by Pynk
“It’s not so much about the fact that he was supposedly cheating, but the reason we want to talk to you is because of who he was cheating with. We need to know if this person hired him for sex.”
“I know nothing about that. If that happened, that’s his business.”
“Kemba Price is your employee, correct?”
She looked impatient. “I already said yes. He’s an independent contractor.”
“And you run an escort service, right?”
“Yes.”
“Named Lip Service?” He wrote down notes when she spoke.
“Yes.”
“Did any of your business dealings fall into the category of your clients paying your employees for sex?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
He asked, “You do know that’s illegal, right?”
“Escorting is not. If anyone was involved in sexual acts it was against my knowledge.”
“Very good. Interestingly enough, the woman involved who is said to have paid Mr. Price for sex is Ms. Beryl Thomas’s estranged sister, Ursula Ellington. And as you know, Ursula Ellington’s husband, Darrell Ellington, is running for president.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“And?” She played it off.
“Well, you tell me.”
“First of all, she’s not one of my clients. And second of all, as per my Fifth Amendment rights, I have nothing else to say without having my lawyer present.”
“You think you need one?” He looked like he knew more than he would say.
She told him like she was schooling him, “You didn’t read me my rights, which means you might be able to use anything we discuss or act upon any knowledge gained, but you still wouldn’t be able to use it in court. You don’t want that, do you?”
He answered her question with a question. “Do you think there’d be a need to go to court?”
“I reserve the right to halt further interrogation, and you must exercise that explicitly. Do not ask me any more questions without my lawyer present.”
“Fine.”
“Now, am I free to go home?”
“Ms. Watts, we will continue to gather evidence. But you are not under arrest. I never said you were. You are free to leave. Therefore, the Miranda warning you refer to does not apply. Simply coming into the station for the purpose of answering questions is not an indication of custody and not entitled to Miranda warnings. We’re not interrogating you. Did it feel that way? If it did, I apologize.”
Money stood. “Good-bye, Detective Thompson.”
“Good-bye, Ms. Watts. You smell good, by the way.”
She walked out like he hadn’t said a thing.
Damn, she thought, as she adjusted her purse strap along her shoulder. Why had she grabbed that bottle of fruity-smelling Gucci Guilty perfume instead of her usual, clean- and innocent-smelling Classic? Kemba’s sloppy ass is mine.
The race will now head to Arizona and Michigan on February 28, giving the candidates a chance to get some much-needed R&R. Senator Darrell Ellington arrived at LaGuardia Airport this morning and stated that though he was in the lead, he still has a long, tough road ahead to win the nomination.
Twenty-Seven
Virgil
Tuesday—February 7, 2012
Virgil and his mother, Ursula, had talked for only a few minutes about a phone call she received, when Darrell rushed into their Scarsdale home with fifth-gear energy, slamming the door and entering the open-floor plan of the wide living room and dining room combination. He hurried over to the mahogany dining room table where his wife sat upon a black formal chair, sipping tea. Virgil was sitting on the living room sofa, pretending to be focusing on his laptop. They both looked up at Darrell, who aimed his quick words at his wife.
“The New York Daily News called my campaign manager. I’ve been getting call after call on my cell phone. And you know what I’m talking about.”
“Yes, Darrell, I do. They’ve been calling the house, too.”
Virgil sat back, keeping an ear on the conversation.
His stepfather pointed directly at his wife. “And?”
She admitted, “It’s a mess. All of the media is going crazy.”
“Then why is it that I got a call from everybody but you? You couldn’t have possibly been that messy, Ursula.”
Virgil was in total disbelief. He sat back and wondered how his stepfather had the nerve to react, since he himself had been sleeping with escorts for years. Yet there he was, throwing a guilt-ridden ball of blame at Virgil’s mother, when he had no right to cast the first stone.
Ursula said with passion, “Let me tell you what happened. They’ve got it wrong.”
“How wrong could it be that you’ve been seeing a male escort?”
She said, “I have not been seeing him. Well, not seeing him like that. I know how this sounds, Darrell. I know how important your campaign is. I would just ask you to keep an open mind.”
He said to his stepson without even looking back at him. “Virgil, how about you leave us alone to speak privately?”
Virgil kept pretending to be working, but still replied, “I will if my mother asks me to.”
Darrell said angrily, “I’m no longer asking you. I’m telling you.”
Ursula said, without looking at anyone but her husband, “He can stay. It’s going to all come out anyway.”
This time Darrell’s and Virgil’s eyes met, and then both of them moved their eyes to Ursula. Her face was laced with regret. “I met this man in the lobby of the Marriott downtown. I was there with Nona, preparing for that Paine Webber speech. The guy and I talked. And we exchanged numbers. He’s a personal trainer. It’s not what you think. I had no idea he was an escort. He never told me that.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Just as Darrell was about to jump in, she opened her eyes and spoke as if she was only telling what she was willing to admit, “I only saw him that one time. He called me. I called him back, and, well…turns out…”
“Say it. He’s Beryl’s damn boyfriend.”
“Yes.”
“And you slept with a man you met in a hotel lobby just like that, knowing our life is an open book? And to top it off, it’s your sister’s man?”
“I didn’t sleep with him. And I didn’t even know Beryl was still in New York. I haven’t talked to her in years. I called him back after he called me, and she answered and recognized my voice. I couldn’t believe it myself.”
“Oh, you couldn’t believe it? What I can’t believe is that you even had the nerve to exchange numbers with this guy. Personal trainer? You know how things are right now. We’re so damn under the microscope. We’re being watched. You don’t exchange numbers like that. You needed a random personal trainer that bad? I’m the one in disbelief. Not you. Me.” He pointed to himself.
Virgil fought back his words. He’d put down his laptop and got up and was now standing close to them. He was on edge.
Darrell asked, leaning his head closer to his wife, “What else happened?”
She said, “That’s it.”
“That’s it? That’s it! Like that’s all there is, and now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can go ahead and finish this campaign. Finish our lives now? Well I don’t believe you didn’t fuck this guy. This will not go away, Ursula.”
She explained, “I’m telling you, I did not.”
He snarled his reply.“Well your own sister is saying he admitted to it.”
“It’s not true. I’m telling you this has been blown out of proportion. Beryl called the media, and they’re running with it. She wanted it that way so she would hurt him and me.”
“Well, it sure as hell worked.”
“Darrell, I’m guilty of taking the time to talk to him, and call him back. I’m guilty of giving him my number. That’s all that happened. And I know what this means.”
“First of all, your sister has an escort, or—let’s use the right words—a male prostitu
te, for a man. And you just so happened to meet him in a hotel lobby and the two of you started calling each other. Well, I guess you repeated the same thing you did to her years ago, huh? Brazen again?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Is there any proof that you slept with him?”
“No. Because I didn’t.”
“Don’t let this get worse. Get it out now, I mean it. My campaign has been at its height and now it’s in trouble and I’ve gotta try to clean up this mess and answer some questions right away. Now’s not the time for any more bullshit.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Nothing happened.”
He stared her down and Virgil stared him down. Darrell said, “I want to talk to Nona. I don’t want you calling her before I do. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
“Is that clear!” he asked again, louder.
Virgil jumped in. “Hold up. She said yes. Now back off. That’s enough.”
Darrell turned toward him, towering over Virgil by at least four inches. “Listen here. You don’t tell me what to do in my own house, and how to talk to my wife. You hear me?”
Virgil stood firm. “You’re talking to my mother, in her house.”
“Your mother has fucked things up. This isn’t the typical political story of the male politician who cheats on his wife. This is the politician’s wife who cheated on her husband. And thanks to her, this is a first.”
“She said she didn’t sleep with him.”
“I don’t believe her.” He shook his head stubbornly. “I just don’t fucking believe her.”
Virgil told him, “Well, this could be worse. It could be the male politician fucking escorts for years, cheating on his wife. It really could be. Ya know?”
Darrell didn’t move. “Yeah. But it’s not.”
“Yeah. It could be.” Virgil gave him a look as if he could tell it all if he really wanted to.
Darrell split his hateful, narcissistic stares between the two of them. “I’m going into my office. I’m not accepting calls. I’m not taking meetings. I’m not gonna play house like everything is fine. If I discover that you lied, Ursula, we’re through. I’m not the type to stay. I’m telling you that right now.”
She still explained. “I’m telling you, my sister is still mad for what happened years ago and she’s making more out of this than there is. She’s making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“And if it wasn’t for the molehill, there’d be no mountain to make. You need to take 100 percent responsibility for this. And when I address the media about this, you’ll be the one standing right beside me disputing these accounts like your marriage depended on it. Because it does.”
Virgil asked him, giving a daring glare, “You’d actually leave my mother for that? For exchanging numbers with a personal trainer?”
Darrell didn’t answer.
He stormed off, looking certain that the bottoming out of his career awaited him.
Ursula’s mouth was open, as if she still had something to say.
Virgil took the few steps to her and put his hand on her back as she sat, “I’m sorry.”
Her voice shook. “I messed up, son. I plain old messed up.”
“You’re human.” Virgil fought with telling his mother that his stepfather was the one who should be in the hot seat. Telling her things a whole lot hotter than what he was berating her for.
She hugged her son around his waist. She began bawling, crying so hard her body shook.
Virgil knelt down and hugged her. “It’s gonna be okay, Mom. No matter what happens for now, it’s gonna end up okay.”
He said what he needed to say, but in his heart he knew the truth of it all would be their downfall. With the cat out of the bag, he wondered if he could continue to keep Darrell Ellington’s indiscretions from the world and from his mom. But if there was still a window of opportunity for the White House, even with the news about his mother, then he would keep it to himself for now.
Breaking news: This morning in a special press conference in New York City, Senator Darrell Ellington and his wife, Ursula Jackson Ellington, denied recent allegations that Mrs. Ellington paid for the services of a male escort. They did not take questions, but said the false allegations would be cleared and that Senator Ellington will continue to move ahead with his campaign for president.
Twenty-Eight
Midori
Friday—February 10, 2012
Three days after everything blew up, it was obvious that business at Lip Service was on hold. Plans to hire the new male IC, Bronx, for Kalin Graves were also canceled. There were no bookings, no calls, no nothing. It was as if Lip Service was holding its breath to see if it would ever live again.
The fallout from the accusations made by Beryl Thomas were all over the media, headlines reading, “Republican Candidate Senator Darrell Ellington’s Wife Allegedly Paid a Male Escort for Sex.” Darrell and his wife had given a press conference and denied the claims.
Virgil was at Midori’s place. He’d spent a sexless night with her and was now dressed for work. Midori was still in bed, and Virgil lay next to her as they talked.
Midori asked him, “I know your mom denied it, but do you think it’s true?”
“I have to believe her. I was thinking you’d know more. Thought you’d be able to find out if there was an appointment between her and this Kemba guy.”
“No. I don’t have access to that.”
“Haven’t you talked to him?”
“No. Not lately. I haven’t talked to Money or anyone else. Haven’t heard from the booker. Nothing. It’s best to just lay low. No appointments. No phone calls. No e-mail, texts, nothing. There are still a few jobs I haven’t even gotten paid for and I might not. It’s just a mess, Virgil.”
“Here I was worried about the mayor and about my stepfather, and what gets out is all about my mother, told by my aunt.”
Midori asked, “Did you even know about her? Your aunt.”
“I did. She was around when I was young. But they fell out when I was graduating from high school. The next year my dad died from a heart attack. That was about ten years ago. I never brought her up and neither did my mother.”
“What happens now? I mean your stepfather’s involvement could come up in all of this. The fact that your mother could be charged with patronizing a prostitute, if they really did have sex, is bad enough. And honestly, your association to me is just…I mean, what if we all get called to testify? Let’s say there are charges filed against Lip Service. Your parents know you’re dating me. I never did get close to them. I don’t think they liked me the moment they met me. They’ll know what I do. It’ll all unravel.”
He looked frustrated. “I don’t care. I haven’t done anything wrong. And I believe my mother. She said she didn’t have sex with him, let alone pay for sex. The one who’s got the most to lose is my stepfather. And he has the nerve to act like he’s squeaky-clean. It burns me up inside to see him acting so righteous.”
Midori rubbed the blonde hairs on the back of her head. “Are you gonna tell her? About what he’s really done?”
“I can’t do anything that would bring about more suspicions regarding what you do, what Lip Service does.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not? I just can’t believe how this has blown up.” Virgil reached into his pocket and took out his cell. He scrolled through his e-mails.
She asked, “You’re done recording stuff, right?”
“Of course.”
Midori leaned her head back against the headboard. “I wonder where my sister is. I called but she hasn’t called me back. Damn.” Then suddenly, her cell phone rang. She said to Virgil while grabbing it from the spot next to her on the mattress, “It’s Money.” She answered it fast. “Hi.”
Money sounded serious. She spoke fast. “Midori, sorry I haven’t returned your calls. Jamie’s taking me to the police station. My attorney said I have to turn myself in befo
re three o’clock. You need to stay in touch with Jamie because in a couple of days, I’ll have an arraignment and bail will be set. He needs to post it. If he doesn’t end up posting it, I’ll need you to. My attorney will call you later today.”
“Okay. Whatever you need. But what are the charges?”
“Pandering and prostitution for now. Looks like the FBI has been watching my bank accounts. And Senator Ellington’s as well. He’s been charged with money laundering. Just stay by your phone.”
Midori looked at Virgil, who still scrolled through his phone. “I will. I love you. Sorry.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Midori hung up, giving an exhale.
“What?” Virgil asked, looking at her.
“Your stepfather’s been charged with money laundering.”
Virgil jumped up and put on his shoes. “I’ve gotta go.” He darted toward the door and dialed his cell.
Midori heard his voice as he walked out of her front door. “Mom. Are you okay?”
And then he was gone.
Midori’s first thought was to turn on the television. The local news station had breaking news:
This just in. We have word that the FBI has been investigating Senator Darrell Ellington’s financial dealings, as his bank reported suspicious activity on his account to their financial intelligence unit a while back. We have learned that the suspicious transactions have been traced to a company called LS Inc., which is Lip Service, an escort agency. The company is believed to be a cover for a prostitution ring. Oddly enough, one of the escorts working for Lip Service is the same escort who has recently been connected with Senator Ellington’s wife, Ursula Ellington, charges that the Ellingtons denied earlier today. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the owner of Lip Service, Money Watts, who is expected to turn herself in this afternoon.
Senator Ellington is expected to withdraw from the presidential race and will make an official announcement this evening. He will be charged and arraigned in Federal Court on Wednesday.