“Did you find the person who killed my wife?” he asked, looking hopeful and exhausted at the same time.

  “Not yet. Could we please come in for a minute?”

  “Oh, um, sure.”

  They followed him into the room. Lucas was stretched out on the second bed, scrolling through his phone. When he saw Sam and Freddie, he sat up.

  “Crime Scene detectives are completing their work at your home. You’ll be able to go home around four. I’ll ask Patrol to arrange rides for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Sam glanced at Lucas. “Could we speak to you in private please, Mr. Tappen?”

  He nodded for Lucas to go next door, which he did, with a glance over his shoulder.

  After the adjoining door closed behind him, Sam said, “Do you mind if we sit?” she asked, pointing to the bed Lucas had been on.

  “No. Please, make yourselves comfortable.” He sat across from them. “Have you got anything that might explain this? Because I’m telling you, I can’t think of anything. I’ve gone over everything in my mind, every conversation, every day for weeks, trying to think of something that would’ve led to Pam being murdered. I can’t think of a single thing.”

  Sam glanced at Freddie, giving him the floor without warning. She loved doing that to him and would certainly hear about it when they were back outside. But hey, her job was to train him, and that’s what she was doing.

  “Mr. Tappen,” Freddie said haltingly, “we’ve encountered some information that may or may not be relevant to your wife’s case.”

  “What information?”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you, sir, that we’ve discovered your wife was having an affair.”

  For a long, long moment, he stared at Freddie, his expression unchanged. And then he began to laugh. He laughed so hard that he couldn’t breathe.

  Freddie looked to Sam for guidance she didn’t have. She shrugged.

  “You find that funny, sir?” Freddie asked.

  “Pam was not having an affair.” Tappen wiped away tears of laughter. “That’s preposterous.”

  “The other party has confirmed that she was, in fact, having an affair with him.”

  “What other party?”

  “Mark Ouellette.”

  His expression went immediately thunderous. “There’s no way she’d have an affair with that douchebag.”

  Freddie said nothing, letting his silence speak for him.

  Nicely done, Sam thought. Give him a minute to let it set in.

  “Pam didn’t like him. None of us like him. He’s a jackass.”

  Still, Freddie said nothing.

  “There’s no way she was sleeping with him,” Tappen said, his tone losing some of its edge.

  “Mr. Ouellette has confirmed a year-long relationship.”

  Tappen shook his head in what seemed to be complete disbelief. “Pam thought he was a windbag. She said it all the time. ‘How can Josie stand to be married to him?’ she would ask. ‘All he talks about is himself, his quarterback-star son and how he’s going all the way to the NFL, when we know the closest many of these kids will ever get to the NFL is attending a game on a future Sunday.’ I wish I could tell you how many times she said those and other things. My boys don’t like him either, and they can’t stand his son.”

  “I’m not sure what reason Mr. Ouellette would have to lie about such a thing, as it made him a person of interest in a homicide investigation,” Sam said. “Not to mention we had no choice but to interview his wife and present her with the same information we’re giving you. Needless to say, his marriage is now in serious jeopardy.”

  “There’s just no way,” Tappen said again.

  “We’re forced to operate on the assumption that Mr. Ouellette was telling us the truth, as there would be no reason for him to detonate a nuclear bomb in his life if it wasn’t true.”

  “People are going to hear about this and wonder what kind of life we had together. I’m going to have to wonder about that, because I thought I knew.”

  “We’re sorry to have to bring you this news at what’s an already difficult time for you.”

  “What am I supposed to tell my kids?”

  “I’d suggest you go with the truth, and do it before it gets out as part of the case,” Sam said.

  “How can I tell them such a thing about their mother? They won’t believe it, especially since I don’t believe it.”

  “We need to ask you who Pam would’ve told about the affair.”

  “She wouldn’t have told anyone. Something like this… It would’ve set off a nuclear bomb in her life if people found out. You have to understand… Our football family was tight. Everyone knows everyone, and this would’ve been a huge scandal. And I promise you, if anyone knew, it would’ve gotten out. People wouldn’t have kept it quiet. It would be too salacious, too tempting.” He took a deep breath and let it out in an even deeper sigh. “It wasn’t bad enough that she was murdered. Now this.”

  “We’re sorry to add to your grief,” Freddie said.

  He shrugged. “You’re just doing your jobs. It’s not your fault that my wife cheated on me with a complete asshole.” After another long pause, he looked to Sam. “Did he say why she did it?”

  “I, uh, he said they were both in long marriages, and some of the spark had gone out.”

  “That’s a fucking lie,” Tappen said, his eyes flashing with outrage. “The spark was very much alive in our marriage.”

  “I’m, ah, just telling you what he said.”

  “Maybe that was true for him, but not for her. I’ll never believe she thought that.”

  “Can you think of anyone who might’ve learned about the affair and would be upset enough about it to do what was done to Pam?” Sam asked.

  “Other than myself or Josie, no, and from what you tell me, she didn’t know about it any more than I did.”

  “Would it be possible that one of your children knew?”

  He stared at her in disbelief. “You think one of my children, who adored their mother, could’ve heard about an affair and murdered their mother in the most torturous way possible? They wouldn’t have murdered her. They’d have been too heartbroken to even think up such a diabolical plan. If you don’t believe me, do you want to be the ones to tell them what their mother was up to with Ouellette? You can see for yourself that none of them knew, because if they did, they would’ve raised holy hell about it with her and with me.”

  Sam absolutely did not want to be the one to tell Tappen’s kids about the affair, but she did want to see their reactions to hearing about it. “If you’ll bring them in, we’ll ask them if they knew.”

  Freddie gave her a “holy shit, are you for real?” look, letting her know he wanted nothing to do with this either.

  She couldn’t blame him.

  Tappen went to get his three children. When they were in the room, he said, “Go ahead. Tell them what you told me.”

  Sam once again looked to Freddie.

  If looks could kill, she’d be so dead.

  “It’s come to our attention,” he said, “that your mother was having a romantic relationship with Mark Ouellette.”

  Justin snorted through his nose. “No way. She couldn’t stand him.”

  “She said all the time what a blowhard he is,” Lucas said, glancing at his dad for confirmation.

  “My mother wouldn’t do that to my father,” Molly said. “That’s not who she was.”

  “Mr. Ouellette has confirmed the affair. He’d have no reason to make himself a potential person of interest in a homicide investigation if it wasn’t true.”

  “You think he did it?” Lucas asked, sounding incredulous.

  “He has an alibi for the time your mother most likely went missing,” Sam said. “He was at a football tournament in Delaware.”

  “We were there, too,” Lucas said, including his brother. “We saw him and Aidan there.”

  “We have to ask this, as difficult as it may be,” Freddie said. “But did any of you have any inkling whatsoever that your mother was involved with Mr. Ouellette?”

  “Hell no,” Justin said. “That’s so disgusting.”

  “I didn’t,” Lucas said.

  A long beat of silence passed before Molly said, “I didn’t know.”

  Sam zeroed in on her with the laser stare that made criminals wilt in the interrogation room. “If you know anything, now is the time to say so, Molly. If we find out that you withheld information pertinent to our investigation, that can cause you trouble.”

  “Did you know, Molly?” her father asked her, his expression conveying complete astonishment.

  “I knew something was off,” Molly said, blinking back tears. “She wasn’t herself since I went away to college. Every time I talked to her, she was distracted, and there were times she didn’t take calls from me, which wasn’t like her.”

  “Did you know about Mark?” her father asked again, more sharply this time.

  “I suspected something was going on with him. She mentioned his name a lot to me.”

  “Are you kidding me? And you didn’t say anything?”

  “What was I supposed to say, Dad? ‘I think Mom might be banging Mr. Ouellette’?”

  “To start with, yes. That might’ve kept her from being murdered.”

  Molly’s face collapsed in the second before she broke down into heartbroken sobs.

  Bob immediately realized what he’d done and went to comfort his daughter. “I’m so sorry, honey. Of course, none of this is your fault.”

  “I sh-should’ve said something.”

  “No, it wasn’t your problem.”

  “I’m s-sorry, Dad.”

  Her father hugged her until she’d calmed down.

  “Why would she do such a fucked-up thing, and with him of all people?” Justin asked, his expression making his feelings known. “She couldn’t stand him. None of us can.”

  “Can you think of anyone else who may have known about the affair and been angry enough to do something like murder your mother?” Sam asked.

  “Other than our dad and the coach’s wife, who would care that much?” Molly asked.

  “One of their kids?” Justin asked.

  “Nah,” Lucas said. “They’re all decent kids, except for Aidan and his overblown ego. But that’s not really his fault. All his life, he’s been built up to be the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. It’s gone to his head.”

  “Is he that good?” Freddie asked.

  “Yeah, he really is,” Lucas said. “If any of us is headed for pro football, he is.”

  “If you think of anything that might be relevant, even if it seems out there, will you please let us know?” Sam asked. “I believe you have my card.”

  “We will,” Bob said for all of them.

  “I’m sorry to have had to add to your grief with this information.”

  “You think you know someone, really know them,” Bob said, shaking his head. “It’s unbelievable.”

  What could she say to that? “I’ll have Patrol get you home later this afternoon.”

  “Thank you.”

  Sam couldn’t get out of that room fast enough.

  Freddie was right behind her. “Freaking brutal,” he said.

  “Ugh, I know.”

  “And thanks for giving me the lead on that without any warning.”

  “I do what I can for the people,” she said, earning a scowl from her partner.

  At the end of the hallway, Sam stopped to speak to the Patrol officer who had been chatting with Vernon while he waited for her. “CSU has finished at the Tappen home, and they’re cleared to return around four. Would you please see about transport for them?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks.” She pushed the down arrow, and when the elevator arrived, she got on with Freddie and Vernon. “This case sucks.”

  “Don’t they all?” Freddie asked.

  “Yeah, but this one is suckier than some.”

  “What’s the sticking point?” Vernon asked.

  “A well-liked wife and mother found murdered in her minivan after having been bound and gagged and left to either suffocate or freeze to death over a period of days, meaning whoever did this wanted her to suffer. Her sons play in an elite football league, and we’ve determined she was having an affair with the father of one of the other players, who was also a coach. Neither of their spouses had any idea about the affair—and we believe them—so who else would hate her enough to do what was done to her? And how can it not be related to the affair, which was the only thing in her life that was out of whack?”

  “That’s the only thing you’ve found to be out of whack,” Vernon said. “Doesn’t mean there isn’t more.”

  “That’s true,” Sam conceded. “It’s just that, by all accounts, she was a wonderful wife, mother, friend, businesswoman. She doesn’t seem like the type to have bodies buried all over town.”

  “Maybe the affair with Ouellette wasn’t the first she’s had,” Freddie said.

  “Ugh, that’s also possible.”

  “What’s the plan?” Freddie asked.

  “I want to talk to Paula again, and then we’ll call it a day.” To Vernon, she said, “Thanks for the input.”

  “Anytime.”

  Sam was punched in the gut by a wave of longing for her dad. Normally, she’d be asking for his input at this point in a confounding case. Even two months later, it still came as a shock to realize he was gone forever.

  Outside, she thanked the bellman and Jimmy, who’d stayed with their cars.

  “Merry Christmas to you and your family, ma’am,” the bellman said. “We hope you enjoy your holiday in the White House.”

  “Thank you. Happy holidays.” There it was again, that punch to the gut that came with thinking about what it would be like to celebrate Christmas without her father. He’d absolutely loved Christmas and had been the best gift giver. She’d heard that the “first” of everything after a big loss was the worst, and that was probably true, but she already knew that nothing would ever be the same in her life without Skip Holland around to tell her how to live.

  While she drove back to Paula’s home, she put through a call to her new friend Roni. If this holiday was going to be torturous for her, she couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like for Roni after having lost her new husband when he was struck by a stray bullet on 12th Street in October.

  The call went through to voice mail. “Hey, it’s Sam. I just wanted to call to let you know I’m thinking of you. Darren told me you’d checked in with him, and I wanted to assure you the job is yours whenever you’re ready. No rush, no deadline. Take care of yourself, Roni.”

  She ended the call by slapping her phone closed.

  “It’s nice of you to check on her.”

  “I really like her.”

  “Which makes her the rarest of unicorns, because you don’t like anyone.”

  “I like more people than I used to. My other new friend is Gideon Lawson, the chief usher at the White House. He gets me, and he’s sarcastic.”

  “Another unicorn. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

  “He’s cool. You’ll like him.”

  “I can’t believe we’re spending Christmas Eve at the White House. It’s so surreal.”

  “How do you think we feel? That’s why we wanted all you guys there with us, to make it feel less surreal.”

  “I can’t imagine how strange it must be to call the most iconic house in the world home.”

  “I need to stop by Ninth Street and get a box of family ornaments I packed to bring to the White House, but somehow they didn’t make it into the move. I’m afraid that if I go there, I’m not going to want to leave.”

  “Do you hate living at the White House? You can tell me the truth.”

  “No, I don’t hate it. It’s like the most luxurious hotel on earth. Last night, we ordered pizza for Eli at one in the morning, and the butlers were right there twenty minutes later, rolling in a cart with a midnight snack fit for a king.”

  “I’d be in big trouble if I had that kind of service available to me.”

  “Maybe if you did, you’d finally gain the nine hundred pounds you deserve to weigh.”

  “You’re being a nasty cow again.”

  “Better than a filthy pig.”

  “That’s your opinion.”

  “Oink, oink.”

  “Mooooo. Anyway, about the White House…”

  “I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t feel like home.”

  “It’ll take a while.”

  “I’m sure it will. I keep telling myself that the only thing that matters is where Nick and the kids are. That’s home. The building doesn’t matter.”

  “In most cases, I’d say that’s true, but when you live at the White House, the building matters.”

  “I guess. I don’t want you to think I’m complaining, because I’m really not. It’s a beautiful place to live, and I’m so proud of Nick for having this incredible opportunity, even if it scares the crap out of me, too.”

  “What scares you?”

  “He literally has the weight of the world on his shoulders, for one thing. The other night, there was an incident with pirates attacking ships in the Gulf of Suez that required him to spend hours in the Situation Room in the middle of the night. I don’t even know where the Gulf of Suez is or what goes on there.”

  “He’s got great people helping him.”

  “Does he, though? A lot of those great people were Nelson’s people. Are they loyal to Nick? Will they do right by him or focus on their own agendas? That’s another thing I worry about, in addition to the increased risk to his safety simply because of the office he holds and how he came to be there. A lot of people are outraged that he was never elected, and now he’s president.”

  “He’s going to prove to them, one situation at a time, that they’re lucky to have him.”

  Sam shrugged. “I guess.”

  “He said all the right things yesterday after the shooting. That’ll matter to those who were directly affected and everyone who’s looking for someone to make sense of it.”

  “Shooting babies in line to see Santa will never make sense.”