Fatal Series 01 - Fatal Affair

truth. So the only two people who know he was with you are in this room. I know what I’m going to do with the info. What you do with it is up to you.”
    Overcome, Andrea bent her head. “I’ve never been unfaithful to my husband before. In nineteen years, I’ve never so much as looked at another man. But he travels a lot, and we’ve drifted apart in the last couple of years. I was lonely.”
    “I understand that feeling—better than you can imagine.” Sam raised her fingers to cover bruises on her throat that were starting to hurt. “But if you love your husband and want to make your marriage work, stay out of the bars, go home and fix it. You’re lucky this was the worst thing that happened.”
    “Believe me, I know.” She stood and offered her hand. “Thank you.”
    Sam held Andrea’s hand between both of hers. “Thank you for coming in. You did the right thing. I had him ninety-nine percent eliminated. You just gave me the one percent I still needed.”
    “In that case, I guess it was worth it.”
    “Good luck to you, Mrs. Daly.”
    “And to you, Sergeant. Senator O’Connor was a good man. I hope you find the person who did this to him.”
    “Oh, I will. You can count on that.” Sam stood at her doorway and watched Andrea leave.
    “What was that all about?” Freddie asked.
    “Terry O’Connor’s alibi.”
    Freddie’s eyes lit up. “No shit?”
    “Nope.”
    “Did you get an official statement?”
    “Nope.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because I had nothing to gain, and she had everything to lose. She gave me what I needed. That was enough.”
    “I continue to be awed not just by your instincts but by your humanity.”
    “Fuck off, Cruz,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Did you get Peter put on ice?”
    “Yep. Sent the EMTs down to take a look at his busted schnoz. He’s screaming police brutality.”
    “Self-defense.” The fact she had taunted Peter into attacking her wouldn’t matter to the U.S. Attorney in light of the evidence they had implicating him in the bombings.
    “Damn straight it was.”
    “What’re you hearing from Gonzo and Arnold?”
    “Natalie’s mother told them she’s in seclusion and couldn’t come to the door. They didn’t push it because all you wanted was confirmation that she was there, and they saw her looking out an upstairs window. Noel spent the day working in his yard and washing his car. No sign of her at the house. Gonzo just took him in for the polygraph.”
    “Let’s set one up for her for tomorrow, after the funeral.”
    “Got it.”
    “So where does that leave us?” Sam unclipped her hair and ran her fingers through it. “Our two prime suspects, both with motive and opportunity pointing the finger at each other, but nothing about them is jumping out at us.”
    “Except her dead boyfriend. That’s a red flag.”
    “If she had anything to do with that, would her husband know about it? Would she have told him all about the boyfriend who’d tragically died in a fire?”
    “Hard to say. Murderers can be an arrogant lot. They often want people to know what they’ve done so they get the credit.”
    “I didn’t get that vibe from Noel. It was more of a ‘she was heartbroken’ vibe.” Sam checked her watch and saw it was after one. “I wanted another go with her, but I think I’ll wait until after we polygraph her to see if I need to show my cards on the dead boyfriend. Have Gonzo get her suspicions about her husband on the record at some point today. I’m not liking him for a suspect, but I want it in the file.”
    “Sounds like a good plan. Do you think it’s possible that neither of them had anything to do with it, and she’s just trying to get rid of a husband she never should’ve married?”
    “At this point, I’d say anything is possible, but I’m still left without a primary suspect three days into the investigation. That’ll really please the chief.”
    “How about I write up the reports from this morning?”
    “I’d appreciate that.” She thought for a moment and realized this was as good a moment as there was likely to be. “Can you come in for a minute?”
    “Sure.” He shut the office door behind him. “What’s up?”
    “You know I appreciate your help with the reports, right?”
    “It’s no problem.”
    “Well, for me it kind of is.” She rubbed a hand over her belly. In a rush of words, she said, “I’m dyslexic. I’ve struggled with it all my life, and it’s mostly under control, but I know