“Let’s request a warrant for last week’s logs and any footage they have,” Sam said.

  “I thought you might say that, so I called Malone to get that moving.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “I know, right?”

  “While you’re basking in the glow of your own glory, see what they have here at the house for security and request a warrant for any info we can get from there, too.”

  “I, uh, already did that, too. There’s a sign out front with the name of the security company.”

  “Damn, he’s good,” Gonzo said.

  “Learned from the best.”

  “His sucking up is also exceptional.” Sam glanced at Faith. “Sorry for the banter. It keeps us sane.”

  “I understand. No apologies needed.”

  “What’s taking so long?”

  “I’ll find out,” Faith said as she rose to leave the room.

  “I already hate this case,” Sam said.

  “That took longer than usual,” Gonzo said.

  “Don’t make me laugh. It’s disrespectful.”

  She hoped they came back soon, because this day was getting away from them, and they had miles yet to go.

  Chapter Three

  Another fifteen minutes passed in uneasy silence before Faith returned with Mr. Young and a woman Sam assumed was Mrs. Forrester. As they approached the open French doors to the living room, Conlon and Faith each had an arm around the woman. They guided her to the sofa and sat next to her. The woman had reddish-brown, shoulder-length hair and a trim figure. Deep, dark circles under her brown eyes made her look as if she’d been awake for days.

  “This is Leslie Forrester,” Faith said. “Leslie, this is Lieutenant Holland, Sergeant Gonzales and Detective Cruz.”

  “We’re so sorry for your loss,” Sam said. “We had a tremendous amount of respect and affection for Tom.”

  She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue Faith handed her. “Thank you. He spoke of you all so fondly.”

  “We apologize for intruding at such a difficult time.”

  “I understand you have a job to do, and I… I want to know who did this to my Tom.” Her voice broke on a sob. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

  Faith rested a hand on Leslie’s knee. “While you talk to Lieutenant Holland, would you mind if I took a look in Tom’s home office for some things we need at work?”

  “Not at all. You know where it is.”

  “And you’re okay with me taking anything we might need?”

  “Of course. I want to know who did this to him and us.”

  “Thank you.”

  After Faith had gotten up to leave the room, Sam said, “I know it’s such a terrible shock, but we’re trying to understand what occurred in the days before Tom was killed.”

  Again, Leslie wiped tears from her eyes. “Three days ago, he called to say he was sending someone to pick up the girls and me, that I was to pack a few things and go with them. He said he’d join us shortly.”

  “Did he say why he was asking you to go with these people?”

  “He didn’t.”

  “When they arrived to pick you up, did you authorize the neighborhood’s security personnel to admit them?” Sam asked.

  “I did.”

  That answered one pressing question.

  “Who came to pick you up?”

  “A man named Kent Sanders.”

  Sam recognized his name from the reports on the Fortier case. He was one of Congressman Bryant’s bodyguards and had taken an immunity deal to testify against his boss. “Where did he take you?” Sam already knew the answer but wanted to hear the details from Leslie.

  “To a suite at the Washington Hilton. They told us to make ourselves at home and to order whatever we wanted from room service.”

  “Did you ask why you were there?”

  “Many times, but they just said Tom had asked them to keep us safe, so that’s what they were doing.”

  “And Tom never told you why he’d asked that of them or what was going on?”

  She shook her head.

  “Had anything like this ever happened before?”

  “No, never. I know he worried at times about how his work might endanger us, but he said we’d done everything we could to make our family safe, and we had to live our lives.”

  “Did Tom come to the hotel at any point?”

  “No, we never saw him again after he left for work that last morning when we were all here at home.”

  “The people you were with at the hotel… Did you hear them talking about anything that might shed light on why you were there?”

  “They were hardly ever in the room with us. The only time we saw them was when food was delivered.”

  “Did you ask to leave?”

  “A number of times. They said it wasn’t safe yet.”

  “And they provided no details about the alleged threat?”

  “None.”

  “Did they take your phones?”

  “They did. They said it was so we couldn’t be tracked and that it was for our own safety. I was allowed to speak to Tom once a day, which usually happened at night. Being without our phones was almost as difficult as being away from Tom. We felt very cut off from our lives.”

  “Did you feel like you were in danger while you were in the custody of these people?”

  “No, but I worried about Tom. If we were in danger, why wasn’t he there with us?”

  “We’re looking into that. Did Tom mention anything special about his work in the days and weeks leading up to when you were taken into custody?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. His work was always busy and intense, but he tried to leave it at the office when he was home with us.”

  “Why were you taken to the ER after the FBI rescued you?”

  “After our rescuers barged into the room, we were upset, so the agents thought it would be a good idea to have us checked out at the hospital.”

  “Did they arrest the men who’d held you?”

  “I think so. They were in an adjoining room, so I didn’t see that part.”

  A teenage girl with long dark hair and her mother’s brown eyes appeared at the door. She wore a long-sleeved T-shirt with plaid pajama pants.

  Her mother held out a hand to her. “Come sit with me, honey. This is my younger daughter, Aurora.”

  “We’re very sorry for your loss,” Sam said to the girl.

  “Thank you. I recognize you from TV. My dad thought it was cool that he worked with the first lady.” She leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Are you going to find out who did this?”

  “We’re working on that right now,” Sam said, “and thank you for telling me that about your dad. I liked working with him, too. We all did.”

  Freddie and Gonzo nodded in agreement.

  “I was asking your mom if there was anything different about your dad in relation to work or anything else in the last few weeks.”

  “He was super stressed,” Aurora said. “When he drove me to my softball game last Saturday, he was on the phone the whole time. He never does that when he’s with us.” She stopped herself when she seemed to realize she was speaking of him in the present tense. “Or at least he never did that before. Naomi said he was distracted when he drove her somewhere the week before last, too.”

  “The girls would notice that,” Leslie said, “because Tom made a point of giving us his full attention when he was at home. I’d been taking care of my mother, who had hip replacement surgery three weeks ago, so I’d been distracted, too.”

  “You’ve been very helpful.” Sam put her card on the coffee table. “If you think of anything else he said or did, or any other odd things, please call me. My cell number is on there.”

  “You can just give people your cell number like that?” Aurora asked.

  “I can give it to you.” Sam gave her a playful look. “You aren’t going to put it on Instagram or anything, are you?”

  “Oh, no. I’d never do that.”

  “I know. I was kidding.”

  Faith returned to the room, carrying a laptop. When her gaze met Sam’s, she shook her head.

  Damn it. Sam had hoped there’d be a paper trail on the Bryant investigation in Tom’s home office. Where else would it be if it wasn’t at home or at work?

  “I was wondering,” Leslie said tentatively, “if you might be willing to say a few words at Tom’s service.”

  “I’d be honored,” Sam said, moved by the request. “Tell me when and where.”

  “I should know more in the next couple of days.”

  Sam handed her a different card. “That’s for my chief of staff at the White House. Lilia will work with you to get me where I need to be.” Then she placed her notebook and pen on the table. “Will you please give me your cell phone numbers and Naomi’s in case we have more questions?”

  Aurora wrote down the numbers and gave the notebook to Sam.

  “I’ll keep you posted on the investigation, and again, you have our deepest sympathies.”

  “Thank you,” Leslie said as she hugged Faith.

  Conlon Young showed them out.

  “I’d like to speak with you one-on-one,” Sam said to him. “Your place or ours?”

  “Twelve thirty at my office on Tuesday? I need tomorrow to help plan a funeral.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  They made their way to the SUV.

  “Back to HQ, please, Vernon.”

  “Right away, ma’am. There’s an accident on the GW Parkway, so we may experience some delays.”

  “Awesome.” Sam looked forward to the day when she could zip around the city like George Jetson had, although that would entail flying, one of her least favorite things. Until that day, DC-area traffic was a cross to be borne. “Thoughts?”

  “It’s interesting that Leslie and the girls had no clue they were being held hostage until they were rescued,” Gonzo said.

  “That stood out to me, too,” Sam said. “They were obviously well cared for and bought the story that Tom needed them in a safe place while he took care of business.” She glanced at Gonzo. “Where’s Congressman Bryant?”

  “Released on bond this morning pending trial.”

  “With or without monitoring?”

  “Without.”

  “Well, that’s unfortunate.” People on bail awaiting felony charges should always be monitored, in her opinion, especially if they had the resources to run and had ordered a murder, among other crimes. “Let’s go see him.”

  Gonzo gave Vernon the address for Bryant’s local home in Adams Morgan. When they arrived after almost an hour in traffic, the place looked deserted.

  “Big change from when we were here before,” Freddie said.

  “How so?” Sam asked.

  “It was surrounded by security and popping with activity.”

  “Huh. I wonder if the congressman has been humbled by his arrest.”

  “Nah,” Gonzo said. “He’s not the type for humility.”

  “I’ll wait for you here,” Faith said. “Four of us might be too much.”

  “We’ll try to be quick,” Sam said.

  “I’ll check in with my sisters to see if there’s anything new.”

  They went up the stone stairs to the three-story townhouse.

  Freddie rang the bell.

  “I wasn’t expecting a nice, normal doorbell at this place,” Sam said.

  “It’s about the only thing about this guy that’s nice or normal,” Gonzo said.

  When a short, middle-aged, bald man with dirty clothes, an unhealthy red complexion and the start of a beard came to the door, Sam glanced at Gonzo for confirmation that he was their guy.

  Gonzo gave a subtle nod.

  Sam showed him her badge. “Lieutenant Holland, Metro PD. I think you know my partners, Detective Cruz and Sergeant Gonzales.”

  “I like how you introduce yourself, as if you’re just another cop.”

  “I’m just another cop when I’m on the job.”

  “Whatever you say. What do you want?”

  “A few minutes of your time.”

  He hesitated before he took a step back to admit them.

  A stale, musty smell was her first impression.

  Bryant led them past a kitchen that had dishes stacked in the sink and takeout boxes scattered about the countertop.

  Sam made a face at Freddie, who nodded in agreement.

  “What’s this about? I’ve already answered a million questions.”

  “We have a few more.” Sam nudged a pile of clothes out of the way so she could sit on the sofa.

  “Where’re all your people?” Gonzo asked.

  “Gone.”

  “Gone where?”

  “Wherever people go when the party’s over. The Feds froze my assets, so I can’t pay them. People don’t stick around when the money’s gone, and team members are being arrested.”

  “You must’ve been relieved that your son wasn’t murdered,” Freddie said.

  “Of course I was.”

  “If you ask me, you knew all along it wasn’t him who was dead,” Gonzo said.

  “I don’t recall asking you.”

  “Who gave the order to Aaron to murder Zach and make it look like it was Randy, right down to the red Vans sneakers?”

  “I don’t know anything about that.”

  Sam hoped he could tell they didn’t believe him. “What was your relationship with U.S. Attorney Tom Forrester?”

  Bryant’s face twisted into a scowl. “I had no relationship with him. Not anymore.”

  “Yet he was investigating you for campaign finance irregularities?”

  “He was talking to my team about that. I wasn’t involved.”

  “The U.S. Attorney himself was investigating you, and you had no involvement?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “Did you ever meet him?”

  “We were friendly. In the past.”

  “Friendly how?”

  “We played cards together a few times, rubbed elbows the way people do in this town.”

  “As you know,” Sam said, “your electronic devices have been seized as part of the investigation into the death of Zachery Calder, as well as your business dealings here in the District.”

  “So?”

  “Do you want to think about your relationship with Forrester before you answer again?”

  “No, I don’t,” he said with a hard stare. “I knew him. I thought he was a friend until he wasn’t.”

  “It must’ve made you angry that he was investigating you and your campaign.”

  “I didn’t care about him or his investigation. I knew he wouldn’t find anything.”

  Gonzo gave an ironic chuckle. “It’s amusing you should say that, because Kent Sanders told us you were the one who ordered Forrester’s family detained, which is another word for ‘kidnapped’ in this case.”

  “That’s a lie! I heard Kent got full immunity in exchange for a bullshit story full of lies.”

  Gonzo eyed him skeptically. “Why in the world would bodyguards who worked for you kidnap Forrester’s family unless you told them to?”

  “How should I know? They had their own shit going on. You should ask Kent and Aaron about that.”

  “Don’t worry,” Gonzo said. “We will.”

  “How did you feel when your son was arrested on murder-for-hire charges?” Sam asked.

  “How do you think I felt? You have kids. How would you like to hear that one of them had been arrested for such a thing?”

  “I understand you were estranged from Randy and his sister.”

  “So? That doesn’t mean it didn’t upset me to hear he’d been charged.”

  “Did you tell Tom Forrester to release him or else?”

  “Or else what? I didn’t tell him to do anything.”

  “And yet, men who worked for you had his family stashed at the Washington Hilton,” Sam said. “Interesting coincidence.”

  “Whatever they did with his family was on their own. I had nothing to do with that.”

  Sam snorted, which the congressman didn’t appreciate.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You are. You expect us to believe your son was arrested, Tom Forrester’s family was kidnapped by men who work for you, and Forrester ordered us to release your son—and you had nothing to do with any of that? Or the murder of the prosecutor who was about to turn your life upside down while you’re facing a primary challenger? Don’t you see how funny that is?”

  “I don’t find the humor in any of this.”

  “What goes on at Capital Retrofitters?” Gonzo asked.

  “What’s that?” Bryant asked with a blank expression.

  “The place where your pal Zach was found murdered. We were told you run a business out of there.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Did you have someone kill Tom Forrester?” Sam asked.

  Bryant’s expression lost all color before it turned thunderous. “Get out of my house, and don’t come back here.”

  “Is that a no?”

  “Get out!”

  As they got up and walked to the front door, Sam kept one eye over her shoulder. She wouldn’t put it past Bryant to shoot at them from behind. When people were cornered, they could be unpredictable.

  She took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air that was a welcome relief from the stench inside Bryant’s house.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait to see what the dumps of Bryant’s and Forrester’s phones show.”

  “I can’t either,” Gonzo said. “The guy is so full of shit, his eyes are brown.”

  “Do we like him for Forrester’s murder?” Freddie asked.

  “Not sure yet,” Sam said as they got into the SUV. “He was locked up when it happened, as were his henchmen. You know how I feel about things being too obvious. What would he have to gain by killing the U.S. Attorney when the gig was already up for him?”

  “Maybe to keep it from getting worse?” Gonzo asked.

  “He’s already looking at multiple felony charges,” Sam said. “What would one more do to change the equation?”

  “What if that one more was the worst one yet?” Freddie asked.