In the past, Sam might’ve shot the receptionist a smug look, but she didn’t bother in the present. She liked to think she’d grown up a little since the days when that would’ve given her a temporary thrill. Now, she had more important things to do, starting with checking on her uncle.
“How is he?” Sam asked Anderson.
“He gave me permission to tell you he took a hard hit to the head and will need surgery on his wrist.”
“Ugh.” That would put him out of work for weeks.
Anderson pointed to a cubicle with an open door. “Right in there.”
She ducked her head around the curtain. “Hey, guys.”
“Come in, Sam,” Marti Farnsworth said as she stood to hug Sam.
Marti’s pretty face was puffy from crying.
“How’re you holding up?” Sam asked.
“Better now that he’s awake and talking to me,” Marti said.
“I’m fine,” Joe said gruffly.
Sam went to his bedside and took the hand that wasn’t wrapped in a splint. “Very happy to see you, sir.”
“Good to be seen.” He winced after a slight movement of his head. “Concussions suck.”
“Yes, they do. They take all the fun out of being injured.”
“Please don’t make me laugh.”
“Yes, sir.”
Marti adjusted the pillow his injured arm was resting on. “We’re waiting for a room upstairs. They’re keeping him overnight because of the concussion, and he’ll have surgery on his wrist, hopefully tomorrow.”
“I’m fine, honey. Don’t worry.”
She caressed his face as she gazed at him with tenderness. “Don’t boss me. I need to fuss so I won’t lose my composure.”
Sam came around the bed and rested her hands on Marti’s shoulders, giving a squeeze that drew a moan of pleasure from her aunt.
“Where’s Helen?” Sam asked.
“They took her to be checked out a while ago,” Marti said. “She said she’d come back when she was done.”
“What’re you hearing?” Joe asked Sam.
“Nothing yet, but the body of the Russian in the morgue was taken, along with Amara Robinson.”
“They took Amara?”
“They did. Possibly a case of wrong place, wrong time, but we don’t know yet.”
“The bombing has to be related to that dead Russian. They created a diversion.”
“That’s the working theory, but we’re trying to figure out why they’d resort to terrorism and risk a war to retrieve the body of the guy who was causing their government nothing but trouble. Not to mention he was dumped from a diplomatic vehicle earlier, which must’ve been one of theirs. You’d think they’d be glad to be well rid of him, so why would they dump him and then want him back badly enough to bomb HQ?”
“Where the U.S. president’s wife works.”
“I’m very much hoping that fact has nothing to do with the bombing.”
