“I have four kids now. I hear there may be grandchildren someday. Maybe by then, I’ll be ready for a lower-key kind of life. Not there yet.”
“That’s saying something coming from the highest-key life I can think of.”
“Oh, you mean that other thing.”
The older man tossed his head back and barked out a laugh. “Yeah, the thing about you also being the first lady.”
Sam scowled at him.
Still chuckling, he said, “You must really love that man.”
“She really does.” Deputy Chief Jeannie McBride came out of her office to greet Dr. Morganthau with a hug. “I heard you were here and was coming to find you.”
He beamed like a proud father. “It’s so good to see you, friend, and look at you wearing the deputy chief’s uniform.”
“It’s as much of a surprise to me as it is to everyone else.”
“Not to me,” Sam said. “Not to me.”
Jeannie placed her hands on her pregnant belly. “And I’m filling out the maternity shirt to the max.”
“You’re positively glowing,” Dr. Morganthau said.
“I’ll leave you two to catch up.” Sam felt the day getting away from her. “Thanks again for your help, Doc.”
“Always a pleasure to see you, Lieutenant.”
Sam shook his outstretched hand. “Likewise, Doc.”
She returned to the pit as Gonzo and Cam were coming in through the morgue entrance. “What’ve we got?”
“A John Doe pushed out of a black SUV bearing diplomatic plates near Embassy Row,” Gonzo reported.
Sam grimaced. “Diplomatic plates, huh?”
“Your reaction matches mine,” Gonzo said.
“The vehicle was moving too fast to get details off the plates,” Cam said, “but it had the look. We checked the other cameras in the area and were able to track the vehicle’s movements, but the plate was obscured in every view.”
“Intentionally obscured?” Sam asked. Criminals had found a way around being tracked by the Automatic License Plate Readers that were positioned around the city.
“It would appear that way.”
“Great,” Sam said as a complicated day got more so.
“John Doe is with Dr. Tomlinson in the morgue,” Gonzo said. “And he’s promised us an ID as quickly as he can get it.”
“I have heartburn already, and we just caught this case.”
“Right there with you,” Gonzo said as he checked his watch. “Do you mind if I take off early? The movers are due at the house, and Christina texted to say she can’t meet them after all. She’s probably going to be working late.” They were renting Sam and Nick’s house on Ninth Street, which would quadruple their living area ahead of their second child’s birth in the fall.
“Yeah, there’s something afoot at the White House that I wasn’t fully cleared to hear about. Go on ahead. We’ve got it covered here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go, Gonzo. Get your family settled.”
“Thanks. I’ll check in later.”
