“Tomorrow,” she said, touching her lips to his, “we’re going to Tracy’s for dinner. The next day, you’re going to tell the Virginia Democrats that you’re their new senator.”

He cradled her face in his hands. “Am I?”

“It’s just a year, right?”

“One year.”

“It’ll be a total mess. You know that, don’t you?”

“I love a good mess,” he said with a teasing grin. “In fact, I live for messes.”

She smiled. “We’re really going to do this.”

“We really are.”

“I love you, Senator Cappuano.”

“I love you, Lieutenant Holland. Merry Christmas.”

“Same to you.” She leaned her forehead against his and looked him in the eye. “It’s gonna be one hell of a New Year.”

“I can’t wait.”

Acknowledgments

When I first began work on the book that became Fatal Affair, I quickly realized that I couldn’t begin to replicate the District of Columbia’s complex Metropolitan Police Department. So the department portrayed in Fatal Affair is my version of the MPD and is in no way intended to mirror the real thing.

I want to thank my husband, Dan, who loves a good excuse to surf the Internet. He did tons of research for me, and I appreciate his help. My children, Emily and Jake, put up with me when I’m writing and have learned not to ask me any important questions when I’m lost in thought.

To the rest of my home team: Christina Camara, Paula DelBonis-Platt and Lisa Ridder, thank you for reading, critiquing, editing and proofreading. To Julie Cupp, thank you for braving the cold to take me to Eastern Market, for answering my many questions about Washington and for your help, as always, in naming characters. The shed is set for you to move in whenever you’re ready to become my full-time assistant.

Thank you to Newport, RI, Police Lt. Russell Hayes for reading the book, providing critical input and taking me on a memorable ride-along. To my friend, Newport Police Sgt. Rita Barker, thank you for reading and introducing me to Russ. Thanks to my WIP buddy Theresa Ragan for coming up with the perfect name for the book.

Special thanks to my agent, Kevan Lyon and my Carina editor, Jessica Schulte. Both of you helped to make this a much better book than it would’ve been otherwise, and I’m grateful for your contributions. To Angela James and everyone on the Carina team, your energy astounds me, and I’m delighted to be a part of this grand new adventure.

About the Author