Fatal Flaw by Marie Force Page A

ventilator breathe for him had shredded her nerves as she wondered if she’d ever again be able to bounce a case off him when she was stuck, to consult with him about every aspect of her life. He’d been her touchstone, and in many ways her very best friend for so long that she couldn’t begin to entertain the notion of having to spend the rest of her life without him. Being back in the ICU also brought back grim memories of the horrible days that followed his shooting when they’d been told to expect the worst.
    Maybe now, like then, he’d defy the odds. In the meantime, the waiting was making her crazy. Nick had gone home to change out of his suit and to pick up a change of clothes for her. Listening to her sisters and stepmother run the scenarios of how her father’s illness could play out had driven Sam from the waiting room, and now she was doing laps of the long corridor outside the ICU.
    Nick returned with the clothes just as Freddie came bursting through the double doors from the ICU.
    “What’s up?” Sam asked him.
    “We’ve got a murder.”
    “Where?”
    “Chevy Chase, near the Alice Deal Middle School.”
    “A kid?”
    Freddie shook his head. “Stay-at-home mom, discovered by her daughter when she got home from school.”
    Sam glanced at Nick who watched her intently.
    “There’s not much you can do here, Sam,” he said.
    “I probably shouldn’t leave, though. Even for a little while.”
    “Is there anything you need to say to him that you haven’t already said?”
    He knew her so well it was frightening at times. “No.”
    “Then go. That’s what your dad would want you to do. I’ll stay with Celia and the others, and I’ll call you if anything changes.”
    “Are you sure you don’t mind? It’s not like you don’t have things to do too.”
    “I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day, and I don’t mind.”
    How, she wondered, had she ever managed without him? She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
    “I’ll be here.” He ran a finger over her cheek. “Be careful out there.”
    “Always am.”
    “Be extra careful today. You’ve got a lot on your mind.”
    “You’ll tell Celia where I’ve gone?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Thanks.” She kissed him once more and then followed Freddie to the elevator, still not entirely certain that she should leave. If the worst should happen while she was gone, Sam would deal with it because Nick was right—her father would want her to go. The job, he’d say, pauses for no one and nothing. She hoped her stepmother and sisters would understand. If they didn’t, Nick would smooth things over with them.
    Sam and Freddie arrived a short time later at a two-story colonial home on a leafy street in Chevy Chase. Emergency vehicles lined the street, and the usual crowd of concerned neighbors had gathered outside the yellow crime-scene tape. Flashing their badges, Sam and Freddie pushed their way through and ducked under the tape. A patrolman greeted them.
    “What’ve we got?” Sam asked.
    The officer consulted a notebook. “Crystal Trainer, age thirty-five, found on the back patio by her daughter Nicole, age twelve, when the daughter arrived home from school.” He gestured to the yard where a female officer was comforting the distraught girl. “No sign of forced entry, and as far as we could tell, nothing had been disturbed inside the house. Mrs. Trainer’s purse and cell phone were found on the kitchen table. The cash in her wallet seemed to be untouched. The deceased’s son, Josh, age eight, is due home from school momentarily.”
    Where, Sam thought, he’d learn his life had been permanently changed. “Husband?”
    “Was notified by his daughter and is on his way home from work.”
    “Neighbors?”
    He gestured to the tapeline where two other officers were interviewing the people who’d gathered there. “So far no one has reported seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary.”
    “Good