by Rebecca Deel
Ruth colored. “How did you know?”
“You aren’t scheduled to work this morning, yet here you are at 8:00 a.m., diddling around with the Internet.”
“All right. So you caught me. It was either me or protective custody. Ethan figured on less complaints with me as your shadow.”
“He’s right. So who’s on duty this afternoon?”
Ruth shrugged. “We’ll find out around lunchtime I expect. In the meantime, we have a paper to put together. So, what’s on tap first?”
Meg handed Ruth the notes she’d typed from her interview with Don Brandenburg. “This is the information about De Marco. I’m going to do some research on the Internet, see what else I unearth. So far I see nothing illegal, just good-old-boy networking and support.”
Ruth nodded. “I’ll write a rough draft on the water system. Let me know if you find something I can use.”
Megan settled in her leather chair and logged onto her favorite Internet search engine. She read through De Marco’s website, jotting notes as she progressed. She clicked on the endorsements link. Her gaze fell to one name she knew well.
She picked up her phone and dialed. “Hey, Greg. It’s Megan Cahill.”
“It’s been a long time, long enough to know that you aren’t calling to ask me to take you back. Biggest mistake I ever made, turning you loose. So, what can I do for you?”
“How long have you been in Congress?”
“Ten years.”
“So you’ve been there long enough to know what’s happening behind the scenes, right?”
“You still in journalism?” Greg’s voice sounded cautious.
“Yes, but this isn’t on the record. I need some background information on a company.”
“Oh, well, in that case, yeah, I do know most of what’s happening around here. Some I can talk about, some I can’t. Which company caught your interest?”
“De Marco Water Works.”
“What’s your interest in them?”
“They’re bidding on Otter Creek’s water project. I wanted to know a little more about them.”
“Go to their website.”
Meg’s eyebrows rose. “I did, Greg. That’s where I found your name. You endorsed the company. So are they as good as you wrote?”
“Absolutely. Did a fine job on my hometown’s water system. Fast work, good quality.”
“How about their pricing? Are they competitive?”
“A little expensive, but they only use American parts and local labor for their projects.”
“So you’re comfortable recommending their services to other communities?”
“No question.”
“Uh, huh. So, what do you know about the Drakes?”
“No comment.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Greg’s sharp tone intrigued Meg. The nice thing about interviewing a former boyfriend was the clues from his voice. And right now he was worried. “Tell me what you know about the Drakes, Greg. Remember this is off the record—for now. If you stonewall me, that might change.”
“Warren Drake’s a great senator, Meg. Very influential on Capital Hill. He’s old school, you know. He and his cronies swap favors.”
No news there. Who didn’t swap favors on the Hill? “How are they tied to De Marco?”
“Don Brandenburg owns De Marco. He’s Drake’s campaign finance manager.”
She pressed the phone tighter to her ear. “That’s common knowledge. What else do you know?” Silence. “If I have to dig further, I’ll get more people involved and something will slip into the press. Won’t be long before your name is plastered all over the headlines.”
Greg sighed. “All right, but swear you won’t give up my name.”
“I promise. Now, what gives?”
“The Drakes gave Brandenburg the money to buy De Marco.”
“That’s it?” Disappointment swelled inside Meg. “They gave money to a friend. Nothing illegal in that.”
“Remember I told you they trade favors with their cronies?”
“You keep saying ‘they’. Are we talking about just the Senator?”
“No. Kyle and the Senator. In fact, Kyle’s becoming more of a player these days.”
“Okay. So what?”
“They trade information for De Marco business.”
Meg sat up. “What?”
“Business comes to De Marco as a favor to the Drakes. The Drakes know things. Important things about influential people.”
“Blackmail? Why hasn’t anyone turned them in?”
Greg’s laugh was harsh and short. “Who would dare? If law enforcement knew, the dirt the Drakes have on people would leak. Nobody wants that, so they keep quiet.”
“The victims would rather pay than stop the blackmail?”
“Recommending De Marco is cheap.”
“You recommended De Marco, Greg.” His sigh carried across the line. “What do the Drakes have on you?”
“Nothing I’m willing to tell the press or you.”
“You know Drake’s retiring next fall?”
He snorted. “Kyle’s worse than his old man. I guarantee De Marco won’t suffer when Warren steps down. Kyle will see to that. He takes care of his own.”
“He promised to take care of you as well, didn’t he?”
“I’d rather be in the majority than blackballed. Look, I owed you this one, Meg, but don’t call me again. No one’s worth risking my family, not even you. Leave me and my family alone.”
Meg replaced the handset and slumped deeper into her chair. So the Senator and Kyle pedaled favors. Maybe Sherri found proof and one of the Drakes killed her. Meg thought about Sherri’s problem with Ty. She suspected her friend was trying to have a baby to mend her marriage. Ty went through fertility testing with her. Did that signify some commitment to their relationship?
Greg’s sudden hostility bothered her. Whatever the Drakes held over his head made him afraid for his family’s safety. Curious, Meg searched the Internet for references to Greg Mattson. The oldest references was dated after Greg finished his degree in political science and began his Congressional run, near the time Meg broke up with him. Being a politician’s wife never appealed to her and she never loved Greg enough to try.
She scanned through dozens of articles following Greg’s political career before she stumbled upon a society page write-up of his wedding to Jenna Fitzgerald four years earlier. Meg smiled. In the picture, a gorgeous red-head beamed at her equally besotted husband.
A reference to adoption caught her attention. She scanned the article. Buried in the last paragraph was a reference to Greg and Jenna adopting a baby girl two years earlier. Was Greg afraid the Drakes would interfere with the adoption? Meg scowled. What did the Drakes have on him?
Maybe she should write an article on the Drake family. The Senator might agree to an interview if the article preceded naming Kyle as his endorsed successor. If Meg talked to the Senator and Kyle in an interview setting, she might piece together more information and feed those facts to Rod.
Rod would hate the idea and tell her he didn’t need help doing his job. Meg wished she could convince Rod to let her work with him more.
Ruth tapped on the door and poked her head in the doorway. She opened her mouth to say something and stopped, staring at Meg’s face. “You’re up to something.” She walked to the chair in front of Meg’s desk and sat. “Spill it.”
Meg grinned. “We need to write an article on the Drake family. A great build up to the Senator’s big announcement.”
“Planning to beard the lion in his den?”
“Something like that.” She retrieved the phone and dialed. “Senator Drake, please. This is Megan Cahill.” After a moment, she said, “Senator Drake, would it be possible for you to see me for an interview this morning? I want to write a feature article on the Drake men, their history and their future plans. Maybe you can use this as a lead-in to Kyle’s announcement. Yes, sir, he did tell me about that. Yes, sir, I do k
now the funeral’s at 2:00. I won’t keep you long, maybe 20 minutes. Eleven o’clock? Thank you, sir.” She hung up, grinning.
“You need backup, someone other than a 72-year-old woman.” Ruth stood and reached for the phone. After a moment, she said, “Ethan, I just thought you should know Meg’s headed to the Drake place. You might want to send someone with her who carries a gun.” After a pause, she replied, “No, she won’t be dissuaded. It’s for an article on the family as a whole, not on Sherri. Yes, all right, I’ll tell her.”
Ruth hung up. “Aside from threatening to toss you in jail again, he agreed to find someone to go with you. I wouldn’t get too close to him, though. He’s not happy with you.”
Meg chuckled. “When is he ever happy with me?”
“Rod! Get in here!”
Rod rolled back from his computer and leaped to his feet. He’d never heard Ethan sound so angry. Well, not since last night’s dressing down. Another reaming for not checking Meg’s car?
He stiffened, stepped into Ethan’s office and shut the door. “Yes, sir?”
Ethan scowled. “Megan’s going to the Drakes for an interview. I have a meeting in five minutes with the mayor and you’re the only one I trust to keep our intrepid editor in line.”
“No problem, but wouldn’t Josh prefer guard duty or Nick?” Rod’s cheeks burned. “Neither of them trust me right now.”
“They were both awake all night. And didn’t you mention interviewing Ty this morning?”
“That’s right.”
“At least you can keep an eye on her. Go to the Gazette office before she finagles my aunt into going with her.”
Rod grabbed his jacket and hurried to his car. He parked in front of the newspaper office and walked inside.
“Hey, Detective.” Zoe smiled at him, a twinkle in her eyes. “What brings you here?”
“I’m Megan’s escort to the Drake place.”
She tilted her head. “I think she’s waiting for you.”
He knocked on Meg’s office door.
“What?”
His eyebrows shot up. Sounded like she was gearing up for a fight. Rod opened the door. “Your escort, my lady.”
She stood. “Did you bring armor, Sir Rod?”
He pulled back his coat enough for her to see his weapon. “Will this work?”
“Good enough.” Bag in hand, she moved past Rod to the outer office. She paused at Zoe’s desk. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. My cell’s on if you need me.”
“Okay, Boss.” She grinned and winked at Rod. “Be seeing you, Detective.”
In the car, Rod waited for Meg to buckle and backed into the square. “Are you sure about this? You absolutely have to do this? There’s no other way?”
Meg glared at him. “That’s three questions. Yes, yes, and no. I’m a writer, Rod. I interview people who make the news around this area. Otter Creek’s famous family is in town. People want to know why.”
“You can’t send anyone else?”
“I’m not sending Ruth to interview a potential murderer. Ethan would skin me alive, not to mention the fact I love her too much to put her in danger. Zoe’s committed to other stories for tonight’s press run. That leaves me.”
Her tone told him she rode a thin edge of control. He’d tied her hands somewhat when he asked her not to interfere in his investigation and not to reveal too much information in the articles she printed. He couldn’t fault her for the way she’d handled the whole situation. In fact, she avoided the potential bias and abundance of information by having Ruth write the articles.
“Thanks for calling before you interviewed the Drakes on your own.”
“You and Ethan both told me I had to or I’d end up looking at the world from the inside of a jail cell.”
“But you could have done it anyway, Meg. I appreciate how you’ve handled the difficult situation we put you in.” He glanced at her. “So who are you interviewing? I assume it’s not Ty.”
“I’m not exactly on his best friend list right now. The Senator agreed to talk to me at 11:00.”
“About?”
“A variety of things. De Marco Water Works, the Senator’s retirement, Kyle and the history of the Drake men as a whole. People love to read about hometown boys making good.” She gave him a wry smile. “You can’t beat a city councilman elected to the U.S. Senate and his two successful sons.”
Rod nodded. “Okay. Let’s talk ground rules.”
“Ground rules?”
“Uh huh. I want you to interview the Senator in the library.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s next door to the small sitting room in which I’ll insist on talking to Ty. Leave the door open when you’re with Drake. Under no circumstances are you to go anywhere else in that house without me.”
Meg was silent a moment. “You really think one of them killed Sherri, don’t you?”
“I think there’s a good chance it was one of them, but I don’t have the proof yet.”
“Door stays open, then.” She twisted in her seat. “Same goes for you, right? You’re leaving the door open as well?”
“Worried about me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be.” He grinned. “I carry a big gun.”
“Senator Drake, thank you for agreeing to the interview this morning.” Meg sat in a burgundy leather armchair in front of the fireplace. “I know this will be a difficult day for your family.”
“I never thought I’d see this day, having to bury my daughter-in-law. It’s not natural to have to bury your children or their spouses.”
“No, sir. I know your time is short so I’d like to tape this interview.” Meg smiled and showed him her hand-held tape recorder. “I won’t have to ask you to repeat anything while I take notes this way. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
The Senator frowned, but nodded.
“Great.” She flipped the switch and the machine began recording. “Senator Drake, tell me about your family.”
The question startled him. “My family?”
“Yes, sir. Tell me about your wife, Caroline. I understand you were high school sweethearts.”
A soft look came over Drake’s face. “She was the most beautiful girl in our graduating class. Eyes like coal, hair the color of a midnight sky. She was the love of my life.”
“When did you marry Caroline?”
“Right after high school graduation, the next day in fact. We went to the justice of the peace because neither one of our families supported our decision to marry.”
“Why not?”
“Bad blood between our families. Not quite as bad as the Hatfields and McCoys, but along the same lines. I don’t even remember now what started the original dispute.”
“Did your families ever change their minds?”
He laughed, an ironic tone dominating. “Sure, after I was elected to the town council. All the way through college, they waited for us to flunk out of school and divorce.”
“What did you and Caroline major in?”
“I graduated with a degree in political science. Caroline earned a degree in library science.” He smiled. “That woman loved to read more than anybody I ever met.”
Meg nodded. “I suppose that’s why she was so involved in literacy programs.”
“She believed that learning to read would open the doors for anybody to be successful in life. She said education was the only way out of the ghetto, not food stamps or welfare aid.”
“Smart lady. Teach them to take care of themselves and their own families, not depend on government for aid.” Meg flipped to a new page in her notebook. “What about your sons? Tell me about your family.”
“We had Kyle twelve years after Caroline and I married, about the time I was elected to the State Senate. Caroline had wanted a baby for so long. She quit working at the Otter Creek library and stayed home to raise him. Kyle was a dream come true for both of us. She was so proud of him and his accomplishments.”
&nbs
p; “How about you? Do you feel the same way about Kyle?”
“Absolutely. Kyle is everything I ever wanted in a son. I couldn’t ask for a better successor or a better man to carry on the Drake name after I’m gone.”
“Why are you retiring next fall, Senator Drake? You seem the picture of health.”
“Looks can be deceiving, my dear.”
Meg stared at the man’s placid face. “You’re not well, sir?”
“I have cancer, Meg.”
“But surely with treatments so advanced these days, the medical community can do something to help.”
“No. It’s terminal.”
“I’m sorry, Senator. Do your sons know?”
He nodded. “That’s part of the reason I came home, to tell Ty. Kyle already knew.”
“You’ve talked a lot about Kyle, how proud you are of him. Tell me about Ty. He was adopted, wasn’t he?”
“Caroline couldn’t carry another baby to term after Kyle was born. She had four miscarriages and the doctor warned it was too dangerous to try for another baby. She was devastated. Caroline loved Kyle so much and wanted to share her love with another child. She spent months in a deep depression. The doctor encouraged us to adopt and that’s what we did.”
“How old was Ty when he came to you and Caroline?”
“Oh, he must have been about six months old or so. He was already eating a little baby cereal and fruit.”
Six months? From what she knew about the adoption system, babies weren’t in the system long. People were so desperate for babies, many adopted them from outside the U.S. because of a short supply and a long waiting list. Maybe it was different back then. “How did Ty feel about being adopted? Did he ever feel second best to Kyle?”
“Never. We told Ty he was extra special because we chose him to be our son. He was fine with our explanation.”
“He never asked about his birth parents, where they were or why they let him go?”
Drake shook his head. “We told him that parents sometimes get into difficult circumstances and feel like they can’t take the best care of their children. Rather than hurt them or subject them to the horrors of a drug-addicted parent or an alcoholic one, it was best to let someone else have the children, someone with the means to raise them.”
