Scowling at that dreaded word, she accelerated through the checkpoint to her parking space. As she took the ramp to the front door, she tried to decide how best to approach Josh. Tell him now when it was just the two of them or wait for the others. Because she had only a split second to make that call, she decided to tell him now and let him know the others were on their way to talk to him.

The agent on duty opened the door and nodded to her. “Evening, ma’am.”

“Evening.” Sam wondered what they truly thought of the way she came and went as she pleased. It was probably better if she didn’t know their thoughts about her. Tossing her coat over the back of the first chair she encountered, she went over to where Josh sat by himself, game controller in hand, clicking away.

“Hey,” she said as she sat with him. “Could you pause that for a second?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick come downstairs and head for the kitchen. Brant stepped out of the home office and followed Nick. Sam had no doubt they both had eyes on her as she talked to Josh.

“What’s up?” Josh asked. The room had gone oddly silent without the screech of tires or manic game noise.

“I’m afraid I have some news that may be upsetting to hear.”

“The DNA isn’t a match?”

“No, it’s not that, although the results are back, and I’ll be sending them to the detective in charge of the kidnapping in the morning.”

“Then what?”

“Your father has been murdered.” She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction.

His brows furrowed, but his expression otherwise remained passive. “Murdered,” he said slowly. “How? Where?”

“He was bludgeoned at home.” She purposely omitted the weapon used in the killing. For now, only the killer and the police—and Nick, who wouldn’t breathe a word of it—had that information, and she planned to keep it that way. That tidbit could come in handy later.

Josh expelled a deep breath that sounded a lot like relief to her. “He’s dead? He’s really dead?”

“Yes.”

Propping his elbows on his knees, he bent his head and his shoulders began to shake. At first she thought he was crying, but then she realized he was laughing.

“You think it’s funny that your father was murdered?”

“Yeah, kinda, in light of who he was. Nice to know he was human after all.”