Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(73)
“Is it still a booty call when we’re married?”
“If there is booty involved, it’s a booty call.”
With both hands on her ass, he gave a gentle squeeze. “And I do so love your booty.”
“There’s way too much of my booty.”
“No way.” He continued to nuzzle her neck. “There’s a perfect amount.”
“You have to say that. You love me.”
“I do love you, and your perfect, sexy booty.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held on for the longest time, so long she nearly dozed off standing up.
“Into bed with you.” Nick nudged her toward her side of the bed. He pulled down the covers, helped her out of the robe and waited for her to get settled before tucking her in.
Sam’s eyes shot open. “The messenger bag.”
“What?”
“My dad’s bag.” She sat up and the covers fell to her waist. “I need my phone. It’s in the pocket of the robe.”
He got it for her and handed it over.
Sam put through a call to Captain Malone, who answered on the second ring.
“What’s up?”
“Sorry to call so late, but I had a thought about Conklin.”
“You’re not allowed to have thoughts about Conklin right now.”
“Are you searching his house?”
“First thing in the morning.”
“Are you looking for the messenger bag?”
“It’s on the list.”
“Okay.” Sam sagged into the pillows, filled with relief. “Okay.”
“Try to get some sleep, will you?”
“I’ll try. Talk to you in the morning.” Sam closed the flip phone and plugged it into the charger she kept on the bedside table.
“Can they get that done overnight?” Nick asked from his side of the bed.
“They’ll have to wake up a judge, but they should be able to make a case that it’s urgent. If his wife came to see him in jail, he could tell her what to get rid of, so time is of the essence.”
“You really think he had something to do with your father’s shooting?”
“I don’t want to think that—for many, many reasons—but I can’t ignore what the evidence is telling me. Archie is looking through the footage from the day of the shooting. If he can put Conklin there, that’d be huge.”
“It’s not enough that your guy Davis and one of the paramedics said he was there?”
“That’s damning, for sure, but the video would be irrefutable.”
Nick reached for her, and Sam turned toward him, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her. “Try to shut it off for a few hours so you can get some rest.” His hand made soothing circles on her back.
Even as her brain continued to spin, she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. Wrapped up in her husband’s love, she was able to let it go and relax into sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LATE-NIGHT PHONE CALLS were part of the job, but they still stopped Joe Farnsworth’s heart every time, usually because they involved some sort of trouble. He grabbed the phone off the bedside table and started to get out of bed so he wouldn’t disturb Marti.
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I’m awake.”
“Sorry.” He took the call from Jake. “What’s up?”
“Sam called me to ask if anyone had thought to get a warrant for Conklin’s house in regard to the missing messenger bag. With your permission, I’m going to wake up a judge to request a warrant tonight because Conklin’s wife was in to see him earlier.”
Jake didn’t have to spell out the need for urgency, especially in light of the wife’s visit. “Do it.”
“I’m on it.”
“The messenger bag you’re looking for… The last time I saw it, he had the Kiss Me I’m Irish key chain I brought back from Ireland for him attached to it. Not sure if it was still there that last day, but I figured I’d mention it.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Keep me posted?”
“You got it.”
Joe ended the call but kept the phone in his hand, almost as if he expected it to ring again momentarily.
Marti turned over to face him. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to get a warrant to search Conklin’s house.”
“Oh, Joe. Dear God. Has it come to that?”
Per his orders to the others, he hadn’t told her, but it would only be a matter of time before the news got out. “We arrested him earlier. He says he wasn’t on G Street the day of Skip’s shooting. We have two witnesses who can put him there. One of them is a man who ran back to offer aid to Skip and has checked in with Conklin every year on the anniversary of the shooting. We’d never heard his name before this week. And one of the paramedics who was on the scene told Sam that he gave Skip’s messenger bag to Conklin. It’s never been seen again. That’s what Jake’s call was about. We’re getting a warrant to search Conklin’s home for the bag and anything else that might be relevant.”
Marti’s expression registered shock and horror. “You have to be kidding me with this.”