“So she put the gun in her husband’s hand and told him his brother had to go?” Hope asked.

“That’s exactly what she did, but she got more than she bargained for when he also used the gun on their son.” Reaching for the radio, she called Cruz. “Bring her in, but wait to un-cuff her until you get inside.” Sam waited exactly two minutes before she called Gonzo. “Please escort Mr. Sinclair, un-cuffed, into the pit.” To the others in her office, Sam offered a gracious smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, will you join me in the hallway?”

Seconds before Freddie was due to bring Diandra in, Nick came around the corner, his handsome face tight and furious.

Sam raised a hand to stop him, using her eyes to implore.

He halted, noted the gathered group and stayed put.

Sam released a jagged sigh of relief. “Here we go,” she said softly as Diandra and Preston approached each other from opposite sides of the detectives’ pit.

As if gas had been thrown on a fire, Diandra took one look at her bedraggled husband and charged, just as Sam had hoped she would. Claws out, Diandra shrieked. “What were you thinking? You miserable excuse of a man! How could you shoot your own son?” She beat his chest with her fists. “Why? Why? We never said anything about Devon!”

His arms hanging loosely by his sides, Preston did nothing to defend himself against her tirade.

“Why?”

“He’s gay,” Preston said so softly it was almost inaudible.

As if he had struck her, Diandra stepped back from him. “What did you say?”

“Your son is gay. He and Tucker weren’t just roommates. They were lovers.”

“That’s not true. You’re making that up to get back at me for Julian.”

Sam was pleased that Diandra seemed to have completely forgotten where she was and who was listening. This was even better than she’d hoped. Across the room, she met Nick’s glance and was relieved to see that some of the rigidity had left his posture as he realized what was unfolding in front of him.

“I didn’t want to,” Preston sobbed. “I didn’t want to do it, but you said Julian would ruin everything if he went before Congress and told the world he was a gay man. You said we couldn’t let that happen. So when Austin told me Dev was gay, too, I just did what I thought you’d want me to do.”

“You shot Devon, Dad?” Austin asked in a dull, flat tone. He stepped through the doorway, having obviously followed his mother from the hospital to HQ.

Uh-oh, Sam thought. He hadn’t been part of the plan.