Fatal Threat

“I understand how you must feel, Mrs.—”

“Do you? Do you really? Is your husband the vice president of the United States? Is he protected by the agency that just snatched me from a crime scene for no reason that I’ve been made aware of? Is he in Iran, a country not exactly known for its hospitality toward Americans? Do you not know if your husband is injured or worse? If you can’t answer yes to any of those questions, then you actually have no fucking idea how I must feel!”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know how you feel, but if you’d please come with us, I assure you that everything will be explained in due time.”

“Due time,” she said with a bitchy-sounding snort. “Is that agency speak for ‘when we get around to it’?”

“We’ll brief you as soon as we’re authorized to do so.”

Sam was about to give in and go into the room when she heard a shout from behind her.

“Mom!”

She spun around to see Scotty heading toward her, surrounded by his Secret Service detail. The sight of the familiar agents was welcome proof that the four who’d snatched her were legit. Her son ran into her outstretched arms.

“What’s going on?” he asked. His dark hair was damp with sweat, and his face was flushed from being outside at camp. He was wearing an orange camp T-shirt, a Feds cap and his baseball cleats.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “but I’m told we’re going to be briefed soon.”

“Is it Dad? Has something happened?”

“I’m not sure. They told me he’s alive, but they haven’t said anything more than that.”

That he visibly crumpled at the news Nick was alive let her know how afraid he’d been, and for that alone, she’d never forgive the Secret Service for this stunt. It was one thing to scare the hell out of her. It was another thing altogether for them to scare the hell out of her kid. As soon as she found out what the fuck was going on, heads were going to roll.

“If you would.” Cooley again gestured to the room on the other side of the steel door.

Sam took Scotty by the hand and led him into the huge space, where there were comfortable-looking sofas, tables with books and magazines neatly arranged, and a counter with snacks and drinks on ice.

“If there’s anything in particular you need,” Cooley said, “please let one of my people know. We’ll do anything we can to ensure your comfort.”

“When will this briefing I was promised happen?”

“Shortly.”

Sensing that was the best answer she was going to get, Sam led Scotty to one of the sofas. “Let me see your phone,” she said to him when they were seated together.

While the agents conferred with each other in hushed voices, Scotty handed over his smartphone.

Sam pressed the big button and waited for it to come to life. “How do I get to the internet on this thing?”

Scotty took it back and pressed a few buttons. “That’s weird. Nothing is happening.”

“There’s no service down here,” Jackson said.

Sam blew out a deep breath full of frustration and anxiety. This was bringing back far too many unpleasant memories of being trapped in Marissa Springer’s basement, at the mercy of Lieutenant Stahl as he tortured her. Sam’s chest felt tight with growing anxiety, and she couldn’t stay seated on the sofa. She got up to pace the length of the room, examining it more thoroughly.

The walls were made of reinforced concrete and the only way in or out, that she could see, was through the secure door they’d used to enter the space. When she felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, she focused on breathing in a steady rhythm that helped to keep the panic at bay.

A low hum and a clicking noise preceded the door sliding open again.

Sam’s mouth fell open in shock when her sister Tracy was escorted in. She wore a black cape over her clothing, and her hair was full of foil packets.

“Oh my God, Sam! What the hell is this? They took me right out of the chair at the salon!”

“I wish I knew. I was grabbed from a crime scene.”

“I was on deck at camp,” Scotty said. “I missed my chance to bat.”

“So they haven’t told you anything?” Tracy asked.

“Nothing other than Nick isn’t dead.”

“You really thought he was?” Scotty asked.

Sam put her arm around him. “I didn’t know what to think when they showed up at a crime scene. I asked them straight-out if he was dead, and they said he isn’t.”

“Jesus,” Tracy muttered. “How long are they going to hold us here?”

“I have no idea. They said I’ll be briefed shortly. That’s all I know.”

A low hum and then a click had them turning toward the door as it opened to admit Sam’s other sister, Angela, her two young children, Jack and Ella, and Alex, the infant son of Sam’s colleague Sergeant Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales. Angela babysat Alex.

Ella and Alex were crying as Angela and one of the harried-looking agents carried them into the room.

“Where are we?” Angela asked. “What’s happening?”

“No one knows,” Tracy answered as she scooped up her shell-shocked nephew Jack.

Jack wrinkled his nose. “You stink, Auntie.”

“That’s because my hair is now officially overprocessed, buddy, and it’ll probably be purple after all this.”

“Cool purple hair.”

“Glad you think so,” Tracy said. “Do you suppose they’re rounding up my family too?”

Her question was answered by the hum and click of the door opening again to admit her daughter, Brooke, who was dressed in the uniform of the restaurant where she waitressed. Two agents had her by the arms as Brooke fought them every step of the way. When she saw her mother and aunts in the room, she stopped struggling and burst into tears.

Tracy handed Jack to Sam and went to hug her daughter. “Easy, honey. It’s okay. We’re right here.”

“I was s-so scared,” Brooke said between sobs. “I didn’t know why they were taking me. I thought it was happening again.”

Sam wanted to kill someone for putting Brooke through such an ordeal when she was only beginning to truly recover from being drugged and gang-raped at a party last winter. Whoever ordered this operation would live to regret it by the time Sam was finished with them.

Over the next half hour, the door opened repeatedly as the rest of the family arrived. Sam’s dad, Skip, used his one working index finger to roll his wheelchair into the room with his wife, Celia, by his side. Tracy’s husband, Mike, and their younger children, Abby and Ethan. Nick’s father, Leo, his wife, Stacy, and their six-year-old twin boys. The last to arrive were Nick’s adopted parents, retired Senator Graham O’Connor and his wife, Laine, both of whom were rattled and undone by the ordeal.

The agents produced toys and games for the kids, who went to check out the offerings while the adults speculated as to what might’ve happened to result in them being plucked out of their lives and brought to this underground bunker.

“Whatever it is,” Skip said, “it must be huge to warrant something like this.”

Her father’s comment didn’t help to calm Sam’s out-of-control nerves. The only person missing from this family reunion was the one she most needed to see, to touch, to ensure he was okay. Until she knew for certain that he hadn’t been harmed, she wouldn’t be able to function normally.

The lack of information was the worst part. They were completely sealed off from the outside world with no earthly idea what had prompted the Secret Service to gather up people who weren’t even under their protection.

Tracy came over to Sam, who stood by herself, trying to think it through as a detective and coming up empty.

“Are you okay?” Tracy asked. At some point she’d removed the foils from her hair, which was sticking up at awkward angles that would’ve made Sam laugh under normal circumstances.

“I’m freaking out and have a million questions. Where’s Nick? Is he okay? Why won’t they tell me anything? Who ordered that everyone be brought here? What is this place?”

“I know it’s hard not to go to the worst-case scenario, but if something had happened to him, surely it would’ve made the news before the dragnet swooped in, right?”

“I suppose, but who knows for sure with him in freaking Iran? Well, they know, but they’re not telling me anything!” She intentionally raised her voice so the agents huddled together at the far end of the huge room would hear her. Not that they gave a shit. In a quieter tone, she said, “I’m losing my mind, Trace.”

Tracy put her arm around Sam and led her to one of the sofas, where they sat together, Sam leaning her head on her older sister’s shoulder the way she had all her life when she needed comfort. Tracy was always there for her, and now was no different.

With baby Ella in her arms, Angela joined them, sitting on the other side of Sam. “I hope they thought to get diapers, because they didn’t give me time to get anything, and this little girl is going to need a change before too much longer.”

“What did they say when they came to your house?” Sam asked.

“Just that they were with the Secret Service, that there was a ‘situation’ and the children and I needed to come with them.”

“A situation,” Sam said. “That’s more info than I’ve been given.”

“What about Spencer?” Angela asked about her husband. “He’s in Philadelphia today for work.”

“I’m sure they’re aware of his whereabouts, but I’ll ask when I get the chance,” Sam said.

“I’m worried about Gonzo and Christina not being able to reach me when they want to pick up Alex,” Angela said. “Someone needs to tell them what’s going on.”

“Someone needs to tell us what’s going on.” She stood and marched over to the group of agents. “I want to be briefed. Right now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cooley said, surprising her with his easy capitulation. “Right this way.”

Sam took a tentative look over her shoulder, caught Tracy’s eye and nodded toward Scotty, asking her sister to keep an eye on her son. He’d been unusually quiet as they waited to find out what was happening.

Tracy nodded in understanding and slipped an arm around Scotty’s shoulders.

The last thing Sam saw before she entered an adjoining room with the agents was Scotty smiling at whatever Tracy had said to him.

Sam’s stomach knotted in fear, and her hands were suddenly sweaty. What would they tell her, and how would it change her life? Please...whatever it is, please let Nick be okay. Sam could handle anything they had to say as long as her beloved husband hadn’t been harmed.

When they were seated around a large conference table, Cooley began by offering Sam something to drink.

“Water would be good.”

Cooley brought her a plastic cup filled with cold water.

As she took a drink, she realized how dry her mouth and throat were. Fear did that to a person.

“On behalf of the United States Secret Service, I apologize for the inconvenience to you, your son and your family members,” Cooley said. “At eleven twenty this morning, the Secret Service was provided with information that specified a credible threat against the vice president and his family.”

“Wh-what kind of threat?”

“We’re still in the early stages of our investigation. We hope to know more in the next few hours.”

“Where’s my husband?”

“He’s on his way home and due to land at Andrews at twenty hundred hours.”

Sam checked her watch. Six hours. He’d be home in six hours. Thank you, God. “When can I see him?”

“He’ll be brought here as soon as his plane lands.”

“What is this place?”

“It’s one of several secure sites kept by the Secret Service throughout the metropolitan DC area for instances such as this when we receive a credible threat against the president, the vice president or a member of their immediate family.”

“How long do we have to stay here?”

“We don’t know that yet.”

“Are we talking a day, a week, a month?”

“That I don’t know.”

She threw up her hands in outrage. “You can’t just hold us here against our will!”

“I’m afraid we can.”

“On whose order?”

“The vice president’s, ma’am.”

“Nick approved the plan for you to pick us all up?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So he knows what the threat was?”

“He does, ma’am.”

Sam tried to process that information, but her brain was unable to wrap itself around what kind of threat must’ve been levied against their family for Nick to order such dramatic measures be taken to protect them. “My brother-in-law Spencer—”

“Is en route from Philadelphia as we speak, ma’am.”

Angela would be glad to hear that. “My sister watches my colleague’s child. The boy was with her when you brought them in. The parents need to be notified as to the whereabouts of their child.”

“We can take care of that for you if you give us the contact info.”

“Could he be returned to his parents? He’s not a member of our immediate family.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. Everyone who’s here is required to stay for the time being.”

“Why? What possible reason could you have for keeping my colleague’s child here? There’s been no threat made against him.”

“We’re under orders, ma’am. I’m sure you understand the position we’re in.”

As a law enforcement officer herself, Sam was able to connect the dots with what he wasn’t saying. She blew out a deep breath, imagining Gonzo and Christina getting word that Alex was being held in a secure facility along with the entire Cappuano and Holland families. At least they’d know he was safe and well cared for with them, for as much comfort as that would provide.

She wrote Gonzo’s name and cell phone number on the pad they provided and pushed it across the table.

“We’ll take care of that for you, ma’am.”

“You can stop calling me ‘ma’am.’”

“My apologies, Mrs. Cappuano.”

“What can I tell my family?”

“Exactly what we’ve told you.”

“We have jobs and obligations and places we need to be.”

“No one will be leaving until we’ve neutralized the threat or until we are authorized by the vice president.”

“You can’t hold us here against our will.” Sam gave him her trademark death stare, the one that made seasoned criminals tremble like babies in the interrogation room. Unfortunately, it had no impact whatsoever on Secret Service Agent Daniel Cooley.

“I’m afraid we can.”

“What’s being done to neutralize the threat?”

“Everything possible.”

That was, Sam realized, as much as he was going to tell her until Nick arrived to fill in the blanks. She got up and headed toward the closed door that sealed her off from just about everyone she loved. “Let me out.”

The door slid open soundlessly, admitting her to the big room where the others were scattered about on sofas and chairs, waiting. They sat up a little taller when they saw Sam come in.

Scotty rushed over to her, his distress obvious. “What’d they say, Mom?”

She put an arm around him, hating the worry she saw in his expression. “Dad is fine. He’s on his way home from Iran and due to land at Andrews around eight. He’ll be brought right here when he arrives.”

“Did they say why they rounded us up like cattle?” Skip asked, nudging his wheelchair closer to her.

“All they would say is that they received a credible threat against the vice president and his family. Apparently, Nick authorized them to round us up out of an abundance of caution. Anyone who might be watching us knows what you guys mean to us and what it would do to us if something happened to any of you.”

“What about Spence?” Angela said, sounding as fearful as Sam had felt before she knew where Nick was.

“He’s on his way here with a Secret Service detail.”

“Oh, good,” Angela said on a long exhale. “That’s good.”

“They’re also notifying Gonzo as to where Alex is.”

“One thing I’ll add,” Graham O’Connor said, “is that whatever this is, it scared the hell out of them or we wouldn’t be here. I used to sit on the committee that oversees the Secret Service, and they don’t do anything without a damned good reason.”

Celia ran her hands up and down her arms as if chilled. “What’re we supposed to do in the meantime?”

“We wait,” Sam said. “That’s all we can do.”

CHAPTER THREE

“RUN THROUGH IT again for me, from the top,” Chief Farnsworth said to Freddie and Beckett, who’d been summoned to his office upon their return to headquarters.

“Sam and I were working the scene,” Freddie said, “trying to determine whether or not we were dealing with a homicide, when we saw Beckett arguing with four suits that we immediately identified as federal agents. We went over to see what was going on and to help Beckett.”

“They were demanding I allow them in because they urgently needed to speak to Mrs. Cappuano,” Beckett said.

“They called her that?” Farnsworth asked, rubbing his chin.

“Yes, sir,” Freddie said, still trying to process what’d happened.

“Then what?”

“The lieutenant and Detective Cruz approached the tapeline to see what was going on, and the agents busted through the tape and took her. They carted her off to a waiting SUV and were pulling away before we could catch up to them.”

“We tried,” Freddie said, still gutted that she’d been taken when he was standing right there, unable to do a thing to stop it. “But they moved with lightning speed to get her out of there.”

“One of the SUVs stayed back to make sure we couldn’t follow them,” Beckett added. “He blocked the road to keep us from leaving in cars.”

“And you’re sure they were actually federal agents?” Farnsworth asked.

Freddie’s gut clenched with anxiety. “That’s the thing, sir. They said they were Secret Service and flashed their badges, but I couldn’t get a close enough look at them before they were grabbing her and taking off. The whole thing happened so fast.” He’d have nightmares about how easily she’d been plucked out of his grasp and the way he’d frozen with indecision, as if he weren’t a highly trained police officer. “I didn’t know what to do. If I pulled a weapon on them and they were actually federal agents, that’d be a disaster. But I just keep asking myself, what if they weren’t federal agents? What if she’s been kidnapped?”

“She hasn’t been,” Gonzo said as he joined them in the chief’s office. “I just got a phone call from an Agent Dan Cooley, who is the Secret Service agent in charge of the detail that was sent to retrieve the lieutenant. I did a run on him. He’s legit.”

“Why did he call you?” Freddie asked.

“Because they’ve gathered up the entire Holland and Cappuano family and taken them to a safe location. My son was with Angela when they picked her up, so he’s with them, and they wanted me to know.”

“Where are they?”

“He couldn’t tell me anything other than they are safe and under protection of the United States government.”

“What the hell?” Freddie asked. “How long are they going to keep them in this safe place?”

“He wouldn’t tell me that either.”

They all looked to the chief for answers he didn’t have. “Do we know the whereabouts of the vice president?”

“I poked around online,” Gonzo said, “and the most recent mention I could find was a formal dinner he attended yesterday in Iran, which was covered by a White House pool reporter. There’s been no mention of him since.”

“I suppose no news is good news,” Farnsworth said. “If something had happened to him, we would’ve heard about it by now.”

“I suppose so,” Freddie said, “but clearly something is going on with him that has the Secret Service in full-on freak-out mode.”

“Let’s do a little digging to see if we can find anything online and get Archie’s team involved,” Farnsworth said, referring to Lieutenant Archelotta’s IT squad.

“I’ll take care of that, sir,” Gonzo said.

“What’re we thinking about the floater in the river? Is it Ruby Denton?”

“We’re waiting for Dr. McNamara to make a positive ID,” Gonzo said. “We’ll know more in the next few hours.”

“Let’s get out there and work that case,” Farnsworth said. “CSU is doing a grid search now, but let’s treat it like a homicide until we know it isn’t.”

“Yes, sir,” Gonzo said for all of them.

They left the chief’s office and returned to the detectives’ pit, passing other officers who gave them quizzical looks. Apparently the word was out about Lieutenant Holland being snatched from a crime scene by Secret Service agents.

“I thought she wasn’t under their protection,” Beckett said, keeping his voice down.

“She isn’t,” Gonzo said, “but from what the agent in charge told me, they received a threat against the vice president and his family, so Nick authorized them to bring everyone in.”

“Wow,” Beckett said. “What kind of threat would lead to that?”

“Could be anything,” Freddie said. “No sense speculating at this point. I’m sure it’ll be all over the news before too long.”

“Nothing has been released yet,” Gonzo said. “I checked.” His phone rang, and he checked the caller ID. “It’s Chris. I’ve got to take this and tell her our kid is under Secret Service protection.”

“Good luck with that,” Freddie said.

Gonzo walked away from them to take the call.

“This is seriously effed up,” Beckett said.

“Yeah, it is, but she’d want us to focus on working the floater case, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Freddie said. Though he was still rattled and furious about the scene at the river, Sam would want them to do their jobs and not worry about her. She’d say she could take care of herself, but after what happened in that basement with Stahl and Marissa Springer, he hoped that wherever she was, it wasn’t sparking memories of that grim episode.

Gonzo’s raised voice caught Freddie’s attention. “I don’t know how long, babe,” Gonzo said. “All I know is what the agent in charge told me.” After a pause, he added, “No, they wouldn’t release him. They’re under orders to keep everyone in the safe location for the time being. He’ll be fine, Chris—of course he will. He’s with Angela, Sam and Tracy. They won’t let anything happen to him.” Gonzo sighed deeply. “Of course I don’t like it, but what am I supposed to do about it? I have no idea where the safe location is, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to get in there.” He paused. “Yes, honey, of course I will. Try not to worry. He’s with people who love him. Okay. I love you too.” After he ended the call, he sat at his desk, head in his hands.

“She’s not happy, huh?” Freddie asked.

“That’s putting it mildly. She’s hysterical.”

“Do you need to go home?”

“Nah, I can’t leave with the LT God knows where and a floater to contend with.”

“I could hold down the fort if you need to go check on her.”

“I’ll call her back in a little while to make sure she’s okay. In the meantime, since we’re both without partners for the rest of our shift, let’s go see what Lindsey has found out about our body.”

Freddie took note of the casual way Gonzo said he was without a partner. Since Detective Arnold was killed over the winter, Gonzo had been working on his own or with Freddie and Sam. The department had yet to fill the vacancy in their squad that Arnold’s death had created, which was fine with Freddie. He couldn’t conceive of anyone else sitting in Arnold’s cubicle and didn’t want to think about the day, probably in the not-too-distant future, when they’d have to accept a new person into their group.

Freddie didn’t like change, especially the kind of change that resulted from one of his closest colleagues being murdered.

“You okay?” Gonzo asked as they walked together to the morgue at the other end of the headquarters building.

“Yeah. I was just thinking about Arnold, actually.” He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by mentioning Gonzo’s late partner. Only in the last month or two had Gonzo seemed more like his old self again, after watching his partner be gunned down right next to him and slipping deep into grief in the aftermath.