hung in the bedroom, a gift from Selena. Selena sat at the table reading a magazine and humming to herself. Nick stood at the stove making them something to eat.
He looked over at her and thought about the file in his top dresser drawer, the one Adam had given him. He had decided that it was time to show it to her.
Nick knew Adam only as a disembodied electronic voice from the other side of a partition in the back seat of an armored Cadillac. He'd never seen what Adam looked like. He didn't even know if Adam was a man or a woman.
Nick would come out of his building and Adam's black Cadillac would be waiting by the curb. He'd get in the car, they'd drive around for a while, and Adam would talk about unpleasant things he thought Nick needed to know, about unpleasant people planning the kinds of things that started wars. The problem was that he was always right. Nick thought of him as a kind of personal messenger from the gods of conspiracy.
Just a week before, Adam had given him a classified CIA file from the days of the Cold War, when records and reports were printed on paper and kept in locked cabinets instead of computers. He'd told Nick it would affect his relationship with Selena. After he'd read it, he wished he'd never seen the damn thing. He'd been unable to make up his mind about when to tell her about it. The contents of that file were going to upset her and make her unhappy. It was about the deaths of Selena's family, killed when she'd been ten years old. Their car had gone over a cliff near Big Sur.
An accident, the police said. Except it hadn't been an accident. The file revealed that her family had been murdered by the KGB. Worse, it proved that Selena's father had been a spy. A traitor. How could he tell her that?
Nick stirred the vegetables and meat simmering on the stove and added a little cayenne, a dash of salt.
"You hungry?" he said.
Selena smiled. "Starving. Whatever you're making over there, it smells good."
"Just stir fry, nothing special."
Nick scooped the food out of the pan and put it in a bowl. He carried the steaming bowl over to the table, dished some onto Selena's plate and his own and sat down. They began eating.
"A lot of people are praying for Rice," Selena said.
"He's tough. He'll make it."
"Who do you think went after Elizabeth?" Selena took a sip of white wine and set her glass back down on the table.
"I don't know."
Nick pushed his food around on his plate.
"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"
After two years with Nick, Selena had gotten good at reading him.
Somewhere in his mind a quiet voice said tell her . He was tired of walking a mental tightrope about it. She'd handle it, or she wouldn't. It was time to come clean.
"The last time I saw Adam he gave me something."
Selena knew about Adam, everyone in the Project did. She waited.
"A file," he said.
"A file? What kind of file?"
"A classified file from Langley. From the 80s. Adam said it's the only copy."
"What's in it?"
Nick sighed. "It's about your father."
"Adam gave you a CIA file about my father? When were you planning on letting me know?"
"That's what I'm doing now."
"Why would he do that? Give it to you?"
"I suppose he wanted me to know what's in it."
She set her fork down "Where is it?"
"In the other room."
"Maybe you'd better show it to me."
Nick sighed again. He got up and went into the bedroom and took the folder from the drawer. He set the file down on the table in front of her and went over to the liquor cabinet. He was going to need something stronger than wine once she'd read the contents. Nick poured himself an Irish whiskey and went back to the table and sat down. He pushed away the remains of his meal. He'd lost his appetite.
Selena read in silence. He watched the impact of what she was reading sink in. She finished reading and went back to the beginning and began to go through the papers again. After a while she looked up. Her eyes were wet.
"Why didn't you show this to me
He looked over at her and thought about the file in his top dresser drawer, the one Adam had given him. He had decided that it was time to show it to her.
Nick knew Adam only as a disembodied electronic voice from the other side of a partition in the back seat of an armored Cadillac. He'd never seen what Adam looked like. He didn't even know if Adam was a man or a woman.
Nick would come out of his building and Adam's black Cadillac would be waiting by the curb. He'd get in the car, they'd drive around for a while, and Adam would talk about unpleasant things he thought Nick needed to know, about unpleasant people planning the kinds of things that started wars. The problem was that he was always right. Nick thought of him as a kind of personal messenger from the gods of conspiracy.
Just a week before, Adam had given him a classified CIA file from the days of the Cold War, when records and reports were printed on paper and kept in locked cabinets instead of computers. He'd told Nick it would affect his relationship with Selena. After he'd read it, he wished he'd never seen the damn thing. He'd been unable to make up his mind about when to tell her about it. The contents of that file were going to upset her and make her unhappy. It was about the deaths of Selena's family, killed when she'd been ten years old. Their car had gone over a cliff near Big Sur.
An accident, the police said. Except it hadn't been an accident. The file revealed that her family had been murdered by the KGB. Worse, it proved that Selena's father had been a spy. A traitor. How could he tell her that?
Nick stirred the vegetables and meat simmering on the stove and added a little cayenne, a dash of salt.
"You hungry?" he said.
Selena smiled. "Starving. Whatever you're making over there, it smells good."
"Just stir fry, nothing special."
Nick scooped the food out of the pan and put it in a bowl. He carried the steaming bowl over to the table, dished some onto Selena's plate and his own and sat down. They began eating.
"A lot of people are praying for Rice," Selena said.
"He's tough. He'll make it."
"Who do you think went after Elizabeth?" Selena took a sip of white wine and set her glass back down on the table.
"I don't know."
Nick pushed his food around on his plate.
"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"
After two years with Nick, Selena had gotten good at reading him.
Somewhere in his mind a quiet voice said tell her . He was tired of walking a mental tightrope about it. She'd handle it, or she wouldn't. It was time to come clean.
"The last time I saw Adam he gave me something."
Selena knew about Adam, everyone in the Project did. She waited.
"A file," he said.
"A file? What kind of file?"
"A classified file from Langley. From the 80s. Adam said it's the only copy."
"What's in it?"
Nick sighed. "It's about your father."
"Adam gave you a CIA file about my father? When were you planning on letting me know?"
"That's what I'm doing now."
"Why would he do that? Give it to you?"
"I suppose he wanted me to know what's in it."
She set her fork down "Where is it?"
"In the other room."
"Maybe you'd better show it to me."
Nick sighed again. He got up and went into the bedroom and took the folder from the drawer. He set the file down on the table in front of her and went over to the liquor cabinet. He was going to need something stronger than wine once she'd read the contents. Nick poured himself an Irish whiskey and went back to the table and sat down. He pushed away the remains of his meal. He'd lost his appetite.
Selena read in silence. He watched the impact of what she was reading sink in. She finished reading and went back to the beginning and began to go through the papers again. After a while she looked up. Her eyes were wet.
"Why didn't you show this to me
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