Fatal Deception by Marie Force Page A

guilty all over again. “We didn’t uncover anything new, so I didn’t think to mention it to him.”
    “Especially since he’d already told you once to leave it alone.”
    Shocked, Sam looked over at her stepmother. “You know about that too?”
    “I know that on the day he was shot, you two had a rare disagreement, and it was about the Fitzgerald case. The last time I talked to him before he was shot he told me he’d had words with you over it.”
    For days afterward, when they’d been uncertain he would survive the shooting, Sam had been convinced her last words to her father would be angry ones. “Why do you suppose he’s so adamant about me leaving it alone?”
    “Maybe you should ask him that, huh?”
    “Do you know why?”
    “Nope. But something about that case nags at him. He’s never said what it is.”
    “Failing to find the killer of a little boy would nag at any detective, long after he was out of uniform.”
    “True, but I’ve always suspected it’s something more than the failure to close the case.” Celia pulled up to the morgue entrance. “There you are, my dear. If you give me the prescription for the pain meds, I’ll drop it off on the way home. You can pick it up later.”
    Even though Sam had no intention of picking up medication that would make her groggy and useless, she didn’t have time to argue. She handed the paper to her stepmother. “Thanks. For everything. I don’t know what I ever did without you.”
    “Aw, honey.” Celia leaned over the console to give Sam a quick hug. “Be careful, will you please? Your father suffers whenever you get hurt. And so do I.”
    Touched, Sam gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Will do. See you later.”

Chapter Eight
    Sam hustled inside and jogged through the hallways and passageways that led to the pit where her detectives were gathered around a computer.
    “Play it again,” she heard Gonzo say. “Whoa, right there, look at that!”
    “Totally awesome,” Cruz said. “The guy has no idea what hit him.”
    “Badass,” Arnold said.
    On tiptoes, Sam looked over her partner’s shoulder. The convenience-store encounter played on the screen. As the gun made contact with her face, she winced along with the others. “All right, everyone. Show’s over.”
    They nearly jumped out of their collective skins when they realized she’d joined them, which of course gave her a thrill. She liked to keep them jumping. “In the conference room. Five minutes.”
    “Holy crap,” Freddie said when he saw her face. “It’s even more colorful than it was before.”
    McBride recoiled and turned away, as if she couldn’t bear to look.
    Once again, Sam thought of her plans for the evening. Disappointing her husband was never high on her to-do list, which was why she was determined to attend that fundraiser even if she looked like something out of a horror movie.
    As she headed for her office to check her e-mail before the meeting, Agent Hill came into the pit and zeroed in on her. His heated stare burned a hole right through her. What was that all about? The guy’s quiet intensity made her uncomfortable.
    “You’re all right?” he asked as he came up to her, his sharp eyes taking a full inventory that only added to the discomfort.
    “Perfectly fine and itching to get back to work. We’re meeting in five minutes in the conference room.” She went into her office and shut the door to discourage him from following her, since her better judgment was telling her to stay far, far away from the sexy agent.
    Shaking off the encounter, she fired up her computer and did a quick scan of her e-mail, which included a response from Bryn Mawr that said, “Lt. Holland, We were unable to find a match for the student you inquired about. Perhaps she was here under a different name during that period? If you can provide additional information, we’d be happy to assist in your investigation.”
    The message was hardly a surprise after what Lindsey had uncovered,