Corrupt Practices

by Penelope L'Amoreaux

  “It wasn’t him, you know.” Her voice was soft and brought Mariel back to the present.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  Paige shrugged. “Because I know how he writes. This is too formal for a staff e-mail. He’s always cheerful and easygoing with his staff. In fact, it often crosses over into his speeches. I have to work with him to sound more formal when the situation requires it. I mean, it’s a close copy, but not quite his style.”

  She handed the papers back to Mariel. “Read them again,” she suggested. Mariel saw what Paige meant; the e-mails were formal. The softness in them came from an over-abundance of flattery for Bill. The person who wrote the e-mails wanted Bill to feel important and valued. Roger could do that without the stiff prose.

  “Besides, we all know he’s a good guy to a fault. That’s why he didn’t back down over the CER leak. He doesn’t care if people know he’s pro-clean energy, even if it means siding with extremists.”

  In the aftermath of Linda’s nasty leak, Senator Taylor had announced publicly that he had nothing to hide-- extreme situations sometimes required extreme actions, and he wanted to hear from everyone, including the CER. Owning up to it had bought him more points in polling and the office had considered it a successful recovery. Roger was all about transparency.

  Mariel wanted to believe it. It was true; she’d felt a level of trust and idolatry for Senator Taylor even before she had met him. As much as he fit the politician mold for dress and mannerisms, there was an earnestness in him that couldn’t be faked. When he spoke with passion, she’d felt it. When he’d shaken her hand, it’d been genuine.

  “Then who, Paige?”

  “Who else has access to his email? A personal fucking aid, that’s who.” No longer soft, Paige turned into a viper. Her eyes were slits as she made the connection Dallas had been unwilling to.

  “Ellen!?” Not waiting, Mariel rushed after the men. She froze at what she saw. Dallas had Roger pressed against a wall, his fist gripping Roger’s collar. They were seconds away from coming to blows.

  “Wait!” She ran and gripped Dallas’s free hand, trying to prevent the swing. “Dallas, wait! It was Ellen!”

  Both brothers stared at her. “Don’t you see? Roger, surely she knows your log-in. I imagine with all of the scheduling, schmoozing, and correspondence you’re supposed to do, she does it for you. Right?”

  Shaken, Roger nodded. Dallas released his brother and took a quick step back, horror on his face. He looked at Roger, pleading. “I’m sorry, Roger, I—“

  “No. Don’t apologize. You were doing your job. I would’ve thought the same thing if I was you. But I can’t believe it was Ellen. She’s… she’s in love with me. She’s told me so. She wouldn’t throw me under the bus.”

  “If she’s in love with you, why are you here with Paige?” Dallas cut to the point.

  “Because I’m not in love with Ellen.” There was a pause, pregnant with the unspoken.

  “Hell hath no fury, and all that,” Paige’s voice came from the dining room. If she had heard Roger’s confession, she wasn’t admitting to it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The plan should have been simple. Go to the police with the records and Ellen’s name. The problem was, it was Roger’s word against hers. There was no proof. And the money was still missing. If reporters caught wind of it, and they would, it would hit the headlines long before the laundering was solved. Roger would be implicated and guilty until proven innocent. In Washington, that was a death sentence, even if he had done nothing wrong. His opponents would never let it die.

  No, they needed more proof. They needed Ellen to admit it on tape and tell them where the money was.

  “We can’t let her know that we know,” Paige ventured as they planned around the dinner table. “We’ll need to bait her.”

  Roger still looked sick. His career was in jeopardy and the woman he had trusted implicitly was most likely the reason for it.

  It seemed Dallas was also at a loss for words. He just looked at the emails over and over.

  “We’ll lay a trap, then.” Mariel’s voice surprised even her. “Roger, change your password.”

  “What will that do?”

  “She’ll protest too much when she figures out it’s changed. If it really is her, she won’t want to give up the tool she’s been using to hide behind and manipulate with. We can verify it’s her and go from there.”

  Roger laughed a little, considering the circumstances. He still looked like he had been hit by a truck. “That kind of thinking would make you a fine politician.”

  Dallas agreed. “It’s simple and makes sense. Besides, I’ve warned you for years about letting her have access to your e-mail.”

  “I’m hearing an ‘I told you so’ in that.”

  Dallas didn’t deny it.

  As they sipped their wine in silence, Roger got out his phone. Something was still itching at Mariel, some detail they had overlooked.

  She watched as he began changing his passwords. The thing nagging her was growing. Something that concerned Ellen and her complicity in the laundering…

  Mariel remembered the fundraiser. She remembered the final detail. “I don’t think Ellen is working alone.”

  She spilled then, what she had seen between Ellen and the mystery man. The heated exchange, the way that Ellen had seemed upset and pleading, the man’s indifference as he walked away. She tried to describe what she could remember about his height, his hair color… none of it rang a bell for anyone. Unfortunately in Washington everyone seemed to look an awful lot like everyone else. Without a face, there was no telling who the man was.

  “You didn’t see anything else?” Insistent, Dallas sounded frustrated at her inability to tell them more.

  She shook her head. “No. If you’ll remember, I was distracted for the rest of that night.” She flushed as she said it. The mood was too somber, though, for them to enjoy the memory. “Okay, Roger. When it comes to it, we should try to find out about the man, too. But only if she admits to the email use. If she is on to us at all, she could bury you before we can figure this out. As it stands, all of the evidence points to you. Be careful.”

  Roger didn’t have time to respond. Not even ten minutes had passed since he changed his passwords when his phone rang.

  “It’s her.” They all sat, stunned by the rapidity of her response.

  He answered, putting the phone on speaker phone. “Ellen, it’s a little late for business.”

  “Oh, I know, sorry! You know me, though, I never stop working.”

  “That’s been true enough. It is one of the reasons I value you so much.” Mariel saw Roger’s hands fist tightly. He was doing his best to keep the emotion out of his voice. It was good they hadn’t tried to confront her face to face, not yet, because he was barely containing the animosity brewing.

  “Look, I called because I was trying to look at your email. You have some dinners and things you’ve been invited to. You know, the usual. I’ve been trying to get you to meet privately with Senator Thompson and Senator McDonnell, if you remember, and I think they are amenable. Anyway, I was going to find the emails they had sent you, but I can’t seem to get into your account.”

  “I changed the password.”

  There was a small pause. “Oh? That’s probably smart. You know, they say you should change it every ninety days or something. I’ll put a reminder on your calendar and change them for you, if you’d like. Just let me know what the current one is.”

  Roger cleared his throat. Paige’s eyes were huge, and it felt like the room was holding their collective breath. “No need. In fact, I’ve been doing some thinking. It is probably been too lazy of me to let you answer so many of my emails. I should be more responsible for my own correspondence. You’ve been going above and beyond, Ellen, and I’m going to take some of that load off of you.”

  This time they heard more than a hesitation on the phone. Her responding laugh was tight and shrill. “Oh Roger, is th
is the time to change things up? You know I don’t mind. And it frees up so much time for you, busy man that you are. We’ve got a good system, don’t you think? Just tell me the password, I’ll take care of everything.”

  Roger glanced at Mariel. She felt like a nervous wreck, unsure of how he should proceed. It was clear that Ellen wanted his password, badly. Was it possible, though, that Ellen was just trying to do her job?

  Mariel had come up with the plan, but she hadn’t thought through how to fulfill it.

  If he shared her worry, Roger didn’t show it. Dallas nodded at him, and Roger’s face became the sculpted one he used for politics. It was a comfortable shell for him, and maybe a bit of who he was now. He too, liked control, and that was how he exerted it. “Ellen, let’s talk about it Monday. This is something I feel strongly about. I’ve been irresponsible. I’m a public servant, but I’ve been shirking my duties and letting you bear too much of the burden.”

  Ellen wasn’t taking no for an answer. Her words became clipped. “Roger. Please. This is how I do my job. I need these answers before Monday. May I see you? You seem different.” Her voice got softer, pleading. “If I’ve done something wrong…”

  “No, you haven’t. You know how much I count on you.” The violence in Roger’s eyes paid out the lie, but she couldn’t see it over the phone.

  “Please. Let me see you. We’ll talk about this. If this about what I’ve said in the past, I’m sorry. I crossed a line, I know you want things to stay business between us. That’s all I’m asking for, is to help you. I think we need to talk about that more, since it is obviously still bothering you.”

  He inhaled sharply. Mariel saw him make the decision, his fists releasing a little. “Ok. In an hour. My place. We’ll talk about it then.”

  He hung up.

  Paige was furious. “What does she mean, you need to talk?”

  Looking cornered, Roger held up his hands. “I said as much earlier. She told me she was in love with me. I told her I needed things to remain professional.”

  Mariel felt for her friend, seeing the frustration. “Oh, Roger. Did you tell her you weren’t interested in her, or that you needed things to stay professional?”

  “The latter. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Why?”

  Paige grabbed her jacket off the back of a chair. “Because you offered her a chance, Roger. A challenge. We don’t have time to discuss it, though. If we take the limo, we can get there right before she does.”

  Everyone began rushing to leave. “So, E.B., I hope you have more to this plan of yours,” Dallas whispered to her as they rushed down to Roger’s car. The driver opened the door for them.

  Her second time in a limo, and she still wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Nerves in a bundle, Mariel had never felt so out of her league.

  “What will Ellen do if we’re all there?” Paige asked. “She’ll know something is up.”

  “We’ll be out of sight.” Dallas spoke. Mariel snuggled closer to him. She realized that they were all feeling in over their heads. His arm went around her shoulder and she was thankful for the comfort. He was regaining his control and she liked it. “We’ll hide around Roger’s place, and we’ll each record her on our phones. That way someone is sure to get enough of a confession that it is admissible in courts. It also means we’re all witnesses. This can’t turn into her word against his. We’d never be able to prove our side. We need to make sure Roger is one hundred percent off the hook when this comes to light.”

  “Roger, are you up to this?” Mariel was worried for the senator. It had been a hard week for her, but in one night his world was crumbling around him. She had seen what the lack of control had done to Dallas; he’d been a mess. Roger was like him in so many ways. If they didn’t have control, they panicked.

  “I can handle this. Corruption and betrayal is a part of politics, I suppose. Still, I never expected it in my own office.”

  Beside her, Dallas tensed. If he wanted to say something, he didn’t get the chance.

  “We’re here,” Paige mumbled. They climbed out of the limo. Mariel gasped. They had left the city proper. This was a suburban offshoot of D.C.

  If you would could call street after street of mansions ‘suburban.’ Roger’s home was enormous and immaculate. The yard was tastefully done with masculine shrubs and flowers in patriotic reds and whites. It was night, but a wealth of artfully placed floodlights illuminated their way to expansive double doors.

  So this is what being a billionaire meant.

  “Nice house,” she ventured, trying to sound cooler than she felt.

  A butler opened the door. Mariel’s mouth went dry. A butler had opened the door. She hadn’t known that people even used butlers anymore.

  They entered and at some point Mariel couldn’t hide her amazement under a mask of nonchalance. Fresh flowers were on marble tables. The stairway was grand, large and curving like it belonged in a castle. Everything was beautiful, if a little cold and impersonal. She couldn’t imagine living in a home that was so opulent.

  “Welcome to our childhood home,” Roger gestured, though he was already walking with purpose toward another room.

  Mariel swung around to Dallas. “You grew up here?”

  He had the decency to look abashed. It was a small comfort to know he could see how uncomfortable the house made her. “Yes, for the most part. Dad was governor of Virginia, so we spent some time at that house as well.”

  “There’s… there’s another house?”

  “Sure, the governor’s mansion. But it wasn’t permanent. This was his ‘home away from home.’ We stayed here mostly, to stay out of his way.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  She tried to picture it, two little boys running and playing in the sterile, hard halls. It was difficult to imagine.

  “Mariel,” Dallas wheeled around, his hands grabbing her shoulders. “This is going to be okay.”

  She shuddered under his touch. “I know. I’m just feeling… overwhelmed.” The house, the limo… she didn’t want the wealth to be so overwhelming. Armani suits were one thing. This world of his was another. She hoped she could get comfortable with the idea.

  She wasn’t sure. And after tonight, she couldn’t be sure of what part she would have in Dallas’s and Roger’s future.

  “Come on, we need to figure out where we’re hiding. She’ll be here soon.” Putting his hand on her lower back, Dallas guided her toward the direction Paige and Roger had disappeared. She needed it, his calm and pressure of his palm guiding her. Their task was daunting and she felt too overwhelmed to think anymore.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dallas was pressed close behind her. They were in the pantry of the kitchen. Roger had a wine bottle open and two glasses, but Mariel could see through the slit in the door that he was twirling the glass stem between his fingers, ignoring the liquid inside. Paige was hiding in another room, close to the kitchen. While she was more exposed, she had a better chance of getting a clean recording.

  Now it was a waiting game. Mariel was having a hard time remaining still. Dallas’s close proximity was distracting. She could smell him, still clean and masculine, despite the long day and the stress. His heat was sinking into her skin, wrapping her up. She loved the feel of his chiseled chest and strong thighs. It was distracting to be this close and she had to work to keep her breath quiet and neutral.

  The front door opened and her body locked up. She felt Dallas tense as well. They both took their phones and hit ‘record.’ Mariel was crouched down so that Dallas would be able to look over her shoulders.

  It reminded her of playing hide-and-go-seek as a child. She had always lost, being the first one found. Despite being small and fitting into the most perfect spaces, Mariel had always felt the cramping, painful itching in her limbs as soon as she knew others were looking for her. It was an unavoidable need to move, to squirm, that kept her from remaining still and hidden for long.

  Now her legs were beginning to quake, the mu
scles protesting at the position. Sweat began to bead on her forehead and between her breasts. The closet was stifling and Mariel wanted nothing more than to shift her weight and gasp air. It was too late, though, and all she could think of was how she was always the first one caught.

  She’d forgotten how bad she was at hiding until she heard the heels of Ellen’s shoes clicking into the kitchen. She could see the heels, which were a beautiful shade of red, and Ellen’s shapely legs. Her vision cut off at the hem of the trench coat the elegant assistant was wearing.

  “Roger,” Ellen said, her voice husky and low. “The wine is a thoughtful touch.”

  The sound of wine being poured filled the kitchen. Mariel was sure that it was too quiet, that her breathing was too loud, and that any second her legs would betray her and make a scuffle. Dallas’s hand dropped lightly on her shoulder and Mariel stifled her surprise. It lay there gently, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. It gave her the focus she needed.

  Her legs stopped shaking and as she felt the pressure of his fingers, soothing her, and her breathing slowed as well.

  “We have a lot to discuss. I wanted you to feel comfortable with me.”

  “We both know I feel more than comfortable with you, Roger.”

  There was a sound of glasses clinking-- a toast, most likely. From her dark and low vantage point, Mariel couldn’t see much of what was happening.

  “Roger, why are you being sly about your password?”

  Roger cleared his throat. “I told you on the phone. I didn’t think I needed to be much clearer.”

  “I thought maybe it was because you wanted to start emailing a new girlfriend. Maybe you’re trying to cut me out? Worried about me?”

  Mariel watched as Ellen dragged an elegant, pointed-toe up the back of her calf. The woman was flirting and sounding coy. With her incredible good looks and husky voice, it was hard to imagine any man being able to turn her down.

  “Ellen, enough. That’s juvenile and you know it. Jealousy doesn’t become you.”