Blowout

if your stepfather was ever involved with anyone other than your mother? Did he ever make a pass at you?”
    She shook her head at him. “That’s such a strange question to ask about my stepfather. He simply wasn’t like that.”
    Savich said, “So, from what you heard five years ago, do you think your mom was winning the argument?”
    “This is quite a round robin you’ve got going here, and all of you fall into it so smoothly. My mother could argue with the devil, Agent Savich. If she and my stepfather ever got into it other than that one time, my nickel would be on her, mainly for persistence. She’s strong, my mother. This horrible murder has flattened her, but she’ll rebound, you’ll see.”
    Sherlock asked, “Do you think she loved her husband?”
    “Yes, I believe it. As I said, around me, they rarely argued, never questioned what the other chose to do. When they were alone? Sure, why not? I assume all married folk argue from time to time. Why all these questions? Do you think my mother killed him?”
    Savich said, “Of course not. All these questions help us get a handle on how Justice Califano lived his life, how he dealt with the people close to him. The more we know, the faster we’ll find your stepfather’s killer. Do you know of any possible enemies Justice Califano had? Anyone he disliked?”
    She thought a moment, cupping her hand around the still-warm coffee cup. “There were a number of politicians he didn’t care for, and there were some lawyers he believed were scum, but who doesn’t? Anyone close to him—sorry, but I can’t think of anyone right now.”
    “How was your relationship with your stepfather recently?” Detective Raven asked.
    “It was fine. The truth is I was well aware of who my stepfather was—impossible not to realize that your mother’s husband is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Everyone who knew was completely bowled over—there are a lot of sycophants out there—but truth be told, he was just my stepfather, nothing more, nothing less.”
    “You said you admired his brilliance.”
    “Detective Raven, he could have chewed you up for breakfast and still enjoyed his croissant.”
    Officer Kreider laughed, then coughed into her hand. “Sorry, the coffee went down the wrong way.”
    “I did some debating in college myself.” Was there a bit of a snit in Detective Raven’s voice?
    Sherlock said, “Ms. Markham—”
    “Please call me Callie since I have this feeling we’re going to get quite chummy.”
    “That’s fine. Call me Sherlock. My husband is Dillon.”
    “You two are married?”
    “Nearly forever,” Savich said. “Ever since she shot me dead in Hogan’s Alley. That’s a dummy town down at Quantico that has the world’s highest crime rate. Agents-in-training catch bad guys there. She caught me and brought me down.”
    “And my name is Ben,” said Detective Raven. He eyed Callie a moment, saw that she seemed to have it together, but that could change. “Now, Callie, when did you last see Justice Califano?”
    “Last weekend, our usual Saturday-morning brunch.” Her voice caught and she fell silent. She swallowed. “I was coming over this morning for brunch. It was a surprise since they thought I was in New York.”
    “What did he think of this Jonah character you were hanging out with?”
    “The Jonah character happens to be on staff at The New York Times, Detective Raven. My stepfather once said he only had to read the first two lines of Jonah’s supposed hard news, and the bias smacked him in the face. But he also said if anyone wanted to have objective news, he’d have to go to Mars. There was no such thing here on earth. The truth was, he thought Jonah Blazer was an opportunist. I did hear him say that once when he didn’t know I was listening.”
    Savich said, “And what did your stepfather think of your reporting, Callie?”
    “As I said, my stepfather was a very smart man. When one of my investigative pieces impressed him, and it did happen twice, he told me. Otherwise, he stayed out of it. We made a deal after I started with The Washington Post— get that look off your face, Detective Raven, he didn’t help me get the job at the Post . I got it on my own merits.” She paused, drew in a deep breath. “Okay, they probably hoped I’d dish up insider news to them on the Supreme Court, but I never did. I never would. It worked well.”
    “I thought it was going to be ‘Ben.’ ”
    “Not