Capitol Murder by Phillip Margolin Page A

looked up, he radiated none of the self-confidence she was used to seeing.
    “Millie, maybe this is premature but . . . well, when I’m free—and I know you’ll help me gain my freedom—would you consider . . .”
    Clarence paused. Then he flashed a shy smile. “I’m sorry, but when I’m around you, well, you make me so happy, but you also make me nervous.” He took a deep breath and looked Millie in the eye. “I should have a ring with a diamond as big as the moon, but,” he said, turning his palms up, “Tiffany won’t deliver in here.”
    Millie couldn’t breathe.
    “What I’m trying to say is, would you consider marrying me?”
    Millie had dreamed about this moment, and now that Clarence had proposed, she was speechless. Clarence stopped smiling. He looked so sad. Then his eyes dropped to the tabletop again.
    “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I . . .”
    Millie reached out and covered Clarence’s hands with hers.
    “Don’t be sorry. I’m just so happy I couldn’t speak. Of course I’ll marry you. I love you.”
    Clarence looked up, a wide smile on his face. “Thank you, Millie. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. I wish I could kiss you but . . .” He nodded at the closed-circuit camera that was fixed to the wall. “But soon, Millie, soon we’ll be together, and we’ll be able to kiss and . . . and make love.”
    The blood rushed to Millie’s cheeks.
    “I hope I haven’t shocked you, but I’ve wanted to hold you for so long.”
    “I want to be with you, too.”
    “You will be, as soon as I’m acquitted. Do you know when my first trial will be held?”
    “I talked to Monte Pike. He’s the chief criminal deputy, and he’s prosecuting. We’re going to have a scheduling conference soon to work out the logistics; which case to try first, dates, that sort of thing.”
    “Good. Please tell me as soon as you know.”
    “I will.”
    “There is something else I’d like you to do.”
    “Anything.”
    Clarence smiled. “This shouldn’t be too difficult. Can you get the judge to order the jail to let me wear a suit and tie when I’m in court? There are going to be television cameras all over the place, and I don’t want potential jurors seeing me like this,” he said, pointing to the jumpsuit.
    “I’ll do it today. And I’ll buy you a beautiful suit and tie. You’ll look just like a lawyer.”
    For the rest of the meeting, Millie and Clarence talked about the wedding and where they would go on their honeymoon. Clarence hinted that he had money that he would use to treat her like a princess, and Millie was afraid that her heart would burst from joy.
    Finally Millie had to end the conference because she had to get back to her office to meet a new client. She rang for the guard. As she walked down the corridor away from the visiting room, she kept her eyes on Clarence until the concrete wall blocked her view of her beloved.
    Millie arrived at her office with no memory of the trip from the Justice Center. The phrase walking on air came to her, and she suddenly knew what it meant. She had accepted the fact that she would go through life alone, but now, through a miracle, she was in love with a man who loved her. She smiled. She couldn’t help herself. She would gain freedom for Clarence, and in so doing, she would free herself from a life of loneliness.

Chapter Nine
    T he Senate of ancient Rome was the inspiration for the United States Senate; the name is derived from senatus , which is Latin for “council of elders.” The American Senate is often described as the world’s greatest deliberative body, and membership in this exclusive club is more prestigious than membership in the House of Representatives. If you are a congressman from California, Texas, or New York, you are one of thirty to fifty people who can make that claim. Only two people from each state can serve in the Senate. The only qualifications for the office are that one must be at least