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Mr Harper opened his mouth, then shut it He studied Savich’s face and slowly nodded But when Mrs Harper spoke, her tired voice was full of anger "How could this have happened, Agent Savich? We knew Danny, we liked hi man--a law clerk for the United States Supreme Court for heaven’s sake--and you let a Supre itself where thereAnd now everyone is saying that Danny was killed because he was involved so about it I’ you, Danny liked Justice Califano, do you hearhe did so! This can’t be true"

Annie Harper answered her mother, and Savich was pleased to hear so is, we don’t knohat’s true I want to know, don’t you see? No ot to know"

Savich said, "It’s possible the "

Annie Harper shook her head, and looked down at her hands "That’s kind of you to say, Agent Savich, but I know you don’t believe that" Her voice was tired There was no anger in it, only infinite weariness

Savich said, "I understand your frustration, Mrs Harper We will find out who did this and ill find out exactly why it was done" He held her eyes until finally Mrs Harper sagged against her husband’s shoulder Mr Harper put his arent Savich Her ht with you"

"That’s not a probleown back up over her shoulder Perhaps her eyes were a little brighter now He wanted to take her et her to focus on hiive her comfort with the feel of human contact He saw fro his hand, holding her daughter’s He positioned hihter, and turned his back to them There was another bed in the room Thankfully it was empty

"I understand you picked Danny up fro"

Annie nodded "Yes, he was stuffing soave it to him for Christmas, just last month" Her breath hitched, and she fell silent Savich wondered how s were still in her system But her words had seemed coherent, so he waited

"Danny loved that briefcase, always carried it around with hi of any importance in it We took hed about how he shouldn’t take it into thelike that"

Savich saw Mrs Harper hter, but Mr Harper held her in place

"We went to dinner first, at Angelo’s over on Spreckels Street Danny loved the olive, onion, and anchovy pizza there Angelo’s was his favorite restaurant in Washington"

"Where was the etown, you know, that arty theater that’s usually half empty" She looked at her hands, and he felt hers move in his, burrow in a bit "Whenever I said that, Danny would say no, it’s half full" Good, she’d given hi to trust him Her other hand lay open on her lap on top of the thin sheet that covered her, her fingers curved inward, a bit like claws "I didn’t want to see the filhed "Danny had been talking about it for a week and a half I kept putting hi and I couldn’t put hier We went to the nine o’clock show The film was in Croatian, with subtitles, and the translation was so bad the dozen or so people in the theater were laughing Danny didn’t, though It was like he atching a different fillued to the screen It was filmed in Split, that city on the Dale palace that’s still used today"

"When you were at Angelo’s, did you talk about your day?"

"Not really Danny didn’t want to He was always talking about Justice Califano, about Eliza and Fleurette, but Friday night, he just ate, listened to ht You knohat? I was jealous I was thinking about Fleurette and how he thought she was so cool, and I was jealous I wasn’t very nice to hih the motions I wanted to drive aith that Gucci briefcase I spent nearly a week’s salary on, and throw it in a dumpster"