A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death.
With numerous scandals still fresh within the department’s ranks, Sam is asked to revisit a cold case from her first year on the job that will continue the department’s reckoning with the past well into the future.
All the while, Sam’s husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, faces mounting pressure to declare his intention to run for president in the coming election, leaving the second couple feeling the strain at home—and on the job as the family endures the first holidays without their beloved patriarch, Skip Holland.
As always, when things become too hot to handle on the job, Sam and Nick turn to each other for solace in the storm.
Setting Washington, DC Greenbelt, Maryland
31 Chapters Epilogue
Characters (view spoiler)[ Recurring Characters Samantha (Sam) Holland Cappuano: Washington DC metro police lieutenant in charge of city's homicide detective squad. She's married to Nick, mother of their adopted son, Scotty and Second Lady of the United States. She is 35-years old and has toffee-colored hair and pale blue eyes. She's on vacation with her family. Nick Cappuano: Vice President of the United States. Married to Sam and father of their adopted son, Scotty. Former US senator from Virginia, who was elected to his first term after finishing out John O'Connor's. He's 37-years old and 6'4" with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Scotty Dunlap Cappuano: Nick and Sam's adopted 13-year old son. Frederico (Freddie) Cruz: Sam's partner. He lives with his fiancée, Elin. Elin Svendsen: Freddie's fiancée who runs a gym. She's recuperating from the assault ordered by Stahl. Juliette Cruz: Freddie’s mother. Miguel Cruz: Freddie’s father. Shelby Faircloth Hill: Nick and Sam's personal assistant. She runs their household and Sam calls her Tinkerbell. She is the mother of baby Noah and is married to Avery. Avery Hill: FBI special agent in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division. He and Shelby are married and he adopted Noah. George Terrell: FBI agent and Avery’s deputy. Jeannie McBride: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Engaged to Michael. Formerly partnered with Will Tyrone. Michael Wilkinson: Jeannie's fiancé. Will Tyrone: Detective on Sam's homicide team who quit after Arnold was killed. He was Jeannie's partner. Tommy (Gonzo) Gonzales: Detective sergeant on Sam's homicide team. He's engaged to Christina and is baby Alex's father. He has full custody. He’s currently in rehab. Christina Billings: Nick's former chief of staff who's engaged to Gonzo. She's now home full time taking care of Alex. Alejandro (Alex) Gonzales: Gonzo's 2-year old son. Arnold (AJ) Arnold: Detective and Gonzo's partner who was shot and killed in the line of duty recently. Cameron Green: Former Fairfax County homicide detective, now on Sam’s squad and Gonzo’s new partner. Matt O’Brien: Police officer Sam is promoting to her detective squad to replace Will Tyrone. Erica Lucas: SVU detective. Jacqueline DiMaio: Missing Persons detective. Skip Holland: Sam's father, married to Celia. Quadriplegic who was shot in the line of duty. He recently died due to complications from his injury. Celia Holland: Sam's stepmother, former nurse married to Skip. Brenda Ross: Sam's mother. Tracy Hogan: Sam's sister who is married to Mike and mother of their three children, Brooke, Abby and Ethan. Mike Hogan: Tracy's husband. Angela Radcliffe: Sam's sister, married to Spencer and mother of their son Jack and daughter Ella. Spencer Radcliffe: Angela's husband and father of their two children. Leo Cappuano: Nick's father, married to Stacy. They have 6-year old twin boys. Stacy Cappuano: Nick's stepmother, married to Leo. Nicoletta Bernadino: Nick’s mother. Graham O'Connor: Former US senator from Virginia who is married to Laine. He's the father of John, Terry and Lizbeth and is very close to Nick. Laine O'Connor: Married to Graham and mother of their three children, Terry, John and Lizbeth. She's Nick's surrogate mother. Terry O'Connor: Nick's chief of staff and son of Graham and Laine. He's Lindsay's fiancé. Lindsey McNamara: Chief medical examiner. She's Terry O'Connor's fiancée. Harry Flynn: Nick's friend and Sam's doctor. He’s dating Lilia. Lilia Van Nostrand: Sam's chief of staff as Second Lady. She’s dating Harry. Gigi Dominguez: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Carlucci's partner. Dani Carlucci: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Gigi's partner. Joe Farnsworth: Chief of police. Marti Farnsworth: Joe's wife. Jake Malone: Detective Captain, Sam's mentor. Paul Conklin: Former detective chief. He was responsible for covering up who shot Skip. Hernandez: Former captain over Patrol. He was in on the cover up. Robach: Captain over Vice. Harrison: Captain over the Gang Unit. Haggerty: Lieutenant over CSU. Nicholson: SWAT captain. Dylan Offenbach: SWAT sergeant. Byron Tomlinson: Deputy medical examiner. Tom Forrester: US attorney. Faith Miller: Assistant US attorney. She's a triplet to sisters Hope and Charity who are also US attorneys. Archie Archelotta: Police lieutenant in charge of the IT division. He was once romantically involved with Sam. Ramsey: SVU detective Sam punched out. He filed charges but no action was taken. Darren Tabor: Reporter for the Washington Star. Leonard Stahl: Former head of IAB now convicted for the attempted murder of Sam. Eric Fitzgerald: Detective who was aware of the identity of Skip Holland's shooter. Lieutenant Wilson: New head of Internal Affairs. Jessica Townsend: Metropolitan Police Department counsel. David Nelson: President of the United States. Gloria Nelson: Nelson’s wife. Christopher Nelson: President Nelson's son, an attorney. He’s in jail for attempting to kill members of Nick and Sam’s family. Derek Kavanaugh: Nelson’s deputy chief of staff and Nick’s friend. Trevor Donnelly: Nick's communication director. Andrea: Sam's White House director of communications and spokesperson Mackenzie: Oversees Sam's White House schedule and travel. Keira: Sam's White House policy specialist. Dr. Trulo: Department psychologist. John (Brant) Brantly, Jr.: Secret Service agent heading Nick's detail. Melinda: Woman on Nick's Secret Service detail who Sam doesn't like. Debra Nixon: Lead Secret Service agent on Scotty's detail. Eric: Secret Service agent on the Holland/Cappuano home detail. Nate: Secret Service agent on the Holland/Cappuano home detail. He’s the agent at the door. Vernon: Member of Sam’s Secret Service detail. Jimmy: Member of Sam’s Secret Service detail. Dr. Anderson: ER doctor. Elijah Armstrong: Jameson’s eldest son by his first wife. He’s attending Princeton and was named the guardian for his twin siblings. He’s appointed Sam & Nick as their temporary guardians while he’s in college. Aubrey Armstrong: Jameson and Cleo’s 5-year daughter, Alden’s twin. Sam & Nick are now their guardians, appointed by their brother, Elijah. Alden Armstrong: Jameson and Cleo’s 5-year son, Aubrey’s twin. Sam & Nick are now their guardians, appointed by their brother, Elijah. Roni Connelly: Former wife of DEA agent Patrick Connelly who was killed by a stray bullet. She’s the obituary writer for the Star. Lenore Worthington: Woman whose son, Calvin, was murdered outside of his home when Sam was in Patrol. Sam is going to reopen the cold case because it was Stahl’s and he didn’t properly investigate it. Calvin Worthington: Lenore’s 15-year old son who was murdered almost 15 years ago and the killer never found. Valerie Southern: American University student Sam befriends on the Metro.
Non Recurring Characters Virginia (Ginny) McLeod: Financial investment manager who put together opportunities for clients. She created a Ponzi investment scheme that defrauded friends and family of over $20 million. Kenneth McLeod: Ginny’s husband, an estate attorney. Mandi McLeod: Ginny and Kenneth’s daughter. She’s a senior at Catholic University. Ken McLeod, Jr.: Ginny and Kenneth’s son. He works in the defense community. Janet Milton: Ginny’s sister. Mark Townsend: One of the investors duped by Ginny. Owner of a recording studio. He’s having an affair with Tina. Hattie Townsend: Mark’s wife. Tina Goss: Jack’s wife. She’s having an affair with Mark. Jack Goss: One of the investors duped by Ginny. He committed suicide. He was married to Tina. Brett Haverson: President of a community bank in Bethesda who was duped by Ginny. She was his wife Clarissa’s high school classmate and they were friends. Clarissa Haverson: Married to Brett, she was the one with the relationship with Ginny. They were friends since high school. Alison Enders: Ginny’s cousin who she also duped. She and Brett did the work to bring in the FBI to investigate. Cheri Clark: Realtor who showed Ginny’s properties. Kayla Owen: Television reporter who referred to Sam’s children as not their real ones. (hide spoiler)]
Spoiler Info (view spoiler)[ Nelson was found dead in his residence. Nick is now President of the United States.
Gonzo decided not to take a plea and was not charged. He’s giving his story to the media via Darren Tabor. He’s finished rehab. He and Christina got married on Thanksgiving Day. Nick officiated.
Kenneth McCloud killed his wife because she wouldn’t get the money and leave town because of her ailing mother. She’d used Mandi to go to the Cayman Islands to deposit the money so there was no paper trail. Mandi tried to implicate her brother who was innocent. Cameron traced the banking relationship and they were able to recover most of the money and return it to the duped investors.
Ramsey is cheating on his wife. Sam’s team sent him an anonymous letter via interoffice mail threatening him if he didn’t lay off Gonzo. He threatened Sam in front of Avery. (hide spoiler)]
A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death.
With numerous scandals still fresh within the department’s ranks, Sam is asked to revisit a cold case from her first year on the job that will continue the department’s reckoning with the past well into the future.
All the while, Sam’s husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, faces mounting pressure to declare his intention to run for president in the coming election, leaving the second couple feeling the strain at home—and on the job as the family endures the first holidays without their beloved patriarch, Skip Holland.
As always, when things become too hot to handle on the job, Sam and Nick turn to each other for solace in the storm.
Setting
Washington, DC
Greenbelt, Maryland
31 Chapters
Epilogue
Characters
(view spoiler)[
Recurring Characters
Samantha (Sam) Holland Cappuano: Washington DC metro police lieutenant in charge of city's homicide detective squad. She's married to Nick, mother of their adopted son, Scotty and Second Lady of the United States. She is 35-years old and has toffee-colored hair and pale blue eyes. She's on vacation with her family.
Nick Cappuano: Vice President of the United States. Married to Sam and father of their adopted son, Scotty. Former US senator from Virginia, who was elected to his first term after finishing out John O'Connor's. He's 37-years old and 6'4" with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
Scotty Dunlap Cappuano: Nick and Sam's adopted 13-year old son.
Frederico (Freddie) Cruz: Sam's partner. He lives with his fiancée, Elin.
Elin Svendsen: Freddie's fiancée who runs a gym. She's recuperating from the assault ordered by Stahl.
Juliette Cruz: Freddie’s mother.
Miguel Cruz: Freddie’s father.
Shelby Faircloth Hill: Nick and Sam's personal assistant. She runs their household and Sam calls her Tinkerbell. She is the mother of baby Noah and is married to Avery.
Avery Hill: FBI special agent in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division. He and Shelby are married and he adopted Noah.
George Terrell: FBI agent and Avery’s deputy.
Jeannie McBride: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Engaged to Michael. Formerly partnered with Will Tyrone.
Michael Wilkinson: Jeannie's fiancé.
Will Tyrone: Detective on Sam's homicide team who quit after Arnold was killed. He was Jeannie's partner.
Tommy (Gonzo) Gonzales: Detective sergeant on Sam's homicide team. He's engaged to Christina and is baby Alex's father. He has full custody. He’s currently in rehab.
Christina Billings: Nick's former chief of staff who's engaged to Gonzo. She's now home full time taking care of Alex.
Alejandro (Alex) Gonzales: Gonzo's 2-year old son.
Arnold (AJ) Arnold: Detective and Gonzo's partner who was shot and killed in the line of duty recently.
Cameron Green: Former Fairfax County homicide detective, now on Sam’s squad and Gonzo’s new partner.
Matt O’Brien: Police officer Sam is promoting to her detective squad to replace Will Tyrone.
Erica Lucas: SVU detective.
Jacqueline DiMaio: Missing Persons detective.
Skip Holland: Sam's father, married to Celia. Quadriplegic who was shot in the line of duty. He recently died due to complications from his injury.
Celia Holland: Sam's stepmother, former nurse married to Skip.
Brenda Ross: Sam's mother.
Tracy Hogan: Sam's sister who is married to Mike and mother of their three children, Brooke, Abby and Ethan.
Mike Hogan: Tracy's husband.
Angela Radcliffe: Sam's sister, married to Spencer and mother of their son Jack and daughter Ella.
Spencer Radcliffe: Angela's husband and father of their two children.
Leo Cappuano: Nick's father, married to Stacy. They have 6-year old twin boys.
Stacy Cappuano: Nick's stepmother, married to Leo.
Nicoletta Bernadino: Nick’s mother.
Graham O'Connor: Former US senator from Virginia who is married to Laine. He's the father of John, Terry and Lizbeth and is very close to Nick.
Laine O'Connor: Married to Graham and mother of their three children, Terry, John and Lizbeth. She's Nick's surrogate mother.
Terry O'Connor: Nick's chief of staff and son of Graham and Laine. He's Lindsay's fiancé.
Lindsey McNamara: Chief medical examiner. She's Terry O'Connor's fiancée.
Harry Flynn: Nick's friend and Sam's doctor. He’s dating Lilia.
Lilia Van Nostrand: Sam's chief of staff as Second Lady. She’s dating Harry.
Gigi Dominguez: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Carlucci's partner.
Dani Carlucci: Detective on Sam's homicide team. Gigi's partner.
Joe Farnsworth: Chief of police.
Marti Farnsworth: Joe's wife.
Jake Malone: Detective Captain, Sam's mentor.
Paul Conklin: Former detective chief. He was responsible for covering up who shot Skip.
Hernandez: Former captain over Patrol. He was in on the cover up.
Robach: Captain over Vice.
Harrison: Captain over the Gang Unit.
Haggerty: Lieutenant over CSU.
Nicholson: SWAT captain.
Dylan Offenbach: SWAT sergeant.
Byron Tomlinson: Deputy medical examiner.
Tom Forrester: US attorney.
Faith Miller: Assistant US attorney. She's a triplet to sisters Hope and Charity who are also US attorneys.
Archie Archelotta: Police lieutenant in charge of the IT division. He was once romantically involved with Sam.
Ramsey: SVU detective Sam punched out. He filed charges but no action was taken.
Darren Tabor: Reporter for the Washington Star.
Leonard Stahl: Former head of IAB now convicted for the attempted murder of Sam.
Eric Fitzgerald: Detective who was aware of the identity of Skip Holland's shooter.
Lieutenant Wilson: New head of Internal Affairs.
Jessica Townsend: Metropolitan Police Department counsel.
David Nelson: President of the United States.
Gloria Nelson: Nelson’s wife.
Christopher Nelson: President Nelson's son, an attorney. He’s in jail for attempting to kill members of Nick and Sam’s family.
Derek Kavanaugh: Nelson’s deputy chief of staff and Nick’s friend.
Trevor Donnelly: Nick's communication director.
Andrea: Sam's White House director of communications and spokesperson
Mackenzie: Oversees Sam's White House schedule and travel.
Keira: Sam's White House policy specialist.
Dr. Trulo: Department psychologist.
John (Brant) Brantly, Jr.: Secret Service agent heading Nick's detail.
Melinda: Woman on Nick's Secret Service detail who Sam doesn't like.
Debra Nixon: Lead Secret Service agent on Scotty's detail.
Eric: Secret Service agent on the Holland/Cappuano home detail.
Nate: Secret Service agent on the Holland/Cappuano home detail. He’s the agent at the door.
Vernon: Member of Sam’s Secret Service detail.
Jimmy: Member of Sam’s Secret Service detail.
Dr. Anderson: ER doctor.
Elijah Armstrong: Jameson’s eldest son by his first wife. He’s attending Princeton and was named the guardian for his twin siblings. He’s appointed Sam & Nick as their temporary guardians while he’s in college.
Aubrey Armstrong: Jameson and Cleo’s 5-year daughter, Alden’s twin. Sam & Nick are now their guardians, appointed by their brother, Elijah.
Alden Armstrong: Jameson and Cleo’s 5-year son, Aubrey’s twin. Sam & Nick are now their guardians, appointed by their brother, Elijah.
Roni Connelly: Former wife of DEA agent Patrick Connelly who was killed by a stray bullet. She’s the obituary writer for the Star.
Lenore Worthington: Woman whose son, Calvin, was murdered outside of his home when Sam was in Patrol. Sam is going to reopen the cold case because it was Stahl’s and he didn’t properly investigate it.
Calvin Worthington: Lenore’s 15-year old son who was murdered almost 15 years ago and the killer never found.
Valerie Southern: American University student Sam befriends on the Metro.
Non Recurring Characters
Virginia (Ginny) McLeod: Financial investment manager who put together opportunities for clients. She created a Ponzi investment scheme that defrauded friends and family of over $20 million.
Kenneth McLeod: Ginny’s husband, an estate attorney.
Mandi McLeod: Ginny and Kenneth’s daughter. She’s a senior at Catholic University.
Ken McLeod, Jr.: Ginny and Kenneth’s son. He works in the defense community.
Janet Milton: Ginny’s sister.
Mark Townsend: One of the investors duped by Ginny. Owner of a recording studio. He’s having an affair with Tina.
Hattie Townsend: Mark’s wife.
Tina Goss: Jack’s wife. She’s having an affair with Mark.
Jack Goss: One of the investors duped by Ginny. He committed suicide. He was married to Tina.
Brett Haverson: President of a community bank in Bethesda who was duped by Ginny. She was his wife Clarissa’s high school classmate and they were friends.
Clarissa Haverson: Married to Brett, she was the one with the relationship with Ginny. They were friends since high school.
Alison Enders: Ginny’s cousin who she also duped. She and Brett did the work to bring in the FBI to investigate.
Cheri Clark: Realtor who showed Ginny’s properties.
Kayla Owen: Television reporter who referred to Sam’s children as not their real ones.
(hide spoiler)]
Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Nelson was found dead in his residence. Nick is now President of the United States.
Gonzo decided not to take a plea and was not charged. He’s giving his story to the media via Darren Tabor. He’s finished rehab. He and Christina got married on Thanksgiving Day. Nick officiated.
Kenneth McCloud killed his wife because she wouldn’t get the money and leave town because of her ailing mother. She’d used Mandi to go to the Cayman Islands to deposit the money so there was no paper trail. Mandi tried to implicate her brother who was innocent. Cameron traced the banking relationship and they were able to recover most of the money and return it to the duped investors.
Ramsey is cheating on his wife. Sam’s team sent him an anonymous letter via interoffice mail threatening him if he didn’t lay off Gonzo. He threatened Sam in front of Avery. (hide spoiler)]