by Marie Force
“They do not!”
“They do too.” He cracked up at the horrified face she made at him. “What was that guy saying to Dad?”
“Nothing worth repeating.”
“Why are people mad at him for being honest about what he wants and what he doesn’t want?”
“That’s a very good question. Personally, I’d rather not have a president who doesn’t particularly want the job, you know?”
“Yeah, even though it would’ve been sick to live in the White House.”
“You say that now, but it’d be so confining.”
“More confining than now?”
“Confining on a different level. People watching everything you say and do. Nonstop scrutiny and security issues and life-and-death decisions.” Sam shuddered. “I can’t imagine it for the life of me.”
“Dad could do it.”
Sam put her arm around Scotty and gave him a quick squeeze. “No doubt he could do it, but he has to want to. And therein lies the problem.”
“I hate that people are mad with him for doing what’s best for himself and his family.”
“That’s annoying for sure.”
Scotty looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed with concern. “You don’t think anyone is mad enough to try to hurt him, do you?”
Sam couldn’t bear to consider that possibility. “I really hope not, but try not to worry. Brant and the other agents are watching him all the time. They won’t let anything happen to him.”
“Sometimes, having the Secret Service around is a drag. Other times, not so much.”
“I hear you, pal.” Sam glanced at her watch and groaned. “I hate to say it, but I’ve got to go back to work. I have a meeting tonight.”
“The grief group, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you think maybe I could come? Is it something kids are allowed to do?”
“Of course you can. I’d love that. I’m sorry that I didn’t think to invite you.”
“It’s okay. You’ve got a lot going on.”
“I do, but I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”
“Duh, yes, I know that. Do I have time to grab something to eat before we go?”
“If we head home right now.”
“Let’s roll.”
Sam told Nick and Celia that she and Scotty were heading home as he ran off to tell the twins he and Sam were leaving. “He’s coming with me tonight,” she said to Nick.
“Is that right?”
“His request.”
“What a fine idea. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it.”
“I said the same thing.”
“Good thing our son is smarter than both of us put together.” Nick kissed her forehead. “You gonna be okay at that meeting?”
“Should be. You gonna be okay at home with the Littles?”
“Sure thing. We got this. I’ll wait up for you.”
“Don’t do that if you feel tired.”
“I’ll wait.”
She left with a smile for him and a wave for Celia, who was pushing Alden on a swing. “Will I see you at the meeting?”
“Not tonight,” Celia said with a small, sad smile. “Maybe at some point, but I’m just not there yet.”
“I understand.”
“I hope it’s a wonderful success, though.”
“Thanks.” As Sam walked past Brant, she said, “The crazies are crazier than usual lately.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t look away.”
“I never do.”
She felt confident that Nick would be safe with the earnest young agent in charge of his protection, but she worried anyway.
Sam’s detail and Scotty’s escorted them home. Sam made turkey sandwiches for her and Scotty that they took with them to eat while the Secret Service transported them to HQ, with plans for a stop to pick up Roni on the way. Sam agreed to ride in one of their SUVs so she could be with Scotty, not because she needed them to protect her.
Two days with a detail had reminded her why she hadn’t wanted one in the first place.
“What’ll happen at this meeting?” Scotty asked between bites of his sandwich.
“Dr. Trulo is in charge and facilitating it.”
“What does that mean? Facilitating?”
“He’s going to lead the discussion.”
“What kind of doctor is he?”
“A psychiatrist.”
“Otherwise known as a shrink.”
“Yes,” Sam said, amused by him as always.
“And we like this guy?”
“We like him very much. He’s been good to me over the years, and when I brought the idea for a grief group to him, he’s the one who really made it happen.”
“In other words, he did all the work while you got all the credit.”
“Something like that.” She nudged him with her elbow. “You’re too smart for my own good.”
His laughter filled her with an unreasonable joy. “Watch out for when I lap you and take over the management of the family.”
“I’m keeping my eye on you, buster.”
“Did you find the person who killed that lady who stole from her friends?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ve been thinking about her. What do you suppose her plan was? It wasn’t like they weren’t going to find out she’d ripped them off.”
“I think she was probably planning to leave the country.”
“By herself? Didn’t she have kids?”
“Yeah, but they were pissed with her because she scammed their friends’ parents.”
He thought about that for a second. “So she was going to leave the country and not take her husband and kids?”
“Her kids are adults, so it’s not like she would have left behind little ones.”
“Still. They’re her kids.”
“That’s true,” Sam said, mulling that over. “You think they were in on it?”
“I don’t know, but I’d wonder how much they really knew.”
“We think the daughter might have been running money to the Cayman Islands, which is a tax shelter, meaning that people who deposit money there don’t have to pay taxes on it in the U.S.”
“Do you think the daughter knew what she was doing?”
“We’re talking to her tomorrow, but she’d have to be pretty stupid not to know why she was being sent there.”
“Did they send her with suitcases of cash?”
“That’s what I want to know too. And P.S., if you’re interested in a career in law enforcement, we might have a spot for you on the MPD.”
“Not if we get to him first,” Deborah, Scotty’s lead agent, said over her shoulder from the front seat.
“There’s a bidding war for me,” Scotty said with a big grin.
“How do you know about bidding wars?”
“Video games. That’s how I learn most of the coolest stuff, which is why school is so not necessary.”
The agents in the front seat laughed while Sam tried not to join them. “Your father would have a heart attack if he heard you say that.”
“Which is why we aren’t going to tell him. Got me?”
“I got you.” The motorcade pulled onto Roni’s street.
“Why are we stopping here?”
“We’re picking up my new friend, Roni. Her husband was killed recently by a stray bullet. They’d just gotten married.”
“God, that’s so sad.”
“It’s awful. I had to talk her into coming tonight. I hope she hasn’t changed her mind.”
“I hope not either.”
“Be right back.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sam waited for the agents to open the door and then got out of the vehicle to go up the stairs to the vestibule to buzz for Roni. “Hey, it’s Sam,” she said when Roni answered. “You ready to go?”
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
As she waited on the stoop, Sam was relieved that R
oni hadn’t bailed. The door opened, and Roni stepped out, stopping short at the sight of the motorcade parked outside her home. “Um, what’s all this?”
“My son asked if he could come to the meeting. Since he’s under the protection of the Secret Service, we are too. Is that okay?”
“Oh sure. I guess.”
“Sorry for the big production. If you’re friends with me, you have to deal with an occasional motorcade.”
“That wasn’t part of our original agreement.”
Sam laughed at her witty comeback. The more time she spent with this woman, the more she liked her. She gestured for her to lead the way into the SUV. “After you.” When she got in after Roni, she said, “Roni, meet Scotty. Scotty, this is my new friend, Roni.”
Scotty shook Roni’s outstretched hand. “Wow, you must be really cool, because my mom usually hates people.”
“And now I’m mortified,” Sam said, glaring playfully at Scotty. “You’re not supposed to tell people that.”
Roni laughed helplessly, and even though Sam wasn’t happy about Scotty spilling her secrets, she was thrilled to see Roni so delighted.
“I don’t hate all people, just the extra ones.”
“I gotcha.” Roni wiped laughter tears from her eyes. “And it’s so nice to meet you, Scotty.”
“You too. I'm very sorry about your husband.”
“Thank you. I’m very sorry about your grandfather.”
“Thanks. It totally sucks.”
“It really does.”
And right there, Sam thought, grief group was already spinning its magic for people who needed to know they weren’t alone with their losses. Roni asked Scotty about school, and they quickly bonded over their shared disdain for math. “My husband was a math genius. I used to tell him he was lucky I ever went out with him after I found that out.”
“I don’t know if I could do it,” Scotty said gravely. “I’d fear that our differences would be too great if my wife was a math geek.”
“He had other qualities that helped me forget about that one major failing.”
“My dad is a total school geek. He gets so mad when my mom and I diss on school, but he got straight A’s his whole life. He has no idea what the rest of us go through.”
“The struggle is real,” Roni said.
“So real. When he helps me with math, he makes it seem so easy. But I suck at it on my own.”
“Here’s a pro tip for you—sucking at math doesn’t mean you’re going to suck at life. Trust me on that.”
“My mom says the same thing.”
“And your mom ought to know. She most definitely does not suck at life.”
“But she did suck at math,” Scotty said, making them all laugh.
As they walked into HQ through the main doors, Sam marveled at the difference between daytime, when the press staked out that door, and nighttime, when the area was deserted.
“In case you don’t already know this, your kid is pretty awesome,” Roni said when Scotty preceded them into the building.
“Oh, I know. I can’t take any credit, though. We found him that way.”
“He’s adorable, sweet, articulate and funny as hell.”
“We love him madly.”
“I can see why.” Roni looked around at the MPD lobby. “So this is where it all goes down, huh?”
“Nah, this is the fancy part. Come see my pit.”
“You work in a pit?”
“That’s what we call the Homicide squad’s neck of the woods. Follow me, and I’ll show you.” Sam led her through the corridors to her home away from home. “Here it is in all its glory.” Her third-shift detectives, Carlucci and Dominguez, were just coming on duty and stood up from their desks to greet Sam.
“This is Detective Dani Carlucci and Detective Gigi Dominguez. My friend Roni Connolly.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Roni said, shaking their hands.
Sam thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when Gonzo walked into the pit for the first time in months. She went to hug her close friend and sergeant and introduced him to Roni.
Gonzo shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I heard about your husband. I’m so sorry. I lost my partner to murder earlier this year.”
“I read about that. I’m sorry for your loss too.”
“It’s so good to see you here,” Sam said to Gonzo.
“It’s nice to be seen.” Gonzo hugged Scotty, Carlucci and Dominguez. “I figured I might catch the meeting tonight, if that’s okay.”
“That’s more than okay. We’d love to have you.”
“LT,” Carlucci said, “just so you know, when they tried to pick up Mandi McLeod, she was gone. Her roommate said she left shortly after you were there earlier and hasn’t been around since.”
“Damn it.”
“Detective McBride took the liberty of checking to see if she was with her brother, but there’s no sign of him either.”
Sam thought about that for a second. “Put out a BOLO for them. Alert local airport and train station security to be on the lookout for them. And let’s call Jesse Best,” she said, referring to the commander of the U.S. Marshals. When you needed to find someone, the marshals got it done. The “Be On the Look Out” alert was more specific than the “All Points Bulletin” request, and usually led to apprehension when the suspects were located.
“We’re on it,” Dominguez said.
“Let me know if anything breaks overnight. I’ll be here for the next hour or two and at home after that.”
“Will do.”
Though she wanted to stick around and work the case, she had other obligations tonight. “Let’s head upstairs to the lieutenants’ lounge.”
“I’ll be right up,” Gonzo said, ducking into his cubicle.
“Lieutenants have their own lounge?” Scotty asked as they walked toward the stairs. “That’s sick.”
“So sick I’ve only been in there, like, twice.”
“How come?”
“Who has time to lounge around in lounges? Not me.” Sam wanted to groan when she saw the one person she’d hoped would be long gone for the day by then.
Sergeant Ramsey was coming out of the SVU offices as they went by.
It was too much to hope that he’d let them pass without comment. “Hey, Holland, I know you had something to do with the bullshit that came through interoffice mail, but don’t think I’m going to take that lying down. I’m coming for you.”
With her hand on Scotty’s back, Sam compelled him to keep moving, but her son glanced at her in alarm.
“Do you hear me, Holland? You’d better watch your back.”
Roni spun around. “Shut up, you moron. That’s her kid with her. Why don’t you just move along?”
Ramsey shot a filthy look at Roni but took her advice, to Sam’s great relief.
Sam glanced at her. “Just so you know… Never again in our entire friendship will I ever love you more than I do right now.”
“I usually hate to peak early, but in this case, it was worth it.”
Sam laughed. “You have no idea how much I enjoyed hearing you call him a moron.”
“I think I probably get it. I’ll confess to having read about your past run-ins with him. I recognize him from the coverage.”
“Yeah, he’s a problem.”
“Do I need to worry about him making good on those threats?” Scotty asked.
“Nah, he’s a windbag.”
“Is he the one you ‘accidentally’ pushed down the stairs that time?”
“Maybe?”
“Good,” Scotty said. “Looks like he deserved it.”
Sam hated that she had to set him straight, but she had to be the parent once in a while. “So, buddy, the thing is, I never should’ve let that happen. He said a crappy thing to me, but he didn’t deserve to be injured over it.” She was such a liar, but thankfully, Scotty couldn’t see that. Or at least she hoped he couldn’t. “And for the record, I only punched him. He fell down the
stairs all by himself. But I absolutely should not have punched him.” She had no regrets, but her son didn’t need to know that.
“I get you. Dad always says that we can’t solve problems by creating more problems.”
“Dad is very wise.”
“Someone’s got to be.” Scotty snorted under his breath and held the door to the lieutenants’ lounge for her and Roni to go in ahead of him.
“I love your kid,” Roni said to Sam.
“I do too.”
Sam was pleased to find a large turnout for the grief group. She recognized several faces from past cases, including Lenore Worthington, and a few surprises, such as her old friend Roberto and his girlfriend, Angel. Roberto rolled his wheelchair toward Sam.
“If it’s not the most fly detective in all the land,” Roberto said, smiling up at her. He had short dark hair and friendly brown eyes.
Sam bent to hug him and then stood upright to hug Angel, who also had dark hair and eyes. “Good to see you guys.”
“You too,” Angel said. “We saw something on Facebook about the group and decided to check it out.”
They’d both been victims of violent crime in the past and were perfect for the group. “I’m so happy to have you here. This is my son, Scotty, and my friend Roni.” After she introduced them all, she looked around but didn’t see Dr. Trulo. Uh-oh. “Excuse me for one second. I need to make a quick call.” Sam walked away, flipped open her phone and put through a call to Dr. Trulo, who answered on the second ring. “Please tell me you’re in the building.”
“I’m about fifteen minutes out. I just got Hattie Townsend checked into a residential facility in Bethesda, and traffic is a bitch, as usual.”
“Uh, what am I supposed to do with the group?”
“Get them organized in a circle and start by telling them a little about why we formed the group, what we hope to accomplish and then let everyone introduce themselves.”
“I guess I can do that.”
“You got this, Lieutenant. I’ll be there soon.”
Not soon enough, Sam thought. “All right. See you very soon, I hope.”
Trulo hung up, laughing.
Sam gulped and took a deep breath before turning to the gathered group of about fifty people. “Hey, everyone.” When she had their attention, she said, “Thanks for being here. Our facilitator, Dr. Trulo, got called out to assist with a case this afternoon and is on his way back now. He wants us to organize ourselves in a circle, so let’s see if we can do that much without his help.”
