Page 35 of State of Retribution

Moaning, Freddie said.“Oh my God, I walked straight into that woodchipper, didn’t I?”

Sam, Vernon and Jimmy laughed.

“Common grasshopper mistake.”Sam patted his arm.“It happens.”

He scowled and pulled clear of her.“Do you ever get tired of listening to yourself?”

“Nope, not really.Everything I say and do is so interesting to me.”

“And somehow, I made it worse,” Freddie said.

“From one grasshopper to another,” Jimmy said, “quit while you’re ahead.”

“He’s never ahead,” Sam said.“That’s the problem.”

“Can I quit her?”Freddie asked.“That would solve all my problems.”

“You can’t quit me.You’d die of boredom with anyone else as your partner.”

“Whatever.”

“Truth hurts, my little grasshopper.”

“I’m not speaking to you at the moment.”

“And yet, you’re still speaking to me.”

He turned toward the passenger-side window.

Sam laughed.“You’ll be back.Youloveme.”

Since she’d driven Freddie to silence, she took advantage of the opportunity to text Nick on the secure BlackBerry to see how he was doing after the news from Alaska.When he didn’t respond right away, she assumed he was in yet another meeting.

She texted her mom to make sure she was set for after-school duty with the kids.Brenda was filling in for Sam’s stepmother, Celia, while she was on a trip with her sisters.

I just got to the WH,Brenda replied,and yes, it’s still surreal to pop over to the WH to visit my grandchildren.Haha.Don’t worry about a thing.See you when you get home.

It’s still surreal to live there!Thanks for your help.Very much appreciated.

Completely my pleasure.Love every minute with them.

Sam was so glad to have made amends with her mother after a twenty-year breach in their relationship following her parents’ divorce.She’d taken her father’s side and never looked back but had learned there were two sides to every story, and once she’d heard more about her mother’s perspective, she’d realized she had been wrong about a few things.

Back at HQ, they returned to the pit where the rest of their team was hard at work.

“Anything new, citizens?”Sam asked.

Gonzo spoke for all of them.“We’ve gone through financials, personal, work and school for all three victims, and nothing jumps out.We’re still working on the socials but not finding anything interesting there either.”

“I spoke with Walters in IT, and he’s got nothing for us from the cameras,” Freddie said as he ran his hand through his hair, his frustration apparent.

“Did the families shed any new light?”Detective Matt O’Brien asked.

“Nothing we can use,” Sam said.

“Where do we go from here, Lieutenant?”Detective Charles asked.

Sam had no idea what to tell her.“Go through it all again from the beginning.Review the reports, the autopsies, the family statements, everything.”

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