Fatal Series: Characters
An Interview with Chief of Staff Nick Cappuano
The origin of the idea behind Fatal Affair goes back to 2007 when I read about a congressman who had been found dead in his Washington home. For a brief time his death was investigated as a possible homicide, but it was later determined that he’d had a heart attack and fell down the stairs. In Fatal Affair, United States Senator John O’Connor is definitely murdered. I want to introduce you to Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s chief of staff, who finds his boss dead in bed.
Thanks for being with us today, Nick.
Nick: Thanks for having me.
Tell us about that day when you walked into Senator O’Connor’s apartment, expecting to find him sleeping late—again.
Nick: It wasn’t unusual for him to oversleep, except that was a big day for him, so we were surprised when he didn’t show up for work. The immigration bill he’d co-sponsored and worked on for more than a year was up for a vote on the Senate floor that day. To be honest, I couldn’t believe he was late on that day of all days.
So you were annoyed with him?
Nick: To say the least. And then I walked in there. . . (Shakes his head.) There was a lot of blood. I’d never seen so much blood.
Did you know right away that he was dead?
Nick: Yeah. His eyes. They were open and vacant. I wish I could forget how he looked.
Sergeant Sam Holland, the detective assigned to the case—
Nick: What about her?
Whoa. I was just going to say that you knew her, right?
Nick: We met six years ago at a party and just had that one night together. I never saw her again until she walked into John’s apartment the day he was murdered.
How come you didn’t see her again?
Nick: (scowls) Someone saw to it that she never got the messages I left for her. That’s another thing I have trouble thinking about. It infuriates me to think about what we might’ve had all those years.
Are you two together now?
Nick: (smiling) Yes, finally. She put me through the paces during the investigation, but everything we had between us the first time we met was still there, only more so if possible.
During the investigation, you found out a lot of interesting and unsettling things about your friend John. How do you feel about that?
Nick: I was surprised to discover I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did, but that doesn’t change the fact that I loved him and I miss him. I always will.
Thanks for answering our questions, Nick. We wish you and Sam the best and look forward to reading the next installment in your series, Fatal Justice, coming from Carina in January.
