“It’s becoming a little less so as we get used to it—as much as anyone gets used to it. Thankfully, they’re mostly leaving me to do my thing here and not expecting me to be a traditional first lady—not that there’s anything wrong with being a traditional first lady.”

“I get you. It’s not your thing.”

“No, it most definitely isn’t. I have a great team there helping to keep me engaged without me having to be engaged, if that makes sense.”

“It does, and it lets you have the best of both worlds. I’m gonna go and let you get home to your family.”

“Thanks for the info you brought us.”

“Let me know if anything comes of it. We’re still looking for the guy. He did a number on our victim. She was in the hospital for more than a week.”

“But she got away.”

“Because she had self-defense training. He took her by surprise, so she couldn’t fight back until after he’d assaulted her. She believes he intended to kill her, but she hasn’t been able to tell us much else. She’s severely traumatized.”

“Is that in the report?”

“Yep.”

“Thanks again.”

“You got it.”

After Erica left, Sam put her coat on and grabbed her bag, phone and keys. “I’m out,” she said to Dani, Gigi and Freddie. “And you,” she said, pointing to Freddie, “need to go home, too.”

“I’m going. Can you give me a lift to the Metro? I figure it’ll be easier to get back that way tomorrow.”

“No problem. Let’s go.”

They walked out into snow falling much more intensely than it had been earlier.

“The whole region is going to be paralyzed by this,” Freddie said.

“I know. It’d be comical if it wasn’t such a pain in the ass. At least it won’t be as bad as it would be during a regular workweek.” She’d no sooner said the words than she was airborne, having slipped on a patch of ice under the snow. “Fuck,” she said when she landed hard on her hip and elbow. “Goddamn motherfucking snow.”

Freddie had come around the car to help her up.

Vernon and Jimmy rushed over to help, too.

Sam shook them off. “I’m fine.” But her hip and elbow hurt, bad. “Why do I have to find the one random patch of ice?”

“Are we heading home, ma’am?” Vernon asked.

“With a stop at Judiciary Square to drop off Detective Cruz.”

“Very good.”

She unlocked the car and eased herself into the driver’s seat, wincing from the blast of pain. “Shit, fuck, damn, hell, goddamn it.”

“Sam.”

“This is no time for a lecture about the Lord’s name! I just busted my ass!” She reached for the key and nearly blacked out from the pain in her elbow. “And my arm!”