“I’m sure you’ve had cause to give his son more than a passing thought in the same five years.”

“His son was in the Senate for one reason and one reason only—his pedigree. The O’Connors have the people of Virginia snowed. John O’Connor was even more useless than his father, and that’s not just my opinion. Ask around.”

“I’ll do that,” Sam said. “In the meantime, stay available.”

“What does that mean? Congress will be in holiday recess after tomorrow. I’m heading home to Missouri the day after.”

“No, you’re not. You’re staying right here until we close this case.”

“But it’s Christmas! You can’t keep me here against my will.”

“Detective Cruz, can I keep the senator here against his will?”

“I believe you can, ma’am.”

“And do we have a jail cell with his name on it if we hear he leaves the capital region?”

“Yes, ma’am. We absolutely do.”

Stenhouse breathed fire as the detectives had their exchange.

Sam took three steps to close the distance between them. Looking up at the senator, she kept her expression passive and calm. “Neither your rank nor your standing mean a thing to me. This is a homicide investigation, and I won’t hesitate to toss you in a cage if you fail to cooperate. Stay available.”

With that, she turned, nodded at Freddie to follow her, and left the room.

She was gratified to hear Stenhouse yell to his assistant, “Get Joe Farnsworth on the line. Right now!”

Terry O’Connor spent the days he was sober in a closet-sized office on Independence Avenue. Judging from the lack of anything much on his desk, Sam deduced the job was bogus and most likely a favor to his illustrious father.

Terry’s already pasty complexion paled when the detectives appeared at his door.

“Good morning, Mr. O’Connor,” Sam said. “We’re sorry to interrupt your work, but we have a few follow-up questions for you.”

“Um, sure,” he said, gesturing to a chair.

Sam took the chair while Freddie hovered in the doorway.

“I have to leave soon,” Terry said. “We’re going to Richmond.”

“Yes, I know. We won’t keep you long. Have you made any headway in producing the woman you were with on the night of the murder?”

Terry seemed to shrink further into his chair. “No.”

“Did you kill your brother, Terry?”

Misery turned to shock in an instant. “No!”

“You had good reason to want him dead. I mean, after all, he was living the life that should’ve been yours and was about to know real success as a senator when the immigration bill passed. Maybe that was just too much for you.”