As Sam glared at him and plotted his slow, painful death, the room erupted into applause and whistles. She glanced at her father and found him watching her, his eyes bright with emotion.

He nodded with approval and pleasure—more pleasure than she’d seen on his face in two years.

“All right,” she said, putting a stop to the merriment before they forgot they were there to work on a homicide. “Thanks for the food, the toast and the help. I appreciate it. Before we go any further, I need to ask if you all mind that Nick is here. He’s been very helpful to us on the investigation—”

“He’s been critical,” Freddie said.

Sam sent him a grateful smile. “Still, if anyone’s uncomfortable…”

“No problem for me,” Gonzo said.

The others mumbled their agreement.

Sam released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and turned to Freddie. “In that case, Cruz, let’s hear what you found out in Chicago.”

“You got it, boss.”

Chapter 26

“I also dug into the girlfriends like you asked me to,” Freddie said, consulting his notebook. “Tara Davenport has no tattoos or unusual piercings. The people she says she was with on the night of the murder confirm her story, and security tapes show her arriving home at 10:18 and leaving again at 9:33 the next morning. Elin Svendsen’s date, Jimmy Chen, a major muscle head, confirmed they had dinner and went to a dance club for a couple of hours. He dropped her off at her apartment just after two in the morning. The building has minimal security and no video, so I couldn’t confirm that she stayed in for the rest of the night. She has a tattoo on her left breast—a heart with a Cupid’s arrow—and both nipples are pierced.”

“I don’t even want to know how you found that out,” Sam said, drawing chuckles from the other detectives.

“Not the way I would’ve preferred, that’s for sure.”

“Go, Cruz!” Detective Arnold said with a bark of laughter.

“Aw, our little boy’s growing up,” Gonzo said, dabbing at a pretend tear.

“Up yours, Gonzo.”

In deference to her partner, Sam stifled the urge to laugh. “Is that it?”

“You didn’t tell me to,” Freddie continued, “but I dug a little deeper on Natalie Jordan. St. Clair was her maiden name, and I got a hit on that. Apparently our girl Natalie lost her college boyfriend in a suspicious fire in Maui about fifteen years ago.”

“You don’t say.” Blood zipped through Sam’s veins as pieces began to fall into place. Whether they were the right pieces, she’d soon find out.

“She and the senator had been broken up for years when he was killed,” Skip said. “Hardly the same thing.”

“True,” Sam said. “Give us the details on the fire, Cruz.”