Nick shook hands with him. “Thanks for having me. I think.”

Hanigan chuckled at the comment as he shook hands with Terry. “We’ll be waiting to hear from you, so don’t take too long to think it over.”

“I understand the urgency.”

Derek walked them out. “Pretty crazy, huh?”

“That’s one word for it,” Nick said to the man who’d been his friend for almost as long as Nick had worked in Washington. They’d come up through the ranks together as congressional staffers and had forged a close friendship in the process. “I’m really excited for you, Nick,” he said in a low tone that couldn’t be overheard. “Couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

Nick shook Derek’s hand. “That means a lot coming from you, my friend. Thank you. Hope to see you on Thanksgiving.”

“I’ll be by at some point.”

“We’ll be there.”

Nick and Terry walked out of the White House into the November darkness that arrived earlier every day this time of year. The air was moist with drizzle, and the temperature had dropped with the sun. Nick buttoned his overcoat against the chill.

“Holy. Shit,” Terry said when they’d cleared the White House gates.

“Tell me how you really feel,” Nick said.

“This is freaking incredible! Are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know. I need to talk to Sam, and right now, more than anything, I want to talk to your dad.”

“Then let’s go to the farm, Senator.”

* * *

As Sam and the others emerged from their meeting, Freddie was returning to the pit.

“How’s our friend Hoda?” Sam asked him.

“As predicted, the intake process took some of the piss and vinegar out of her. She’s in interrogation two with Officer Bailey keeping an eye on her until we’re ready to talk.”

“You ought to get in there and talk to her before she starts screaming about lawyers,” Sam said.

“You’re not coming?”

“As much as I’d love to rip that little bitch to shreds, she’s tied to Brooke’s case, and I don’t want to do anything that would endanger that.”

Freddie dabbed at his eyes dramatically. “I think our little lieutenant is finally growing up,” he said to Gonzo, who busted up laughing.

“I’m not amused,” Sam said, even though she had to admit it was pretty funny. She’d never give him the satisfaction of knowing that, however.

“I assume you’ll be observing,” Gonzo said.

“You assume correctly. Based on what we know about the timeline, she may have witnessed the homicide, so you’ll want to get one of the Millers down here too.”

“I’ll call up there now,” Freddie said.

Ten minutes later, the click of Assistant U.S. Attorney Faith Miller’s stiletto heels preceded her into the pit. “What’ve we got?”