by Mark Dawson
“Sure I do.” Jack fixed him with gimlet eyes and Crawford remembered what the man was capable of; the man was a snake––venomous, lethal––and, like a snake, he needed careful handling. “You got her details? We’ll get looking into it right away.”
36
“THANK YOU SO MUCH. Thank you all very, very much. Thank you all. I can’t tell you how wonderful that makes me feel. Now, I want to tell you who we all are in this room. We’ve not done a good enough job of just laying out who we are because we make the mistake of assuming people already know. But they don’t. What they know is based on the way we are portrayed in pop culture, in the media and by our opponents. And we need to do better than that. We are patriots, ladies and gentlemen, that’s what we are, and like good patriots, we love our country.” Applause. “We love all of it and everyone in it, from the mom and pop business on Main Street to the hard-working man trying to establish himself as a tradesman, to the mom who stays home to bring up the kids and the student who works a bar so that she can afford her college tuition. We see potential, ladies and gentlemen. Unlimited potential. In all of these people, and everyone else, we see the average American, the person who makes this great country tick. We know that these people can fulfil their dreams and be everything that they want to be if we just remove certain things from their path. You know the things I mean: excessive taxes that mean a business owner can’t afford to take on new staff and regulations that make it too difficult to break into new areas. Too much government. We look at some of the things that are happening today––like those poor girls who have been found up there on the Headlands––and we know that although our culture is sick, it can be healed. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.” Applause. “We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life.” Applause. “Liberty, Freedom.” Applause. “And the pursuit of happiness.” Applause. “And I’m here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, that all three of these are under assault. And I promise to you, I guarantee with my hand on my heart, that if I am nominated for the office of President, then I will defend those great principles with my dying breath. Thank you for coming, thank you for your support, God bless you and God bless America!”
Robinson took the applause, raising his arm above his head and waving broadly, shining his high beam smile out over the adoring crowd. He walked across to the right hand side of the stage, paused to bask in the acclaim––occasionally pointing out people in the crowd who he recognised, or those who he wanted to give the impression that he recognised––and then came back to the left, repeating the trick.
Milton was almost entirely apolitical, a personal choice he had made so that he was able to carry out his orders dispassionately and without regard to the colour of the government that he was serving, but even he could feel the electricity in the air. The woman next to him was glass-eyed and a little unsteady on her feet. The man at her side was booming out the three syllables of Robinson’s name with no regard to what the others around him might think (not that it mattered; they were just as fervent as he was). The air thrummed with excitement. It was close to mania.
Robinson came down the steps. A path had been arranged right down the centre of the hall, maintained on either side by metal railings that slotted together to form a barrier. There were photographers there, their cameras ready to take a thousand snaps of the Governor in the midst of his people.
Milton knew he would only have one chance to get at him and he had to move fast. He pushed his way to the front of the crowd, muscling through the throng until he was pressed up against the barrier. Robinson was ten feet away, the crowd swelling until Milton was squeezed even tighter against the metal. He thrust his elbow back to free his right arm and extended it out, over the guardrail, bending his usually inexpressive face into a smile. “Great speech, Governor,” he said.
“Thank you, sir.”
Robinson bathed him in that brilliant smile and took his hand, emphasising the gesture by placing his left on top of Milton’s right. A nearby camera flashed, white streaks blasting across his eyes.
Milton maintained his own smile.
He tightened his grip.
He leant in even closer.
“I need to speak to you, Governor.”
A flicker of concern. “I’m afraid I’m a little busy.”
Milton didn’t release his hand.
“And you need to talk to me. It’s very important.”
Robinson tried to pull his hand away but Milton just tightened his grip, taking the strain easily.
Robinson took his left hand away and tugged again with his right. “Let go.”
Milton did not. The Governor’s expression mutated: the fixed grin and the sparkle in his eyes were both washed away by a sudden flush of fear. The security man in the suit, less than five paces away, had noticed what was happening. He started to close in. Milton guessed he had a couple of seconds.
“I know about you and Madison Clarke.”
The fear in Robinson’s eyes was subtly altered. It graduated from an immediate fear, a response to the physical threat of the smiling man with the cold eyes who wouldn’t let go of his hand, to a deeper fear, more primal, more fundamental, one that required calculation to properly assess.
Milton could see him begin to make that calculation.
“Let go of the Governor’s hand,” the man in the suit said.
Milton held on.
His mouth was inches from Robinson’s ear.
“I know about you both, Governor. You need to talk to me. Your campaign is going to end tomorrow if you don’t.”
37
ARLEN CRAWFORD followed the Governor into the back of the building. He was worried. He had seen the man to whom Robinson had been speaking. It could only have been a short conversation, a handful of words, but whatever had been said had spooked Robinson badly. Normally, after a speech that had been as well received as that one had been, the Governor would have been exhilarated, anxiously seeking the redundant confirmation from Crawford that it had gone as well as it had appeared. He would have soaked up the acclaim. This was different: his eyes were haunted, there was a sheen of light sweat across his brow and the tic in his cheek that was only noticeable when he was nervous had started to twitch uncontrollably.
Crawford hurried to catch up. “What did he say?”
“Something about me and Madison.”
“What about her?”
“That he knows, Arlen. He knows about me and her. He said I needed to talk to him and, if I don’t, he’ll end the campaign.”
Crawford’s stomach immediately felt empty. “Let me handle it.”
“No. Not this time.”
Robinson walked quickly through a service corridor. Crawford had trouble keeping up with him.
“He’s a crank. We’ve had them before and there’ll be more and more of them the better we’re doing. Please, sir––let me speak to him first. If it’s anything we need to worry about, I’ll let you know. You speaking to him now is just asking for trouble.”
“No, Arlen.”
“We don’t even know who he is!”
“We’ll do it in private, out back. I want to hear what he has to say. I don’t want you reporting it back to me, pulling your punches––you do that all the time.”
Crawford trailed after him. “I don’t understand. Why are you so worried about him?”
“I told you before––I still don’t know what happened with me and Madison.”
“It was nothing.”
“No, Arlen, it was. She just stopped taking my calls. One day, it was great, the next, nothing. It was out of character. I never got an explanation.”
“We spoke about that. It was for the best. If it came out… you and her… a prostitute… Jesus, J.J., that would sink us for good. There’s no coming back from a story like that.”
He stopped abruptly and turned to him. “Do you know what happened to her?”
Crawford took a quick breath and covered his discomfort with a vigorous shake of his head. “No, sir, I don’t. But we’ve been lucky so far. No-one has said anything about the two of you. I just don’t see the point in pushing it.”
“Noted.”
“So you’ll let me handle this?”
“No. I want to speak to him.”
He pushed through wide double doors and into the kitchen that served the conference centre. The doors banged back against Crawford’s shoulders as he followed in his wake. It was a large space, full of scratched and dented metallic work surfaces, large industrial ovens and burners, walk-in fridges and freezers, dinged pots and pans hanging down on racks suspended from the ceiling. Chefs in grubby white jackets were preparing the lunch that would be enjoyed by the Governor’s guests. The space was filled with noise, warm aromas and clouds of steam. Robinson walked right into the middle of the busy chaos; the man to whom he had been speaking was waiting for them at the edge of the room, standing next to the two security guards who had brought him back here. Crawford hurried in his wake, straining for a better glimpse of his interlocutor.
He didn’t recognise the man. He was a little over six feet tall and slender, at least when compared to the muscular security on either side of him. He had dark hair and a scar across his face. A cruel mouth. His eyes were blue, crystal blue, and they were cold and calm. There was something unsettling about him. He looked perfectly composed, a centre of calm in the frantic activity that clattered and whirled around him. He wasn’t fazed by the guards. He wasn’t fazed by the Governor, either.
“What’s your name, sir?” Robinson asked him.
“John Smith.”
“Let’s get this over with as quickly as we can.”
“I think that would be best.”
“So––what is it you want to say?”
“Wouldn’t you prefer this to be in private?”
Robinson told the security guards to stand aside.
“Who’s this?” Smith asked, indicating Crawford.
“This is my Chief of Staff. I have no secrets from him. Now––please––what do you want to tell me?”
“I know that you were having an affair with her.”
“How do you know that?”
“There was a party in Pine Shore. A fund-raiser for your campaign. Jarad Efron hosted it.”
He frowned. “And? How is that relevant?”
“Madison Clarke was there. Obviously, you know she was an escort.”
“The Governor doesn’t know that,” Crawford interposed hurriedly. “And he doesn’t know who the girl is, either.”
“It would be better if we didn’t waste time,” he said, looking straight at Robinson rather than Crawford. “I spoke to Mr. Efron. He said you were at the party. And he said that you and Madison were seeing each other. I understand that he introduced the two of you––he said that he was a client of hers and then you took a shine to her. I believe you had been seeing her for several weeks. He arranged for her to be there.”
Crawford felt a red-hot scorch of anger. Why had Efron said that? What was he thinking? And, then, a flash of divination: there was something about Smith. It was self-evident what had happened. There was a deadness in the man’s eyes. It was unnerving, a little menacing. Crawford guessed that he could be very persuasive.
“You were seeing her, weren’t you?”
“I was,” Robinson confirmed quietly. “She’s special. I’m very fond of her.”
“Did you see her at the party?”
“The Governor wasn’t at the party.”
“Arlen––”
“You know she went missing afterwards?”
Robinson looked at Crawford then back at Smith. “I had no idea.”
Crawford felt a shiver of anxiety.
“She hasn’t been seen since.”
Crawford stepped forwards. “What does this have to do with you, Mr. Smith?”
“I drove her to the party.”
“So, what––you’re her friend? Her agent?
“I’m a driver.”
“And so what’s this about? What’s it really about? You want money or you’re going to the papers? They won’t believe you, Mr. Smith––”
“I don’t want money,” he interrupted. “I want to know what happened to her.”
“Arlen––”
Crawford ignored the Governor. “Let’s say he did know her, just for the sake of argument. She was a prostitute, Mr. Smith. You said so yourself. Maybe she had money problems? Maybe she’s hiding from someone? Maybe she had an issue with drugs? There could be any number of reasons.”
“Arlen––”
Smith pressed ahead. “Those things are all possible, but unlikely, considering the circumstances. I waited for her that night. I was going to drive her back into the city again. But then I heard her screaming.”
“It was that party?” Robinson said to Crawford. “I remember. You dragged me away? She was there?”
Crawford clenched his teeth.
“I went into the house to get her out,” Smith said. “She was in a terrible state––panicking, she said someone had threatened to kill her.”
“Arlen?”
“This is news to me.”
“She ran away and disappeared.”
“So she’s hiding somewhere,” Crawford said sharply. “Report it to the police.”
“I did that. But now I think she might not be missing. I think she’s been murdered. The bodies that have been turning up along the coast road––”
“How on earth is that relevant––”
“––up on the Headland?” Robinson interrupted.
“Yes. You know about that?”
“Only vaguely.”
“But your speech tonight?”
“I didn’t write it,” he said, as if the man was stupid. “I just say what they tell me to say.”
“I think her disappearance might be connected.”
“You think the Governor has something to do with that?” Crawford managed to splutter.
“I didn’t say that. But he might know something that could help find her, one way or another.”
Crawford felt like he was losing control of the conversation, and, beyond that, his tenuous grip on the whole situation. “That is all speculation,” he protested. “Dangerous speculation with no basis in fact. And it has nothing to do with the Governor.”
“Of course it does, Arlen! I was seeing her and then she disappears. Maybe something has happened to her. Of course it’s relevant. At the very least, I need to speak to the police. Maybe I can help.”
Smith pressed. “You’ve no idea what happened?”
“Of course he doesn’t know!”
Smith ignored him; he moved around slightly so that he was facing away from him, placing his shoulder between himself and Robinson so that Crawford was temporarily boxed out of the conversation. “If there’s anything you can tell me, sir, I would appreciate it.”
“I can’t think of anything. Really––I can’t.”
Crawford pressed himself back into the conversation. “What are you going to do?” he asked him.
“That depends. You need to speak to the police. I think you should do it right away. I’m not an expert at these things––crisis management, I suppose you’d call it––but it would probably be best for you and your campaign if you’re seen to be volunteering information. Maybe they can keep it confidential, I don’t know. But you have to speak to them. I’ll wait until tomorrow and then I’ll tell them what I know.”
“We’ll tell them,” Robinson said. “Right away. Thank you for speaking to me, Mr. Smith. I really do appreciate it.”
The Governor had a dazed look on his face. He shook the man’s hand, an automatic reaction after these long months of campaigning, and made his way out of the kitchen. Crawford turned to follow, then paused, turning halfway back again, w
anting to say something to the man, something that might make the problem go away, but he didn’t look like the kind of person who could be intimidated or bought off or deflected from his course in any way whatsoever. His posture was loose and easy and he returned Crawford’s angry stare with implacable cool. It was unnerving.
Crawford turned back to the door again and hurried after the Governor.
He was waiting for him in the service corridor.
“We need to think about this, sir.”
“What’s there to think about? It’s obvious what we have to do.”
“We mustn’t act hastily. Everything is at stake.”
“I have to speak to the police.”
“That’s a bad idea. A terrible idea.”
“No, Arlen. It’s the right thing to do.”
“Jack, please––this doesn’t have to be a threat. All he has is what Efron told him.”
“But it’s true.”
“All he can say is that you were at the same party as she was.”
“And I was seeing her.”
“No-one can prove that.”
“It doesn’t matter if they can or they can’t. She’s missing. Those girls have turned up not five miles from there. Maybe this is connected. And maybe there is something that I can help the police with. Don’t you think it’s possible?”
“No, I don’t. But if you are determined, then, alright, fine––but let me speak to them.”
“No,” he said. “It has to be me.”
38
MILTON GOT INTO his car and drove. He wasn’t sure how to assess the meeting. Had he scared Robinson enough? He was confident that he had. The Governor had gotten the message but it was obvious that Crawford held significant influence over him. There was a base cunning there, Milton had seen it clearly, and he could see that he would try and limit the Governor’s exposure. How would he do that? Milton wasn’t sure. Would he be able to stop him from going to the police? Perhaps. All he had were guesses about what would happen next. Milton had meant what he said, though: he would give them until tomorrow to do the right thing. If they did not, he would take matters into his own hands and go to the police himself.