Sam buckled in as they pulled away from the curb. Even though she’d made fun of the lack of excitement at his office, she loved watching him in senator mode. He consulted with his chief of staff about the invitation to join the president for a quick trip.

“I’ll tell you when I get there,” he said, glancing at Sam.

“Why does she get to know where you’re going, but I don’t?” Sam asked.

Nick held the phone away from his mouth. “Because she has a security clearance, and you don’t.”

“I need to get me one of them.” Agent Hill had rubbed his top-secret clearance in Sam’s face, using it as an excuse to insert himself into the Kavanaugh investigation. Despite his staring issues, he wasn’t a bad guy and had been invaluable to her during that case. Not that she’d ever tell her husband that. He saw red where Agent Hill was concerned.

She checked the clock on her phone. It had been an hour since they found Willie, and it would be a while yet before Lindsey had anything for her. So she would start at Willie’s home address and then head for the ballpark with Hill. As always, the media would be on her like white on rice the second the word got out about Willie’s murder, but she could handle the reporters. She’d stonewall them the way she always did for as long as she could.

Nick ended the call with Christina and tucked his cell phone into his suit coat pocket. “What’re you thinking about over there?”

“Where to start to find a murderer when everyone in the city had a motive.”

“That’s a tough one, but you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

“If I’m allowed to run it.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?”

“Farnsworth doesn’t want me on the streets with Arnie’s people running loose.”

“Can’t say I disagree with him, babe. A lot of Arnie’s followers are among the affectionately termed ‘loony fringe.’ I wouldn’t put it past them to take a shot at you looking to vindicate him.”

“Be that as it may, Arnie’s ass is staying in jail. We’ve got him screwed, glued and tattooed.”

Nick chuckled. “I’d never heard that expression until I met you.”

“See how I’ve broadened your horizons?”

His hand landed on her thigh. “Speaking of broadening horizons... Have you given any more thought to what we talked about the other night?”

She’d thought of little else until she found Willie Vasquez dead in a Dumpster. “Some.”

“And?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Do you want to talk about it some more?”

“At some point.”

“I’m not pressuring you, babe. You know that, right?”

“I don’t feel pressured.”

“Good.” He squeezed her thigh and removed his hand. “I’d never want that.”