“I’ll check with the FBI,” Terry said.
The BlackBerry vibrated in his suit coat pocket. He withdrew it to read the text from Sam. Since he had a minute, he sat behind the desk to answer her request that he call.
“Hey,” she said, sounding busy and harried, the way she always did when she was working. “Collins called.”
Nick groaned. “What now?”
“Your mother is in the ICU at Fairfax Inova with pneumonia. He said her condition is touch and go, and she’s asking for you.”
He released a protracted moan. “Speaking of the last freaking thing I need…”
“I know. I so did not want to have to tell you this. I told him you’re leaving on a trip and won’t be back until Sunday. So you could put off responding until then. They know how busy you are.”
“What if she kicks it in the meantime? Will I have to feel guilty for the rest of my life?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, I just testified about how she took twenty-five large to spread lies about you. Don’t forget about that.”
“I never will.”
“You owe her nothing.”
“Except for the fact that I’m here in the first place.”
“Nick, please tell me you don’t feel obligated to go running to her bedside.”
“I don’t.”
“But?”
“I don’t know. I’ll see if I can squeeze it in before I leave for Greenland.”
“If you’re doing that, I want to go with you.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“You’re too good for her. I hope you know that.”
“Of course I do. My wife tells me that every time my mother rears her ugly head.”
“Your wife is a wise woman, and you should always listen to her.”
“Haha. I wish I’d listened to her about my ex-VP.”
“Speaking of her, we’ve taken her ex-husband Curtis Henderson into custody. When we questioned him about Ivanov, he broke out in a sweat, among other things. Said he had nothing to do with it, but he’ll be our guest while we confirm. From what we can gather, he was under the impression that he and Gretchen were on the road to reconciliation—until his kids told him that Mom’s Russian friend was spending the night at the Naval Observatory.”
“Do you think Curtis killed Sergei? Because I’m almost positive Petrov ordered it done.”
“Not sure yet, but his extremely nervous reaction to our questions makes him a person of interest.”
“Keep me posted?”
“You do the same, and remember… You owe your mother nothing.”
“I hear you. I’ll let you know what I decide to do.”
“If you decide you need to see her, you’re not going without me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
