Page 60 of Gates of Tartarus

The officer is still standing with the bouquet, and I notice the ring on his finger. “Hey man, you married?” The guy nods, confused. “You think your wife would like these?”

Looking at me in disbelief, he says, “Hell yeah. It’s gotta be $100 or something.”

“You can have them. They’re all yours.”

Thanking me profusely, he takes them away, all smiles now; and I roll my eyes as I turn back to the team. “He’s going to keep this going for as long as it takes to do what he wants to do without interference. I shouldn’t have gone on that date. The guy’s smarter than we gave him credit for.”

Maddox is about to speak when the alarm on his phone goes off, and he turns on the TV in the room, grim faced.

A cheery-looking newscaster is facing the camera with a conspiratorial look on her face. “Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve been like us here at the studio, curious about our favorite senator’s new mystery woman, Kailani Reed. Here at KCPQ, we’ve found some answers for you. Tonight, exclusive to our station, we learn about Ms. Reed’s tragic childhood from her adoptive mother, Marian Price.”

The screen beside her flashes briefly, then comes into view with startling and heart-stopping clarity. Lucian Price is sitting facing the camera, rigidly uncomfortable, face set in hard lines.God, he’s gotten old,I think inanely, seeing his face for the first time in twenty years. When I knew him, he always had a gentle cheerfulness about him, a softness that invited confidence. The years haven’t been kind to him. His grey hair is wispy – neat, and properly done, but thinning. His face is sallow, almost gaunt, eyes deep set, hands discolored and heavily veined. But it’s the press of his mouth, which, until the end, had always been smiling, which pulls at my heart. Sound comes rushing back with a roar, and I try to focus on the interview. The newscaster is rolling with the change admirably but is clearly confused.

“Hello, Mr. Price! I’m delighted to meet you.”

“I wish I could say the same,” he replies, voice gruff and short.

She looks startled by his response but gamely continues. “I’m happy to have the chance to speak with you. I was under the impression that we’d be talking to Mrs. Price, but of course we’re also very interested in anything you have to say.”

Price flicks his eyes off camera, just for a moment, the briefest of looks. It wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else, I’m sure, just a quick, almost furtive, movement, but I tilt my head curiously. It seemed for all the world like he was looking at someone. “Ma’am,” he begins. “I’m appearing solely to clarify some information, and then neither I nor my wife will be speaking to the press again.” He leans forward, eyes locked on the camera now, and the news reporter shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “You and your ilk have been relentless the past two days in pursuit of a story. You have hounded us mercilessly after obtaining our information illegally and have further broken an already ill woman.”

“Sir!” she tries to interject, but he holds his hand up angrily and speaks over her.

“I said you were given our information illegally, and I meant it. I know for a fact that Ms. Reed’s adoption records were sealed. You have badgered my wife, who is severely mentally ill, dredging up memories which have haunted her for a lifetime, and creating unnecessary anguish for several parties.” The newscaster at this point is silent. “You sat outside our home, outside my place of work, looking for yourstory.” He spits out the last word. “Let me be perfectly clear. We wanted a child and, as such, were not forthcoming at the time with the severity of my wife’s illness. I take full responsibility for that. We were under the impression that it was controlled effectively via medication, which proved to be false. We were negligent in that regard. Ms. Reed was a delightful child, and we treasured every moment we were fortunate enough to have her in our home. And it has been the greatest heartache of our lives that we were unable to provide Ms. Reed with the safety and solidity thatanychild deserves.”

“Ah... Mr. Price, Lucian, if I may…” begins the newswoman, clearly receiving guidance through her earpiece. “Since you knew Ms. Reed as a child–”

“You maynot,” he says firmly. “Your callous and careless pursuit of a story at any cost has had someveryhuman costs, though not paid by you. My wife has re-entered treatment at a facility and will not be available for any further predatory practices on your part. I wouldn’t dare speak for Ms. Reed, but I have to imagine this has been beyond uncomfortable for her. What little peace we have made in this life has been upended. I hope it was worth it for your soundbite.”

“Ah. Yes. Well…” She’s fumbling for words, when he glances off camera again for a quick moment, then, his face set like a decision has been made, he sits up straight in his seat.

“I do have one further thing to say,” he begins, and she grabs onto it.

“Yes, of course, Lucian.”

Looking directly at the camera, meeting my eyes through the lens, Lucian says very firmly and distinctly, “I want to apologize to Ms. Reed. Kailani,” he pauses for a brief moment on the word, then clears his throat, “I failed you. As a father, I failed you. And I’m sorry, Kai. I’m so very sorry.” Face closing in on itself, he clears his throat again and opens his mouth to speak, when there’s a quick motion from off the screen, and the feed is cut.

The newscaster looks around her in confusion, then directs her attention back to the camera with a practiced, thoughtful look. “There you have it,” she says gently. “Raised by mentally ill parents, returned to the system that she now tries desperately to fix, one can only admire the strength of Kailani Reed and wonder, with no small amount of sympathy, what those formative years must have been like for her. Senator Tennireef has called her ‘a woman of character’, and I’m sure that we can all see that here tonight.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” Walker mumbles beside me, drawing my attention. “What about that report indicates you’re a woman of character? Fucking ridiculous.” He frowns at me, brow furrowed. “Loosemoralcharacter maybe,” he says, eyes twinkling, and I smack him. “Ouch! Christ, Reed! Smith, call HR! I want to report this! Character, my ass! I’m being assaulted!”

He’s so ridiculous and over-the-top about it all I can’t help but laugh, shaking off the weight of the interview.

“So that wasn’t too bad...?” Smith asks slowly, questioningly, and I bare my teeth in a rictus smile.

“Well, it wouldn’t have been, would it? D was probably pointing a gun at him the entire time.”

The rest of the team sits up to attention. “What?” Jonah asks, confused.

“You didn’t see Price looking off camera? Then at the end, just for a second, I saw Deo’s hand motion to stop the feed, right before Price cut it.”

“Are you sure? I didn’t see anything,” Maddox asks, and I nod.

“I know Hideo’s hands like my own. My guess is he went to their house, had Mrs. shuttled off to some recovery facility, and instructed Mr. quite firmly on what to say and how to say it.”

“Except the end bit,” Walker adds thoughtfully. “Seems like it got away from Tanaka for a minute there.”

I shrug, unsure of what to say, and Maddox stretches, flexing his arms and pushing out his pecs a bit. I’m not saying I’m staring, but Jonah has to poke me a couple of times to get me to focus on what was being said.

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