“That’s a good point,” Christina said. “They’ve all experienced a ratings hike from covering Spencer’s death. You should also know there’s mad speculation about what killed him. We’re getting bombed with requests for a cause of death.”

“You can tell them his death is a private family matter and no further information will be released by the first couple,” Nick said.

“Eventually, you have to tell them what happened,” Christina said.

“No, I won’t. Spencer and Angela aren’t public figures and have a right to privacy.”

“It’s like osmosis,” Derek said. “Their proximity to you makes them public.”

“I’m not changing my mind about this. No cause of death or any other details of his passing will be released by the first couple now or in the future unless Angela decides to make it public.” Some things had to remain sacrosanct, regardless of what office Nick held.

“We’ll put out a statement to that effect.” Terry glanced at Trevor, who took notes. “We’ll say the first lady’s sister is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support after her tragic loss, and that the first couple won’t be releasing any further information about their brother-in-law’s death as they feel that information should remain private.”

“If I could play devil’s advocate for a second,” Derek said.

Nick looked to his longtime friend. “Sure.”

“I think the statement will make them more ravenous, not less. When you say there won’t be any further info released, you’re almost asking them to go digging for it. Can we say he had an allergic reaction or something?”

“We’re not saying anything. Spencer was a private citizen, and he will remain a private citizen in death. You can quote me on that. Can we please move on to pleasant things such as the dreaded security briefing?”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Terry said. “We’ll be ready for you in ten minutes.”

“Thank you all for your advice and input. It’s always appreciated even when I don’t agree with it.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Derek said for all of them as they departed.

After they left, he pulled an iPad from his desk drawer and logged on to check the headlines. The GoFundMe story was top of the page on most of the major sites, along with speculation about how the president’s brother-in-law had died.

Nick understood the curiosity. A thirty-six-year-old man didn’t just die for no reason, but Nick would remain firm in his resolve to protect Spencer’s privacy. He saw it as one last thing he could do for Spence in addition to being there for Jack, Ella and the new baby as they grew up.

And he would be there for them and for Angela as they moved forward from their tragic loss.

Chapter Eleven

Sam and her detectives spent the rest of the day poring over the printouts, highlighting things they wanted to investigate, identifying frequently called numbers and looking for anything that stood out as suspicious. After a while, the words and numbers began to run together the way they always did when she got tired.