Lauren’s snarky and completely legitimate reply, which boileddown to implying the only person who really cared about Edwin Markos’ opinion was Edwin Markos, triggered laughter from the reporters—laughter at my father.
Laughter he imagined he heard ringing through the halls of Congress, apparently, because at least five different people remember how enraged he’d been after the press conference aired. As Lauren’s retort knocked his own sound bite off thetop of the charts, his rage reportedly grew.
Five days later, Lauren was dead.
But of course, my father had an alibi. He’d been at a dinner with twenty other people fifty miles away, so no one looked at him as a suspect.
As I stand there, staring at him, I force myself to process that he will never again walk free. There’s too much evidence, and more being uncovered by the minute.
Already,there are deep background-sourced reports being aired that people have wondered for the past three years if maybe there’s not been some dementia taking hold. I don’t know if that’s him setting up a defense, or if it’s the truth, and it honestly doesn’t matter.
Regardless of his supposed mental condition, when he set the wheels of this plan in motion, he knewexactlywhat the fuck he was doing.
He warned me he’d do it, that day he stopped by the townhouse, in December, after Shae’s first election as POTUS.
His vow that he’d destroy Shae and those she loved.
A vow I mistakenly thought was nothing more than an impotent threat.
This was deliberate, premeditated, and I’ve already given my statement to investigators.
I’m glad I inherited Mom’s looks and not his. Especially her eyes. Idon’t have to look into the mirror and see my father’s muddy brown gaze staring back at me.
Once the FBI finishes processing the house, I’m going to retrieve whatever’s left of Mom’s things, what few good memories I can salvage, and then I’m going to arrange to have it burned to the ground.
Chris and Shae don’t know that, either. I’m not going to tell them.
Leo’s already agreed to help me.Considering the hundreds of death threats that have already rolled in against my father, it won’t be difficult for investigators to believe that it was a random crazy who did it.
My mask doesn’t slip a centimeter as I study this wretched, broken demon and hold my head high.
He finally licks his lips. “Don’t worry, you won’t have time to enjoy this. This is a temporary setback.” He grimly smiles.“Circumstantial evidence, reasonable doubt—”
“No.” I slowly shake my head. “House held an emergency vote forty-five minutes ago. They unanimously expelled you.”
The vote was unprecedented for a number of reasons, but in the wake of everything the country’s been through, they wanted to send an immediate message of unity…and, yes, save their own asses with voters. Normally, a vote like that wouldn’ttake place until after a trial and a conviction, and even then maybe not.
Except as soon as news broke that Dad was arrested yesterday, at least twenty women in five different states and DC stepped forward and immediately filed reports of sexual harassment against him, with incidents dating all the way back to his that failed campaign in Florida. He’d threatened to kill their loved ones if theyexposed him, and he had hinted he’d killed others before and gotten away with it.
Once investigators finish processing the current batch of charges and clear those cases, that’s something else they’ll look into.
There are too many representatives who are already on shaky ground in their districts to allow this kind of blatant fuckery to go unanswered. Far too shaky to risk being perceived asbeing lenient on one of their own.
Hence it was onthosegrounds—the sexual harassment and threats—that they called the expulsion vote.
“The governor of West Virginia will sign an executive order this afternoon to call a special election to fill your seat,” I add, the ultimate insult to injury. I received that confirmation just before walking into the courthouse.
He wobbles to his feet, aninsane grimace contorting his features. “I’ll fight those bastards. They can’t do this. I’ll have my day in court. They’re denying me my right to due process!”
Facing down this man gives me no joy, no pleasure, not an ounce of satisfaction.
It does, however, give the ten-year-old boy strength and closure and the bravery to finally break free of this vampire’s hold.
I step as close as the USMarshal will allow. In a whisper, I tell my father everything that I know,allthe evidence against him—which even his defense attorney doesn’t know yet because we’re only one day into this and discovery motions haven’t been filed.
I don’t gloat as I watch horror seep into his wrinkles and turn the hollows under his eyes into a Death mask. He had no idea so many of his secrets had been ferretedout. He likely thought he’d talk his way out of it, the way he’s talked—or threatened—his way out of all consequences in his life. That he’d create enough reasonable doubt he’d get off and resume his life.
He didn’t know the shell companies and finances have all been tracked back to him—he thought his arrest was triggered by the discovery of the truck.
