Fatal Identity

by Marie Force

  Sam wrangled him into his room, helped him out of his coat and sweater. “Do you want to do the jeans?”

  “You can,” he said in the smallest voice she’d ever heard from him.

  That her thirteen-year-old wanted help with his pants said a lot about how sick he really was. A pang of fear struck her heart. Where the hell was Harry?

  She got Scotty out of the jeans and into a pair of flannel pajama pants that had the Batman logo all over them. He was asleep before she finished dressing him.

  Sam pulled the comforter up and over him, tucking him in. She’d no sooner gotten him settled when she heard retching noises from her own room. She ran for the hallway.

  “Is he okay?” Darcy asked from her post outside Scotty’s door.

  “I don’t know. Doc is on his way.”

  Sam went in to help Nick, who’d fortunately made it to the bathroom. Wetting a washcloth, she bathed his face and cradled his head against her chest between bouts of vomiting.

  “Scotty has it too.”

  He moaned. “Haven’t felt this bad ever.”

  “I’m scared for you guys.”

  He wrapped an arm around her, thinking of her first as he always did, even when he felt like hell. “Don’t be. Just the flu or something.”

  It was the “or something” that scared the crap out of her.

  “What happened at the hearing?” he asked.

  “Suspended for four days, but don’t worry about that now. It’s no biggie.”

  “Yes, it is. You’re not upset?”

  “Nah. This too shall pass. I’m not sorry I slugged him. He had it coming.”

  “He certainly did.”

  “You ready to go back to bed?”

  “So ready.”

  It took both of them to get him up off the bathroom floor and back into bed. Sam tucked him in and sat next to him, stroking his hair and thinking about what to do with Josh.

  With Nick asleep again, she crept out of the room and placed a call to Freddie.

  “Hey, did you talk to Gonzo?” he asked.

  “Jesus, I totally forgot. You won’t believe what’s been going on since I left HQ earlier.” She brought him up to speed on the situation with Josh Hamilton.

  “Holy cow,” he said softly. “Director Hamilton’s son is accusing him of being a kidnapper?”

  “We don’t know anything yet, other than Josh Hamilton closely resembles the age-progression photo the family released to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the kidnapping, and his thirtieth birthday is coming up. That’s all we know. Lindsey is coming to take a swab, and I’ll ask the lab to rush it. I’m going to reach out to the Williamson County people to let them know we might have a lead for them. Once we have the DNA, we’ll send it to Williamson County to see if it’s a match to the missing baby’s parents.”

  “What if it is?”

  “One thing at a time.”

  “What can I do?”

  “It’s kind of a big thing, but I need someone on Josh until we know what we’re dealing with. I’m sure you have plans this weekend—”

  “Actually, Elin is going wedding dress shopping with her friends for the weekend, so I’m on my own.”

  “How do you feel about hunkering down in a hotel with him until we know more?”

  “I’d much rather hunker down in a hotel with Elin, but since that’s not happening this weekend, I can do it.”

  “Are you sure? I’m technically not allowed to ask you to do anything, and I’m not sure how the OT will work. I’ll clean it up later with Malone.”

  “Don’t sweat it. It all comes out in the wash.”

  “In case I forget to tell you, you’re the best.”

  “Yeah, yeah, so you say until you get mad with me and I’m not the best anymore.”

  “When was the last time I was mad with you?”

  “Um, when I tuned up Elliott?” he asked of the man who’d assaulted his fiancée.

  “That was a very specific instance of you doing something stupid.”

  “Sort of like you punching Ramsey?”

  “Just like,” she said with a laugh. “Touché.”

  “Where’s Josh now?”

  “My living room.”

  “Seriously? You brought him home with you?”

  “Where else was I supposed to take him? HQ is off limits to me at the moment, and I wanted him somewhere that no one could get to him. This place is like Fort Knox these days, so where better?”

  “I’ll come get him.”

  “Enter at your own risk. Nick and Scotty are down hard with something that could be the flu but more closely resembles the bubonic plague.”

  “Ah, damn, that’s too bad.”

  “Puts a damper on my plans for a restful break,” she said as she looked in on Scotty and then Nick. Both were sleeping peacefully—for the moment.

  The doorbell rang, and Sam headed for the stairs, praying it was Harry. “I gotta go. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  “I’ll be there within the hour.”

  “Thanks again.”

  “No problem.”

  It was a huge problem and an even bigger imposition, but he wouldn’t say so, and that made him the best partner she’d ever had. He did whatever she asked of him, no matter how outrageous the request.

  She reached the living room as Brant ushered Dr. Harry Flynn into the house. “Thank God you’re here. My boys are sick as dogs.”

  The handsome, dark-haired doctor kissed her cheek. “Boys plural?”

  “Scotty came home with the same thing Nick has. They’re both scary sick.”

  “Dr. Harry’s on the job. Lead the way.”

  “Be right back,” Sam said to Josh as she took Harry upstairs, first to Scotty, who hadn’t budged since she tucked him in.

  Harry took his temperature with a thingie he swiped over the boy’s forehead. “One-oh-three. That’s one heck of a fever. Did he mention any symptoms other than the vomiting?”

  “He could barely hold himself up, let alone talk.”

  “And he was fine this morning?”

  “They both were—and then they weren’t.”

  “It’s going around. We’ve seen it in the office.”

  Sam felt slightly better to hear her guys hadn’t been taken down by something random.

  “It’s usually a miserable day or two before they start to rebound.” He finished examining Scotty. “Let me take a quick look at Nick.”

  “Right this way.”

  Nick woke up while Harry was taking his temperature. “What’re you doing in my bedroom?”

  “I came to seduce your wife since you’re not capable at the moment.”

  Nick groaned and attempted a smile. “Hands off. She’s all mine.”

  “One-oh-two,” Harry said, reading from the LCD. “How did it come on and what’re your symptoms?”

  “I was in a meeting and my head started to buzz and my stomach started to hurt and within five minutes, I felt like I was going to pass out. Fortunately, Melinda saw it happen and was all over it. She and Brant got me out of there before I could puke in the White House.”

  “Did she have her hands on you?” Sam asked of the blonde bombshell agent she called Secret Service Barbie.

  “Relax. I didn’t feel a thing other than the need to puke.”

  “I love how she’s jealous even when you’re sick as hell,” Harry said with a laugh.

  “That’s my girl,” Nick said, his eyes closing. “True blue.” His hand found hers, and he linked their fingers.

  No matter what the circumstances, he always knew how to handle her, and Sam didn’t mind being handled as long as he was the one doing it.

  “I don’t think either
of them needs more than rest and fluids. Unfortunately, it’s got to run its course. If they get any worse, don’t hesitate to call 911 and get them to the hospital.”

  “That’s it? That’s all we can do?”

  “For now. I’ll be checking in with you, and we’ll keep tabs on how they’re doing. Try not to worry. I know it’s hard to see them so sick, but you should see a big improvement by tomorrow. The most important thing is keeping them hydrated. Push the fluids.”

  “All right. If you’re sure.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’m a phone call away if you need me. I promise they’re going to be fine.”

  For the first time since she’d seen Nick looking like death warmed over, Sam relaxed ever so slightly. She wouldn’t completely relax, however, until they were both back to normal.

  After she and Harry checked once more on their sleeping patients, she walked him downstairs and gave him a hug at the door. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Anytime. Don’t hesitate to call me if they get any worse, okay?”

  “You’ll be the first to know.”

  He passed Lindsey McNamara on the ramp, and they exchanged a few words before Brant admitted Lindsey.

  “Is it safe to come in?” Lindsey asked.

  “Enter at your own risk,” Sam said. “We’re down hard with the flu.”

  “Yikes.”

  “At least my suspension is well-timed. I’m needed here for the next few days.”

  “Silver lining,” Lindsey said with a smile. She glanced at Josh, who sat on the sofa, his leg still bouncing nervously. “Are you going to tell me what this is about?”

  “I can’t. Not yet anyway. But suffice to say it’s a matter of paternity, and if it turns out to be something, it’s gonna be huge.”

  “Say no more.”

  Sam introduced her to Josh, and Lindsey explained the process of obtaining a cheek swab to test his DNA.

  “How long will it take to get results?” he asked.

  “I’ll put a rush on it, but it could be four or five days.”

  “How will you know if someone is a match to my DNA?”

  Lindsey glanced at Sam before she replied. “The basic DNA fingerprint or profile that we use for law enforcement or human identity purposes is called the nuclear or autosomal STR profile. STR means short tandem repeat, which describes repeating segments of DNA code at particular locations on the human genome.”

  Josh’s eyes glazed over as Lindsey explained the technicalities.

  “We’ll be looking for a match to your biological father,” she said when she seemed to realize she’d lost him. “The Y chromosome is passed down from father to son. The Y-STR profile for a father and a son should exactly match, except in rare cases of mutation. So this wouldn’t work for identifying a daughter, because a girl wouldn’t have the Y chromosome. The lab will rely upon a combination of information from autosomal STRs and the Y-STRs to make a determination of father/son. You see?”

  Judging by his baffled expression, he didn’t see. He didn’t see at all. But he said, “I think so. Thank you for explaining.”

  “No problem.”

  “Thanks so much for coming, Lindsey.” Sam walked her to the door. “Let me know the second you have anything.”

  “You know I will. Even with a rush it’ll be a few days.” Lindsey glanced at Brant guarding the door and lowered her voice. “I don’t know what you’re up to here, Sam, but you need to be careful. I heard Forrester is seriously considering assault charges.”

  “So I’ve been told. And don’t worry. I’m being careful. This isn’t an official MPD case. He asked me for a favor. That’s all it is.”

  “You’ve involved me, which involves the department.”

  “No one knows that but you and me.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I hear you.”

  “I’ll get back to you as soon as I have anything.”

  “Thanks again, Lindsey.”

  Sam returned to the sofa and sat next to Josh. “So here’s what I’m thinking. I’m going to reach out to law enforcement in Williamson County as a professional courtesy. I’ll tell them what I know so far and that we’ve taken DNA. I’ll strongly suggest they refrain from contacting the family until we know for sure there’s a match. That way if you’re not a match, we haven’t raised their hopes for no reason.”

  “What do I do in the meantime?”

  “We’re going to put you in a hotel with police protection until we know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Is that really necessary?”

  “If I didn’t think it was, I’d never ask you to do it.” Sam chose her words wisely. “If this turns out to be true, you’re sitting on a powder keg because of who raised you. If he was complicit in this, it’ll be the biggest BFD in the history of BFDs. You got me?”

  “Yeah.” Arms on knees, he dropped his head and sighed. When he looked up at her, she saw his anguish. “You don’t really think he’d harm me or anything, do you?”

  “If you’d asked me this morning if Director Hamilton had possibly raised a child kidnapped from another family, I would’ve said no way. And I remain ninety-nine percent skeptical that’ll turn out to be true. But if the one percent pans out...I have no idea what’ll happen, and I want to ensure your safety.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly.

  “The choice is definitely yours, Josh. If you don’t want to be under police protection, you don’t have to be. But if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t take any chances, especially since it’s only a matter of time before that photo goes viral.”

  “You really think that’ll happen?”

  “People are always interested in missing kids.”

  “I wish I hadn’t seen it.”

  Sam leaned in to put her hand on his arm. “If it turns out to be true, will you still feel that way?”

  “I don’t know how to feel about any of this. Before I saw that picture, it never occurred to me that something like this was even possible. Now... Well, now I’m wondering if my whole life has been a lie. Did they just pretend to care about me when they were lying to me the whole time?”

  “You’ll know soon enough, and until then, I recommend you let us keep you safe.”

  “You and who else?”

  “My partner, Detective Freddie Cruz. I trust him implicitly. You’ll be in very good hands with him, and as soon as we have the DNA results, we’ll get you some answers.”

  “Fine. Okay. I’ll go with your partner.”

  “I think that’s the wisest choice, especially since this place is overrun with the flu.”

  “And you’ll let me know what’s going on?”

  “I’ll be in touch with you the second we have anything concrete. I promise.”

  With his face set in a grim expression, he nodded, seeming pacified for now. Sam entered his phone number into her contacts and gave him her number in case he needed her for anything. Freddie arrived a short time later, and Sam introduced him to Josh.

  Josh shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I guess we’re going to be roommates for the next few days.”

  “Looks that way,” Freddie said. “You like the Skins?”

  “Of course I do. Born and raised right here in D.C.”

  “It’s Cowboys weekend, so at least we have something fun to watch.”

  “I’ll spring for the beer.” Sam handed her credit card to Freddie. “Put the room on that too.”

  “Your personal card? Will they let me do that?”

  “Have them call me if you need to.”

  “I could use my department card.”

  She shook her head. “I’m keeping this separate for the time being. I’ll work out the expense side of it later.”

 
“You’re the boss.”

  “Not right now, I’m not. Check in with me later.”

  “Will do.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AFTER THEY LEFT, Sam went upstairs to look in on Scotty and Nick. They were both sleeping soundly, so she went downstairs to get something to eat while she could. Shelby had left a big salad and a pot of meatballs on the stove, so Sam had some of both along with a glass of water when she’d much rather have had a diet cola.

  While she ate, she picked over the details of the case Josh had dropped into her lap. Though she probably should’ve technically declined to help him in light of her suspension, there were no rules she knew of that dictated personal favors outside of work. And technically, it wasn’t even an actual case, so she wasn’t violating the terms of her suspension.

  Calling Lindsey might’ve crossed the line, but Lindsey’s connections with the lab would ensure a speedier turnaround than they would’ve gotten from an outside doctor. With the possibility of Director Hamilton’s involvement or culpability, she needed to do things by the book. At some point, the chain of custody on the DNA might matter, and who would care then that Sam had technically been suspended when she requested the swab?

  You’re justifying yourself, baby girl. Sam smiled at the sound of Skip Holland’s voice in her head. Thinking of him made her want to talk to him, so she called down the street to see what he was up to.

  “Hi, honey,” her stepmother said. “How’re you?”

  “We’ve been struck by the flu over here. First Nick, then Scotty.”

  “Oh no, are they okay?”

  “They’re asleep for the moment, but they’ve both thrown up.”

  “Poor guys. I’ll make some soup for when they feel up to eating again.”

  “I’m sure they’d appreciate that it came from you rather than me.”

  Celia laughed. “Probably.”

  “Is Dad up for a chat?”

  “He sure is. Let me get him for you.”

  “What happened at the hearing?” Skip asked.

  “Hello to you too.”

  “Spill it.”

  Sam smiled at his sauciness. She expected nothing less from him. “Suspended for four days and a thousand-dollar donation to the widows and kids.”