“Oh, not in years and years. When my Tim was alive, we used to go for a weekend every now and then to see the monuments and the pandas. It’s been more than twenty-five years since I was there.”

“You mentioned the clubs that Courtney was a member of,” Sam said as another thought occurred to her. “Were any of the other neighbors in those clubs or friends with her?”

“The only one still here would be Nancy Dumphries. She lives on the next street over.” She gave them directions and sent them on their way.

“Nice lady,” Avery said as they walked around the corner and down the block. The day was overcast and chilly, but warmer than D.C. by at least ten degrees.

“Very.”

“I was trying not to crack up when she said she felt like she knew you.”

“I enjoyed the rare moment of anonymity. I miss that.”

“Sometimes I wonder how you manage to do your job when everyone in the country knows who you are.”

“Not everyone.”

“Okay, ninety-nine-point-nine-nine percent of the nation’s population would recognize you.”

“I just do my thing and try to ignore that crap. Most of the time it’s fine. Since the inauguration, it’s been a little harder, but that’ll pass.”

“No, it won’t,” he said with a laugh. “People are more fascinated by you than ever after you dived into the crowd at the parade.”

“I couldn’t let the guy who killed Arnold get away. He was standing there, right out in the open, almost daring me to notice him. What else was I supposed to do?”

“You did what any of us would’ve done. Unfortunately for you, the whole world was watching.”

“It was worth it to nail that scumbag.”

“How do you think Gonzo is doing? Really?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said with a sigh. “He’s not saying much to any of us, and his attendance has been an issue for the first time ever. Malone gave him the rest of the week off to get his shit together. I hope he can come back from it. He’s one of the best.”

“That’s a tough thing to come back from, especially the way it went down.”

“Yeah. Happened to my dad when he was in Patrol. His partner was gunned down in a drive-by when he was standing a couple feet from my dad.”

“Oh damn. Did they get the guy?”

“Nope. Took my dad a long time to get back in the game after that. He’d tell you himself he was never the same—as a man or a cop.”

“How could you be?”

“As much as I’m worried about Gonzo, I’ve got my eyes on the rest of my squad too. After something like this, it’s not unusual for people to decide it’s not worth the potential sacrifice.”

“You picking up any vibes?”