“Everything is relevant, Nick! This is a homicide investigation!”

“I’m sorry. It never occurred to me that it would matter.”

“She left here to get food at the exact time the M.E. has placed the time of death. She had a key to his place. She was in love with him.”

Nick’s handsome face went pale. “You can’t possibly be suggesting—”

“I can, and I am.”

“There’s no way, Sam. She adored him. She was devoted to him. She could never have harmed him.”

“How well do you know her?”

“I’ve worked with her for five years. She’s a great colleague and friend.”

“What do you know about her background?”

“She grew up in Oregon, came here for college, and has been working for the legislative branch since she graduated. She’s worked her way up from the admin level.”

“You trust her?”

“Implicitly.”

“What level clearance does she have?”

“Secret.”

Sam tugged the notebook from her back pocket and made a note to get a hold of the background check Christina Billings would’ve been required to undergo for a government security clearance. “What about you?”

“Top secret.”

“As of when?”

“As of the senator’s appointment to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Before that it was secret.”

“Who else has top secret?”

“Only the senator.”

“Who’re his heirs?”

Nick considered that. “Well, I suppose it would be his niece and nephew, Emma and Adam.”

“But you don’t know for sure?”

He shook his head.

“Who would?”

“Probably his father and their attorney, Lucien Haverfield.”

Sam wrote down Haverfield’s name.

Freddie came into the room carrying two bags of take out. “Start without me, boss?”

“We’re talking heirs,” Sam told him. “Mr. Cappuano believes it’s most likely the senator’s niece and nephew.”

“Makes sense,” Freddie said. “Are we doing this here or in the conference room?”

Nick gestured to a small table. “Here is fine with me.”

“Let me grab the recorder,” Freddie said.

“Do you mind if we eat in here?” Sam asked Nick. “Detective Cruz gets cranky if he doesn’t get his mid-day influx of grease on time.”

Nick smiled but Sam noticed his eyes were tired and sad. “No problem. I eat at that table more often than I do at home.”

“Speaking of home, did you notice anything else out of place or missing?”

He shook his head.

“Let me know if you do.”

“So you believe me? That someone broke in.”

She replied with a small nod and had trouble meeting his intense gaze, startled to realize she was afraid of what she might find in those incredible hazel eyes.

“Am I interrupting something?” Freddie said when he returned with the recorder.

Sam cleared her throat. “No. Let’s get this done. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.”

Chapter 9