Дэвид Балдаччи - The Fix

And that’s all she would say.

“Cissy’s dead?”

Ellie looked at the three of them sitting across from her in the library as though they were aliens just landed on earth.

Decker said, “She was murdered. Shot in the head. Looks to be a professional hit. Do you have any information that could help us on that?”

“I can barely process what you’re telling me,” said Ellie, who looked nearly paralyzed. “I... thought she was here. I just assumed she had come to work, like she always did.”

Jules, Amanda, and Samantha were standing beside their mother, still clad in their robes. All of the daughters looked visibly upset. Samantha was quietly crying. Amanda was leaning her head against Jules’s shoulder. Only Jules seemed in control of herself. She stared resolutely at Decker.

“Are we in danger?” she said.

Decker looked at her. “It’s possible. We can have an agent posted outside the house.”

“Let me ask you another question,” said Jules. “Where is Natalie?”

“She’s in France,” said her mother. “She left yesterday.”

Jules kept her gaze on Decker. “She’s not in France. Corbett texted me last night. She never got on the plane. She called him and said there was a change of plan.”

“What change of plan?” exclaimed Ellie. “What is going on? Where is your sister?”

Jules said, “That’s what I’m asking them. Because Natalie also told Corbett that she had run into some ‘legal trouble’ when leaving the country.”

Brown spoke up. “I’m with DIA, Defense Intelligence. We were investigating your husband for possible espionage, which turned out to be the case.”

“But he was helping out Natalie’s stupid husband,” said Jules.

“No, unknown to your father, he was helping out Natalie. She had the gambling problem, not Corbett. She got your dad involved to solve her debt problem.”

“That’s crap,” snapped Jules. “What proof do you have?”

“We have definitive video proof plus your sister’s confession. She’s already done a deal in exchange for leniency.”

Ellie nearly collapsed off her chair. Jules caught her and shouted, “What the hell do you think you’re doing telling her stuff like this with no warning?”

“I was just answering your question,” replied Brown. “But you need to know that the police will be coming here to interview you about Cecilia Randall’s death. They’ll want to know if you know anything about it.”

“What could we possibly know?” demanded Jules.

“They’ll also want to know if you have alibis for when she was killed.”

“You can’t possibly think that we had anything to do with Cissy’s death,” said Ellie. “She... she was part of our family. She helped raise the girls, for God’s sake.”

“The police will still ask for alibis,” said Decker. “It’s standard procedure.”

“When was she killed?” asked Jules.

“Early this morning. Say around two or so.”

“Well, we were all here asleep,” said Jules.

“And each of you can verify that the others were here?” said Brown.

Ellie said, “I went to bed around eleven. I heard Jules and Samantha come upstairs around midnight. I was reading and heard them talking.”

“And I opened the door and said good night to Mom,” said Jules.

“And I did too,” said Samantha. “And Jules and I are sharing a room. We have our own bedrooms, but... I didn’t want to be alone. I went to bed around one, but I went back downstairs for my glasses and I checked on Mom. She was sound asleep. And so was Jules when I got back to the room.”

“Okay, that accounts for you three,” said Brown, turning to Amanda. “And you?”

Amanda abruptly sat down. “I... I went up to bed before anyone else. I wasn’t feeling well. I went to sleep and just woke up about an hour ago.”

“So you didn’t talk to or see anyone else?” Brown looked at the others. “Did any of you check on your sister last night?”

“Oh come on,” barked Jules. “Look at her. She’s only got one arm. Do you really think she’s capable of shooting a gun? And she’s seen Cissy, what, maybe a handful of times over the last ten years. Why in the hell would she kill her? Why would any of us, for that matter?”

“We’re not saying that you did. We’re actually doing you a favor, because when the police come and ask, you’ll have ready answers.”

Jules seemed taken aback by this and sat next to Amanda and put an arm protectively around her.

Ellie said, “Where is Natalie?”

“She’s with the FBI right now.”

“Is she... is she going to prison?”

“I have no way of knowing those details,” said Brown. “I can tell you that the possible charges against her are very serious. I would not be surprised if she didn’t spend some time in prison.”

“Oh my God!” gushed Samantha.

Amanda burst into tears. “What the hell is going on? Our whole family is disintegrating right in front of us.”

Jules stared over at Brown. “We didn’t kill Cissy. We didn’t know anything about what Nat may or may not have done. I still don’t understand why Daddy killed himself. I... I...” She pulled away from Amanda and put her head in her hands.

In a trembling voice, Ellie said, “Would you mind if we were just left alone for a while? We just need to be... to be together as a family for just a little while.”

Decker, Brown, and Jamison stood. Decker said, “We’re going to figure this out, Mrs. Dabney. One way or another.”

“But that won’t bring back Walt, or Cissy. Or change what will happen to Natalie.”

“No ma’am, it won’t.”

They filed out, leaving the crushed Dabney family in the library.

Outside, Brown turned to Decker.

“What do you think?”

“I think something is off, but I don’t know what it is.”

“You want to explain what you meant?”

Decker had climbed out of Brown’s car and headed into the WFO. Jamison had stayed seated. When Decker looked back at her, she waved him on. He glanced at Brown and then walked to the entrance and disappeared inside.

Brown eyed Jamison in the rearview. “I thought I was pretty clear.”

“Clear as mud. Right and wrong. You didn’t say what about.”

“You want to do this now?”

“We can keep putting it off and the resentment will continue to build and maybe we get to a point where nothing the other says will matter.”

Brown put the car in park, undid her seat belt, and turned to look at Jamison.

“You were right that I screwed up. But you were wrong that I don’t care. I care what Decker thinks about me. And I care about Melvin, even though I haven’t known him very long. I got a good vibe from him right away. We talked. A lot. He thinks the world of you and Decker. I would never hurt Melvin, and I know he would never hurt me. He’s not that kind of a guy. Believe me, I know the kind that would. I’ve dated them.”

“I have too,” conceded Jamison. “Look, I was pretty rough on you, and that wasn’t fair.”

“I’m used to things not being fair. My father was a good guy and a great soldier. He did wonderful things at DIA. But he wanted a son, not a daughter. But I was all he had. He didn’t discourage me from joining the ranks, but it wasn’t like he encouraged me either. Maybe he didn’t care one way or another. But it still felt like someone had stuck a shiv between my ribs when I told him I’d joined DIA and all he could say was, ‘Are you sure you want to do that, because isn’t it time you settle down and start a family?’ I’d busted my ass to serve at the same agency he had. And that’s all he could say?”