He started shaking Kelly, who struggled to break free. The two tussled, and Addis pulled Kelly closer. The Secret Service men looked at Grayton, awaiting an order. Addis tightened his hold on Kelly. Grayton slid his arms between the two and pushed Addis back. Addis breathed hard and stared at Grayton. He held his right hand inside his jacket, as if he were clutching his side.

“Nick Addis the tough guy—that was not very characteristic,” Grayton said.

Addis said nothing. He dropped his arms to his side. Don’t move too much, he told himself.

“Yeah,” Kelly said, straightening his tie, “they found traces in her blood. So there are people thinking, like, maybe, she could’ve gotten out of the car, if it weren’t for that. Since you two were seen at this club before the incident, well then, maybe, somehow, you might be … I don’t know, responsible or something. I’m no lawyer, but there’s manslaughter. I know that. And other things when drugs are involved. Now, as I said, this is all unofficial. We just got a heads-up. From friends on the force. So, maybe … And, damn, Nick, think how shitty her folks are going to feel. That maybe, maybe, if it weren’t for that shit, she might have … well, you know.”

What god-damn assholes. Can they pull off some stunt like this? Who the fuck knows?

“And,” Grayton added. “That other lady friend of yours. The lawyer. On-again, off-again. One of the partners in her firm has been backdooring funds between a prominent union and your party. Right, Ham?”

Kelly shrugged: “It’s too bad some of our people get so wrapped up in winning.”

“The Bureau’s been looking into this,” Grayton said. “There’s a union informant telling stories. And the agent handling him—well, he’s not certain if the informant has mentioned a Ms. Holly Rudd. There have been hours of interrogation. But he’s going to ask the informant about her. Sometimes asking the right question at the right time jogs a memory.”

“A memory,” Kelly repeated.

“Dead or alive, reputations do matter, Nick,” Grayton said. “Don’t they? In the end, that’s all one has, isn’t it?”

You fuckheads give me no choice. And you don’t know it.

“Henry, see Mr. Addis back to his office,” Grayton said to one of the Secret Service men. He kept his hand on Addis’s arm. “We’ll talk more after the President leaves.”

The door to the Oval Office opened, and Mumfries walked out. He was reading a document. “Mrs. Dee, can you explain where—”

He looked up at the people gathered outside his office.

“Holding a meeting?” he asked. “Nick, is Margaret okay? You were there, right?”

“Yes, Mr. President—”

“Didn’t even come close,” Grayton interrupted. He squeezed Addis’s arm.

“Good,” Mumfries said. “It’s turning into a god-damn free-fire zone.”