She gave Sam a withering look. “You understand that, too, do you?”
“Shall I drop the façade of politeness and ask what the fuck you were doing with him at the Naval Observatory after having not disclosed your relationship with the Russian opposition leader when you were considered for vice president? Is that better?”
Gretchen shook her head. “You don’t know anything about it.”
“Neither did my husband. Imagine his surprise when he found out you were hanging out with a Russian at your official residence.”
“There was nothing untoward about it. He was an old friend in town for a few weeks.”
Sam tipped her head to gauge whether she was for real. “I’m trying to decide if you’re naïve or stupid, and I’ve never thought you were either of those things.”
“I get how it looks, and for many reasons, I should’ve disclosed the relationship. But I did nothing wrong by seeing an old friend, who, I might add, is fighting for democracy against a ruthless authoritarian.”
“Who wanted him dead?”
“Besides Petrov and everyone in his orbit?”
“Besides them.”
“I have no idea. He didn’t say anything to me about being any more afraid for his life than he’s been since he began his efforts to overthrow Petrov. Since then, his best friend was killed, and Sergei had been poisoned, run off the road and beaten by thugs, but he never stopped fighting.”
“Why was he here?”
“To meet with as many people as he could to help his cause.”
“Including you?”
“I’ve always been supportive of his efforts.”
“I’m sure a meeting with the current vice president was a very exciting opportunity for him. Was he pressuring you to do anything in your official capacity?”
“Not at all. He was taking comfort in the company of an old friend who supported his cause.”
“‘Taking comfort.’ In what form was that comfort provided?”
“He’d been in a dark place since he lost his close friend nine months ago while on a hike. He firmly believed that Petrov had him killed, but of course, he couldn’t prove it—and even if he could, it wouldn’t have mattered. The message was sent and received, and for a time, he backed off the cause, worried for the lives of his ex-wife and young children. In recent months, he sent his family to France, where he hoped they’d be safe from the long arm of Petrov. As you can imagine, his emotional state was fraught.”
The story felt almost like fiction, even though Sam knew it was probably true. Petrov’s depravity was well known throughout the world.
“So Sergei comes to you, his old friend and ex-lover, for comfort during this dark time.”
“Yes, he did. Despite our lives diverging after we left Oxford, I always kept tabs on his work, as I later learned he did with me as well.”
“Even when you were both married to other people?”
“The romantic part of our relationship ended when we were twenty-five, long before either of us was married.”
“Was your romance rekindled during his recent visit?”
“Why would that matter?”
“We’re looking for a reason someone might’ve wanted him dead. Sleeping with the U.S. vice president could speak to motive.”
“Some of the most powerful people in the world wanted him dead, and you’re insinuating that if he was sleeping with me, that could’ve gotten him killed?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Yes, we slept together and had sex and took comfort in each other the way we did years ago, before our lives had become more complicated than we ever could’ve predicted, but I wasn’t using my office to further his cause.”
