“That doesn’t mean-”
“I’m not talking about courtesy-I’m talking about the underneath. She may let you touch her cookies, and she may be a braggable girlfriend, but you know the rumors-X, Special K, maybe some cocaine… ”
“Who said she’s doing coke?”
“No one. At least not yet. That’s why we call it a rumor, my friend. It’s too big to print without a source.”
I stay silent.
“You don’t know her, Michael. You may’ve watched her throw Frisbees with her dog on the South Lawn, and you may’ve seen her go off to her first sociology class at college, but that’s not her life. Those’re just press clippings and fluff for the nightlies. The rest of the picture is hidden. And the picture’s huge.”
“So you’re saying I should just abandon her?”
“Abandon her?” he laughs. “After all you’ve done… no one could accuse you of that. Not even Nora.”
He’s right. But it doesn’t make it any easier. When I don’t respond, he adds, “It’s really starting to get to you, isn’t it?”
“I just don’t like how everyone automatically paints the target on her.”
“On her? What abou-” He catches himself. And sees the look on my face. “Oh, jeez, Michael, don’t tell me you’re… Oh, you are, aren’t you? This isn’t just about protecting her… you’re actually starting to like her now, aren’t you?”
“No,” I shoot back. “Now you’re reading too much into it.”
“Really?” he challenges. “Then answer me this: Sexually speaking, when you went out that first night, what actually happened?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You want me to ask in Latin? The two of you went on a date. Before you left, you swore you’d give me every last detail. In fact, I think the quote was, ‘I’m gonna check out the underwear on the First Daughter.’ You were all primed for the locker room debriefing-so let’s hear it. What actually happened? How’d she kiss? Throw me some play-by-play.”
Once again, I’m silent.
“Don’t hold back,” Trey adds. “Was she good or tongue-sloppy?”
My mind is flooded with images of her in my arms… and the way she slid her hand across my thigh… Oh, man, Trey would die if he heard tha-I stop myself and look down at the muted blue industrial carpet.
“So?” Trey asks. “Tell me what happened.”
I’m sure every guy who’s ever dated her has been put in this position. My answer comes in a whisper. “No.”
“What?”
“No,” I repeat. “It’s no one’s business. Not even yours.”
Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms against his chest, Trey leans back in his seat. “Just because you’ve seen her on the TV in your living room, doesn’t mean she’s been there, Michael. Besides, even if the whisperings are wrong, first and foremost, she’s Hartson’s daughter.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means she’s got politics in her blood. So if the two of you get pinned against the wall, well… she’ll be the one slithering away.”
CHAPTER 11
The first thing I do when I get home is open the tiny metal mailbox for apartment 708, collect my newest pile of mail, and head over to the front desk. “Anything down there?” I ask Fidel, who’s been the building’s doorman since before I moved in.
He looks below the counter, where they keep the packages.
“Can you also check for Sidney?” I add.
He stands up holding a cardboard box with a FedEx sticker on it and slaps it on the counter. It rattles like a Spanish maraca. “Nothing for you; pills for Sidney,” Fidel says, flashing his wide smile.
With my briefcase in one hand and mail in the other, I wedge the package under my armpit, slide it off the desk, and head for the elevator. “Have a good night, Fidel.”
Angling the corner of the oversized box to press the elevator button marked 7, I stare at the name on the package. Sidney Gottesman. Apartment 709. Celebrating his ninety-sixth birthday in October, Sidney’s been my neighbor for the past two years. And bedridden for two months.
When I first moved in, on a Superbowl Sunday, he was nice enough to invite me over to watch the game-he was asleep by the second quarter. When his doctors amputated his right leg because of diabetes complications, I did my best to return Sidney’s favor. In his wheelchair, he can handle the mail-he just hates taking packages.
Balancing the package in one arm and my briefcase in the other, I knock on his door. “Sidney! It’s me!” He doesn’t answer. He never answers.
Knowing the routine, I leave the box on his rubber doormat and cross the hall to my apartment. As I turn, the hallway’s quiet. More quiet than when I arrived. The building’s air-conditioning hums. The dryer in the laundry room tumbles. Behind me, I hear the clunky arrival of the elevator. I spin around to see who’s there, but no one gets out. The door slides shut. The hallway’s still silent.
Searching for my keys, I reach into my right pocket, then my left. They’re not there. Damn. Don’t tell me I… Did I leave them downstairs with the… No-here-in my hand. Wasting no time, I shove the key into my front door and twist the lock. “Looking for a new job?” a man’s voice asks from down the hall.
Startled, I turn to my right and see Joel Westman, my next-door neighbor, coming out of his apartment. “Excuse me?” I ask.
“Some guy knocked on my door this afternoon and asked me a few quick questions about you. Last time that happened, it was the FBI.”
My briefcase slips from my hand and falls to the floor. As it hits, the locks pop open, releasing my papers all along the front of my door.
“You okay there?” Joel asks.
“Y-Yeah. Of course,” I say, struggling to sweep the papers back into place. When I started at the White House, the FBI talked to my neighbors as part of the background check. Whatever they’re up to, it’s faster than I expected.
“So you’re not looking for a new job?”
“No,” I say with a forced laugh. “They’re probably just updating their files.” As Joel heads up the hall, I add, “What’d they ask anyway?”
“It was just one guy this time. Late twenties. Boston accent. Heavy on the gold chains.”
I look up at Joel, but stifle my reaction. Since when does the FBI wear gold chains?
“I know, kinda weird, but… hey, whatever keeps the nation safe,” Joel continues. “Don’t sweat it, though-he didn’t ask anything speciaclass="underline" what I knew about you; when you were home; what kind of hours you kept. Similar to last time.” Joel starts to read the nervousness on my face. “Was I not supposed to say anything?”
“No, no, not at all. They do this every couple of years. Nothing to worry about.”
As Joel heads toward the elevator, I’m left trying to figure out who he was talking to. A minute ago, I was panicked by the FBI. Now I’m praying for them.
Opening the door to my apartment, I notice a sheet of paper folded in half. Someone slipped it under the door while I was gone. Inside is a three-word message: “We Should Talk.” It’s signed “P. Vaughn.”
P. Vaughn, P. Vaughn, P. Vaughn. I roll the name through my subconscious, but nothing comes up. Behind me, the front door to my apartment slams shut. I jump from the bang. Although the sun hasn’t set, the apartment feels dark. As quickly as possible, I turn on the lights in the hallway, the kitchen, and the living room. Something still feels wrong.
In the kitchen, I hear the measured pings of the leaky faucet. Two days ago, it was a sound I had long since internalized. Today, all it does is remind me of finding Caroline. The puddle of coffee that ran to the floor. One eye straight, one eye cockeyed.
I pull a sponge from the counter and stuff it in the drain. It doesn’t stop the leaking, but it muffles the sound. Now all I notice is the muted humming of the central air-conditioning. Desperate for silence, I head toward the living room and shut it off. It fades with an awkward cough.