Chapter Sixteen
They found the doctor’s name in the directory and took the elevator to the fifth floor. “What’re the odds he’s actually here and available?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the odds are low.”
“I don’t like that answer.”
“Figured you wouldn’t. I suppose we’re working this weekend.”
“Probably. If you can, that is.” She often had to remind herself that the people under her command had lives in addition to their jobs.
Not to mention she was eager to spend time with Scotty and the twins.
Weekends had become precious commodities since the kids came into her life, but murder stopped for nothing.
She’d ordered ornament-decorating kits for each of the kids as well as her nieces and nephews from an online vendor and was hoping they’d arrive in time for some craftiness this weekend.
Yes, it was out of character for her, but she’d made it a goal to try to spend more one-on-one time doing things outside her comfort zone with the kids.
Holiday crafts certainly counted as outside her comfort zone.
“I can work Saturday morning, if need be,” Freddie said. “Elin is working, and then we have a birthday party for one of her nieces in the afternoon.”
“If we have to work, I’ll make sure you’re free by then.”
“Thanks, boss.”
“But let’s make it our goal to sew this fucker up quick so we can be done before the holidays.”
“I’m on board for that.”
They stepped into Dr. Markham’s office, which was all but deserted late on that Tuesday afternoon. The shocked receptionist slid open the window. “May I help you?”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges. “Lieutenant Holland, Detective Cruz to see Dr. Markham.”
“Is he expecting you?”
“No, he’s most definitely not expecting us.”
“Could you please hold on for one minute?”
“I can, but that’s about all the time I have.”
“I’ll be right with you.” The woman closed the window and then disappeared into the corridor off the office.
“I appreciate her,” Sam said.
“Why’s that?”
“She obviously recognized me, but didn’t make a red-hot fool of herself, and when I asked for Markham, she asked if he was expecting me. Not ‘do you have an appointment?’ when she knows damned well I don’t. And then she went right off to get him. I give her an A-plus in receptionisting.”
“That’s not a word.”
“I can make it a word. I’m the first lady, you know.”
He rolled his eyes. “So you’re playing that card when it’s convenient for you?”
“When else should I play it?”
Before he could respond to that, the receptionist came through a door to the inner sanctum. “Right this way, please.”
“A-plus-plus,” Sam said to Freddie.
They followed the receptionist past dark exam rooms to an office at the end of a long hallway.
The second Sam caught her first glimpse of Dr. Tyler Markham, she realized why his name was familiar.
She’d once come to him for fertility treatment while married to Peter.
If he recognized her as anything other than the first lady, he didn’t let on.
The sight of his face instantly transported her back to one of the most difficult times in her life, and she had to fight through the swell of emotion that came with those memories so she could stay focused on the job she was here to do.
Sam went through the ritual of introducing them and showing their badges.
He stood behind his desk, handsome in a strong, competent sort of way that reminded her a bit of Nick, although Markham’s hair was dark blond, and his eyes were blue. “What can I do for you, Detectives?”
“We’re investigating the murder of Pam Tappen. During the course of our investigation, we’ve come to learn that you once had a relationship with her.”
Judging by his shocked expression, he hadn’t expected that. “Pam is dead?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “She was found yesterday bound and gagged and left to freeze to death in her minivan, which was located miles from her home.”
“Oh my God,” he said, sitting. “That’s horrible.”
“Yes, it is.”
“What does it have to do with me? I haven’t seen her in years.”
“How many years?”
He thought about that for a minute. “Three. I spent some time with her shortly after I lost my wife to breast cancer. We were introduced by a mutual friend at a dinner party and had a lovely conversation over dinner. She reached out to me the following week, asked if I wanted to meet for coffee.”
“And you knew she was married?”
“I did,” he said, grimacing, “and it’s so not my style to get involved with a married woman. But things were a bit of a mess in my life at that time. I’d been left to finish raising three teenagers on my own, and Pam… She was so warm and understanding, and I just… I needed that.”
“How and why did it end?”
“It ended when I couldn’t handle the guilt of being with a married woman.
After a couple of months of seeing her, I started to snap out of the initial fog of grief and didn’t like what I saw when I looked in the mirror.
I worried about her husband and kids and about people finding out and thinking poorly of me—and having that reflect on my children. I couldn’t do it anymore.”
“How did Pam respond when you broke it off with her?”
“She was sad about it. We both were. We’d found something we both needed in the other, and it was hard to let it go, but it was the right thing to do.
” He took a deep breath before he added, “I’m not proud of being involved with a married woman, but I had genuine feelings for her, and she helped me through the most difficult time in my life. However, it ended a long time ago.”
Sam appreciated his candor and forthcomingness.
Those were two things that could be hard to come by in her line of work.
“We’re trying to understand why someone like Pam, who had a husband and three children she was obviously devoted to, would seek out men outside her marriage.
And I ask that with zero judgment. It just seems out of character for the person we’d come to know before we received this information about her extracurricular activities. ”
Markham seemed to sag somewhat as he contemplated the proper response to her question. “It was out of character for her. She struggled horribly with it. She loves Bob and didn’t want to divorce him or break up their family. But things between them had changed, and she was in a tough spot.”
“I know you said you hadn’t been in touch with her in years, but when you were, did she mention anything or anyone that was causing her particular stress?”
“Her son Lucas’s football was always a source of strain.
It was nonstop tournaments, weekends going here, there and everywhere.
As much as she loved Lucas and wanted to support him, she hated those tournaments and the endless commitments.
Her younger son was also a gifted athlete, so her years as a football mom were feeling overwhelming to her. ”
“This has been very helpful.” Sam stood and placed her business card on his desk. “If you think of anything else that might be relevant, even the smallest thing, please give me a call.”
“I will.” He glanced at her. “Do you remember meeting me before?”
“I do.”
Nodding, he said, “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You, too. Thank you again for your time.”
“I wish there was more I could do. Pam was a lovely person. I’m very sad to hear that she’s been killed.”
“We’ll see ourselves out,” Sam said.
In the elevator, Freddie looked over at her. “How do you know him?”
“I went to him for fertility treatment years ago when I was married to Peter. His name rang a bell, but I didn’t put it together until I saw him.”
“Yikes, that must’ve been an unpleasant blast from the past for you.”
“It was, but that was a long time ago now. It’s not as raw as it used to be before Scotty, Eli and the twins came into my life.” They walked to her car in frigid late-afternoon darkness. “Do you want me to take you to HQ or the Metro?”
“The Metro works. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you to Ninth?”
“I’m sure. It’s no big deal. Just a quick errand.”
“Okay, but I’m happy to go with you if you want me to.”
Sam appreciated that he was offering, knowing how eager he always was to get home to his wife at the end of every long day. “I got it, but points to you for offering.”
“I’ll add them to my running tally of points earned on the job. I’m still waiting to hear how I can redeem them.”
“We’ll get back to you on that.” She pulled up to the curb outside the Farragut North Metro station. “Thanks for everything today.”
“You got it.”
“Hey, Freddie?”
“Yeah?”
“I just want you to know how much I appreciate that we can still be us in the middle of the insanity swirling around me these days. It means so much to me to keep things normal with you.”
“We’ll always be us, regardless of how famous and important you become to everyone else.”
“Thank you.”
“If you need to talk after grief group, you know where to find me.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know! I tell you that every day!”
“Get out.”
“She gives and she takes away, all in the same minute.” He got out of the car and gave her a jaunty wave before he took off in a jog toward the train that would take him home to Woodley Park.
Sam loved him unreasonably. It occurred to her once again that she probably ought to not partner with him, because she’d protect him over herself in any situation.
But she simply couldn’t imagine doing this horrible job without him riding shotgun and making her laugh all day.
As she drove toward Capitol Hill, she told herself it was no big deal to be running home to Ninth Street for a few minutes. Because it wasn’t a big deal.
But as she pulled onto the street and drove past where the Secret Service checkpoint had been before they moved to the White House, she was struck by how deserted and forlorn the street seemed without all the activity that had surrounded them when Nick was vice president.
The neighbors were probably singing hallelujah that they’d moved out and taken their three-ring circus with them.