Emily gazed at Sean, hesitated, then pulled up another image on the phone. Sean looked at this one and gave his wife a hard glare. “You can’t possibly think that? He’s a friend. And her professor, for Christ’s sake.”
“How many other older men did Abby know?” Emily said. “He left OSG because of an intern, and Cecilia told me he got into trouble when he taught at Yale for getting too cozy with female students.” Emily showed Douglas the image of Professor Jonathan Tweed.
Douglas stared at the iPhone. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re sure?”
Douglas nodded.
Their daughter had secrets that she’d kept from them. Kept from her friends. And this mystery man could hold the key to finding the killer. Or he just might be the killer himself.
CHAPTER 57
“Ryan, sweetie, please calm down, I can’t understand what you’re saying,” Emily said, the phone pressed to her ear. They were on the sidewalk in front of the Hart Senate Building, and foot traffic was heavy with Capitol Hill pages rushing about. Sean wanted to snatch the mobile out of Emily’s hand, but she shooed him back.
“The detective wasn’t supposed to talk with you. He was just trying to get a reaction.” Emily raised a finger again. Sean’s heart was in a free fall. Ryan must have learned that Billy Brice was dead.
“—he shouldn’t have shown you those photos.” More listening from Emily. A couple of passersby stared at them, but Sean wasn’t sure whether it was because they recognized the Serrats from all the news coverage or because there was something desperate in the way Emily was talking on the mobile phone. Emily finally used her mother’s voice. “Ryan, you need to take a deep breath. Calm down. I will be right there, and I can explain everything. It’s not what you think. I want you to get a drink of water and try to calm down. Can you do that?” Another beat of silence. “Okay. I love you. I’ll be home shortly.” Emily ended the call.
Sean began, “He found out…”
Emily nodded. “That detective was waiting for him when he got off the school bus. He said the detective showed him photos of Billy Brice; asked Ryan what size shoe he wears.”
“What shoe size?” Sean thought about it. “Maybe they found some tracks on the football field or in the woods. What did Ryan tell him?”
“He did what we asked. He told the detective to talk to his parents.”
“We should go home now. I can reschedule with James.”
“No. I’ll go take care of Ryan. I’ll stick to the plan and say Brice attacked you when you went back for the gun and you hit him.”
“He’s not gonna believe—”
“You need to do this,” Emily said. “If that man had Kenny or some other creep harass Abby and our family, we need to know. Not just for Abby, but for the safety of our boys. I’ve got this.” Emily looked at him intently. “You need to go to that meeting and look James in the eye and you tell him that if he hurt our Abby, he’s not gonna get away with it.”
CHAPTER 58
Sean walked down the long hallway in the Hart Senate Office Building until he found SH321. Flags were stationed at either side of the door. He took a deep breath and entered Senator James’s office.
A man in his twenties looked over a tall reception desk and asked Sean to take a seat. Perching on a wing chair, Sean glanced at muted C-SPAN on the flat-screen mounted to the wall. How to handle this first meeting with the senator? Should he confront him head on, as Emily wanted? Or should he play it cool and study the situation, learn more? That was more his style, but he was not sure that he could fake cordiality with a man he’d never much cared for, a man unworthy of a seat on the Supreme Court. A man who could be a murderer of women.
Ten minutes passed. Sean had experienced D.C. “make them wait” power plays in the past, but as far as Senator James knew, Sean was there to help. Not a person to play with. A text came in. Emily was nearly home and Ryan had calmed down, which gave Sean a tiny bit of relief. Tiring of waiting, Sean exhaled loudly.
“I apologize for the wait.” The receptionist caught the hint. “The senator is at the Capitol and was supposed to have returned by now.” The man picked up the phone and murmured something. A man in a dark suit and starched white shirt hurried into the office, hand outstretched.
“Mr. Serrat,” he said, handshake too firm. “I’m Brendan Reis, Senator James’s chief of staff. The senator sends his apologies. He got caught up on a vote and asked if I could escort you to his office in the Capitol.”