“If it’s just the same to you, I’m going to refrain from telling them he’s been found until we know where he is.”

“I think that’s a wise move.”

“It kills me to keep this from them.”

“I understand. We’re working as fast as we can to locate him and to figure out how he ended up in Hamilton’s custody.”

“Hamilton’s murder has to be related to the kidnapping,” Watson said.

“We’re operating under that premise. I’m heading to Knoxville later today to speak to a potential witness.”

“What witness?”

“I’m not at liberty to disclose that yet.” The last thing she needed was Watson beating her to the punch with the administrative assistant in the FBI’s Knoxville office. “I will as soon as I can.”

“The kidnapping is my case, Lieutenant. If you have information that I should be aware of, it’s professional courtesy to share it.”

“I’ll share it as soon as I have something. You have my word.”

“I suppose I’ll have to be satisfied with that for now, but I’m not going to sit on this news for more than twenty-four hours. The Rollings family has a right to know their son has been found.”

“Agreed. I’ll be in touch.” Sam ended the call, her chest tightening with stress. No pressure much. Sam placed a call to Malone.

“Didn’t I just see you?” he asked.

“The DNA is a match.”

“Hot damn.”

“The detective in Franklin is giving us twenty-four hours to locate Josh before he tells the Rollings family. It’s killing him to sit on it that long.”

“I understand. We’re doing everything we can to find him.”

“That’s what I told him.”

“Let me get back to it. Keep me posted.”

“You do the same.”

Sam closed her phone, put it in her pocket and took a series of deep breaths to ground herself in the moment, to remember why she was in her White House office and what needed to be done before she left for Knoxville. She went to the door and opened it. “Ready whenever you are.”

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SITTING ALONE IN her office, Sam read the speech her staff had drafted for her, dabbing at her eyes when the emotion behind the beautifully crafted words made her throat tighten. How would she ever say these beautifully crafted words out loud in front of two thousand people in a few short days?