“I do too,” Freddie said, rolling with her as he always did. “You never forget your first love, especially when he gives you a gun and encourages you to shoot at cops.”

“He didn’t do that! You don’t know what you’re talking about! I know who you are. You’re Brooke’s aunt. I saved her life! You could be a little more grateful!”

Bingo, Sam thought. Even though she was dying to get into it with Hoda, she would wait until they were at HQ and could record the conversation.

“She knows you gave her parents the money to send her to that school, and she hates you for it.”

While that news was hardly a surprise to Sam, it still hurt to hear that Brooke had expressed hatred toward her. Everything they’d done had been with her best interests in mind, and that it had gone so very wrong...

Hoda sobbed and wailed all the way to HQ, and by the time they got there, Sam felt a headache coming on. “Let’s put her through the paces on the gun charges,” she said to Freddie before they got Hoda out of the car. “Maybe that’ll take some of the starch out of her before we get her into interrogation.”

“Good plan. I’ll take her in.”

While he marched Hoda in through the front door and past the media that was still camped out waiting for news about the case, Sam walked around the outside of the building to the morgue entrance. The smell of snow hung heavy in the damp air. Thick dark clouds hovered over the District as daylight gave way to an early night.

Sam couldn’t wait to get this case closed and hopefully salvage some time with Nick and Scotty during the holiday. With that in mind, she headed straight for the pit looking for an update from her team.

“Hey, LT.” Gonzo took a measuring look at her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. She missed by a mile. Where are we with our friend Brody?”

“He admits to videotaping the rape, but he flatly denies participating.”

“Was he willing to name the fourth guy?”

“Nope. We’re charging him with felony rape, video voyeurism and cyber-porn.”

“Good. I guess the truth about his participation in the assault will be in the DNA. Any word on that?”

“Lindsey put a rush on it, but nothing yet.”

“We got sidetracked in looking for Billy Springer when the shit hit the fan with Hoda and her boy toy.”

“I figured as much. I’ve got his address in Georgetown. We can check it out after the four-thirty meeting.”

Sam would never admit to having forgotten about the meeting. “Sounds like a plan. I need a couple of minutes, and I’ll be right there.”

“Sounds good.”