Chapter Twenty
After the White House photographer took family photos, the kids went ahead of them, with Scotty in charge, as Sam and Nick met up with the Hutchinsons outside the East Room.
Nick greeted Courtney and introduced Sam to Matthew Hutchinson.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Matthew said. “We’re great admirers of you and your work.”
“Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”
Courtney leaned across her husband to speak to Sam. “The second glass of wine might’ve been a mistake. I had to talk myself out of a nap.”
Sam laughed. “Same!”
The Marine Band played “Hail to the Chief” as the two couples entered the reception for members of Congress in the East Room. Even though she’d heard that tune so many times, it never failed to give her chills, especially now that it was being played for her husband. The room had been decorated with U.S. and Canadian flags and other decorations honoring their guests.
Vice President Gretchen Henderson, dressed in an icy light-blue gown, with diamonds hanging from her ears, smiled when they entered the room. She came over to greet them.
“It’s nice to see you again,” she said to Sam.
Sam tightened her grip on Nick’s arm. “You as well.”
What was it about her that bugged Sam so much? She’d never been anything other than nice to her, but there was something. She couldn’t deny it, but this was not the time to worry about that.
Everything from the flowers to the dinner menu was intended to be a celebration of the two countries and their cultures.
Sam had been to a state dinner once before, but she’d never hosted one, nor had she paid much attention to the details at the first one. Well, besides the detail that had transpired in the Rose Garden when Nick proposed to her. That, she’d never forget. But this… This was a production of magical and epic proportions. The photos of their entrance with the Hutchinsons would be released around the world in a matter of minutes.
Tracy and Mike had come early to help wrangle the kids and were waiting for them in the East Room. Angela had chosen not to attend. She’d said she wasn’t ready to socialize after having lost her husband so recently.
Sam hugged her eldest sister. “Thank you for being here.”
“Are you kidding me? My friends are green with envy.”
“Mine, too,” Mike said as he hugged her. “Everyone thinks we’re wicked cool to be dining at the White House with celebrities and heads of state.”
“Brooke said to tell you to break a leg—not literally, of course—and she and Nate can’t wait to come to the next one.”
Sam’s niece, a junior at the University of Virginia, was dating one of their favorite Secret Service agents. Nate was the lead agent on Eli’s detail.
“How’s she doing?”
“Great, since the transfer to Princeton came through. She can be with Nate full time next year.”
“Ah, young love.”
“She’d better not flunk out.”
“She won’t!”
Sam introduced Tracy and Mike to the Hutchinsons.
Courtney asked Tracy where they lived.
“About six miles from here.”
“You’re so lucky to have your sister close by!”
“Both my sisters are close,” Sam said, “and I’m very thankful for that. My stepmother lives here with us to help with the kids, and my mom helps out, too. It takes a village.”
“Yes, it sure does.”
Scotty joined them with a hand on the shoulder of each twin.
Nick introduced them to the Hutchinsons.
While Scotty and Alden shook hands with the prime minister, Aubrey hid behind them.
“She’s a little shy.” Sam reached out a hand to the little girl, who came around the boys to grasp Sam’s hand.
“Samantha, our guests are arriving. Are you ready?”
Tracy fanned her face. “When he calls you Samantha…”
“I know, right?”
“You guys look amazing. More gorgeous than ever.”
Nick kissed Tracy’s cheek. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He extended his arm to Sam. “Shall we, my love?”
Sam kissed Aubrey on the cheek and turned her over to Tracy. “I’ll see you in a bit, sweetie.” To Nick, she said, “Let’s do it.”
“So much I could say to that,” he whispered as they walked to their assigned positions for the receiving line that would send guests into the tent for dinner.
Their guests were a Who’s Who of political, media and entertainment, including the surprise appearance by her favorite singer, Jon Bon Jovi, and his wife.
Sam hugged him. “My husband has been keeping secrets again!”
“We love to surprise you,” Jon said. “Thank you for having us. It’s such a thrill to be here.”
“The thrill is all ours,” Sam said.
“She means it’s all hers,” Nick replied.
Sam couldn’t deny that, so she didn’t try, even as she flushed with embarrassment to have her fierce crush outed by her husband. “Are you singing for us later?”
“You know it.”
“I can’t wait.”
Sam’s squad and others from the department arrived together, minus Dominguez and Carlucci, who were holding down the fort on the Forrester investigation. They’d be on the guest list for the next big event.
“You guys look gorgeous,” Sam said.
Deputy Chief Jeannie McBride, whose pregnancy was beginning to show, hugged her. “Was about to say the same to you. Stunning.”
“Aw, thanks. It took a whole team of people to make it happen.”
“I have no doubt.”
Sam laughed, appreciating her friend keeping things real. Next, she hugged Elin Cruz. “Been thinking of you, friend. How’re you doing?”
“Better every day, and hopeful for the next time.”
“That’s the way to be. As I told Freddie, I feel in my bones that you two are going to make me an auntie several times over.”
Elin pulled back and gave her a warm smile. “I hope so.”
Sam adjusted Freddie’s bow tie, which didn’t need fixing. “My little grasshopper has grown up to be a damned handsome man.”
He flashed an irreverent grin. “I know, right? Thanks for this. We’ll never forget it.”
“Thanks for being here. Means everything to have my besties here.”
Gonzo, Christina, Captain Malone and his wife, Val, Chief Farnsworth and his wife, Marti, Jeannie’s husband, Michael Wilkinson, Matt O’Brien and Cameron Green hugged her and raved about the event and how pretty she looked.
“Save us a minute if you have one,” Gonzo said. “We’ve got some developments.”
“I’ll find a minute.”
Derek Kavanaugh and Roni Connolly arrived, hand in hand. Seeing them together after both had been widowed filled Sam with joy.
“You’re glowing, Mama,” Sam said to the pregnant Roni. She was expecting her late husband Patrick’s child in June.
“If you say so.”
“I say so, and I’m the boss of you.”
Roni laughed as she hugged Sam.
“Thank you for all you did to fill in for Terry,” Nick said to Derek.
“I never want to have to deal with a state dinner again.”
“So noted,” Nick said, grinning.
“Give me four hundred thirty-five temperamental Congress members over one caterer.”
Sam, Nick and Roni laughed at the face he made.
“What’re you hearing about Avery?” Derek asked.
“He was out of surgery and expected to make a full recovery the last time I heard from Shelby,” Sam said.
“Thank goodness,” Roni said. “I texted Shelby earlier, but I haven’t heard back. I’m sure she’s got a million texts from concerned friends.”
“For sure,” Sam said. “She’s got her hands full with a new baby and now with Avery laid up. I know she’ll appreciate you checking in.”
“I’m thinking of her.”
Sam rested a hand on the younger woman’s arm. “I’m sure it was hard for you to hear what’d happened to Avery.” Her husband, Patrick, had been killed by a stray bullet while on his way to lunch.
“Yes, for sure. Brought it all back.”
“Call me tomorrow if you need to talk.”
“Said the busiest person on the planet.”
“I always have time for my friends.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
“We’d better move to the tent to make sure everything is good to go,” Derek said, “and once it is, I’m having a very big drink.”
Sam and Nick laughed as they sent them on their way, and then they greeted Lilia and her fiancé, Harry.
“You two look stunning,” Lilia said.
“All thanks to you and the White House team,” Sam replied.
“We had a gorgeous first lady to work with.”
“You’re looking pretty gorgeous yourself.” Lilia wore a red gown that clung to her curves.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Harry put his arm around his love. “She’s a showstopper.”
Lilia giggled. “Hush. This isn’t my show.”
“It’s more your show than it is mine,” Sam said.
Harry and Lilia were still laughing as they walked away to find their table.
The crush of people, each face more famous than the last, was dazzling and overwhelming, each of the illustrious people wanting a moment with her and Nick.
Supreme Court justices, senators and congresspeople… Including Damien Bryant.
He offered her an insincere smile. “Mrs. Cappuano.”
“What are you doing out of lockup?”
“A little thing called bail.”
She couldn’t believe he’d been released—again—after he’d run from them. “What’re you doing here?”
He feigned insult. “I was invited.”
“I assume that was before you were charged with multiple felonies.”
“Timing is everything, is it not?”
“I’ll have you removed.”
“Go for it. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the White House hospitality. Have a nice evening.”
“What was that about?” Nick asked.
“Bryant shouldn’t be here.”
Nick made eye contact with Brant and tipped his head to request a word with his lead agent.
“Yes, sir?”
“Congressman Bryant’s invitation should’ve been rescinded after he was charged with crimes. Will you see to removing him?”
Brant frowned. “Right away, sir.”
Nick placed a hand on Sam’s lower back. “All set.”
“Power is sexy on you.”
“Stop.”
“Seriously hot.” Sam never got tired of how flustered he became when she commented on his hotness.
As they greeted more guests, Sam watched the Secret Service escort Bryant from the event, not making any effort to be discreet about it.
After catching the filthy look he directed her way as he was marched toward the exit, she waggled her fingers at him.
“What the hell was Bryant doing here?” Gonzo asked when she was able to break away from the formalities to have a word with her team.
“I believe he slipped through the Shelby-had-a-baby, Terry-is-home-with-Lindsey cracks in the fortress.”
“It was kind of fun watching him be tossed out on his ass,” Gonzo said.
“For me as well. What’s the latest?”
“First of all, the Davies hearing was postponed to tomorrow after the judge had an asthma attack.” They’d learned that Stahl had framed Eric Davies on rape charges after he complained about Stahl after a traffic stop years earlier. Davies had been in prison for sixteen years because of fabricated charges.
“Oh jeez. That poor guy has to spend another night in jail.”
“I know. That’s what we were saying earlier. Second, we can’t find any sign that O’Walsh, the golf pro, ever existed. We think it’s possible he was working under an assumed name.”
“Great. Now what?”
“We’re tracking down some coworkers who knew him to see what they can tell us. More to come on that. I tracked down the rest of Bryant’s now-former employees and discovered they’d all returned to Wisconsin the minute they heard he was arrested. One of them told me that they’d been disgusted by him for a while, but when they heard he ordered their friend and colleague Zach killed and to make it look like Zach was Bryant’s son, that was it for them. We’ve confirmed that most of them were gone that same night.”
“Thanks for closing that loop. At least we know now there wasn’t some other member of his team on the loose who might’ve killed Tom.”
“We also looked into Cox’s assistant, Henry Allston, and there’s not much to be found online.”
“By not much…”
“Hardly anything. No school info, no job history, not much of anything other than being part of a winning Little League baseball team when he was a kid.”
Sam scanned the huge tent and found Cox at one of the VIP tables in the front. He was laughing at something the man next to him had said.
“I’ll have a talk with the AG and see what he can tell me about his assistant.”
“Here?” Freddie asked.
“It’s not like he’s going to invite me back to his place after our last conversation.”
“True. Sam ripped him a new one,” Freddie told Gonzo.
“It needed to be done. He’s an arrogant asshole.”
Cox looked up, caught her watching him and frowned.
“No time like the present.”
As she walked to Cox’s table, she took great satisfaction in watching him realize she was coming to speak to him. He became less animated the closer she got. “A word, General Cox?”
He forced a smile. “Of course.”
They walked to a corner of the massive tent that glittered with strands of lights and gleaming crystal.
“Is this necessary?” he asked with a scowl.
“If it wasn’t, do you think I would’ve left my husband’s side to come speak to you?”
“What do you want?”
“Tell me about your assistant.”
He hadn’t expected that. “What about him?”
“Who is he? Where does he come from?”
“Why in the world do you care about him?”
“Because I’ve chosen to.”
She stared at him without blinking until he finally realized she wouldn’t back down.
“This isn’t the time or the place.”
“I decide when, and I decide where. I couldn’t care less about your lofty title or anything other than getting justice for my friend Tom Forrester.”
He didn’t like her referring to Tom as her friend.
“Do you know what it means to be a true friend, General Cox? It means when your true friend is murdered, you do whatever you can to find the person who did it and make them pay, starting with answering questions from the lead detective on the case. I know it’s been decades since you tried a criminal case, but you should know by now how this works.”
“Enough.”
“Who is Henry Allston, and why was he so weird about giving me his name earlier?”
“He’s my nephew. I raised him. My first wife and I did, I should say.”
“And you’ve disclosed that your assistant is actually a family member?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Not formally.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Aren’t you in charge of enforcing rules and regulations? Wouldn’t it be awkward for you if it came to light that your assistant is actually your nephew and you failed to disclose that through proper channels? Did the two of you lie on his background check?”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Not at all. I’m merely pointing out that your lack of candor in this investigation is beginning to get tedious. We’re supposed to be on the same side, and yet, it took multiple conversations for you to come clean about your longtime relationship with Tom. Now it seems you’re trying to hide your personal connection to your assistant. You know what I often observe about people who lack candor?” When he only stared at her with a stone-faced expression, she said, “They tend to have something to hide.”
“I have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t believe you, and I’m going to shake your closet until all the skeletons fall out.”
His expression turned into a nasty sneer. “It’s true what people say about you.”
“Is it? I love to hear that. Let me tell you something else. I’m going to rip your life apart—and your nephew’s—and I’m going to enjoy it, you smug son of a bitch.”
“Everything all right over here?” Nick asked as he joined them.
Cox’s entire demeanor immediately became more amiable in Nick’s presence. Interesting. “Of course, Mr. President. I’m just having a friendly chat with your wife.”
“It didn’t look friendly from a distance, which is why I came over to see what’s going on.”
Cox smiled at him. “Nothing at all, sir. As you might imagine, tensions are running high for all of us in law enforcement after the murder of a USA and the shooting of a high-ranking FBI agent.”
“Yes, they sure are,” Sam said with a meaningful look for Cox. “And you’d think that people with information about those crimes—especially those who know better—would be forthcoming, but alas, they’re not.”
If looks could kill, Sam would be so dead.
Judging by the thunderous expression on Nick’s face, Sam’s not-so-subtle message had registered with him, too.
“It would displease me, General Cox, if you were to obstruct my wife’s investigation in any way or attempt to pull rank on her or the MPD as they seek justice for Tom Forrester.”
The not so thinly veiled threat had Cox going pale.
Mr. President would be getting the good sex later.
Sam curled her hand around Nick’s arm. “I’ve had enough of this conversation. Let’s go talk to our friends.”
“Lead the way, my love.”
As they walked away from Cox, Sam whispered, “You’re going to get luckier than you ever have in your life later.”
“Is that right?” he asked with a chuckle.
“That guy is an insufferable boob, and you just made him shit his pants.”
“Judging by the stink, you’d already done that before I showed up.”
“Oh, I love you. So, so, so much.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he was giving you grief?”
“Because I’m handling it.”
“Am I going to have a problem with my AG?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Do what you must, and don’t worry about me. I’ll handle whatever comes up.”
“You’re the best husband I ever had.”
Grunting out a laugh, he said, “The bar was set pretty low.”
“And you’ve soared so far over it, you’re in outer space.”