Flick said, “Relaxing your posture in order to tell me you’re not concerned. Pathetic attempt at insouciance.”
“What would I be concerned about, Cameron?”
“My getting acquitted.”
I smiled. Milo laughed.
Flick said, “Expected response. Again, constricted by lack of imagination.”
“You murdered a lot of people, Cameron.”
“Expected response. Tell me, do you enjoy parades?”
“Not particularly.”
Flick smirked. “Evenprideparades?”
Winking.I’ve done research on you.
Milo’s failure to react made Flick blink.
He repeated the question. Vocally twisting the word “pride.”
Milo said, “Even them.”
“I doubt that but now you’re reaching for theunexpected response,” said Flick. “Well, putting that aside, a lot of people do enjoy parades. And who’s often honored at a parade?”
“A hero.”
“A military hero. And what did that military hero do to garner admiration?”
Milo said, “You want me to say he killed a lot of people.”
“It’s not a matter of what I want,” said Flick. “It’s a fact. Heroes are mass murderers who get to ride in parade floats.”
“You see yourself as a war hero.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Just like good old G.I. Joe, I eliminate bad people.”
“Whitney Killeen—”
“Was in danger of destroying a family.”
“So it was time for cruel to be kind.”
“Are you being dense to annoy me or have we simply reached the limits of your education-starved imagination? Pay attention: Nothing separates heinous from heroic other than intent.”
“Leaving a two-year-old in a boat next to his mother’s corpse was heroic.”
Flick lifted a free index finger into the air and waved it. “The ultimate expected response. I don’t need to explain myself to you but I will. That child was never in danger. I observed him closely and had, in fact, every intent to rescue him when a nosy neighbor showed up and simplified matters.”
“Meanwhile, he’s next to his mom’s bloody corpse.”
“Not an issue,” said Flick. “Memories registered that early inevitably fade.”
“Do they.”
“If you knew your child psychology, you wouldn’t even raise the issue.”
