Capitol Scandal by A. W. Gray

Author:A. W. Gray
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

10

“I can’t explain or justify my actions. She was so young and fresh. I’m a man, human…” Will John Benedict’s gaze was desperate as he sought approval where there would be none, no way.

Sharon watched with a bland expression. So you’re a man, she thought. You’re human. Great. So’s everyone. As if every male in this world felt that being horny would explain away any misconduct including murder. When she was a prosecutor she’d come to call such drivel the Hard-on Defense, which she’d heard from rapists, robbers, burglars, you name it, guys who rationalized their crimes by citing the irresistible urge to get laid. I never wouldda done it if it hadn’t been for that woman, Judge. Christ almighty, Sharon thought.

Russell Black nervously cleared his throat. “The ‘why’ idn important anymore, son. We need facts. Let us do the justifyin’, if any’s necessary.”

They were in the living room of the congressman’s Georgetown condo, which to Sharon’s way of thinking was the epitome of, well, a condo in Georgetown. The building was new-built-to-look-old, with a ribbon of down-slanted lawn between the porch and sidewalk. The room where they sat contained antique furniture. A narrow mahogany-banistered staircase led upward from the entry hall. The dark red carpet was patterned with nineteenth-century images, horses pulling carriages and women wearing bustles. The furniture was drop-dead gorgeous, and Sharon felt guilty as her backside indented the cushion of a French Provincial love seat. Cas Benedict, wearing slacks and a ski sweater, had escorted Paul and Mattie Ruth into the kitchen the moment they’d arrived; visible through a hallway opening, daughter-in-law and parents-in-law drank cups of espresso and pretended not to eavesdrop. Cas had given Sharon a nod of acknowledgment, followed by a quick questioning glance whose meaning was clear: Had Sharon spilled the beans about their meeting last night? Sharon had answered with a tiny shake of her head. Russ kept his voice low in order to keep from being heard across the hall, and had cautioned Sharon and Will John to do the same.

Sharon balanced her notepad on her thigh. “Russ is right. You don’t have to justify a thing with us. Now, yesterday you told us that you took her to the Green Lantern Bar, in Virginia, and then the two of you went to the Holiday Inn for your first sexual encounter. We have the big picture. We’ll need to know who else might’ve known. Over a six-month period, how many times were you and Courtney Lee, ah, together?” There was a Christmas tree by the window, a live green fir hung with tinsel and shiny blue ornaments. In the fireplace, flames crackled and sizzled, and a log burned in two with a hiss and a shower of sparks. Outside, melting snow drip-dripp-ed from tree branches and turned the gutters into icy rushing streams. They’d had their first brush with the media upon their arrival. As Paul Benedict had rounded the corner in his Mercedes, two mobile news units had stood at the curb.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.