At that, Sam finally cracked a grin and gave a small snort of laughter.

“Are you better now?” he asked.

She was always better after she talked to him, but no way was she going to tell him that when she was still pissed about getting calls from the White House. The freaking White House!

“Samantha? Are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

“Are you plotting my death by rusty steak knife?”

“Not currently, but I reserve the right to break out my steak knife later.”

“Duly noted. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yeah, you will.”

“Love you, babe. Be careful out there.”

“Always am. You too, on the other thing.”

“The other thing,” he said, ending the call laughing.

Sam was also smiling when she stashed her phone.

“Did he talk you down off the cliff?”

“You’re being very sassy today, Detective. Is that your New Year’s resolution? To sass your superior officer as much as possible?”

“No, actually it was to sass my friend Sam as often as possible.”

“I liked you better when you were afraid of me.”

“And when was that exactly?”

When Sam’s phone rang again, she looked at the caller ID with trepidation and was relieved to see a number she recognized. She took the call on speaker so Freddie could hear too. “Speak to me.”

“Got the tox screen back on Lori Phillips,” Lindsey said. “Her BAC was 0.18 and we found traces of cocaine in her nose and in the blood work.”

Sam let out a low whistle. “So much for rehab.”

“We also found signs of recent sexual activity.”

“DNA?”

“Running it now.”

“Do you suspect rape?”

“There was no trauma, so it’s possible it was consensual.”

“I really want to know where our girl was yesterday. Thanks, Lindsey. Let me know when the DNA is in.”

“Will do.”

Sam hung up with Lindsey and called Archie. “Where are we with the dump on the phone Cruz brought in this morning?”

“Smartphones take about eight hours, which of course you know.”

“I need text data as soon as you have it. I’m trying to figure out where my vic spent her final hours.”

“Will get it to you as soon as I have it.”

“Thanks, Archie.”

“While I have you, I need to schedule a time to get your squad trained on the new tablet system we’ll be implementing this month.”

“What tablet system?”

“Do you read your email, Sam?” he asked with a laugh.

The men in her life were amusing themselves at her expense today. “Occasionally.”

“I sent an email weeks ago to all the squad commanders asking them to schedule their training. I just noticed that you haven’t scheduled yours yet.”

“We don’t need tablets. We’re good with what we’ve got.”

“It’s mandatory, Sam. We all have to do it.”

“Why are we being forced to take on something new that we don’t need?”

“You’re going to love it once you get used to it.”

“No, I won’t. I still have a flip phone, and I like it that way.”

“Ouch,” Archie said with an audible wince. “Take it up with the brass. Until then, email me a couple of dates to get with your squad. I need about four hours.”

“Four hours?”

“Gotta go. I’m watching your security film.”

“Fine.”

“Email the times. By tomorrow.”

Sighing, Sam closed her phone and juggled it between her hands. “Did you know they’re making us use tablets in the field now?”

“I can’t wait. We’ll be able to file reports from anywhere, access the system from anywhere, run prints. It’s going to be awesome.”

An absolutely brilliant idea occurred to Sam. People were always telling her to delegate. Normally, she’d push this dreaded task off on Gonzo as her second in command, but since he was out of commission, Freddie was the next best thing. “I’m putting you in charge of working with Archie to get our squad trained on the stupid things.”

He blanched. “Does that mean I have to deal with getting you trained too?”

She graced him with her most charming smile. “Yep. Not that I expect to ever use it since my partner is so excited about it.”

“Oh my God.”

“Freddie! The Lord’s name! How dare you?”

“You drive me to it.”

“You’ll get with Archie by tomorrow to set it up. Yes?”

“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Excellent.”

Chapter Eight

Sam called Jeannie McBride. “Where are we with Rex Connolly?”

“There were several of them in the system. I just tracked down the one you need. He lives in Laurel.”

Sam wrote down the address. “Thanks, Jeannie.” She handed her notebook to Freddie. “Put this in the GPS,” she said, reminding him she still hadn’t bothered to figure out that device either. Why should she when he was around to do everything for her? Sam had learned a long time ago that the more she knew, the more she was expected to do. As technology had overtaken their workplace, their workload had tripled, which was why simpler was better as far as she was concerned.

They left Bowie and drove north to Laurel on the parkway. Rex Connolly lived in a run-down row of townhouses that sat so close to the parkway you could hear the roar of traffic from the parking lot.

“What possesses people to want to live right on top of a major roadway?” Sam asked Freddie.

“All they can afford?”

“I guess.” She rapped on the glass storm door outside the house. “We’re kinda lucky this happened on a holiday.”

“How so?”

“People we need to talk to are more likely to be home and press corps probably has the second string working on a day like this.”

“True.”

The door swung open to reveal a tall, bald, muscular dude with tattoos covering his huge arms, barrel chest and even his face. Sam shuddered. How anyone could do that to themselves she’d never understand. He wore only a pair of sweatpants that rode low on narrow hips. “Mr. Connolly?” she asked through the door as she and Freddie showed their badges.

“Yeah. What do you want?”

“We need a few minutes of your time. May we come in?”

“Not without a warrant.”

“You got something to hide in there?”

“Nope, but I got rights, and you ain’t comin’ in my house.”

A naked woman appeared in the front hall behind him. “What’s going on?”

“Nothin’, babe. Go back to bed. I’ll be right there.”

The woman walked away as nonchalantly as she’d appeared, as if it was a regular routine for her to walk around naked in front of strangers. Maybe it was.

“Let us in, Mr. Connolly, or we’ll take you downtown to chat. Your call.”

With a growl that Sam could hear through the glass, he pushed open the door and then walked away.

Sam and Freddie followed him into a dirty, messy space that smelled of stale cigarettes and beer.

In the kitchen, he lit up a cigarette and blew the smoke in their direction. “Not sure what you’re after,” he said, “but I didn’t do it. I been right here fucking my girl for the last twenty hours, and I got the used condoms to prove it.”

“As delightful as that sounds, we’re looking for information about an old friend of yours.”

“What old friend?”

“Lori Phillips.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “Ah, good old Lori who found religion and decided she was too good for the likes of me after I took care of her and her brat? That Lori? Why you sniffing around her? ‘Cuz she’s making trouble for your boy Gonzales?”

“That’s not why. We’re wondering when you last spoke to her.”

He thought about that. “Saw her at a party over the holidays. She wanted to talk, but I got something new going on, so I said hi and that’s it. Lori made her bed with me. She wanted to live clean and sober, and I wasn’t part of that.”

“You know anything about who her dealer might’ve been when she was using?” Sam asked.

“Right. I give you that info, and next thing I know you’re arresting me for using. What, do you think I’m stupid or somethin’?”