Sweet Revenge
Chapter 20
Previously: Abbey thinks she's losing control when she thinks she sees Emma hiding under her bed, Charlie lies to Jed, saying he didn't see anything the night of the murder. Later, Charlie confronts Annie about where she was that night, but is interrupted by Abbey.
Summary: Charlie comes clean with Jed, Leo overhears a conversation that disturbs him, and Charlie tells CJ why he thinks Annie knows more than she's letting on.
Charlie headed towards the West Wing, part of him regretting the conversation he just had with Annie. He hadn't meant to frighten her. He just wanted to know what she knew, so he could put the pieces of his own puzzle together. He had hoped that Annie could put his mind at ease, that somehow, some way, she could tell him that Jed wasn't the one who killed Emma. But now that he upset the teenager, he had to tell the President.
He pushed himself ahead of CJ who was still standing outside the Oval Office. He opened the door to find Jed hanging up the phone and he immediately began talking.
"Sir, I need to talk to you."
"Is CJ still waiting?" Jed asked.
Afraid that Abbey may tell Jed before he got his chance, Charlie dismissed his question. "Yes, but it's really important. I need to talk to you now."
Jed raised his eyebrows, concerned about what he was about find out. "What's the matter?"
"I lied to you."
Jed knew it was coming. He realized Charlie couldn't keep up the act the minute he questioned him about it earlier. "About what?"
"I did see something that night and I'm afraid Annie might have seen more than I did."
Jed ripped his glasses off his face. "What does Annie have to do with it?"
Charlie's voice was soft and monotone. "I just went to see her. You know she's been having these nightmares?"
"You went to see her? Why?"
"I wanted to know what she saw."
"And what did she tell you?"
"Nothing. Mrs. Bartlet came in before she could say anything."
"Good!" Jed exclaimed, a feeling of relief washing over him.
Charlie didn't realize why Jed was keeping Annie so sheltered. He assumed Jed was just in the dark about what Annie really knew. "Sir, I really think we should talk to her..." hesaid with an urgency in his voice.
Jed exploded. "For God's sakes, Charlie, she's a little girl! Leave her alone!"
The shouting caught Leo's attention, who was now in his own office, listening at the door.
"I'm sorry," Charlie told Jed.
Jed sat behind his desk, trying to calm himself. "You said you lied?"
Charlie "I did see something that night. When Mrs. Bartlet didn't return immediately after she went looking for you, I went after her. I saw you...both of you on the ground with Emma."
"We had just found her body," Jed explained.
"And I saw you wiping the fingerprints off the gun."
Jed got up, put his hands in pockets, and began pacing back and forth, eventually leaning on his cane for support. "Why didn't you tell me this?" he asked harshly.
"I don't know."
"Did you tell the police what you saw?" Charlie didn't answer. "Charlie, I need to know. Did you tell the police?"
Leo interrupted with a concern of his own. "Mr. President."
"Not now, Leo!" Jed shouted.
"I just thought you should know that I can hear every word you're saying in here."
Jed nervously ran his fingers through his hair before excusing himself to go to the Residence. Leo followed him out to the portico, but Jed dismissed his concern and insisted that he had to get to Abbey. Leo turned back towards the Oval Office where Charlie and CJ were talking.
"How much did you hear?" Leo asked CJ.
"Enough to know what's going on," she replied
"CJ, will you excuse us for a few minutes?" Leo waited for CJ to leave before turning his attention to Charlie. "He was upset. He'll get over it." When Charlie didn't respond, Leo continued. "Have you been lying to police?"
Charlie stared at the floor, praying he could find a way to avoid this conversation. "It's nothing."
"Charlie, I heard most of that conversation, so there's no way I'm buying that answer. I need to know exactly what's going on. I know you love the President. I know you're incredibly loyal to him and I admire that, but if you want to help him, tell me what's going on so I can be prepared when it all blows up in our faces."
"It's not going to blow up in our faces."
"You don't know that." Charlie shifted uncomfortably, but Leo kept talking. "You saw him and Abbey that night. The President cleaned off the gun? Did the President tell you to lie?"
"No!" Charlie exclaimed. "He never told me to do anything."
"Okay, okay." Leo had known all along that Jed's story was suspicious, at best. The rest of the staff knew it too, but as the old cliche goes, ignorance is sometimes bliss. "He and Abbey weren't together that night, were they, Charlie?"
"What?"
"You said that Abbey went looking for him. They weren't walking around together like they claim."
"I don't know anything about that."
Leo nodded, realizing he wasn't going to get any answers out of Charlie. "Just tell me one thing. How long did you wait for Abbey to return when she went after Jed?" Charlie looked at Leo, but didn't open his mouth. "Charlie, did Abbey have enough time to confront Emma?"
Charlie knew Leo was only trying to get to the truth and protect the First Couple, not harm them, but and right now, he needed help, he needed someone else to relieve him of the burden that night had caused. "She was gone all of five minutes," he finally whispered.
"That's all I needed to know," Leo replied as Charlie left the office.
CJ was still waiting outside and this time, she was even more eager to talk to Charlie. She, too, had known there was something more to the Christmas Eve story than everyone was letting on. She tried to ask Abbey about it many times, but each time, she felt like she was prying. She had a special relationship with the First Lady. Abbey trusted CJ. They had an intimate bond Abbey didn't have with any other member of her husband's staff. But now that CJ knew part of the truth, her curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to know more.
"So you talked to Annie about her nightmares?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Charlie, you can talk to me."
Charlie looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity. CJ was trustworthy and he knew that. She would never intentionally hurt the President and if she could, she would want to help. Realizing that made it easier to open up to her. "Yeah," he repeated. "She's a mess."
"She's 16. She's had a rough year and a terrible holiday. I'd be worried if she wasn't a mess." CJ replied.
"I think it's more than that."
"Why?"
Charlie walked closer to CJ so no one else would overhear their conversation. "Annie was visiting her friend in Boston the night of the murder. How long would it take someone to get from Boston to Manchester?"
"I don't know. Forty-five minutes?"
"Right up I-93, with good traffic and good weather."
"Yeah."
He nodded, remembering the time he spent outside the night of the murder. He remembered what he heard transmitted over the police scanner. "It was horrible outside that night, CJ. The snow was falling too fast for emergency crews to keep up. The highway patrol closed the interstate all the way down to the Mass border."
"So?" CJ was still confused about his line of reasoning and the conclusion he was reaching.
"So how is it that Annie drove from Boston through a blizzard, without taking the interstate and made it to the farm in 20 minutes?"
Now he got her attention. CJ tilted her head, giving herself a second to absorb the point he just made. "No one asked her about this?"
"A dead body had just been found right outside the house. No one was keeping track of Annie's travelogue."
She understood his implication, but she wanted him to spell it out. "What are you getting at, Charlie?"
"I'm saying Annie never made it to Boston that night. Or if she did, she came back before they shut down the highway. So if she wasn't in Boston when her mother called her, where was she?"
"She's a teenager. Maybe she has a secret boyfriend or something," CJ replied, trying to dismiss his suspicions, even though she had some of her own now.
"No, I don't think so. I think she saw something that night. That's why she's been clinging to her grandparents. That's why she's here, at the White House, instead of back home, getting ready to go back to school. "
"What could she have seen that would have spooked her so badly?"
"Maybe she saw what really happened, maybe she saw how Emma died," Charlie concluded, secretly hoping that what Annie saw would take his suspicion off Jed.
TBC
Chapter 20
Previously: Abbey thinks she's losing control when she thinks she sees Emma hiding under her bed, Charlie lies to Jed, saying he didn't see anything the night of the murder. Later, Charlie confronts Annie about where she was that night, but is interrupted by Abbey.
Summary: Charlie comes clean with Jed, Leo overhears a conversation that disturbs him, and Charlie tells CJ why he thinks Annie knows more than she's letting on.
Charlie headed towards the West Wing, part of him regretting the conversation he just had with Annie. He hadn't meant to frighten her. He just wanted to know what she knew, so he could put the pieces of his own puzzle together. He had hoped that Annie could put his mind at ease, that somehow, some way, she could tell him that Jed wasn't the one who killed Emma. But now that he upset the teenager, he had to tell the President.
He pushed himself ahead of CJ who was still standing outside the Oval Office. He opened the door to find Jed hanging up the phone and he immediately began talking.
"Sir, I need to talk to you."
"Is CJ still waiting?" Jed asked.
Afraid that Abbey may tell Jed before he got his chance, Charlie dismissed his question. "Yes, but it's really important. I need to talk to you now."
Jed raised his eyebrows, concerned about what he was about find out. "What's the matter?"
"I lied to you."
Jed knew it was coming. He realized Charlie couldn't keep up the act the minute he questioned him about it earlier. "About what?"
"I did see something that night and I'm afraid Annie might have seen more than I did."
Jed ripped his glasses off his face. "What does Annie have to do with it?"
Charlie's voice was soft and monotone. "I just went to see her. You know she's been having these nightmares?"
"You went to see her? Why?"
"I wanted to know what she saw."
"And what did she tell you?"
"Nothing. Mrs. Bartlet came in before she could say anything."
"Good!" Jed exclaimed, a feeling of relief washing over him.
Charlie didn't realize why Jed was keeping Annie so sheltered. He assumed Jed was just in the dark about what Annie really knew. "Sir, I really think we should talk to her..." hesaid with an urgency in his voice.
Jed exploded. "For God's sakes, Charlie, she's a little girl! Leave her alone!"
The shouting caught Leo's attention, who was now in his own office, listening at the door.
"I'm sorry," Charlie told Jed.
Jed sat behind his desk, trying to calm himself. "You said you lied?"
Charlie "I did see something that night. When Mrs. Bartlet didn't return immediately after she went looking for you, I went after her. I saw you...both of you on the ground with Emma."
"We had just found her body," Jed explained.
"And I saw you wiping the fingerprints off the gun."
Jed got up, put his hands in pockets, and began pacing back and forth, eventually leaning on his cane for support. "Why didn't you tell me this?" he asked harshly.
"I don't know."
"Did you tell the police what you saw?" Charlie didn't answer. "Charlie, I need to know. Did you tell the police?"
Leo interrupted with a concern of his own. "Mr. President."
"Not now, Leo!" Jed shouted.
"I just thought you should know that I can hear every word you're saying in here."
Jed nervously ran his fingers through his hair before excusing himself to go to the Residence. Leo followed him out to the portico, but Jed dismissed his concern and insisted that he had to get to Abbey. Leo turned back towards the Oval Office where Charlie and CJ were talking.
"How much did you hear?" Leo asked CJ.
"Enough to know what's going on," she replied
"CJ, will you excuse us for a few minutes?" Leo waited for CJ to leave before turning his attention to Charlie. "He was upset. He'll get over it." When Charlie didn't respond, Leo continued. "Have you been lying to police?"
Charlie stared at the floor, praying he could find a way to avoid this conversation. "It's nothing."
"Charlie, I heard most of that conversation, so there's no way I'm buying that answer. I need to know exactly what's going on. I know you love the President. I know you're incredibly loyal to him and I admire that, but if you want to help him, tell me what's going on so I can be prepared when it all blows up in our faces."
"It's not going to blow up in our faces."
"You don't know that." Charlie shifted uncomfortably, but Leo kept talking. "You saw him and Abbey that night. The President cleaned off the gun? Did the President tell you to lie?"
"No!" Charlie exclaimed. "He never told me to do anything."
"Okay, okay." Leo had known all along that Jed's story was suspicious, at best. The rest of the staff knew it too, but as the old cliche goes, ignorance is sometimes bliss. "He and Abbey weren't together that night, were they, Charlie?"
"What?"
"You said that Abbey went looking for him. They weren't walking around together like they claim."
"I don't know anything about that."
Leo nodded, realizing he wasn't going to get any answers out of Charlie. "Just tell me one thing. How long did you wait for Abbey to return when she went after Jed?" Charlie looked at Leo, but didn't open his mouth. "Charlie, did Abbey have enough time to confront Emma?"
Charlie knew Leo was only trying to get to the truth and protect the First Couple, not harm them, but and right now, he needed help, he needed someone else to relieve him of the burden that night had caused. "She was gone all of five minutes," he finally whispered.
"That's all I needed to know," Leo replied as Charlie left the office.
CJ was still waiting outside and this time, she was even more eager to talk to Charlie. She, too, had known there was something more to the Christmas Eve story than everyone was letting on. She tried to ask Abbey about it many times, but each time, she felt like she was prying. She had a special relationship with the First Lady. Abbey trusted CJ. They had an intimate bond Abbey didn't have with any other member of her husband's staff. But now that CJ knew part of the truth, her curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to know more.
"So you talked to Annie about her nightmares?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Charlie, you can talk to me."
Charlie looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity. CJ was trustworthy and he knew that. She would never intentionally hurt the President and if she could, she would want to help. Realizing that made it easier to open up to her. "Yeah," he repeated. "She's a mess."
"She's 16. She's had a rough year and a terrible holiday. I'd be worried if she wasn't a mess." CJ replied.
"I think it's more than that."
"Why?"
Charlie walked closer to CJ so no one else would overhear their conversation. "Annie was visiting her friend in Boston the night of the murder. How long would it take someone to get from Boston to Manchester?"
"I don't know. Forty-five minutes?"
"Right up I-93, with good traffic and good weather."
"Yeah."
He nodded, remembering the time he spent outside the night of the murder. He remembered what he heard transmitted over the police scanner. "It was horrible outside that night, CJ. The snow was falling too fast for emergency crews to keep up. The highway patrol closed the interstate all the way down to the Mass border."
"So?" CJ was still confused about his line of reasoning and the conclusion he was reaching.
"So how is it that Annie drove from Boston through a blizzard, without taking the interstate and made it to the farm in 20 minutes?"
Now he got her attention. CJ tilted her head, giving herself a second to absorb the point he just made. "No one asked her about this?"
"A dead body had just been found right outside the house. No one was keeping track of Annie's travelogue."
She understood his implication, but she wanted him to spell it out. "What are you getting at, Charlie?"
"I'm saying Annie never made it to Boston that night. Or if she did, she came back before they shut down the highway. So if she wasn't in Boston when her mother called her, where was she?"
"She's a teenager. Maybe she has a secret boyfriend or something," CJ replied, trying to dismiss his suspicions, even though she had some of her own now.
"No, I don't think so. I think she saw something that night. That's why she's been clinging to her grandparents. That's why she's here, at the White House, instead of back home, getting ready to go back to school. "
"What could she have seen that would have spooked her so badly?"
"Maybe she saw what really happened, maybe she saw how Emma died," Charlie concluded, secretly hoping that what Annie saw would take his suspicion off Jed.
TBC