like to come with us? I could so use your help with the kids and with, well, everything.”

  Celia’s pretty round face went flat with shock. “What?”

  Sam nudged her. “You heard me. You need a change of scenery. I need the help since Shelby’s agreed to be my social secretary. Nick and I will have to travel occasionally, and the Littles are still adjusting to living with us. We’re going to try so hard to keep things as normal as possible for them and Scotty. You’d have your own room and bathroom on the third floor, so you wouldn’t have to be right on top of us and… Please say yes. I need you.”

  “You want me to live with you at the White House?”

  “I want you to live with us at the White House.”

  “Oh my Lord, Sam.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Of course that’s a yes. I can’t believe it. I’ve been thinking about getting a job to have something to do, but this…”

  Sam put her arm around Celia. “This is so much better than a job, right?”

  “So much better. I’ve been so sad about you guys not being down the street anymore and not seeing Scotty and the kids after school every day.”

  “Now you can. That’s the number one thing I need—someone there for them when they get home from school.”

  “I would absolutely love to be that person.”

  They hugged again. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I need you.”

  “Right back at you, honey. Thank you so much for asking me to be part of this. I couldn’t be more excited. Wait until I tell my sisters!”

  “They can visit anytime they want. There’s, like, twenty bedrooms. They can have their pick.”

  “They’re going to die.”

  It was, Sam thought, the most animated and excited she’d seen her beloved stepmother since her father died. “I’ve gotta get back to work. Start packing! They’re already working on our place.”

  “Do you want me to go over and help with that?”

  “Would you?”

  “I’d much rather do that than get rid of your father’s things.”

  “Please feel free. Shelby is over there supervising, but I don’t want her overdoing it. I’m sure she’d love to have your help.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll finish this another day.”

  Sam picked up a red-and-blue-striped rugby shirt her dad had worn all the time when she was a kid, brought it to her face and took a deep breath, looking for some sign of him. But all she smelled was laundry detergent. “Will you put this one with my stuff? It’s the shirt I most remember him wearing during my childhood.”

  “I sure will, honey.”

  “All right, I’m out. I’ll ask my new best friend, Gideon, the chief usher at the White House, to get in touch with you about the details, okay?”

  Celia fanned her face. “That’d be lovely. I’m still trying to believe this.”

  Sam kissed her stepmother’s cheek. “We need you. You need us. It’s perfect. See you later.”

  “Thanks again, Sam. You’ve given me something to be excited about, and I really needed that.”

  “Knowing you’ll be there for my kids when I can’t be is a huge relief.” She blew a kiss and headed downstairs, thrilled Celia would be coming with them—and that she was so delighted to have been asked.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  On the way back to HQ, Sam used the secure BlackBerry to call Nick, prepared to leave a message if he didn’t answer. He surprised her by taking the call.

  “Aren’t you too busy dealing with world domination to talk to your wife?”

  His low chuckle made her smile. “I’m never too busy for my lovely wife.”

  “That’s not true, but I’m glad you picked up.”

  “You caught me between meetings. What’s going on?”

  “I made a couple of executive decisions for us that I figured I ought to tell you about, since you get bitchy when I keep things from you.”

  “Samantha, when do I ever get bitchy with you?”

  “When I keep stuff from you. Anyway, Shelby is in to be our social secretary.”

  “That’s fantastic. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role.”

  “Me either. I also talked to Gideon, the chief usher, who’s my new best friend, and he’s sent people over to start packing us up. Tinker Bell is supervising that.”

  “You have a new best friend? You hate people.”

  “Focus, Nick. The third thing is I asked Celia to come live at the White House with us so she can be with the kids when we can’t be.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea, especially since Shelby won’t be able to do both.”

  “Exactly. Shelby wants to still be involved with the kids, and of course we want that too, but even she can’t do everything.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, babe.”

  “Not all of it, but I’ve made a good dent. I also asked Roni to be my communications director and spokesperson, and she’s super excited. I haven’t heard back from her about when she can start. I’ll check with her tomorrow if I don’t hear from her.”

  “I really appreciate everything you’re doing to make this work. I know it’s not what you want to be doing.”

  “I took you on for better or worse,” she said in a teasing tone.

  “Which is this?”

  “Can I get back to you in a year or two?”

  “Sure,” he said, laughing. “It’s important to me that you’re happy in this new life of ours. I want you to tell me when it gets to be too much.”

  “I’m hanging in there and making new friends. I’ll see you at two.”

  “Can’t wait. Love you. Be careful out there.”

  “Always am. Love you too.” She pressed three buttons before she managed to figure out how to end the call. As she stuffed the BlackBerry into her coat pocket, she yearned for the ease of her lovely flip phone. When you slapped it closed, the call was over. No stupid buttons to push.

  When she got back to HQ, Jeannie was waiting for her in the pit with a slip of paper. “Morse’s number.”

  “Thank you, Jeannie.”

  “No problem.”

  She gestured for Captain Malone to come into the office with her. After shedding her coat, she took a seat in the chair behind the desk and made an effort to shift back into police mode after spending some time in first lady mode. That was how it would be, she thought, constantly shifting back and forth to cover whatever demand most needed her attention at any given moment. She was exhausted just thinking about it, and it was only just beginning. “What do you know about Morse?”

  “I was trying to remember him when he was mentioned earlier. Haven’t seen or thought about him in years. He made detective and quit shortly after without leaving much of an impression.”

  “Any objection to me reaching out to him about Calvin’s case?”

  “Not on my part. I can’t imagine anyone would object. I’d be surprised if twenty people in the whole department remembered him.”

  Sam glanced at the paper Jeannie had given her. “Where is area code 305?”

  “Miami area.”

  “You want to listen in?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  She put the phone on speaker and dialed the number. It rang four times before a man answered, sounding out of breath.

  “Is this Dan Morse?” Sam asked.

  “Who wants to know?”

  “Lieutenant Holland from the MPD in DC.”

  After a long pause, he said, “The president’s wife?”

  She rolled her eyes
at Malone, who tried to hold back a laugh. “Yes.”

  “Well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m here with Captain Jake Malone, and your name came up as one of the officers attached to a cold case we’re taking a fresh look at.”

  “Hey, Jake.”

  “How goes it, Dan?” Malone asked.

  “Can’t complain. Which case?”

  “Calvin Worthington, teenager murdered in his Southeast driveway fifteen years ago.”

  “Yeah, I remember that one. A tough case from the beginning. By all accounts, a really great kid.”

  “Yes, he was, and his mother has never stopped trying to get justice for him.”

  “I remember her too. You don’t forget that kind of heartache.”

  “No, you don’t. What can you tell me about the investigation and how it was run by then-Detective Stahl?”

  He huffed out a laugh. “That guy… I’ve read about your issues with him.”

  “You mean how he wrapped me in razor wire and tried to set me on fire?”

  “He’s always been a sick son of a bitch. He’s one of the reasons I left the department when I did. I saw the handwriting on the wall. He was going to be a commander before long, and I didn’t want to work for someone like him.”

  “I know that feeling. But specific to the Worthington case, is there anything you can tell me about how he handled it?”

  “He didn’t handle it. What did he care about another dead Black kid?”

  Sam sighed as she made eye contact with Malone. “I was afraid you might say that.”

  “I tried to get him to seriously investigate because there were a lot of oddities, but he refused to give the case more than a cursory glance, and since he outranked me, there wasn’t much I could do to overrule him.”

  “I used to work for him. I know how that went. Can you shed any light on the oddities, as you referred to them?”

  “For one thing, Calvin didn’t hang with kids who were in trouble. You were more likely to see him at drama club or band practice than on the streets. His mom worked really hard to keep him away from trouble, and by all accounts, she’d succeeded at that.”

  “So there was never any talk of it being a gang hit?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Wrong place, wrong time? Mistaken identity?”

  “Both were possibilities. He had a cousin who was the exact opposite of him. All in with the gangs, in and out of trouble, long juvie record.”

  “How old was the cousin?”

  “I don’t remember exactly, but a couple of years older than Calvin.”

  “Do you remember his name?”

  “I don’t, but Calvin’s mother could tell you that.”

  “Does the name Javier Lopez mean anything to you?”

  He thought about that for a second. “I can’t say that it does. Why?”

  “He was listed as a classmate of Calvin’s, and his name has come up in another investigation.”

  “I don’t remember anyone by that name.”

  “Have you heard the FBI is investigating the MPD?”

  “I read about that in the Post.”

  “Would you be willing to tell them what you told me about Stahl’s reluctance to investigate Calvin’s case?”

  “Hell yes, I’d be willing. It always pissed me off that he got away with the shit he did, and even though he’s already doing hard time, I’d be happy to tell the FBI how he behaved back in the day. He’s the kind of cop that gave all of us a bad name.”

  “I’ll pass along your name to Agent Hill, who’s leading the investigation. One other thing I wanted to ask. What’re your recollections of Paul Conklin?”

  “I heard about his involvement in your dad’s case and that of Skip’s first partner, Steven Coyne. That was such a shock to me. I can’t imagine how it must’ve been for you and everyone there.”

  “It was pretty horrible to know someone my dad considered a close friend had sat on that info for four long years.”

  “Your dad was a great guy. I was so sorry to hear he’d passed. As for Paul, he always struck me as a straight-up kind of dude. Had some trouble with booze way back when, but as far as I knew, he’d kicked it and gotten himself straightened out.”

  Thanks to my dad, Sam wanted to say, but didn’t. “I very much appreciate your insights into all of this.”

  “I’m happy to help, and I’m so glad you’re taking another look at the Worthington case. That one nagged at me for years, and I’ve always wished I’d had the stones to stand up to Stahl. But you probably remember what it was like to be a low man—or woman—in the department and how hard it is to bump up against more senior officers.”

  “I do remember.” She’d have found a way to work around Stahl, the way she had for years when she was miserably under his command. Even before then, she’d raised hell about Calvin’s case long before she had any standing to do so, but despite her best efforts, it hadn’t gone anywhere. The case had gone cold, and fifteen years had passed without any new leads.

  “I definitely think the cousin is worth a closer look. He was into all sorts of shit back in the day. Not sure about recent activity, but you’d be able to find that out.”

  “You’ve given me a thread I didn’t have before, and I appreciate it.”

  “The cousin’s name was D’Andre. It just came to me.”

  “That’s great.” Sam wrote down the name. “Give me a shout if you think of anything else that might be helpful.”

  “I will, and if I may… I’d just like to say that I’m an admirer of your husband’s. I like the way he conducts himself. I’m wishing him—and you—all the best in your new roles.”

  “Thank you. We’ll take all the good wishes we can get.”

  “You’re staying on the job?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Good for you. I’ve admired your career too. You’ve got a lot of your old man in you.”

  “That’s… That’s the highest compliment you could pay me. Thank you again, Detective Morse.”

  “Happy to help.”

  Sam ended the call and looked to Malone. “I should’ve reopened this case the minute I took command of this squad.”

  “It’s not like you’ve been sitting around twiddling your thumbs over the last two years, not to mention investigating your dad’s case every spare second you had.”

  “Still, I knew how Stahl operated and should’ve done something before Lenore showed up to remind me of unfinished business.” She took another minute to get her thoughts together before placing a call to Lenore Worthington. “This is Lieutenant Holland,” she said when Lenore answered, sounding out of breath.

  “Oh, hi. I wasn’t sure if I’d hear from you again after everything that’s happened.”

  “What happened?”

  Lenore laughed. “Other than your husband becoming president?”

  “Oh. That.”

  “Just another weekend, right?”

  “That’s how I’m trying to treat it.”

  “And how’s that going for you?”

  “Um, well…”

  Lenore laughed again. “I’m glad you called. I wanted to thank you again for starting the grief group. I’ve already made some lovely friends from it, and we’re all looking forward to the next meeting.”

  “That’s great to hear. I’m so glad it’s been helpful, and we’re just getting started.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re doing for the people forever changed by murder.”

  “It feels good to me too. I’m hoping to make that effort part of my platform as first lady.”

  “That’s an excellent idea.”

  “So the reason I called is I’ve been doing some work on Calvin’s case, and I have a few questions for you. Would you mind if I stopped by in an hour or so?”

  “My daughter and grandchildren are coming for lunch, but please feel free to join us.”

  “I don’t want to interrupt your time with them.
”

  “I’ve waited fifteen years for justice for my son, Lieutenant. Please come by. I’ll even feed you lunch.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you soon.” Sam wanted to see Lenore before she spoke with Javier Lopez. She grabbed her coat as well as the car keys Freddie had left on her desk and headed for the pit. “Where’s Cruz?” she asked Green.

  “Car trouble, apparently.”

  “I’ll call him. Any word on Dani?”

  “Nothing yet. I called Gigi to let her know what happened. She was relieved to hear Dani is sick and not something worse.”

  “As am I. I’m going to talk to Calvin Worthington’s mother. I’ll be back in an hour or two. Let me know if you hear anything from Dani.”

  “Will do.”

  Sam started to walk away but stopped herself since she rarely got a moment for a one-on-one with Green without others nearby. “What you said the other day about Gigi…”

  He grimaced. “Moment of weakness, Lieutenant. Didn’t mean to cross any lines.”

  “You didn’t cross lines. You expressed your truth. Now I’m wondering what you’re going to do about it.”

  “Because Gigi and I work together,” he said, nodding. “I get that it’s a problem—”

  “Cameron. Stop. I’m not asking because you work together. I’m asking because the last I knew you had a girlfriend, and it seemed kind of serious. This is your personal business, so if I’m the one crossing lines, feel free to say so. It’s just that I was there the other day in the hospital, and I know what I saw.”

  His cheek ticked with tension. “What did you see?”

  “A man who cares deeply for a woman, even if he’s not supposed to.”

  He blew out a deep breath, his shoulders hunching. “I’m crazy about her, even though I’ve told myself a million times not to be.”

  Sam leaned against Freddie’s desk. “Why’s that?”

  “She was with Ezra, who’d been giving her a hard time for a while before he lost his shit and put her in the hospital. I’ve been with Jaycee for almost a year, and I know she thinks we’re heading for happily ever after. Jaycee is great, and I like her so much, but…”

  “You don’t love her.”

  He shook his head.