never really close. Terry loved all the attention, and John did his best to stay well below the radar.”
“Until Terry forced him into the spotlight,” Sam said, starting to get a clearer picture of the O’Connor family.
“Yes, and forced is the right word. John wanted nothing to do with running for the Senate. In fact, I remember him grousing about how ‘lucky’ he was that he’d just turned thirty, which is the minimum age to run for the Senate. He was sitting atop a nice little technology firm that made a chip for one of the DoD’s weapons systems. He and his partner were very successful.”
“What happened to the company when John ran for Senate?”
“His partner bought him out and later sold the company.”
“Would he have any reason to want John dead?”
“Hardly. He made hundreds of millions when he sold the company. The last I knew, he was living large in the Caribbean.”
“What about Terry? Is he still harboring resentment that his younger brother got the life he was supposed to have?”
“Maybe, but Terry wouldn’t have the stones to kill him. At the end of the day, Terry’s a wimp.”
Regardless of that, Sam made a note to look more closely at Terry O’Connor.
“Sergeant?” The lieutenant in charge of the crime scene unit approached them. “We’re just about done here. We didn’t find any sign of forced entry at either door or any of the ground-floor windows.”
“Prints?”
“Just one set.” He glanced at Nick. “We assume they’re yours, but we’ll have to confirm that.”
Nick swore softly under his breath.
“Thanks, Lieutenant.” Sam handed the other officer her card. “I’ll write up what I have if you’ll shoot me your report as a courtesy. There may be a connection to Senator O’Connor’s murder.”
“Of course.”
After a perfunctory clean up of the dust left over from the fingerprint powder, the other cops left a short time later.
“Do you want some help cleaning up?” she asked Nick when they were alone.
“That’s all right. I can do it.”
He stood and extended a hand to help her up.
Sam took his hand, but when she tried to let go, he tightened his grip. Startled, she looked up at him.
“I’m sorry I dragged you over here for nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing—” Her words got stuck in her throat when he ran a finger over her cheek. His touch was so light she would have missed it if she hadn’t been staring at him.
“You’re tired.”
She shrugged, her heart slamming around in her chest. “I haven’t been sleeping too well lately.”
“I read all the coverage of what happened. It wasn’t your fault, Sam.”
“Tell that to Quentin Johnson. It wasn’t his fault, either.”
“His father should’ve put his son’s safety ahead of saving his crack stash.”
“I was counting on the fact that he would. I should’ve known better. How someone could put their child in that kind of danger… I’ll just never understand it.”
“I’m sorry it happened to you. It broke my heart to read about it.”
Sam found it hard to look away. “I, um…I should go.”
“Before you do, there’s just one thing I really need to know.”
“What?” she whispered.
He released her hand, cupped her face and tilted it to receive his kiss.
As his lips moved softly over hers, Sam summoned every ounce of fortitude she possessed and broke the kiss. “I can’t, Nick. Not during the investigation.” But oh how she wanted to keep kissing him!
“I was dying to know if it would be like I remembered.”
Her eyes closed against the onslaught of emotions. “And was it?”
“Even better,” he said, going back for more.
“Wait. Nick. Wait .” She kept her hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. “We can’t do this. Not now. Not when I’m in the middle of a homicide investigation that involves you.”
“I didn’t do it.” He reached up to release the clip that held her hair and combed his fingers through the length as
“Until Terry forced him into the spotlight,” Sam said, starting to get a clearer picture of the O’Connor family.
“Yes, and forced is the right word. John wanted nothing to do with running for the Senate. In fact, I remember him grousing about how ‘lucky’ he was that he’d just turned thirty, which is the minimum age to run for the Senate. He was sitting atop a nice little technology firm that made a chip for one of the DoD’s weapons systems. He and his partner were very successful.”
“What happened to the company when John ran for Senate?”
“His partner bought him out and later sold the company.”
“Would he have any reason to want John dead?”
“Hardly. He made hundreds of millions when he sold the company. The last I knew, he was living large in the Caribbean.”
“What about Terry? Is he still harboring resentment that his younger brother got the life he was supposed to have?”
“Maybe, but Terry wouldn’t have the stones to kill him. At the end of the day, Terry’s a wimp.”
Regardless of that, Sam made a note to look more closely at Terry O’Connor.
“Sergeant?” The lieutenant in charge of the crime scene unit approached them. “We’re just about done here. We didn’t find any sign of forced entry at either door or any of the ground-floor windows.”
“Prints?”
“Just one set.” He glanced at Nick. “We assume they’re yours, but we’ll have to confirm that.”
Nick swore softly under his breath.
“Thanks, Lieutenant.” Sam handed the other officer her card. “I’ll write up what I have if you’ll shoot me your report as a courtesy. There may be a connection to Senator O’Connor’s murder.”
“Of course.”
After a perfunctory clean up of the dust left over from the fingerprint powder, the other cops left a short time later.
“Do you want some help cleaning up?” she asked Nick when they were alone.
“That’s all right. I can do it.”
He stood and extended a hand to help her up.
Sam took his hand, but when she tried to let go, he tightened his grip. Startled, she looked up at him.
“I’m sorry I dragged you over here for nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing—” Her words got stuck in her throat when he ran a finger over her cheek. His touch was so light she would have missed it if she hadn’t been staring at him.
“You’re tired.”
She shrugged, her heart slamming around in her chest. “I haven’t been sleeping too well lately.”
“I read all the coverage of what happened. It wasn’t your fault, Sam.”
“Tell that to Quentin Johnson. It wasn’t his fault, either.”
“His father should’ve put his son’s safety ahead of saving his crack stash.”
“I was counting on the fact that he would. I should’ve known better. How someone could put their child in that kind of danger… I’ll just never understand it.”
“I’m sorry it happened to you. It broke my heart to read about it.”
Sam found it hard to look away. “I, um…I should go.”
“Before you do, there’s just one thing I really need to know.”
“What?” she whispered.
He released her hand, cupped her face and tilted it to receive his kiss.
As his lips moved softly over hers, Sam summoned every ounce of fortitude she possessed and broke the kiss. “I can’t, Nick. Not during the investigation.” But oh how she wanted to keep kissing him!
“I was dying to know if it would be like I remembered.”
Her eyes closed against the onslaught of emotions. “And was it?”
“Even better,” he said, going back for more.
“Wait. Nick. Wait .” She kept her hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. “We can’t do this. Not now. Not when I’m in the middle of a homicide investigation that involves you.”
“I didn’t do it.” He reached up to release the clip that held her hair and combed his fingers through the length as
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