yourself.”
Sam choked back a chuckle. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Just saw your alert to immigrant women,” Tabor said. “What else can you tell me?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Do you have a second victim?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You must if you saw fit to issue the alert.”
“Don’t you dare report that, Darren. I’m not confirming anything.”
“That’s okay. I can check the logs. They’ll tell me what you’re not.”
“I’ll leave you to make your own conclusions.”
“What’s Lightfeather’s status?”
“I told you all earlier—he’s been cleared on any involvement in the murder of Regina Argueta de Castro.”
“You can’t do your favorite reporter a favor and confirm they were involved?”
“Give it a rest, Darren. I’m outta here.” She shut off the phone and pulled up to the Washington Hilton a few minutes later. Flashing her badge to the bellhop who met her, Sam said, “I’ll be just a few minutes.”
“The person you no doubt wish to see is on the seventh floor.”
“Thank you.” Now why couldn’t everyone be that cooperative toward the police?
Sam took the elevator to the seventh floor and made her way to the room at the end of the hallway where two of her colleagues stood watch outside the door. “How goes it?” she asked them.
“Pretty quiet, Lieutenant.”
“Is the wife here yet?”
“Arrived about thirty minutes ago.”
“Any fireworks?”
The two young men smirked.
“That’s one way to describe it. She is not happy with him.”
“With good reason,” Sam said as she knocked on the door.
Annette Lightfeather opened the door and blanched at the sight of Sam’s badge. “Yes?”
“Mrs. Lightfeather, I’m Detective Lieutenant Sam Holland. I’d like to speak to your husband, please.”
“I understood that he’d been cleared of any involvement in the…the—”
“Murder of Regina Argueta de Castro.”
The attractive woman swallowed hard. “Yes.” Her eyes were red and raw, as if she’d cried her way across the country. Sam couldn’t blame her. In her place, Sam would probably never stop crying.
“I have some follow-up questions I’d like to ask him.”
Annette gestured for her to come in.
Henry sat on the sofa, head in his hands.
“Senator,” Sam said.
His head shot up, and his eyes widened when he saw her there. “Lieutenant. Have you found the person who killed Regina?”
Annette’s lips tightened into an expression of supreme dismay. Her attractive face was totally transformed by rage.
“I’m afraid not,” Sam said. “In fact, there’s been a second murder. Were you acquainted with Regina’s friend Maria Espanosa?”
Henry gasped and his mouth fell open in apparent shock. “Not Maria too!”
“Were you also sleeping with her?” Annette’s voice was one note shy of a shriek.
“Of course not,” Henry said haltingly. “She was a close friend of Regina’s.”
“What was Maria’s immigration status?”
He glanced at his wife and then at Sam. “Like Regina, she’d applied for permanent residency but had been denied.”
“Did you intervene on her behalf as well?” Sam asked.
As Annette watched the proceedings, her expression shifted from dismay to disbelief. “You went to INS for her?” she asked.
“I made some phone calls,” Henry said. “That’s all it was. Phone calls.”
“For your lover ,” Annette spat back at him. “Did she make you feel like the big powerful man?”
“Mrs. Lightfeather.” Sam wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She’d rather be anywhere else on earth than in the midst of their marital meltdown. “I understand you’re upset—”
“ Upset? You think I’m upset ? While I’m at home raising our five children, he’s here banging the cleaning lady in his office ? I’m not upset, Lieutenant. I’m livid .”
“Annette—”
“Shut up, Henry. Just shut up.” She stormed from the suite’s living room and slammed the bedroom
Sam choked back a chuckle. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Just saw your alert to immigrant women,” Tabor said. “What else can you tell me?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Do you have a second victim?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You must if you saw fit to issue the alert.”
“Don’t you dare report that, Darren. I’m not confirming anything.”
“That’s okay. I can check the logs. They’ll tell me what you’re not.”
“I’ll leave you to make your own conclusions.”
“What’s Lightfeather’s status?”
“I told you all earlier—he’s been cleared on any involvement in the murder of Regina Argueta de Castro.”
“You can’t do your favorite reporter a favor and confirm they were involved?”
“Give it a rest, Darren. I’m outta here.” She shut off the phone and pulled up to the Washington Hilton a few minutes later. Flashing her badge to the bellhop who met her, Sam said, “I’ll be just a few minutes.”
“The person you no doubt wish to see is on the seventh floor.”
“Thank you.” Now why couldn’t everyone be that cooperative toward the police?
Sam took the elevator to the seventh floor and made her way to the room at the end of the hallway where two of her colleagues stood watch outside the door. “How goes it?” she asked them.
“Pretty quiet, Lieutenant.”
“Is the wife here yet?”
“Arrived about thirty minutes ago.”
“Any fireworks?”
The two young men smirked.
“That’s one way to describe it. She is not happy with him.”
“With good reason,” Sam said as she knocked on the door.
Annette Lightfeather opened the door and blanched at the sight of Sam’s badge. “Yes?”
“Mrs. Lightfeather, I’m Detective Lieutenant Sam Holland. I’d like to speak to your husband, please.”
“I understood that he’d been cleared of any involvement in the…the—”
“Murder of Regina Argueta de Castro.”
The attractive woman swallowed hard. “Yes.” Her eyes were red and raw, as if she’d cried her way across the country. Sam couldn’t blame her. In her place, Sam would probably never stop crying.
“I have some follow-up questions I’d like to ask him.”
Annette gestured for her to come in.
Henry sat on the sofa, head in his hands.
“Senator,” Sam said.
His head shot up, and his eyes widened when he saw her there. “Lieutenant. Have you found the person who killed Regina?”
Annette’s lips tightened into an expression of supreme dismay. Her attractive face was totally transformed by rage.
“I’m afraid not,” Sam said. “In fact, there’s been a second murder. Were you acquainted with Regina’s friend Maria Espanosa?”
Henry gasped and his mouth fell open in apparent shock. “Not Maria too!”
“Were you also sleeping with her?” Annette’s voice was one note shy of a shriek.
“Of course not,” Henry said haltingly. “She was a close friend of Regina’s.”
“What was Maria’s immigration status?”
He glanced at his wife and then at Sam. “Like Regina, she’d applied for permanent residency but had been denied.”
“Did you intervene on her behalf as well?” Sam asked.
As Annette watched the proceedings, her expression shifted from dismay to disbelief. “You went to INS for her?” she asked.
“I made some phone calls,” Henry said. “That’s all it was. Phone calls.”
“For your lover ,” Annette spat back at him. “Did she make you feel like the big powerful man?”
“Mrs. Lightfeather.” Sam wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She’d rather be anywhere else on earth than in the midst of their marital meltdown. “I understand you’re upset—”
“ Upset? You think I’m upset ? While I’m at home raising our five children, he’s here banging the cleaning lady in his office ? I’m not upset, Lieutenant. I’m livid .”
“Annette—”
“Shut up, Henry. Just shut up.” She stormed from the suite’s living room and slammed the bedroom
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