“I guess I didn’t make the cut,” Sean said. “Do you think it was the eye?” Sean gestured to his eye, still swollen from the encounter with Billy Brice. Em turned back to the dishes, unamused.
More from the television: “Before joining the Senate, James gained prominence as a prosecutor and went on to become the attorney general of Virginia, where he was known for his aggressive enforcement of the state’s laws, yet still managed to garner support from leaders in both political parties. This will be the president’s second chance to fill a vacancy on the court. The Senate recently confirmed Thaddeus Carr as the latest justice to join the high court.” The screen flipped to an image of Justice Carr on the National Mall, throwing a football to one of his law clerks. “Carr, a former federal judge and college football star, was confirmed quickly by the Senate. The administration is hoping for a similarly smooth confirmation this time around, though some are already criticizing the choice of Senator James…”
“What are we going to do?” Emily asked.
“What can we do? It’s not like we have proof he’s done anything wrong.”
“We have Abby’s investigation of him. We have John Chadwick.”
“I don’t think having a college roommate convicted of murder disqualifies one from serving on the high court. And even Chadwick doesn’t think that James killed Natalie Carlisle. Quite the opposite.”
“You’ve never been one to believe in coincidences.”
“Life has challenged a lot of my beliefs,” Sean replied, letting it hang there.
Emily turned back to the sink again. The clinks and clanks of the dishes grew louder.
“I worry that we’re just trying to make sense of something that’s never gonna make sense,” Sean said.
Emily spun around, weariness still etched into her face. “So we just drop it? Pretend that this all doesn’t have something to do with Abby?” Emily pursed her lips. “Would she want us to drop it? Would she, Sean? There’s something more to all this, I know it. And I think you know it too.”
Sean faced his wife. A long moment of silence passed between them. Then he kissed her. Hard and with longing. And she kissed him back until they were on the floor.
If they were going to chase crazy conspiracies, they’d be doing it together.
CHAPTER 45
“So what the fuck was so secret that we couldn’t do this over the phone?” Cecilia said as she and Sean walked the gravel path that bordered the National Mall. She wore a silk blouse and flowing slacks and large-framed sunglasses, never mind that the sun was buried behind thick black clouds overhead. “And what’s with meeting on the Mall? Only two kinds of people meet on the Mall: agents in bad spy movies and annoying tourists.”
Sean couldn’t help but smile. Cecilia was the only person who still treated him the same since Abby’s death, and he loved her for it. Sean’s eyes roved the promenade. He saw no spies, but they were in fact surrounded by tourists. A Japanese couple taking photos of the Capitol and a heavyset couple studying a map as their three kids ran ahead.
“I’ve done something really stupid.” He stared off into the distance at the Washington Monument. Organ music from the carousel outside the Smithsonian floated over on the wind.
Cecilia looked at him skeptically. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear this. The sordid life of Sean Serrat. Did you get a speeding ticket? No wait, someone found out that you don’t recycle and hate people who own Priuses.”
“I killed someone,” Sean said.
Cecilia guffawed. When Sean held her gaze, she removed her sunglasses, her stare boring into him.
“I’m telling you this as my lawyer right now, Cel, so the privilege applies.”
“You’re freaking me out, Sean. Quit screwing around.”
Sean told her everything. Well, almost everything. He’d omitted Ryan from the details.
“This drug dealer, Billy Brice, he died from just a single whack on the head?” she asked.
“I didn’t think I hit him that hard. It was just a small steel rod, like the ones used in construction. And when I left he was breathing. I thought he’d just got knocked out.”
“I think the prosecutors will believe self-defense. Did they find the gun on him?” Cecilia asked.
“No, I took it with me. That’s the problem—it was my gun.”
“You own a gun? And you brought it with you? What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking. But I thought he knew something about Abby and his friends had worked me over pretty good earlier that day.” Sean gestured to his eye. “I just brought the gun to protect myself, but things got out of hand.”
“Ya think?” Cecilia scoffed again. “Have you told anyone?”
“Just Emily.”
Cecilia let out an exasperated sigh, and Sean could read her thoughts: That’s all Emily needed.
“Did anyone see you near the school?”
“Two teenagers. They were buying pot from Brice, I think. It was dark, and I don’t think they got a good look at me.”
“Anyone else?”
“I can’t be sure, but I had a feeling I was being followed.”