Weeks later, Rodney and Violet get a drink at the Tombs, a rowdy basement bar near Georgetown University when they run into Maeve, of all people, who says she’s recently separated from her husband, waiting for her date to show up, and then she joins them in a tight booth near the restrooms against Rodney’s futile attempt to get rid of Maeve, who orders several pitchers of Bud Light after her date texts her to say he’s parking and will be there any minute. Introductions do not need to be made when Scott arrives at their booth. Violet asks her date if he knows the White House press secretary and Rodney says, “We used to be womb-mates.”
Violet and Maeve get along like a house on fire. The conversation shifts to Starbucks. Maeve wonders why is the Secret Service sticking their noses into a Georgetown robbery-homicide? Violet starts spilling details about the execution-style hit (Did you know the Starbucks manager was once a White House intern? Why was there no money taken from the safe?). Maeve asks her date if he has any dirty dishes to add to the pile.
“Somebody reported a DC cop car speeding away from the Starbucks that morning instead of going to the crime scene,” says Scott, downing his beer like a rush at Kappa Sig. He adds no one in the neighborhood that morning heard any gunshots, suggesting the killer or killers used silencers; maybe it was the Secret Service behind the assassination, not the other way around.
“Secret Service wearing DC cop uniforms rumor is so last week,” scoffs Violet.
“If that girl had just given up the keys to the safe,” says Maeve, “they’d all be alive.”
“If that girl hadn’t been caught bottomless in the Lincoln Bedroom,” suggests Scott, “the Secret Service wouldn’t have put her on the White House lawn with the First Lady for the Easter egg hunt.”
“The Starbucks manager was the President’s mistress?” asks Maeve.
“No, the First Lady’s.”
Rodney excuses himself from the table, eyeing Maeve kissing Scott in full view of Violet, and enters the men’s room. From the urinal, he texts his brother—
Rodney: WTF are you doing?
Scott: I saw her first
Rodney: full metal straitjacket
Scott: …
Rodney: ask your date why she was at Starbucks that morning
Scott: This is Maeve. I’m using your brother’s phone. Party at Violet’s.
Rodney: go ahead without me
Scott: