Epilogue
Normally, an arrest that solved two murders would be cause for great celebration. In this case, Sam couldn’t shed the sick feeling over how close she’d come to charging an innocent kid with her mother’s murder.
If Sergeant Walters hadn’t found that file on Elaine’s computer, Sam might’ve ruined the lives of innocent young people.
Thursday evening, she met Lindsey and several of her bridesmaids for the fitting at Shelby’s Georgetown studio. What should have been a joyful time with some of her closest friends was anything but as Sam pondered the fine line between success and failure and the consequences of getting it wrong.
Robinson’s fingerprints had been a match for those on the baseball bat and a rush of his DNA sample showed a match for the DNA found on Sarah Corrigan’s body. He’d been charged with both murders, and more charges would be forthcoming in the next few days. It’d given Sam tremendous satisfaction to call Detective Truehart with the news that the DNA was a match .
“All the credit goes to Elaine,” Sam had said. “Robinson never would’ve been on our radar without her efforts.”
“I’m sorry that she didn’t bring the info to me,” he’d said. “Maybe we could’ve saved her from such a terrible fate.”
“I wish she’d done that, too, but I’m sure she appreciated all your years of hard work on behalf of her sister.”
“No family deserves what happened to them.”
“I hope you can now enjoy your hard-earned retirement.”
“That’s the plan. I’m glad I got the chance to meet you, although I wish it had been under different circumstances. I admire your dedication to the job. You remind me of me.”
“I’m honored to be compared to you, sir.”
“Stay safe, Lieutenant, and don’t give the job everything you’ve got. Save some for yourself and your loved ones.”
“I will. Take care, Detective.”
“You do the same.”
The conversation with Truehart had run through her mind repeatedly in the hours since, as she picked over the scraps of the case and processed an outcome she hadn’t expected.
“Everything okay?” Lindsey asked as she came around with a bottle of champagne to refill glasses.
“Absolutely. The dress is gorgeous.” Sam had felt sexy in the navy blue dress that left one shoulder bare. “Thank you for not picking something hideous.”
“Would I do that to you?”
“Never.”
“Congrats on closing two cases for the price of one. I saw Elaine’s brother on the news earlier. He was in tears talking about how the same man took both his sisters from him and how thankful he is to you and your team for closing both cases.”
“Elaine solved Sarah’s case and ended up dead for her efforts. Her family is traumatized, with years of work ahead of them to pick up the pieces. It all feels kind of pointless at the end of the day. ”
“Not to Elaine’s brother. You helped to give him answers that’d eluded his family for decades in Sarah’s case. Detective Truehart was interviewed, too. He said now he can finally retire in peace.”
“That’s the good news, I guess. I still feel sick about how close I came to charging Elaine’s daughter.”
“You followed the evidence you had to where it led, Sam. Zoe’s own father and sister suspected she might be involved. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.”
“When I first told Nick about Juan, I reminded him how things are never as obvious as they appear, and then I didn’t take my own advice on this case.”
“Everything was pointing to the daughter until it wasn’t.”
Sam realized she was bringing down Lindsey’s festive mood. “Never mind about all that, and don’t worry about me. Go enjoy your friends.”
“I so appreciate you being here, especially on a day like this one.”
Sam hugged Lindsey. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
After Lindsey walked away, Shelby came over to Sam, carrying the baby. “Maisie wanted to see her auntie Sam.”
Sam took the tiny bundle from Shelby and snuggled her in close as tears stung her eyes. She was an emotional basket case tonight. “She’s so beautiful, Tinker Bell. Just like her mama.”
“I think she looks like her gorgeous daddy.”
“I see both of you in her, which makes her a very lucky girl.”
“Are you okay?” Shelby asked. “You’re not yourself tonight.”
Sam kept her gaze trained on the baby’s little face. “I’m much better now after a very challenging week.”
“If it makes you feel any better, the dress looked incredible on you.”
“Thanks. I like it a lot.” Sam kissed the baby’s forehead and handed her back to Shelby. “I need to get home to the kiddos since Dad is away.”
“Thank you again for the invite to Camp David. We’ve caved to enormous family pressure to bring baby Maisie to meet everyone since Avery is doing so much better.”
“Totally understand. We’ll see you Monday at the Easter Egg Roll, if not before?”
“Noah can’t wait.”
Sam gave Shelby a careful hug around the baby. “Thanks for taking such good care of my beloved Lindsey when it’s not really your job to plan weddings anymore.”
“Putting together weddings for people I love is a pleasure.”
“Have a nice Easter with your family, Tink.”
“You, too.”
Sam said her goodbyes to Lindsey and the other women and ducked out while they continued the celebration with talk of the upcoming bridal shower and bachelorette outing. Thankfully, that would be just one night and not an entire weekend.
Vernon held the door for her. “Where to?”
“Home, please.”
“You got it.”
On the ride home, Sam watched the world go by out the window as she contended with a plethora of emotions. Despair over Elaine’s murder by the same man who’d killed her sister and the long-term implications for the Myerson family, joy for Lindsey and Shelby. Sadness for herself and Nick and the baby they would’ve loved to have had together. Loneliness for him and worry over the story over her lies about Juan Rodriguez that refused to let up, though NCIS had finally announced he was alive and well.
They’d charged Goldstein and Wilson with conspiring to commit homicide by hiring someone to murder Juan. Both men had been arraigned in federal court that afternoon, in stunning falls from grace .
So why was it that the only thing the media wanted to talk about was how Sam had questioned Juan’s roommate and girlfriend about his murder even though she’d known he was alive?
Agent Truver had confirmed Sam’s story that she’d been asked to investigate the case the way she would any other homicide as NCIS worked to make the attempted murder case against Goldstein and Wilson. Sam had done what she’d been asked to do, Truver had said, and shouldn’t be held accountable for untruths told as a result of her cooperation with federal authorities.
Nothing anyone said mattered.
The media had decided to brand her a liar, and there was no putting that genie back in the bottle now that it had exploded into the public discourse.
Sam was determined to forget about all of it to focus on her kids. Since they were off from school tomorrow, she’d taken the day off, too, leaving the paperwork and cleanup on the Myerson case to Gonzo, Freddie and the others.
At home, she enjoyed dinner and a movie with the kids, followed by ice cream in the family dining room, four stories for the twins and a later-than-usual bedtime since no one had to get up in the morning.
After Sam and Scotty tucked in the twins, they walked downstairs to let out Skippy and then snuggled up to watch the end of the Capitals game on the sofa in her and Nick’s suite.
Nick called just as the game ended with a win for the home team.
“Is that my cue to get the hell out of here?” Scotty asked.
“Hush and say hello to your father.”
“Hello, Father. How are you?”
“I’m tired and ready to come home. What goes on there?”
“All the usual stuff, except Mom helped to solve two murder cases with one arrest today.”
“I heard about that. Well done, Mom. ”
“Elaine Myerson gets the full credit. She was investigating her sister’s cold case and led us to the guy we arrested.”
“That’s amazing.”
“Thank goodness for her, because I was on my way to charging at least one of her children with murder.”
“Everyone has told Mom that she didn’t do anything wrong and that she followed the evidence, but she’s still beating herself up over it,” Scotty said.
“That’s because she cares so much.”
“I’m going to bed, parentals. You can make kissy faces and other gross things with the child out of the room.” He kissed Sam’s cheek as he got up. “I’m not gone yet.”
Nick laughed. “He’s too much.”
“He’s full of beans lately and such a huge help with the twins.”
“I’m calling with very good news.”
“I could use some of that. Lay it on me.”
“Andy heard back from the grandparents’ lawyer. They’re dropping their quest for custody.”
“Oh, thank God. That was all I could think about tonight when I had them cuddled up to either side of me earlier as we watched Star Wars for the nine-hundredth time. Like what would we ever do without them?”
“That’s never going to happen. Andy has begun the paperwork for us to adopt the three of them.”
Sam’s eyes flooded with tears. “I’m so happy about that.”
“Eli is, too. He said he never imagined he’d want that, but whatever it takes to make our family official.”
“Our family… It’s a miracle born from multiple tragedies.”
“And born from love.”
“So much of that. When will you be home? I miss you so much.”
“I miss you, too. I’ll be there by one o’clock tomorrow afternoon to change and pack for the weekend. My afternoon is free and clear for my family. ”
“We can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.”
After lunch the next afternoon, Sam was notified that Marine One was due to land on the South Lawn at any moment. She gathered the kids and Skippy and went outside to greet their favorite guy.
While they waited, the kids chased each other and Skippy around on the lawn. For a second, Sam could pretend they were like any other family greeting a returning traveler. The presence of Secret Service agents as well as the White House press corps with their long-range lenses trained on Sam and the kids shattered that illusion.
But nothing could dull the elation of seeing Marine One come into view, bringing Nick home to them.
Scotty let out a shout of excitement that was echoed by the twins, who were out of their minds with excitement as the big helicopter touched down on the lawn.
Sam held them back until the engine was shut off and the rotors stopped turning.
“Go get him,” she said as they ran at full speed toward the chopper.
Sam brought up the rear, which meant she got to see him come down the stairs, salute the Marine who met him and crash into the kids on the lawn in a giant hug that included all three of them, with Skippy in the middle of it all.
With all the cameras recording the reunion, Sam was thankful to know there’d be a record of such a special moment.
It took about ten minutes for Nick to get free of the kids so he could give her a hug and a kiss.
“Welcome home, love. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”
Sam laughed, as there was absolutely nothing humble about their home .
Hand in hand, they waved to the gathered media and followed their kids and dog inside.
After Marine One delivered them to Camp David later that afternoon, they took a long hike, had dinner and played pool and pinball in the game room. The minute they put the kids to bed, they headed straight for their room, closed and locked their door, tore the clothes off each other and landed in bed in a fiery, passionate embrace that led to some of the fastest sex of their lives together.
It was so fast and so furious that they were left breathless and laughing in the aftermath.
“Welcome home, Mr. President,” Sam said as they lay face-to-face, hands joined as they wallowed in the sight of each other. “It’s ridiculous how much I missed you. It’s like I’ve got a limb missing, or something equally dramatic, when you’re not here.”
“I feel the same way. Everything is wrong when you guys are thousands of miles from me, and I can’t sleep snuggled up to you.”
“Angela had a rough week, and that made me feel guilty for mooning over you being away for a couple of nights.”
“I’m sorry to hear that about Ang, but I hope you never stop mooning over me.”
“I don’t think I ever will. It seems to be a fatal condition.”
A smile lit up his gorgeous eyes. “What else did I miss while I was gone, besides you solving two murders with one arrest?”
“I’m not taking the credit for that. Elaine led us to Robinson, and finding him is what got her killed.”
“It’s all so sad. That poor family.”
“I know. I hope Frank and his girls can put their lives back together eventually. He told me they’re seeing Elaine’s therapist. They thought it would be quicker to go to her since she knows the backstory. ”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I also apologized for suspecting them. Zoe said she understood why I did, but she hoped I’d be more empathetic to the families of victims in the future.”
Nick winced. “Tell me you know that’s not a fair accusation. You’re incredibly sensitive in your dealings with them.”
“I wasn’t this time. I took an immediate dislike to that kid and suspected her from the start. Freddie called me out on it after the first time we met her. I should’ve listened to him.”
“All this proves is that you’re still learning, even after so many years on the job.”
“Some lessons sting more than others. Such as lying to my colleagues and Juan’s loved ones, and then having that made public.” The press had been relentless in their coverage of her role in perpetrating a fraud, as they called it. Even after Juan had issued a statement saying that he’d personally asked her to keep the secret, the story showed no sign of dying down. Something else would have to happen to knock it out of the headlines. In the meantime, she was taking a serious beating.
“While I have you all to myself, I need to tell you I heard from Collins Worthy.”
Nick was immediately on full alert, the way he got any time his mother intruded into their lives. “What’d he want?”
“To plead her case, to ask you to give her another chance by asking me to talk to her.”
“What’d you say?”
“I told him I’d let him know if I was interested, and I asked Neveah to take a deep dive on him to make sure he’s on the up-and-up.”
“And?”
“He is.”
“So what’s he doing with her?”
“That was my question, too. I believe he fancies himself in love with her.”
Nick made a disgusted face .
“What do you think I ought to do? Should I take the call with her?”
“I don’t see what good it would do.”
“So call me crazy, but I’m starting to think she sincerely wants to fix things with you—and us.”
“Probably because I’m president, and she wants to take full advantage of her proximity.”
“I don’t know if it’s just that. Worthy is a serious family guy. Maybe he’s shown her the benefit of having people around who have her back.”
He sighed. “I hate the idea of letting her into our lives.”
“Then we won’t do it.”
“Am I a monster for feeling that way?”
“Oh my God, of course not. Anyone would after what she’s put you through.”
“I just don’t believe she’s capable of this kind of change.”
“We’ll let it go for now.”
“How’d you leave it with him?”
“That he’d hear from me if I was interested in talking to her.”
“Thank you for handling that for me.”
“Anything for you.” She turned her gaze up to meet his. “There’s one more thing you should know about.” She filled him in on Scotty and the current-events discussions in social studies.
He cringed. “What the hell do we do about that?”
“Vernon suggested we allow him to use headphones when something comes up that he doesn’t want to listen to.”
“That’s a very good idea.”
“I’ll pitch it to him and the teacher and see what we can do.”
“Look at you handling all the wildfires that break out when I’m not around.”
“I like fighting fires better with you than without you.”
“Same, babe. ”
“Tell me the truth. It was pretty cool meeting Thor, right?”
“Did I mention I also met Iron Man?”
“No way! I love RDJ.”
“He’s pretty cool.”
“I’m definitely quitting my job to travel with you if you’re going to get to meet all the cool people.”
“No, you’re not. You’d be bored senseless within a week.”
“Being bored is starting to look pretty good to me lately.”
“I’m sure it is, but soon enough, you’ll be back into another case, and you’ll remember why you were put on this earth.”
“I was put on this earth to love you and our kids.”
“And to catch murderers.”
“But mostly to love you.”
He pulled her in close to him. “I won’t argue with that.”
After a peaceful, restful Easter weekend at Camp David, they dressed in their Easter finery to greet hundreds of people on the South Lawn for the annual Easter Egg Roll. Nick had told them the night before that the tradition of kids using large spoons to roll eggs across the South Lawn dated back more than one hundred forty years to President Rutherford B. Hayes, who instituted the event after kids were banned from rolling eggs on the grounds of the Capitol.
“Is that another fact on file you’ve retained from high school?” Scotty had asked him.
“No, smart aleck, it was in the briefing documents for the event.”
“Oh phew, because if you remembered stuff like that from school, I was going to quit while I’m ahead.”
“No one is quitting school around here,” Nick said.
The Easter Egg Roll was about so much more than eggs, Sam discovered. There were local marching bands, crafts, healthy snacks, stories, games, photos with the White House backdrop and other family-friendly activities .
All the kids in their lives were there—including Sam’s nieces and nephews, Gonzo, Christina and their son, Alex, Shelby, Avery, Noah and baby Maisie, Andy and his family, Derek, Roni and Maeve, Leo, Stacy, Brock and Brayden, as well as much of the White House staff and their families.
Vernon brought his wife, daughters and grandchildren over to meet Sam and Nick.
“Thank you so much for sharing him with me,” Sam said as she shook hands with each family member.
“He loves working with you,” Vernon’s wife, Evelyn, said.
She also met Jimmy’s pregnant wife, Liz, and family members of other staffers they’d gotten to know since moving to the White House.
“This is amazing,” Angela said as she kept watch over Jack and Ella, running wild with the other kids. “Thank you for including us.”
“Of course we did. How was Easter?”
“We got through it. What was it like being back at Camp David?”
“We got through it.”
“I don’t think I could do it.”
“It wasn’t easy, but it’s a great respite away from this place for Nick, so we’re trying to give it new mojo.”
“I get that. Spence wouldn’t want to be the reason it was ruined for you guys.”
“He didn’t ruin it. We had a nice time, all things considered.”
“I’m glad. I’m sorry about the beating you’re taking in the media over Juan, especially after you not only solved a murder, but closed a cold case, too.”
“Elaine Myerson led us to her killer—and her sister’s.”
“It’s an incredible story. Congratulations on being part of it.”
It would never sit well with her to be congratulated for closing Elaine’s case after the way she’d treated Frank and his girls, but she’d apologized to them and had decided to try to move on, taking the lessons learned with her. “Thank you.”
They rolled the eggs and helped the younger kids with Easter crafts. They ate cupcakes and cookies and posed for photos with Nick and hundreds of other people. When they were rounding up the kids as the event came to an end, Brant, Vernon, Jimmy and several other agents suddenly swarmed them.
“Mr. President, Mrs. Cappuano, please come with us. We need to get you inside right away.”
“Why?” Sam glanced back at her sisters and their families, who watched the scene unfold with concern.
“We’ve received a credible terrorist threat against this event,” Brant said, tenser than she’d ever seen him.
“I’m not going anywhere without the kids and the others,” Sam said.
Vernon put his arms around her and moved her toward the house while Brant and other agents did the same to Nick. “They’ll be right behind us.”
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