“That’s a relief.”

“I agree.”

“Is he there?”

“He just went over to have a visit with your dad.”

“So Dad is back from the doctor? Did they tell you anything about what happened?”

“Celia said they want to admit him for a night to run some tests to see if the bullet has shifted. That’s happening next week.”

Sam’s stomach reacted predictably to that news. “Oh jeez. I wonder what that means?”

“Hard to tell, but try not to worry until you know more. Easier said than done. I know.”

“Right. Thanks, Tinker Bell. I’ll try to be home for dinner with the boy.”

“I can stay if you’re running late. Just let me know.”

“Will do.”

“What’s up with your dad?” Freddie asked when Sam got off the phone.

She brought him up-to-date. “What do you suppose it means that they’re admitting him?”

“Probably just being cautious.”

“Yeah.” Anything having to do with her gravely injured father made Sam’s nerves go crazy. It had been a very long three years since he was shot and wounded during a routine traffic stop by an assailant who’d gotten away with it, despite the ongoing efforts of Sam and every member of the MPD. Skip had been three months shy of a retirement he’d worked so hard to enjoy.

Rather than fishing and cooking and doing all the things he loved to do, he’d been trapped in a wheelchair and reliant on others to care for his most basic needs. The idea that his situation could somehow get worse was more than she could bear to entertain.

“Don’t go there, Sam,” her partner said. He knew her as well as anyone and knew her dad was a weak spot for her.

She turned up the volume on the radio as the news began at the top of the hour, anxious for any word she could get on the president’s secret trip overseas.

The announcer led with the growing scandal surrounding Lexicore and how several public figures, including retired U.S. Senator Graham O’Connor, had severed ties with the textile giant in wake of the news about Lexicore’s ties to the factory in Thailand.

Sam was relieved when Nick’s name wasn’t mentioned as one of the public figures linked to Lexicore.

“President Nelson surprised troops at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan with a middle-of-the-night morale-boosting visit, which will be one of the president’s final public appearances before the election. Nelson, who is locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Dominic Rafael, spent two hours on the ground with the troops and met with the Afghani president before departing ahead of daylight. The trip had been previously unannounced to the media.