Capitol murder

Chapter Five

Brad was enjoying his job as a legislative assistant to Senator Carson, but he soon found that the pace of work was much faster than the pace at the United States Supreme Court. There were two gears in Senator Carson’s office, fast and slow. When the Senate was not in session or the senator was not in D.C., Brad could dress casually and come to work a little later than usual, although he had so much work even in slow gear that he was at the office by eight and didn’t leave until six or seven. When the Senate was in session or the senator was in D.C., he was expected to dress in a suit and tie, everything ran at hyper speed, and he might not get home until after ten.

Eating breakfast at home was a luxury Brad could not afford, no matter what the gear. Almost all of the staffers grabbed breakfast in one of the Capitol cafeterias and ate at their desks. Brad’s staple was orange juice, a toasted bagel, and coffee. While he ate, he was expected to digest not only food but the contents of the Oregonian, Portland’s daily paper, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Congressional Quarterly, a privately produced paper that covered every legislative action in Congress and that Brad found stacked at the entrance to the senator’s office every day.

When he was hired, Brad had been assigned a portfolio heavy on legal issues. Lucas Sharp, the senator’s chief of staff, had told him to start each day by scanning publications for issues in his portfolio. Brad was expected to be up to speed on every issue in his portfolio so he could advise Senator Carson on whether to support, oppose, or try to modify a piece of legislation. Sharp had warned Brad that the worst thing that could happen to him was to field a call from his boss about an article he had not read. In addition to reading the papers, Brad learned about each subject by talking to the staffs of NGOs, lobbyists, concerned citizens, representatives of labor and business, and anyone else who had a view on an issue.

Senators’ offices were located in three buildings: Russell, the oldest; Dirksen, the second oldest; and Hart, the new kid on the block. The party in power had first choice of offices and the senators chose in order of seniority. After an election, life in the Senate was like a game of musical chairs. When a party out of power gained a majority, the losing party’s senators had to move if the winners wanted their offices.

Senator Carson’s office was in Dirksen. Hart was the building closest to Brad’s apartment, and he usually used its staff entrance so he could get inside as fast as possible. D.C. was freezing in winter and hot and humid in summer. A corridor in Hart led to the Dirksen building and was one of many corridors and underground tunnels that connected the office buildings to each other and the Capitol.

Brad had convinced himself that there was no reason to worry about Clarence Little, but two days after reading about the reversal of Little’s convictions, Brad’s self-confidence evaporated. Brad rarely received personal mail at his Senate office, so he was surprised to find the plain white envelope with no return address sitting on his blotter when he got back from lunch. Then he recognized the handwriting on the envelope. It was identical to the writing on the envelope he had received on the evening of the presidential election. Brad’s mouth was dry, and he felt slightly nauseated as he opened the envelope and read the letter it contained. Dear Brad, I hope this letter finds you in good health and enjoying your exciting new job. There is plenty of excitement here on death row, too. My convictions have been reversed. I will soon have new trials, which I hope will end in “Not Guilty” verdicts and freedom. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could visit you and your lovely bride in our nation’s capital? And, speaking of Ginny, how is the love of your life? I hope things are still piping hot between you two. Your Friend, Clarence

Who had smuggled this letter and the letter Clarence had sent him on the night Maureen Gaylord was elected president out of the penitentiary? Was it a guard Little had bribed or his attorney? Brad decided that it wasn’t worth his time to find out.

Should he write Little and tell him to stop writing? No, that would just encourage the psychopath. Brad hadn’t answered Clarence’s first letter, and he decided that he wouldn’t answer this one.

Brad thought about the new trials. After mentally reviewing everything he knew about the cases, he concluded that the chance of Little winning his freedom was small. The best that could happen if he got a top-flight attorney was a life sentence. When Brad calmed down, he started to crumple up the letter to use in a game of wastepaper basketball, but he stopped and put it in the lower drawer of his desk instead.