drive-by shooting on the evening of that senior center visit you mentioned. An ironic end for a major gun advocate. I have friends who’ve spoken to him at various social gatherings and they all tell me that he was obsessed with finding fault with others. If he wanted to find fault he should have looked at his employer. I’m certain that Fitzgerald is not the choirboy he pretends to be. But Mr. O’Reilly wasn’t interested in exposing the hypocrisy within his own camp. He just wanted to destroy those who disagreed with his opinions. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but he was an awful, awful man. He had no scruples whatsoever.”
I had to bite my tongue in order to keep from protesting. I may have only met Eugene that one time but he was not awful. Although, the Da Vinci thing was a little obnoxious, but that had been Melanie’s problem, not Anne’s. “How can you be sure it was Mr. O’Reilly?” I asked.
“For one thing, he used to be an agent in the FBI, which makes him the only trained investigator who worked for Fitzgerald that I know of, and secondly…well let’s just say that people have told me that he was asking a lot of inappropriate questions about me.”
“Inappropriate in what way?” Anatoly asked.
“Questions about my marriage and the like. He used various pretenses in order to contact several men whom I’ve shared friendships with at one point or another. He approached my old friend William in a bar with a story about how he was having an affair with a married woman. In reality the only married woman Eugene was ever involved with was his own wife. I’m sure he was hoping his lie would encourage William to let something sordid slip about the relationship he used to have with me, not that there was anything sordid about it,” she added quickly. “We were just friends.”
Why didn’t I believe that? “So Mr. O’Reilly was really poking his nose where it didn’t belong. I suppose things are easier for you now that he’s gone.”
Anne swallowed hard and she leaned back in her chair. “I’m not glad that he’s dead if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not a monster no matter what Fitzgerald would have people believe.”
“That’s obvious,” said Anatoly. “But I think what Sophie was getting at is that if the man on Fitzgerald’s team who was investigating you is no longer around, you will now have the luxury of focusing on the issues that you’re so passionate about rather than having to defend your personal life.”
“Of course I want to talk about the issues,” Anne said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m glad Mr. O’Reilly is dead. What happened to him was just…horrific.” Anne said the last word with feeling, and she paused for a moment as if to consider its truth. “It also perfectly demonstrates why gun control is so important,” she continued with considerably less emotion. “No one should have the means to randomly kill someone on the street. It also demonstrates why we need to reach out to the urban youth. If we spent more money on our schools and made it possible for parents to find safe low-income housing…”
I tuned out. Whether or not she was willing to admit it, Anne Brooke’s life was a lot easier without Eugene around. But would she really have someone killed just so she could cover up a few affairs?
Anatoly crossed his ankle over his knee and smiled at her benignly. “You have some wonderful ideas. I wish you were running for Congress in my district.”
This from the man who had voted for the Terminator.
“I’m also impressed with how you’re able to stay so well informed about the goings-on in your opponent’s camp.”
Anne shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that not only do you know that Eugene O’Reilly was the person Fitzgerald enlisted to research your past, but you also know a lot of personal details about O’Reilly himself.”
Anne laughed but it sounded forced. “You give me too much
I had to bite my tongue in order to keep from protesting. I may have only met Eugene that one time but he was not awful. Although, the Da Vinci thing was a little obnoxious, but that had been Melanie’s problem, not Anne’s. “How can you be sure it was Mr. O’Reilly?” I asked.
“For one thing, he used to be an agent in the FBI, which makes him the only trained investigator who worked for Fitzgerald that I know of, and secondly…well let’s just say that people have told me that he was asking a lot of inappropriate questions about me.”
“Inappropriate in what way?” Anatoly asked.
“Questions about my marriage and the like. He used various pretenses in order to contact several men whom I’ve shared friendships with at one point or another. He approached my old friend William in a bar with a story about how he was having an affair with a married woman. In reality the only married woman Eugene was ever involved with was his own wife. I’m sure he was hoping his lie would encourage William to let something sordid slip about the relationship he used to have with me, not that there was anything sordid about it,” she added quickly. “We were just friends.”
Why didn’t I believe that? “So Mr. O’Reilly was really poking his nose where it didn’t belong. I suppose things are easier for you now that he’s gone.”
Anne swallowed hard and she leaned back in her chair. “I’m not glad that he’s dead if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not a monster no matter what Fitzgerald would have people believe.”
“That’s obvious,” said Anatoly. “But I think what Sophie was getting at is that if the man on Fitzgerald’s team who was investigating you is no longer around, you will now have the luxury of focusing on the issues that you’re so passionate about rather than having to defend your personal life.”
“Of course I want to talk about the issues,” Anne said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m glad Mr. O’Reilly is dead. What happened to him was just…horrific.” Anne said the last word with feeling, and she paused for a moment as if to consider its truth. “It also perfectly demonstrates why gun control is so important,” she continued with considerably less emotion. “No one should have the means to randomly kill someone on the street. It also demonstrates why we need to reach out to the urban youth. If we spent more money on our schools and made it possible for parents to find safe low-income housing…”
I tuned out. Whether or not she was willing to admit it, Anne Brooke’s life was a lot easier without Eugene around. But would she really have someone killed just so she could cover up a few affairs?
Anatoly crossed his ankle over his knee and smiled at her benignly. “You have some wonderful ideas. I wish you were running for Congress in my district.”
This from the man who had voted for the Terminator.
“I’m also impressed with how you’re able to stay so well informed about the goings-on in your opponent’s camp.”
Anne shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that not only do you know that Eugene O’Reilly was the person Fitzgerald enlisted to research your past, but you also know a lot of personal details about O’Reilly himself.”
Anne laughed but it sounded forced. “You give me too much
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