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“I guess Sir Jaht training, right contacts It seemed inevitable”
“In spite of what you wanted, you mean?”
She took a sip of the beer, holding it in her“I ask myself that from time to time”
“And what’s the answer?”
“It changes And ht where I need t
o be Maybe I can even find out what really happened to my poor dad” She pushed her plate away and sat back, put her feet up on the porch railing “What about you? You and Sir Jauess I never will”
“They wouldto you”
“What did it feel like, to do what you did?”
Stone rose and stared out at the toht The weather in DC, miserably hot and humid in the summer, and uncomfortably raw in the winter, could suddenly evolve to times like this, when the climate was perfect and you wished the day would never end
She stood next to him “Look I won’t push it,” Chapman said quietly “It’s really none of my business”
“It got to the point where I didn’t feel anything anymore,” Stone said
“But how did you get out?”
“I’m not sure I ever did”
“Was it your wife?”
Stone turned to her “I thought your boss was more discreet”
“It wasn’t hiuess based on my own observations”
“What observations?” Stone said sharply
“Of you,” she answered sis that matter to you Like friends”
Stone turned away “Good guess,” he said
“So why did you come back in the fold? After that?”
“I guess I could say I had no choice”
“I think someone like you would always have a choice”
Stone didn’t speak for a long tiraves A breeze rippled over them and Chapman wrapped her arms around herself
“I have a lot of regrets,” Stone said finally
“So this is aboutamends?”
“I don’t think I can ever ent Chapman”
“Please, just call me Mary We’re off duty now”
He glanced at her “Okay, Mary Have you ever killed anyone? Intentionally?”
“Once”
Stone nodded “And how did you feel?”
“Happy at first That it wasn’t me dead And then I felt sick I’d been trained to do it, of course, but—”
“No training can prepare you for it”
“I guess not” She clenched the porch railing “So how many people do you reckon you’ve killed?”