“How did we miss that he had fentanyl on him?” Sam asked.

“That’s a good question,” Lindsey said. “I sent the full report to your email.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“You got it.”

After Lindsey left, Sam looked to Malone. “Does this tie him to our case?”

“Only if we believe he’s the only fentanyl dealer in town, which we don’t.”

“We’ve got Haggarty’s team working at multiple homes, and now we’ve got another with Lawton’s place.”

“Believe me. I know. I’ve already talked to him this morning about CSU being stretched thin by this case. I authorized OT for them.”

“Thank you.”

“DEA Agent Kevin Kavanaugh is meeting me here in an hour. Can you notify Cooper and his team that we’ve brought in the DEA?”

“Will do. In the meantime, the media is ravenous.”

“That’s next on my to-do list.”

Sam grabbed her coat and headed for the main door to brief the media, which always put her hackles up. She steeled herself for whatever they might throw at her and pushed through the door to the outdoor area where they gathered seven days a week—and in much greater numbers since Nick became president.

“I have a statement for you about several matters, and then I’ll take some questions. The first question about my husband or his administration will be the last one I take. We’re actively investigating the sudden and suspicious deaths of several District residents that we believe are the result of fentanyl poisoning. Per the alert that we issued recently, anyone who procures OxyContin illegally is at risk for certain death.

“While in our custody last night, Riggs Lawton, a person of interest in the investigation, ingested fentanyl, which he’d apparently brought in with him, and died instantly. We are continuing to investigate his ties to our case while we seek any information on the person or people who are distributing this toxic substance to unsuspecting customers.

“Often, the people who seek out this medication have suffered some sort of injury, after which they become addicted to the Oxy they were initially prescribed. After doctors stop prescribing it for them, they often procure the product illegally. People in the throes of addiction to a medication they can no longer obtain legally are particularly vulnerable in this instance. If you know of someone who fits this description, please make them aware of the very high risk they’re taking by procuring this medication illegally.

“If you have any information at all about where this toxic medication is originating, we ask that you call our tip line.” Sam recited the phone number twice. “If you suspect that someone in your home has already procured this medication, please note that it’s incredibly lethal and you shouldn’t handle it. Please call for law enforcement assistance.

“In other news, on Friday, the Secret Service SUV I was riding in was intentionally struck by a vehicle driven by my colleague Sergeant James Ramsey. Thankfully, neither myself nor the two agents with me were seriously injured. As you will recall, Sergeant Ramsey’s son was recently killed by a department sharpshooter in Rock Creek Park after he took a woman hostage and was tied to several other rapes and murders. Since then, Sergeant Ramsey has been escalating his attacks on me and other officers who were on the scene when his son was killed. After yesterday’s incident, he was taken into federal custody and is facing charges of attempted murder of federal agents and a police officer. The FBI will have the most up-to-date information about Sergeant Ramsey’s case going forward.