“Any word on autopsies on Tara or Natalie?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Get with Lindsey and put a rush on Tara’s. We’ll have to bug Alexandria for Natalie’s.” Sam glanced up at Nick, whose attention was focused elsewhere. Lowering her voice, she said to Gonzo, “I need to hang with him for a while longer. Call me if anything breaks.”

“You got it.”

“Thanks.” Taking Nick’s arm, she directed him to the row of taxis lined up at the curb.

“It was a good idea you had to take the Metro in this morning,” he said once they were in a cab.

“I knew security would make it tough to park anywhere near the cathedral.” She snuggled into him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better.”

“You were really great up there, Nick. I was so proud of you, my heart felt like it might burst.”

He hugged her tight against him and touched his lips to her forehead. “Thanks for coming. I know you had other things to do—”

She tilted her face to kiss him. “I was exactly where I needed to be. Where I wanted to be.” Glancing up at him, she found him staring out the window. “Can I ask you something?” she said tentatively, not sure if this was the best time. But she needed to know. For some reason, she had to know more.

“Sure you can.”

“What you said about growing up in Lowell with your grandmother…”

“What about it?”

“If you lived in a one-bedroom apartment, where did you sleep?”

“The sofa pulled out to a bed.”

She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to deal with the sudden need to weep. Her every emotion seemed to be hovering just below the surface, and it wouldn’t take much for the floodgates to swing open. “Where did you keep your stuff?”

“I didn’t have a lot of stuff, but what I had I kept in the hall closet.”

Her heart cracked right in half. “That’s why you’re so particular about the things you have now, isn’t it? And I’ve made fun of you for that. I’m so sorry, Nick.”

“Don’t be sorry, babe. You’re right to razz me. You lighten me up, and I need that.”

“I had no idea…”

“How could you? But it doesn’t bother me at all when you tease me about being anal. I swear it doesn’t, so please don’t stop.” He tipped up her chin and flashed the cajoling smile she couldn’t resist. “Please?”

She returned his smile with a pout. “If it doesn’t bother you, that takes some of the fun out of it.”

He laughed. “I love you, Samantha Holland, and all your crazy twisted logic.”