Fatal Series 01 - Fatal Affair

later so you don’t have to deal with the parking situation over there.”
    “Sure.” He stood up and reached for the suit coat that was draped over the back of his chair.
    Sam’s mouth went dry as she watched the play of his muscles under the pale blue dress shirt he had worn without a tie. His hands were graceful as he adjusted his collar. She remembered the way those hands had felt moving over her fevered skin so many years ago. The memory shouldn’t have been so vivid, but there it was, as bright and as real as if it had happened only yesterday.
    He caught her watching him. “What?”
    Her face heated. “Nothing.”
    Without looking away from her, he came around the desk and stopped right in front of her. He reached out and ran a finger over her cheek. “I think about it, too. I never stopped thinking about it.”
    “Don’t.” She wondered how it was possible that he had read her mind so easily. “Please.”
    “Even in the midst of everything else that’s going on, even as I plan my best friend’s funeral, even as I deal with a traumatized staff and John’s parents, I want you. I think about you, and I want you.”
    “I can’t , Nick. My job is on the line. My whole career is riding on this investigation. I can’t let you do this to me right now.”
    “What about later? After it’s over?”
    “Maybe. We’ll have to see.”
    “Then that’ll have to do.” He gestured for her to lead the way out of his office. “For now.”

Chapter 10
    “What’s the plan for the funeral?” Sam asked Nick as they sat in heavy traffic on Constitution Avenue.
    “He’ll lie in state at the capitol in Richmond for forty-eight hours, beginning on Friday. The funeral will be held at the National Cathedral on Monday with burial at Arlington a week or two later. It takes a while to get that arranged.”
    “I didn’t realize he was a veteran.”
    “Four years in the Navy after college.”
    “If possible, I’d like to attend the funeral with you in case I need you to identify anyone for me.”
    “Sure. I’ll do what I can.”
    “Thank you.” She wanted to say more but found her tongue to be uncharacteristically tied in knots. After a long, awkward pause, she glanced over at him. “I, um, I appreciate the help you’re giving me with background and insight into the senator’s relationships.”
    “Have you spoken to Natalie yet?”
    Sam’s brain raced through the various lists of friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances. “I haven’t heard of a Natalie. Who is she?”
    “Natalie Jordan. She was John’s girlfriend for a couple of years.”
    “When?”
    Nick thought about that. “I’d say for about two years before he ran for the Senate and maybe a year after he was sworn in.”
    “Did it end badly?”
    “It ended. I was never sure why. He wouldn’t talk about it.”
    “Yet you saw fit to toss her name into a homicide investigation.”
    He shrugged. “You were mad I didn’t tell you Chris was in love with him. Natalie was important to him for a long time. In fact, she was the only woman I ever knew of who was truly important to him. I just thought you should know about her.”
    “Where is she now?”
    “Married to the number-two guy at Justice. I think they live in Alexandria.”
    “Did he ever see her?”
    “Sometimes they’d run into each other at Democratic Party events in Virginia.”
    “Would she still have a key to his apartment?”
    “Possibly. They lived together there for the last year or so that they were together.”
    “Did you like her?”
    Nick rested his head against the back of the seat. “She wasn’t my type, but he seemed happy with her.”
    “But did you like her?”
    “Not really.”
    “Why not?”
    “She always struck me as a social climber. We rubbed each other the wrong way—probably because I couldn’t do anything to advance her agenda so she didn’t have much use for me.”
    “Knowing he dated someone like that seems contrary to the picture you and others have painted of him. To me, he wouldn’t have had the patience for it.”
    “He was dazzled by her. She’s quite…well, if you talk to her, you’ll see what I mean.”
    “What do you think of his sister and brother-in-law?”
    Nick appeared startled by the question. “Salt of the earth. Both of them.”
    “What’s his story? Royce Hamilton?”
    “He’s a horse trainer. One of the best there is from what I’ve heard. Lizbeth has been crazy about horses all her life. John always