Chapter Sixteen
As Sam watched him jog into the hospital, she envied his ability to move about freely. In all likelihood, she’d never have that luxury again, as she and Nick would have Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives.
That was a daunting thought that she chose not to entertain any further on a day when her first lady duties were already weighing on her. What in the hell would she talk to the prime minister’s wife about? She’d rarely experienced true social anxiety until she became first lady and was expected to know what to say to dignitaries in any situation.
Vernon returned and told Jimmy to stay with the SUV while he escorted Sam inside.
Like always, everything stopped when people realized who’d walked into the room.
Sam ignored the stares and kept her focus on getting to Shelby.
When they were in the elevator, she turned to Vernon. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“What do I talk to the Canadian prime minister’s wife about over tea?”
His lips rolled into his mouth as if he was trying not to laugh.
“It’s not funny!”
“I’m not laughing.”
“You are on the inside.”
“You gotta admit the idea of you at a tea is kind of funny.”
“I don’t even like tea! It tastes like dirty water.”
“Maybe refrain from saying that to her.”
“I’m serious, Vernon! What do I talk to her about?”
“Doesn’t she have kids, too?”
“I think so.”
“Didn’t you get a briefing document about the visit?”
“Lilia gave me something yesterday. I haven’t read it yet.”
“Sam!”
“What? I’ve been busy.”
“The woman is coming today. You might want to take a second to figure that out so you know what to talk to her about.”
“That’s probably covered in the brief, right?”
“I can’t with you.”
“Don’t tell anyone I’m like this, you hear me?”
“Your many, many secrets are safe with me.”
The doors opened, and they stepped off the elevator across from the surgical waiting room. Sam spotted Shelby right away, thanks to the fact that she was dressed all in pink, as per usual.
Shelby burst into tears when she saw Sam coming.
They came together in a tight hug. “How is he?”
“Still in surgery. They said it could take three hours.”
“They’re being thorough. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“I really hope so. The waiting is making me crazy.”
Sam would be a raving lunatic and prayed to all the gods in heaven that she was never in that situation. “Hi, Ginger.”
Shelby’s sister held the sleeping baby. “Hi, Sam. Nice to see you again.”
“You, too. Wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Same.”
Sam returned her attention to Shelby. “I wish I could stay and wait with you, Tinker Bell.”
“You’ve got the Canadians today. I can’t believe you’re here at all.”
“I had to come hug you and tell you I love you and Avery, and I’m sure he’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“He has to be,” Shelby said softly. “He just has to be.”
“He will be. He’s tough.”
“Do you know anything about who did this to him?”
“Not yet, but we’ve got people on it, as does the FBI.”
A doctor wearing scrubs and one of those matching caps came into the waiting room. “Avery Hill’s family?”
“Me.” Shelby raised her hand. “I’m his family.”
“Everything went well, and he’s in recovery. You should be able to see him in an hour or two.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.”
Sam stepped forward.
The doctor did a double take when he recognized her.
“Needless to say, Metro PD is interested in examining the bullet. Were you able to remove it?”
“Yes. I’ll have someone bring it to you.”
“If you could do that yourself, I’d appreciate it. Chain of custody is important.”
“Understood. I’ll be right back.”
And with that, Sam had justified her side trip to the hospital.
Sam hugged Shelby again. “I’m so glad he’s all right.”
“Me, too.” Shelby sniffed. “I can’t believe how close I came to losing him. Right after he nearly lost me. It’s too much.”
“You’ve had a rough couple of weeks, but everyone is okay, and that’s all that matters. We’re here to help you guys with whatever you need.”
“I’m very thankful for everyone who’s rallied around us.” She wiped away tears. “As long as he’s okay, so am I.”
The doctor returned a few minutes later with a plastic bag containing the bullet.
“Can you give me your email address? I’ll need you to sign the evidence form indicating everyone who had the bullet in their custody.” Sam wrote down the address he recited. “Thank you very much.”
“No problem. A nurse will find you when he’s ready for visitors, Mrs. Hill.”
“Thank you again for saving him.”
“He got very lucky.”
“I’ll check in later.” Sam hugged Shelby again. “Hang in there.”
“I will. Thank you for coming by on such a busy day.”
“I needed to see you and to hear he’s okay.”
Freddie came into the waiting room, carrying two small pizza boxes. “That took forever. How is he?”
“All good. Out of surgery and on his way to a full recovery. Let’s get going.”
He gave Shelby a one-armed hug. “Glad to hear the good news. Elin said to tell you she’s thinking of you guys and congrats on the baby.”
“Thank you. Tell her I appreciate it.”
Sam took Freddie by the arm to steer him out of the room. “I’ve got the bullet. Tell Lucas we’ll deliver it to the lab. She’s working on Avery’s shooting.”
“I’ll text her from the car.”
They ate the pizza while Vernon drove them to Gaithersburg.
Sam had to admit the pizza was exceptional for hospital fare. She tried not to think about the extra calories or whether she’d look bloated in her dress later. “I can’t believe we have to go to a freaking state dinner tonight.”
“Elin has never been more excited. She took the day off to get ready.”
“I’ll look like dog shit next to her.”
“Stop,” he said, laughing. “You will not.”
“I didn’t take the day off to get ready the way I should have.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“What if I’m not? What if I screw this up somehow for him? What if?—?”
“Sam, stop. You’ll be great. I have no doubt.”
“Nor do we,” Vernon said.
“I’m glad you guys are confident. This is where I feel comfortable. Out here, tracking down murderers, pissing off the AG, pulling threads. I know who I am here. That’s not the case as first lady. I don’t know who I am in that role.”
“You’re Nick’s wife,” Freddie said, “and that’s all he needs you to be. If you’re there for him when he needs you, then you’re a success as first lady in the opinion of the only person who matters.”
Vernon met her gaze in the mirror. “I agree with Detective Cruz.”
“Thank you for that. I appreciate the reminder.”
“Nick wouldn’t want you freaking out about this, would he?”
“It would annoy him if he heard me saying I’m worried about messing up.”
“I think it’s amazing,” Jimmy said.
“What is?” Sam asked.
“That someone like you would ever be worried about what people think or about messing up at the state dinner. Everyone who knows you thinks you’re incredible.”
Sam was unreasonably touched by the young agent’s kind words. “Thank you, Jimmy. That’s very sweet of you to say, and for the record, not everyone who knows me thinks I’m incredible.”
“We do,” Freddie said. “And Nick does. Your kids certainly do. Your sisters, nieces, nephews, many friends…”
“That’s more than enough.” She released a deep breath, feeling better about how this day might unfold after what they’d said. “Means a lot to me to have your support, guys. It really does.”
“We’re here any time you need a boost,” Vernon said. “And personally, I can’t wait to watch you shine tonight.”
That was something Skip Holland might’ve said once upon a time. “You’re going to make me weepy. Knock it off.”
Vernon chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
They pulled up to the guardhouse in Forrester’s neighborhood a few minutes later.
Vernon spoke to the guard, and they were allowed in.
Sam was glad they hadn’t had to argue about it. She had no time for that nonsense today. As they passed Forrester’s home, Sam noted a driveway full of cars and was glad to know the family was being well supported in their time of grief.
The Sellers home was bigger than Forrester’s, with twice as many third-floor dormers as well as a huge front porch. The brick fa?ade had been painted white, and wood shutters adorned the windows. Sam preferred that look to the red brick that was so popular in the area.
Vernon followed her and Freddie up the sidewalk to the front door.
As expected, the doorbell was ridiculously over the top.
“Why? Just, why?”
Freddie grunted out a laugh.
The sound of dogs barking nearly drowned out the doorbell, but not entirely.
Sam took a step back, intimidated by the dogs, who sounded huge and vicious.
The woman who came to the door appeared to be in her midforties, with graying blonde hair and blue eyes that immediately widened when she recognized Sam. “May I help you?”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges. “Mrs. Sellers, I’m Lieutenant Holland, and this is my partner, Detective Cruz. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“This isn’t really a good time.”
“We can do it at our place, if you’d prefer.”
Sam took great pleasure in watching her meaning register with the woman.
“I, uh, just give me a minute to secure the dogs.”
“That’d be good.”
The door closed.
“‘We can do it at our place, if you prefer,’” Freddie said with a laugh. “Did you see her face when she realized what you meant?”
“I enjoyed it very much.” Sam leaned in to look into the window on the side of the door. “I’m giving her two more minutes to get her ass back here before I start robo-ringing that hideous doorbell.”
“Is that a thing? Robo-ringing?”
“It’s about to be.”
Fortunately, Laurel Sellers returned before her two minutes were up. “Come in.” She glanced at Vernon, who followed them inside. He didn’t normally do that, but with the heightened state of alert, he was staying closer to Sam than usual. “Who’s that?”
“I’m with the Secret Service, ma’am.”
“Oh. Okay.” She led them into a living room that smelled of lemon polish and potpourri. “What can I do for you?”
“Is your husband here, by any chance?”
“He’s working in his office.”
“Here?” Carlucci hadn’t been able to figure out his work situation the night before.
“Yes.”
“Will you please get him?”
“He’s in meetings.”
“Like I said before, we can do this here, or we can do it downtown. It’s up to you.”
She gave Sam a foul look before she got up and left the room.
Freddie chuckled. “That line works every time.”
“I need to use it more often.”
The husband appeared with her a few minutes later. Ralph Sellers carried extra weight that gave him a burly appearance. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, and his complexion was ruddy. He wore a Bluetooth phone thing in his ear. “What’s this about?”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges, and she introduced them.
While Laurel returned to her seat on the sofa, Ralph stood in the doorway to the room as if he couldn’t be bothered to come all the way into the room. “What can we do for you?”
“We’re investigating the murder of Tom Forrester.”
“What’s that got to do with us?”
“You countersued him when he filed a claim to get you to pay for his dog’s vet bills after your dog attacked his, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“I’ve never been sued by a neighbor, but I have to think there’s a lot of anger exchanged before lawsuits are filed.”
“He was a self-righteous prick.”
“Ralph! Stop.”
“What? He thought he was Mr. Law Enforcement at home, too. It was his way or the highway around here. Ask anyone.”
“Did he have challenges with the other neighbors?”
“No one liked him. He made sure everyone knew he was a bigwig at Justice.”
Sam glanced at Freddie, who seemed as perplexed as she felt. “That doesn’t sound like the man we knew.”
“Well, that’s who he was around here. He liked to be right about everything.”
“Did you feel you bore any responsibility for your dog harming his?”
“We apologized for what happened to his dog and offered to contribute to the vet bill, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted us to pay ten grand, which was ridiculous.”
“We were told Snowflake required significant surgery.”
“So he said, but he refused to provide invoices from the vet. He said it was none of our business and told us to pay ten grand, or he’d sue us. We refused and he sued. We countersued for emotional distress and harm to our reputation.”
Sam wondered why Tom wouldn’t have provided the invoices and made a note to ask Leslie that.
“If you’re thinking I killed him, I didn’t,” Ralph said.
“Where were you early Sunday morning?”
“Asleep in my bed.”
“If we subpoena your phone records, is that what we’ll find?”
“That’s exactly what you’ll find. I was looking forward to beating that smug bastard in court. I had nothing to do with what happened to him, and neither did Laurel. We feel for his wife and daughters, but we’re not sad to see the last of him.”
Heartless,Sam thought.
“Is there anything else? I need to get back to work.”
“That’s it for now, but please stay available in case we have follow-up questions.”
“You know where to find us.”
He turned and walked away.
“Will you please write down your cell phone numbers?” Sam asked Laurel.
She took the pad and pen from Sam and wrote down the numbers. “Ralph didn’t like Tom, but I thought he was nice enough. They butted heads from the minute the Forresters moved in next door. I told Ralph he needed to let it go, but he wouldn’t listen. I also wanted to pay the ten thousand dollars, because I believe that’s what Snowflake’s care probably cost. Vets are crazy expensive. But Ralph wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Thank you for that insight. We appreciate it.”
“A few days before Tom died, there was a lot of activity at their house. More than usual. Cars I didn’t recognize in and out. That kind of thing.”
Sam assumed that had to do with the kidnapping of Leslie and her daughters, as well as their return home, accompanied by federal agents. The news of their kidnapping had not been made public, so Mrs. Sellers wouldn’t have known about that.
“That’s good to know.” Sam handed her a business card. “If you think of anything else, please call me.”
“I will.” She walked them to the door. “How are Leslie and the girls? I feel so badly for them.”
“They’re holding up as best they can.”
“It’s such a terrible shock.”
“Yes, it is. Thank you for your time.”
“It was nice to meet you, despite the circumstances.”
Sam nodded and followed Freddie out the door as Vernon brought up the rear.
“Where to?”
“I want to see Leslie Forrester again before we head for Main Justice for our meeting with Young.”
At this rate, they’d just barely get back to town in time for that.