“It’s for my information now, but I can’t guarantee it’ll stay that way. If something you tell me helps to make this case, it’s apt to come out in court. As much as we might wish otherwise, murder victims are often put on trial right along with their killers.”

“That’s so wrong.”

“Unfortunately, it’s just the way it is.”

Nick made an A-frame out of his hands and rested his chin on the point. “John was a reluctant senator. He used to joke that he was Prince Harry to Terry’s Prince William. Terry was the anointed one, groomed all his life to follow his father into politics. While Terry always lived in the public eye, John had a relatively normal life. For some reason, the press took an unusual interest in Terry’s comings and goings. His name was mentioned on the political and gossip pages almost as often as his father’s, and this was long before his father announced his retirement.”

“It must’ve been tough to deal with all that attention.”

Nick laughed, which chased the tension from his face. “Terry loved it. He ate it up. He was Washington’s most eligible bachelor, and he took full advantage, let me tell you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a smart political strategy.”

“Oh, it wasn’t. He and the senator—his father, I mean—had huge, knock-down brawls over his lifestyle. I witnessed a few of them. But somehow Terry managed to stay one step ahead of the scandalmongers—that is until he got arrested for drunk driving three weeks before he was supposed to announce his candidacy for his father’s seat. No amount of spin can get you out of that.”

“Ouch. I remember this. It’s all coming back to me now.”

“Graham was devastated. Before today, I’ve never seen him so crushed. That this son he’d placed all these hopes and dreams on had so totally let him down…”

“How did Terry take it?”

“Like a wounded puppy, like it was someone else’s fault. He was full of excuses. John was totally disgusted by him. At one point, he said, ‘Why doesn’t he just be a man and admit he made a mistake?’”

“Did he say this to Terry?”

“I doubt it. They were never really close. Terry loved all the attention, and John did his best to stay well below the radar.”

“Until Terry forced him into the spotlight,” Sam said, starting to get a clearer picture of the O’Connor family.