Rachel smiled. “Water would be nice. Thank you.”
The young man nodded as he tapped on the door. “Come in,” said a female voice from the other side.
“Ms. Davis is here, Ms. Long.”
“Thank you,” the woman said.
The man moved to the side and waved her inside before closing the door behind her. She turned to see he was gone.
“Ms. Long?”
“You must be Assistant District Attorney Davis.”
Rachel extended her hand toward the woman. “Yes, but please call me Rachel.”
A strained smile stretched the woman’s lips. “If you call me Tracy.”
“Thank you for seeing me.”
“Your assistant said it was important. Something about a case?”
“Yes.”
“Have a seat.”
Rachel slid her hands down her backside, effectively tucking her skirt under her and giving her a moment to gather her thoughts. “Tracy, I need to ask you about someone you graduated law school with … Matthew Hightower.”
Tracy visibly stiffened and her eyes briefly widened before she schooled her features. “Matthew Hightower? He’s a county prosecutor now, isn’t he?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes, but I’ve had someone come forward and claim sexual harassment.”
The woman fidgeted with a pen laying on her desk, not meeting Rachel’s eyes. “Oh. I don’t know if I can be of much assistance.”
“Do you remember a Maggie Johnson?”
A sad smile appeared on Tracy’s face as her eyes met Rachel’s for the first time since mentioning Matthew. “Yes, I was saddened by what happened to her. Gosh, that was what, nine years ago now?”
“Ten. Anyway, her husband is a colleague of mine, and he recalls Maggie telling him how Matthew made some of the female students uncomfortable. Do you recall that?”
Tracy’s hand went to the base of her neck, effectively hiding a pulse point. She licked her lips and looked anywhere but at Rachel. “I don’t really remember.” Her body language said one thing, but her words said something different.
“I see.” Rachel knew she shouldn’t press, but she needed the corroboration. “Tracy, you know how hard these types of cases are to prove. I could really use your help. Please tell me what you know.”
Tracy placed her arms on her desk and leaned into them. “I can’t,” she said between gritted teeth.
Rachel furrowed her brows. “Why?”
A tap sounded on the office door causing Tracy to jump. She took a deep breath. “Come in.”
“Ms. Davis’s water. Would you like some as well, Ms. Long?”
“No, thank you. I’m good for now.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Tracy watched the door until it clicked closed. “I was given a warning in law school.”
“What kind of warning?”
Tracy looked around her office as if she were looking for something before she leveled Rachel with her stare. “I was the first female to complain about Matthew, and he was brought into our advisor’s office for questioning. The next day, I was told that it was a misunderstanding, but I’m not stupid. I understand an accidental graze, but he was in front of me and rubbed his thumb over my nipple and called it a perk for being his study partner. How the hell was that an accident?”
Rachel closed her eyes. “Did you sleep with him?”
Tracy’s face turned bright red. “No, even though I did let him touch me. When I went to file a formal complaint, I was told it was in my best interest to keep my mouth shut.”
“What? Why?”
Tracy took a deep breath and opened her arms. “Because I was promised a cushy job with the Attorney General’s office upon graduation.”
“Who promised the job?”
Tracy shrugged. “All I know is that it was some senator.”
“Do you know whose campaigns Matthew worked on in school?”
Tracy massaged her temples. “I’ve tried to forget everything about Matthew Hightower over the last decade. But there was one senator he constantly raved about…Senator Martin Pickens. He wore rally shirts from Senator Pickens a lot.”
“Do you think he was the senator behind the job?”
“I don’t know. I mean, you know the old saying, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth? Yeah, I didn’t ask questions.”
“I don’t blame you. Were there any other campaigns?”
“Sure, we all worked campaigns at some point. Matthew was a page at the State House during undergrad, so I imagine he made a lot of friends during that time.”
“Who was he a page for?”
“Sen-a-tor Pickens.” Tracy’s eyes held Rachel’s gaze.
“Shit,” Rachel mumbled under her breath. “Okay, do you know any other female students who complained?”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff.”
“Tracy, come on. It’s about time he pays for what he’s done for what seems like years.”
“I know, but I really need to keep my job.”
“You help bring him down, and you won’t have a problem getting another one.”
“God, I hope you’re right.” Tracy shook her head. “There was a girl a year behind us. Matthew helped her in one of her classes … ethics, I think.” A sad chuckle left her. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
Rachel nodded.
“Anyway, she reported him. I don’t know if she was given the same warning as me, but no big-name firm would hire her. Last I heard she has a small firm in her hometown doing real estate closings. The thing is, she was one of the best in mock trials. She would have been a damn good barrister.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“Pamela something, I think.”
Rachel nodded. “Thank you.”
“Sure.”
“One more thing … would you testify?”
Tracy was shaking her head before Rachel finished the question. “Don’t you get it? I sold out. I let the promise of a job become more important than my dignity and reputation.”
“Then help me now. Take back your reputation and salvage your dignity.”
“I don’t know, Rachel. I have a family to think about. I never told my husband about any of this. He just thinks I’m driven, but he doesn’t know what drives me. I may have taken this job as a bribe, but I’ve proven my worth over and over. I’d put my record against anyone else’s in this office.”
Rachel stood. “I understand. Here’s my card if you think of anything else or change your mind.” She reached out her hand. “And for the record, I studied your cases before I came up here. You’re a hell of a prosecutor. You don’t have to continue to beat yourself up over this.”
18
Rachel found a restaurant, and once she parked, she sent Ben the address. While she waited, she jotted down the things that Tracy had told her. Did Ms. Hightower ever contribute to the senator’s campaign? How far back does this connection go?
A car pulled into the spot next to hers, drawing her out of all thoughts. Ben walked around to her door as she opened it. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “You looked a million miles away when I drove up.”
“I have a witness, but she may not testify.”
Ben squeezed her hand before he closed the car door. “Sweetheart, that’s fantastic.”
They walked from between the cars into a sports pub. Ben took the opportunity to place his hand at the small of Rachel’s back as he opened the door. He looked around when the hostess greeted them and pointed to a back corner where no one was sitting. “Can we sit over there?”
The hostess looked in the direction he was talking about. “My server for that area isn’t here yet.”
Ben flashed his badge with raised eyebrows. “We need a little privacy.”
The young woman looked at the badge, then Ben. “Yes, sir, right this way.”
When she placed the menus on the table, she looked at Ben. “The service may be a little slow over here, but I’ll let someone
know to check on you.”
“Thank you,” Ben said as he pulled Rachel’s chair out then sat across from her. “What happened?”
“She corroborated what Maggie said. She was the first person to complain, and her job is payoff for not filing a formal complaint against Matthew.”
“Will she testify?”
“She says no.”
“She’d be great to have in a courtroom.”
“I know. And—”
Rachel didn’t finish before the waitress walked up. “Hey, folks. What can I get you to drink?”
“Two waters with lemon, please.”
“Do you know what you want to order?”
“Two of your house cheeseburgers all the way. One with fries, and the other with onion rings.” Ben handed her the menus.
“Thank you.”
Once the waitress was gone, he looked at Rachel. “And what?”
“Matthew was a page in Senator Pickens’s office during his undergraduate degree.”
Ben nodded. “Maggie worked for the general assembly.”
“So just how far back does this connection between them go?”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t know, but the connection between Pickens and Nobles goes back to elementary school.”
“What?”
“To quote Ms. Pickens, ‘Theo keeps Martin’s nose clean, and Martin makes sure Theo wants for nothing.’”
“Apparently, the senator makes some loyal friends.”
“Or buys them. Among other things, Ms. Pickens said that she has no doubt Theo would take the rap for Martin, but it’d cost Martin a pretty penny.”
Rachel cocked her head to the side in question. “So what do you think Theo has on Martin?”
“His infidelity?”
“Well, that’s out in the open now. What else is Martin hiding?”
“From what Ms. Pickens described, there could be a three-way between Martin, Theo, and the new Ms. Pickens.”
“That sure wouldn’t sit well with his constituents. Do we know how the senator met the new Ms. Pickens?”
Ben shook his head. “No, just that the first Ms. Pickens blames it on Martin getting an apartment in Columbia. She also said that the day Martin asked for a divorce, he told her he still loved her.”
Rachel coughed. “Infidelity sure is a funny way of telling someone that you love them.”
The feeling of Ben’s foot nudging hers was his way of touching her when he wasn’t sure if they should. They didn’t know who was watching. “I agree, Rach.”
“Here we go, folks. Who gets the onion rings?”
A small smirk moved Ben’s lips. “She does.”
“Ketchup is on the table. Do you need anything else?”
“You can go ahead and bring us the check.”
The woman nodded and turned to go.
“Why do I get the onion rings?”
“That way I know you won’t be kissing anyone while you’re gone.”
Rachel laughed. “Here, make sure you eat a few too.”
Ben smiled and placed some fries on her plate. “I knew we’d share, so it didn’t really matter who got them.”
They finished lunch in comfortable silence.
19
Ben watched as Rachel drove toward the interstate. When she was out of sight, he got into his car heading in the opposite direction.
Once his phone connected with Bluetooth, he called Sam. “Ben? Everything all right?”
“Yes, I just left Rachel. Her meeting proved advantageous, but I don’t know if she’ll get the corroboration in court.”
“Dammit…”
“You’re not snooping around where you shouldn’t be, are you?”
“No, but I’m not waiting much longer. James has people working on this too, Ben, and believe me, he can go faster than us because his people don’t have to follow the same rules we do.”
“Rachel just left to visit Matthew’s mother. Hopefully, we’ll have more of a connection when she gets back. Tell Carrie to hang tight a little longer.”
“Yeah, she picks and chooses when she goes out these days. She usually waits until I’m with her, but it’s no way for her to live. Why couldn’t that fucker just leave her the hell alone?”
“Let’s just say he has friends who have allowed him to get away with shit for a long time. He thinks he’s untouchable.”
“Well, he’s getting ready to find out how touchable he is.”
Ben took a deep breath. “What’s been going on there?”
“Matthew is presenting closing arguments tomorrow on the Harper/Gregory case.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. Once that trial is over, it may be easier to get warrants.”
“Yeah, but since it’s a slam dunk, his ego may be even more inflated.”
“Yes, and that may cause him to make a mistake.”
“We’ll see…”
“I’m heading back. I should be there before shift change.”
“See ya when you get here.”
Ben chuckled. “That southern drawl wearing off on you?”
“Shut up. It’s all Carrie’s fault.” Sam laughed.
“Talk to ya soon.”
Ben disconnected the call. Thirty minutes later, he turned off the main road onto a dirt one that led to a small house in the woods. Before the car door closed, the screen door on the house opened.
“Ben!”
He smiled. His mother was always out the door before he even made it to the bottom step. “Hey, Mama.” He met her halfway and picked her up in a hug. “How are you?”
“Better now that I’m seeing you.” She returned his hug. “Now, put me down.” Ben obeyed, and they walked into the house arm in arm. “To what do we owe this surprise?”
“I was up here on business and had a few minutes. I thought I’d drop by to see you and Dad.” He smiled down at his mom. “Plus, I need to tell y’all something.”
“Sounds serious.”
“Yes, ma’am, but first I need to use the restroom,” Ben said, buying a few minutes before he sat down with his parents. It had been a long time since he’d had something this important to tell them and he didn’t want to rush it.
When he walked into the small den in the back of the house, his dad was in his recliner reading a book. “Hey, Dad.”
“Ben,” his father said as he stood to greet his son. “What brings you by these parts?”
“Do I really need a reason to come see my parents? Am I that bad of a son?”
They all laughed, and his father shook his head and motioned toward the sofa. “Sit and stay awhile.”
His mother primly sat in the chair beside his father. “What do you want to talk to us about?”
Ben cleared his throat. “Do you remember Rachel Davis, the girl I brought by here a while back?”
A smile graced his mother’s face. “Yes, she was a sweet girl. Please tell me you’ve finally asked that girl on a date.”
Ben chuckled. “Mom, Rachel and I have actually been together for seven years.”
“What?”
“Son, you know you shouldn’t keep stuff like that from your mother.”
Ben held his hands up. “Listen, up until recently—very recently, we didn’t talk about us as a couple. We were just friends, close friends.”
His mother furrowed her brows. “What changed?”
“She almost left me.”
“After seven years, would you blame her?” His father removed his glasses and closed his book.
“No, Dad, but her doing so caused me to take a hard look at myself.” He swallowed and leaned forward. His fingers played push-ups on each other. “I’m ready to clean out the room.”
His mother gasped. “You still have it in your new house?”
Ben’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Does Rachel know?” his father asked.
“Yes, sir.” Ben looked at his mother. “Would you call Mrs. Johnson and see if she wants Maggie’s wedding dress?”<
br />
Compassion filled his mother’s eyes. “Ben, you need to do that, honey.”
“What if she blames me?”
“She doesn’t. That man went to jail for Maggie’s death. She knows it wasn’t you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ben took a moment to gather his composure. “On a brighter note, once Rachel and I are finished with the case we’re on, I’m asking her to marry me.”
“Oh Ben, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.” His mother gushed just like she had when he’d told them he wanted to marry Maggie.
His father crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve waited for seven years, Ben. Don’t you think that’s long enough?”
“This case is too big, and neither of us needs to be distracted. The time will be right after this case.”
“Son, if you’re waiting for the perfect time, believe me, there will never be the perfect time. Something will always come up.”
“Not the perfect time, Dad. Just the right one.”
20
Armed with breakfast biscuits and coffee, Rachel walked into the Sunnyland Retirement Home. She had dressed in business casual attire as didn’t think she needed to look like a lawyer for this meeting.
“Good morning,” she said as she approached the front desk.
The older woman looked up with a smile on her face. “Good morning, may I help you?”
“I spoke with”—Rachel dug the lady’s name out of her purse—“Sharon in Residents’ Services. She told me I could drop by and check in on Ms. Gloria Hightower.”
“Let me ring Sharon to let her know you’re here. Go ahead and sign in.” The woman pointed to the notebook in front of her.
Rachel signed in with her name but hesitated when it came to the resident she wanted to see. Did Mathew check his mother’s visitors? Would someone tell him she was here? Would anyone up here know who she was? She didn’t want to take a chance, so she wrote:
Sharon/Ms. Gloria H. She didn’t want the facility to get into trouble for not keeping proper records.
“Sharon is on her way.”
Uncovered Secrets: A Riverton Crossing Novel - Book 7 Page 9