“Good question. And you’re right—it would’ve taken a tremendous blow to go all the way through his neck and lodge in the headboard. She would’ve been enraged by something he did or failed to do. Rage and adrenaline breeds strength. It could’ve been a promise he made and didn’t deliver on or maybe she caught him with another woman. People have killed over less. When she was done, she took a shower to get rid of the blood that would’ve been all over her. Then she cleaned the bathroom and scrubbed it so well there wasn’t so much as a hair on the floor. The water in the tub had dried by the time he was found, so we can only speculate that she showered. But none of the towels had been used. If she used one, she took it with her. Before she left, she might’ve taken a long last look at him. She was filled with regret that he couldn’t be what she needed him to be, but at the same time she was angry with him for making her do this.”

“You’re good, Sam,” Nick said, his tone reverent.

As if she had been in a trance, Sam looked up at him. “What?”

“The way you describe it… If I were a juror, I’d convict.”

“All I have to do now is prove it and figure out who did it.”

“You will.” He moved to the closet, opened the doors and contemplated the row of dark suits, dress shirts in white, various shades of blue and some with pinstripes. There were easily a hundred ties to choose from.

Peeking into dresser drawers, Sam asked, “Did he ever wear anything besides suits? Where’re the jeans? The sweats?”

“He didn’t keep a lot of that stuff here.”

“Where else would it be?”

“At his place in Leesburg.”

“He has a second home?”

Nick nodded. “A cabin near his parents’ property. We both use it as a retreat from the insanity of Washington.”

“Why didn’t you say anything about it the other day?”

“To be honest, it never occurred to me. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly then. I’m still not. Between what happened to John and seeing you again…”

“Take me there.”

“Now?”

She nodded.

“It’s almost midnight. You’ve been at it for eighteen hours. I can take you tomorrow.”

Shaking her head, she said, “I won’t have time tomorrow. If you drive, I’ll nap in the car—if you can stay awake that is.”

“I’m fine. I do my best work from midnight to three a.m.”