An eyebrow lifts. Robert honestly can't help it, which was one of many factors that made a conference over the phone more preferable than a face-to-face meeting. He wasn't used to his sharp, clever wife being obtuse. That her brother cared about her wasn't up for dispute or debate, but he could make a good argument that her brother hadn't don't the best job caring for her. After all, James Hawkins had been the one paving his way to prison with a long road of misdeeds, while she'd been establishing herself in a career in another state. Alone. The way she'd been when Robert had met her.
But he didn't know where this whitewashing was coming from. If it was the brother's revision of history or her own. People often chose to revise reality, edit it to suit their emotions or goals. The past was prologue, and could be bent to fit whatever the present entailed, making the narrative work. The human mind was well-suited to that particular task. That was why it was important not to rely on recollection alone. The files, the surveillance, the records... they were necessary so that Robert could keep himself from falling into the trap of rewriting the past to suit his present.
So he could make note of it in others.
"I can't overlook what he is, beyond being your brother," he warns her, a careful reminder that he was not going to forgive murderous crime sprees, or forget the accrual of a criminal record prior to the fall of civilization. "But I will keep your concern for him in mind, and will endeavor to reach common ground. If he truly cares for you, then our interests are aligned on that. Don't worry."
It wasn't a promise to go easy, but it was assurance of civility. Robert had some doubts as to the success of this conversation. He didn't think fraternal love or protectiveness could actually temper a certain kind of pride, and he suspected that James Hawkins was a very proud man. Pride, particularly of the toxic, self-destructive variety, was something Robert was used to dealing with, however. His very survival had begun to hinge on his ability to keep the Mayor's rather staggering amount of hubris in check. He wasn't about to balk at a remote conversation with a gang leader. If there was a failure to communicate, it would not be on his part. Especially not with her sitting right there. With his own pride to consider.
This was what he did. Communication. Politicking. He wasn't about to fail in his element in front of his wife and son.