“Well, yeah,” Nick said softly, letting his mind wander back in time. “He related to me. From the moment we met in a history class at Harvard, he treated me like a long lost brother. I came from nothing. I was there on a scholarship and felt like an imposter until John O’Connor took me under his wing and made me feel like I had as much reason as anyone to be there.”

“What about in the Senate? Rivals? Anyone envious of his success? Anyone put out by this bill you were about to pass?”

“John hasn’t had enough success in the Senate to inspire envy. His only real success was in consensus building. That was his value to the party. He could get people to listen to him. Even when they disagreed with him, they listened.” Nick glanced over at her. “Where are you going with this?”

She mulled it over for a moment. “This was a crime of passion. When someone cuts off a man’s dick and stuffs it in his mouth, they’re sending a pretty strong message.”

Nick’s heart staggered in his chest. “Is that what was in his mouth?”

Sam winced. “I’m sorry. I figured you’d seen it…”

“Jesus.” He opened the window to let the cold air in, hoping it would keep him from puking again.

“Nick? Are you all right?”

His deep sigh answered for him.

“Do you have any idea who would have reason to do such a thing to him?”

“I can’t think of anyone who disliked him, let alone hated him that much.”

“Clearly, someone did.”

Nick directed her to the O’Connors’s country home. They drove up a long, winding driveway to the brick-front house at the top of a hill. When he reached for the door handle, she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

He glanced down at the hand and then up to find her eyes trained on him.

“I have to ask you one more thing before we go in.”

“What?”

“Where were you between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m.?”

Staring at her, incredulous, he said, “I’m a suspect?”

“Everyone’s a suspect until they aren’t.”

“I was in my office all night getting ready for the vote until five-thirty this morning when I went to the gym for an hour,” he said, his teeth gritted with anger, frustration and grief over what he was about to do to people he loved.

“Can anyone confirm this?”

“Several of my staff were with me.”

“And you were seen at the gym?”

“There were a few other people there. I signed in and out.”

“Good,” she said, seeming relieved to know he had an alibi. “That’s good.”