Chapter Sixteen
“An alive lead or a dead one?” Sam asked.
“Haven’t heard yet.”
“Keep me posted. Anything else going on?”
Gonzo used his thumb to point to Sam’s office. “Jeannie.”
For the first time in days Sam remembered she was supposed to go to a dress fitting the day the Secret Service had taken her in. Crap. “Write up the reports and call it a day,” she said to Freddie.
“You need a ride home?”
“I’ll get Jeannie to take me. We’ll start with Peter’s parole officer and McTavish in the morning.”
“You got it, boss. See you then.”
“Thanks for everything today. It helped to do what we do.”
His adorably handsome face lifted into a small smile. “Anytime.”
Sam took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders and went into the office, pasting a smile on her face for Jeannie. “Hey.”
Jeannie looked up from her phone. “Hi.” The dull, flat tone to her voice reminded Sam of the days following the awful attack she withstood last year. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad, not good. We’re making some headway, but not as much as I would’ve liked.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so. But I know that’s not why you’re here when you’re supposed to be on vacation getting ready for your wedding.”
“I’m not sure how to bring up foolish things like dress fittings when you have so many bigger issues on your plate at the moment.”
“It’s not foolish at all.” Yes, it was, but Sam would never say so.
Instead, she collected her purse from the locked drawer where she kept it and grabbed a radio off her desk so she could keep tabs on what was happening from home.
“How about you give me a lift to the dress shop, and we’ll get that done? ”
“Are you sure you have time?”
“I’m sure.”
“Thank you. I know you have absolutely no desire to be a bridesmaid, but I’m so glad you’re in the wedding party.”
They said good-night to Gonzo and Freddie and walked together toward the main exit. “So am I. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I can’t believe it’s this weekend.”
“Time flies when you’re busy being in love and planning a wedding.”
“I guess.”
Sam was about to question her lack of enthusiasm when they exited the building into a larger-than-usual scrum of reporters. Ugh.
“Lieutenant, what’ve you heard about the Denton case?”
“Any movement on Gibson?”
“Will you be attending your ex-husband’s funeral?”
“Has the FBI let you know whether the threat against your family has been neutralized?”
Sam and Jeannie kept their heads down and pushed through the crowd.
“Come on, Sam, you gotta give us something.”
“No, I don’t,” she muttered under her breath.
They broke free of the crowd and walked quickly to Jeannie’s car. Sam didn’t let out the breath she’d been holding until Jeannie locked them in.
“Are they getting more out of control all the time, or is it me?” Jeannie asked.
“It’s not you, it’s me,” Sam said, chuckling. “As Captain Robach eloquently pointed out, my higher profile is causing problems for everyone.”
“He said that?”
“Not in so many words, but that was the gist.”
“He’s jealous. They all are.”
“How so?”
“You know how it is in the old boys’ club. Some of them can’t stand seeing a woman become a rock star like you are. He feels threatened by it. Don’t let it get to you. It’s his problem, not yours.”
“You make a good point.”
“How are you dealing with Peter and…everything?”
“I was doing okay until his mother let loose on me in the morgue.”
“Oh God, what did she say?”
“That I ruined his life and he’s dead because of me.”
“For fuck’s sake. Of course you know none of that is true.”
“Yeah, I do, but it bugs me that she only has half the story—the false half.”
“What do you care what she thinks?”
“I don’t.”
“But it’s still hard to be blamed for things that weren’t your fault.”
“Something like that. I was no angel in that marriage, but I tried to make it work even when I knew from the beginning it was probably a mistake to marry him.”
“He wasn’t the one meant for you. You know that now. No sense gnashing your teeth about a past that can’t be changed.”
“Also true. Changing the subject, why did I get the feeling back there that you’re not as excited as a bride should be a few days before a wedding she’s been looking forward to for ages?”
“I’m excited about the wedding.”
“Then what is it?”
“Will.”
“Ah, yes. I should’ve guessed that.”
“I’m worried he’s making big decisions while in a bad place mentally.”
“I don’t think he is.”
“You don’t?”
Sam shook her head. “If you ask me, he’s been making this decision for months. We’ve all seen it, you probably more than any of us.”
“I never expected him to leave.”
“Even though he’s been talking about it for some time now?”
“Yeah,” Jeannie said with a sigh, “even though.”
“I’ll talk to him as soon as I can. I promise you, if I get the feeling he has even the slightest doubt about his decision, I’ll be all over it.”
“But you don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“No, I don’t. I’m sorry. I’m sure that losing your partner this way feels like another blow on top of all the others you’ve had to sustain in the last year.”
“I’m trying not to make it about me.”
“Of course it’s about you and me and the rest of the squad. My dad warned me this was possible, so I wasn’t as surprised as I probably should’ve been to hear he’d made the move. I’ve sort of been expecting it, if I’m being honest.”
“I wish I could say the same. I’ve been so caught up in the wedding that I wasn’t paying attention. I was blindsided.”
“The timing is unfortunate.”
“He said he tried to wait until after the wedding but he couldn’t.”
“He’s still coming, though, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll be there. He promised we’ll still be close friends, but it’ll be different. How could it not be?”
“I wish there was something wise I could say to make you feel better.”
“It helps to talk about it. Thanks for that.”
They arrived at the dress shop, where Sam was forced to stand perfectly still while the seamstress made tiny adjustments to a dress that already fit her perfectly.
It was a burgundy silk floor-length gown that wrapped around one shoulder while leaving the other bare.
She felt rather sexy in it and couldn’t wait to see Nick’s reaction.
When they were finished, Jeannie drove her home.
At the Secret Service checkpoint on Ninth Street, Jeannie flashed her badge and was allowed to drive Sam to her front door.
The street was clear of Secret Service vehicles, which meant her guys weren’t home yet.
Hopefully, they’d be here soon because she needed to see them.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been a lousy bridesmaid,” Sam said. “But if I can do anything for you this week, you know where I am.”
“You haven’t been lousy at all. I’m thrilled you’re in the wedding. I feel bad taking the rest of the week off when you’re dealing with Peter’s murder.”
Sam reached over to put her hand on Jeannie’s arm. “Don’t feel bad about anything. This is your time to shine. Put all the crap aside and enjoy every minute of it.”
“I’ll try. Thank you for everything. You’ll never know what your friendship has meant to me.”
“Back atcha.” Sam drew her into a hug and then got out of the car. Leaning into the open passenger-side window, she said. “Thanks for not turning into a bridezilla.”
Laughing, Jeannie said, “There’s still time for that. See you Saturday.”
“I’ll be there with bells on.”
“Can’t wait to see that.” Jeannie waved as she drove off.
Sam went up the ramp to her front door, which was opened by the agent on duty.
“Evening, Mrs. Cappuano.”
“Evening, Nate.” She dropped her purse on the sofa and went into the kitchen, where Shelby stood watch over a pot on the stove. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Shelby kept her back to Sam, which was odd.
“I texted you earlier.”
“I know. I got it.”
“What’s going on, Shelby?”
“You already know.”
“What happened?”
“If it’s all right with you, I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Of course. Whatever you want, but are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay, and I think I might be in labor, but other than that, everything is fine.” Her voice caught on a sob.
Sam went over to her, put her hands on Shelby’s shoulders and was shocked when Shelby shook her off.
“Don’t. Please don’t.”
What the hell? “We should get you to the hospital.”
“I have a car coming in ten minutes.”
“Who will be with you?”
“No one. I’ll be fine by myself.”
“You can’t have a baby by yourself.”
“Watch me.”
Sam had no idea what to say to that. “I want to help.”
“No, thank you.” Shelby hooked a pink leather purse over her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen without another word to Sam, who followed her.
“Shelby—”
Without turning to face her, Shelby said, “Please accept my resignation, effective immediately. I’ve enjoyed working with your family, but I’m not able to continue after today. Thank you for the opportunity.”
Stunned speechless, Sam wasn’t able to form a reply before the front door clicked shut behind Shelby. She ran for the door and threw it open to see Shelby walking toward the Secret Service checkpoint, where a yellow cab waited for her.
She got into the car, and it took off like a shot.
“What the hell happened?”
“Ma’am?” Nate looked on with obvious interest. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, sure.” Nothing was all right, but it was none of his business. As Sam walked up the ramp, a motorcade pulled onto Ninth Street from the other end and came to a stop in front of the house.
Sam went down the ramp and stood on the sidewalk, waiting to greet Nick or Scotty, perhaps both.
Nick emerged from the back of the third SUV, a big smile on his handsome face. “What a nice surprise to have the little wife waiting to greet the conquering hero as he returns from battle.”
Usually that would make her laugh, but she couldn’t find the humor after what’d happened with Shelby. “Hey.”
Nick kissed her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Shelby and Avery broke up, and she quit her job.”
He stopped halfway up the ramp. “What? Why?”
“She wouldn’t say. Hell, she wouldn’t even look at me. And she’s in labor. I said I’d take her to the hospital, but she refused. She said she’d be fine having the baby alone.”
“What’s that about?”
“I have no idea. I’m going to call Avery to find out what the hell is going on.”
“Don’t bother. He’ll be here in twenty minutes. They’re going to brief us on the threat investigation.”
“What could’ve happened that would cause her to break up with him right before the baby is born?”
“I can’t begin to guess.”
They were about to go inside when a second motorcade appeared on the street, this one bearing their son. Nick took her hand to escort her back down to the sidewalk to wait for him.
“Let’s not say anything to him about Shelby until we know what’s going on,” Sam said.
“Agreed, but we do need to break the news about baseball camp.”
Dreading that, Sam sighed. “I know.”
The second the agent opened the back door, Scotty came bursting out, full of energy.
“Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I’m free at last,” he proclaimed, raising his arms to the sky in victory.
His parents laughed and drew him into a group hug.
“Is our long national nightmare over?” he asked.
“You’ve been watching too much television,” Sam said, endlessly amused by him.
“There’s never enough television.” He loved to watch the political news shows on cable almost as much as he enjoyed his sports channels. “I feel so out of the loop after days in that cave. Got a lot of catching up to do.”
The three of them went up the ramp and into the house.
“What’s for dinner?” Scotty asked. “I’m starving.”
“Shelby left something,” Sam said. “Not sure what it is.”
“She’s the best cook ever. I’m sure it’ll be awesome.”
They followed him into the kitchen to investigate further.
“Ohhh,” Scotty said, “fried chicken and her special mashed potatoes. Can I eat right now?”
“Go for it,” Nick said. “We’re going to wait a bit. We’ve got some people on the way over.”
They sat with Scotty while he devoured the chicken, potatoes and green beans Shelby had made.
“Why’re you guys acting weird?” he asked over a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
Sam and Nick exchanged glances. They’d hardly said a word since they sat down, which was probably what had Scotty asking.
“We need to talk about baseball camp, pal,” Nick said, his grim expression telling the story.
Scotty crumpled. “Oh, come on! I have a detail! They have to let me go back! It’s my favorite thing in the whole world!”
Sam’s heart broke at the sight of tears in his eyes.
“We know it is,” Nick said, “but until the FBI and the Secret Service are sure they have the guy who threatened us, we can’t take any chances with your safety.”
Sam could see this was hurting Nick almost as much as it did Scotty. And because he was so insightful, Scotty could see that, too.
“May I be excused?” he muttered.
“Sure,” Nick said.
Scotty got up, put his plate in the sink and left the room.
Nick dropped his head into his hands. “I hate this fucking job.”
Sam stood and bent to wrap her arms around him from behind. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry for upending our already-chaotic lives and making things worse than they already were.”
“We’ve been down this road before, and you agreed that you always would’ve wondered what might’ve been if you hadn’t taken this opportunity.”
“That would’ve been better than disappointing my son.”
“He’ll get over it.”
Nick put his hands over hers to keep her wrapped around him.
“He shouldn’t have to get over it. He should be able to enjoy something he looks forward to all year without having to worry about his safety.
I’m going to talk to them when they get here for the briefing.
There’s got to be something we can do to let him attend that camp. ”
“It’s worth asking for sure.” Sam kissed his cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry to lose it.”
“That doesn’t count as losing it. It’s a tough situation, and I don’t blame you for being upset.”
At the sound of voices in the living room, Sam released him and stood upright. “Let’s see what they have to say.”
“Yeah,” he said, still sounding dejected. “And then we’ll tell them what we have to say.”