~~~
It was so much worse than Charlie thought.
The story about the playground clean up in one of the roughest sections of Boston was so good that it showed up on the front page of the Sunday paper, with a picture of Chauncy.
David laughed when he read the caption: "District city councilor directs long overdue revitalization efforts on local playground."
But his smile dropped as soon as he looked beneath the fold. Why was his campaign picture there?
He skimmed until he got to it.
Long-time resident Mrs. Shirley Davis has been trying to get Willow Park cleaned up for years. She had called Councilor Chauncy's office many times, but it was after a chance mention of the state of the playground to candidate David Hwang that a cleanup project got underway.
Davis had trouble speaking without crying. "I used to take my children here," she said. "It was a nice playground then, and it was a nice neighborhood. But I haven't been able to take my grandchildren here, and it was a sign of how much this area has lost since we moved in. I am so happy to see this cleaned up now, and I can't wait to bring my grandchildren here tomorrow."
The playground has been the site of a handful of shootings in the last decade and a half, and residents remain concerned that the cleanup won't keep the area safe. When the local precinct was contacted, the captain told us that they were contacted by Ernie Draper, the former employer of David Hwang, with a request to increase the number of patrols in that area.
David walked into the office and threw the paper on Charlie's desk. "We didn't talk to Mrs. Davis!" he exclaimed.
Charlie picked up the paper and hissed. "Nope."
"Chauncy is going to lose it!"
"Screw him," Charlie said emphatically. "This is what he gets for trying to take credit for something you did. The people at the Globe might not be our friends, but they aren't stupid. Everyone knows that he's too lazy to organize something like this."
"That will make me feel much better when he lit drops with every candidate running against me," David snapped.
Charlie smiled. "Then isn't it fortunate you just hired two energetic street workers in his district? Oh," he said as he sat up. "I also closed the deal with two donors who read the story last night on the web." David's phone buzzed. He looked at it and groaned. "Who is it?" Charlie asked.
"Lucy Bartolome's office."
~~~
David walked into Lucy's office three hours later. "I had nothing to do with that!" he said as soon as the door closed. He explained everything as quickly as he could; he was pretty sure she didn't blink through it once.
"Okay," she said quietly, then gestured for him to sit. "We’ll get to that in a minute, but first...I need to tell you a story. Once upon a time," she began, looking away, "there was a family in Boston named Leighton. They were esteemed pillars of Boston society for decades. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep them from getting just as greedy and foolish as everyone else in the Twenties, and by the Thirties they were shocked to see how much of what they'd had was gone." Lucy snapped her fingers. "It didn't take long. They were just as stupid as everyone else, even when they should have known better."
David blinked. "What happened to them?"
"They may not have had as much money, but they still had a reputation, and that was worth something; away from Boston, at least. The daughter of the man who'd lost all that money was sold off like chattel to someone who came from Louisiana and wanted to pretend that his blood was as blue as the people who'd spit on his family before they'd made their fortune. And he was just as bad as you'd imagine he would be. He was a Bartolome, and he was my grandfather. My grandmother learned a number of things being married to him, but one of them was what can happen when you aren't very careful and think everything through as much as you can." She inhaled. "I'll tell you a secret: I married a Hendrickson and everyone calls me Lucy Bartolome, but I've always thought of myself as a Leighton. My brother Tom...he was definitely a Bartolome."
"I'm...sorry for your loss," David said awkwardly. "I know it must have been hard to have lost him."
"Oh my God!" she whispered as she steadied herself on her desk.
"Are you alright?" David asked after a moment.
Lucy nodded. "David...there are some things you need to know because, frankly, everyone's going to find out soon anyway. My brother...is not dead. I'd always thought something was suspicious about his death. I thought it was that his wife tried to kill him and not that he wasn't actually dead. Of course, I was right about Josie, but that's not as much of a comfort now as it should be."
David was shocked. "Your sister-in-law tried to kill your brother?"
It was the closest thing David—or anyone else—had ever seen that resembled regret in Lucy’s grey-blue eyes. "She did, and I finally don't blame her. I am told by my son, who was barely a teenager at the time, that my brother beat his young, pretty, petite wife frequently. And I am told by others that had he not raped and impregnated her she never would have married him in the first place." She looked at him without any emotion. "Josie withstood all of that, and it wasn't until he...my brother...beat their toddler as well that she decided she was going to stop him."
David stood up. He didn't dare touch her, but he did stand next to her. "Mrs....Lucy, what happened wasn't your fault. You didn't know."
She closed her eyes. "I didn't know," she repeated. "And that's the Hell of it. I've always prided myself on being so careful and thorough, but I missed the monster who was right next to me because I didn't want to see it."
David felt a lump in his throat. "No one wants to admit that someone they love is capable of something terrible."
"I saw what I would let myself see. I knew—it was so obvious—that Josie had killed him but I had no proof. The police couldn't find it either, so I hired the lead detective to look into it after they'd closed the investigation." She set her jaw. "I knew he needed the money. I knew it was a serious violation of the rules to even offer, but I knew he'd take it. I didn't know that he wasn't going to be able to find anything but that he was going to stalk her." She scoffed. "Can you imagine how terrified she must have been? She'd just killed the man who had been beating her for years, then someone with a badge is behind every shadow? It would have been better if she'd left, but my niece was already so attached to my son Richard and her friend Miranda."
"What happened to her?" David asked softly.
Lucy closed her eyes, and slowly opened them. "He wasn't dead, and he knew she'd tried to kill him. He came back and repaid her."
"I am so sorry."
"I...had...no idea," she whispered. "We knew she'd been murdered...after she was raped. I thought it might have been Teague, the detective. He was investigated, but it wasn't him. I just wanted to keep my niece Jessie safe, but even that I failed at."
"Lucy, how did you discover that your brother was alive?"
"Because he was tormenting his own daughter," she said painfully. "He played mind games with her to see if she remembered what really happened, what he really did to her mother. Michael Abbot, of all people, is the one who finally figured it out."
"And this is all going to be made public soon?" David asked.
"They are running the DNA tests now to confirm it, but no amount of plastic surgery can change the look in my brother's eyes." She shuddered. "Yes, in answer to your question. This is all coming out now and something else too: I was involved with Professor Hazlett at the university. Professor Joanna Hazlett."
It took David a moment to understand what she was telling him. "Oh," he said awkwardly. "I had no idea."
"As I said, I'm very cautious when I’m not incredibly stupid. Not enough to fool my son, but he's always been so bright." She looked like she tasted something bitter. "Or my brother, but that's what happens when someone spies on you in your own home."
A chill went through David. "I am so sorry," he repeated in a whisper.
"He told someone, and that someone used that inform
ation to get something he desperately wanted that he didn't deserve. The price was that I had to marry someone I didn't have any feelings for." She choked down her disgust. "I wouldn't have my son but for Alex Sheldon's blackmail; my son was actually what he really needed to get out of me."
David stood back. "Someone forced you to get married and have a child?"
"Yes," she said fiercely. "I don't know if any of that is coming out. He was working for Gerald Hendrickson and needed a loan of millions. A little less, I think, than what my grandmother went for."
"No one has ever said anything good about him to me; I just never would have thought—"
"He is so much worse than anyone knew," she hissed. "After I'd broken it off with Joanna, married Jim and had Richard—after I'd lived the life I was told to for over a decade—Gerald Hendrickson was finally dead. Alex had what he wanted. I was going to leave Jim and let him find someone who could give him what he wanted. I wouldn't have embarrassed him—I would have been discrete. Tom found out, and he told Alex. And Alex told Jim. He must have told him everything. I don't know if he knew what Jim would do, but I think he did."
"What happened to your husband?"
She looked down at the table. "He shot himself. That's old news—lived down for many years—but it all comes back up now." She looked at him. "I want you know this now, before it all comes out, so you can decide whether you want your name linked to mine."
"Lucy!" David exclaimed. "That should be the last thing you worry about right now. I'm not going to turn on you because you're about to get some bad press, and I'm not going to listen to anyone who tells me that I should. I'm so grateful for everything you've done, and I wasn't raised to walk away when someone I care about is attacked."
"I can keep some of it out the press," she said, "but it will always be something that could come up."
"Oh, well," David said adamantly. "That's too bad then. I guess I'll have to take my lumps like a big boy." He stood up straight. "And what do you want me to say if anyone asks me about any of this?"
She nodded. "Nothing. As usual, refer all questions to my office."
"Nice to see some things haven't changed," David mumbled.
"They haven't." She picked up the newspaper. "And next time, don't give a media whore like Chauncy an opportunity to get in front of a camera. You never know what kind of a day I might be having."
David laughed, and Lucy joined in a moment later. "Yes, ma'am."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Vijay had begged Kasi to meet Emily over the weekend. Kasi finally told him that the only time she had available was seven thirty on Saturday morning, and he didn't blink. "Fine, she'll see you then, wherever you choose."
"Vijay! What is her problem?"
He shrugged. "We've been trying to figure that out for years."
Emily was sitting in the diner when Kasi arrived. Kasi looked at her watch. "Sorry, am I late?"
Emily put down her menu. "Not at all," she said brightly. "I just wanted to make sure we got a good seat. This place seems to fill up quickly."
Kasi ordered coffee as soon as her waiter arrived. Emily ordered tea, but she didn't look like she needed it. Kasi rubbed her eyes. "How long have you been up?"
"I don't know, since five?" Emily answered pleasantly. "If I want to get anything done, I have to wake up before my daughter."
"Is she even up now?" Kasi asked irritably.
"I'm pretty sure she and my husband are watching Pucca reruns as we speak."
"I used to love that show!" Kasi gasped.
"Me too," Emily said. "After a friend of mine introduced me to it."
Their drinks came. Emily ordered the potatoes and a side of broccoli. Kasi ordered the pancakes and eggs. She turned to face Emily. "So what can I do for you?"
"I hope you're a little more enthusiastic when you meet with your other donors," Emily said playfully.
Kasi sat up straight, suddenly awake. "I'm sorry. Vijay didn't mention anything about that."
"Yes, of course. I am willing to make a donation to David Hwang's campaign, and I think I can convince my husband to make his own."
"But?" Kasi asked.
"I'd like a little information first."
"I need to refer you to Charlie for any specifics about David's platform. I'm sure he'd be happy to—"
Emily put up her hand. "You're the one I want to speak to. My questions are about Castillon."
Kasi slumped back into her seat, exhausted again. "I don't even know whom I should refer you to if you want to ask about where she stands."
"But you can tell me," Emily said between sips of tea, "how upset I should be that she's running for Congress."
"Very," Kasi said before gulping down her coffee. She put her cup down. "David was absolutely right to choose not to run for Congress. He'd need much longer to build up a base in the other cities and towns in the district, and someone in that race needs a track record to run on." Emily raised an eyebrow. "Ideally."
"I didn't think 'ideal' was a word professional politicians used seriously," Emily snarked.
"Paloma can immediately tap into Todaro's readymade organization. And yes, anyone would think that was a good thing."
"Why do I feel like I'm in the only one in the district who's upset that this woman hasn't done anything? Or has she and I just missed it?" she asked sincerely. "I try very hard to pay close attention, but the paper doesn't always cover—"
"Believe me when I say that the Globe goes out of their way to cover everything she does," Kasi said gloomily. "You only think she hasn't done anything because you're paying attention. Everyone else is under the impression that she's coordinated some kind of onslaught of legislation about women's rights because she's held a number of hearings about it and shown up at every event related to it, but nothing has been filed much less voted on." Kasi stopped when their food came, then resumed as soon as the waiter was out earshot. "It’s like I said before: everyone looks at her and sees exactly what they want to see."
"Fine," Emily said. "And she’s not the only one, I guess. But who decided that it should be her that we're going to pin all of our hopes and dreams on? And why her? And what’s up with all these Chicago people in Boston?"
"Kirk was born in Chicago, but he's from Massachusetts now and has been for decades. But he didn’t leave Chicago completely. As I understand, Kirk's father was a neglectful SOB—there's a reason he came to a Boston boarding school when he was so young—but his mother was one of those forces of nature who stayed busy in community activities. She made sure that people remembered that she had a son studying in Boston, and she made sure that they kept him in mind for summer jobs when he came home. As I understand it, she and Castillon's mother go way back. She got her daughter to Boston as soon as she could find a way."
"Isn't that interesting," Emily murmured.
"You know what they say about the best laid plans though," Kasi said as she cut her pancakes. "They don't always come through the way you think they will."
"What was the original plan?"
"That Castillon was going to work for Kirk. But the catch was that she needed an education first. That's the part that didn't work out so well."
"I know the official story," Emily said as she forked a piece of potato. "She went to night school at UMass Boston, but she left after one term." Emily took a bite and Kasi didn't say anything. "What?"
Kasi looked around, then leaned forward. "She didn't even go for one term."
Emily put her fork down. "Huh?"
"I went to UMass Boston, and I have some friends in the registrar's office. They looked at me funny the whole time I was working for Castillon. As soon as I quit one of them took me out to lunch and told me that there was no record of her ever having attended that school."
Emily's eyes scanned from side to side. "My mother works at the university. That's how I was able to go. She always used to tell me how messed up their admin systems were—the registrar's office especially. Which is why I always got a
receipt and a confirmation number for anything I did, but that's another story. UMass Boston is even bigger. Your friend was sure?"
Kasi nodded. "When Castillon first made the claim, no one in that office recognized her name. One of them did a search and got nothing. They looked for the year that she was claiming to have been there, then they looked the year before and after. Then two other people did it. Nothing. If she was there, she was there under a different name."
Emily narrowed her eyes. "Then how does she get away with saying that if it's a lie? The registrar's office didn't tell anyone? Isn't that fraud?"
"They did tell someone," Kasi whispered. "They told the registrar, and she said she'd look into it. Two weeks later, there was a piece on the school website talking about the council candidates—and they said Castillon had taken classes at the night school."
Emily nodded her chin down. "The registrar didn't talk to the communications people?"
"All I know is that my friend said they all got an email from the registrar talking about the gorgeous website a few days later. The message was clear: keep your mouth shut."
Emily searched for words. "I suppose it looks good to say a politician came from your school," she finally said.
Kasi sat back. "Especially when another politician tells you to make sure she can say that."
Emily pursed her lips. "Which one?"
"I can only guess," Kasi admitted. "But Kirk looks better and better for it every time I think about it."
Emily shook her head in frustration. "But why? Why is a little city councilor's election in Boston enough to get the governor involved? I get why they care about the mayor, but what decisions does the Council make that he should care?"
"I don't know," Kasi admitted.
"Fine," Emily said after she drank some tea. "She didn't go to college, so she didn't go to work for Kirk. So how did she end up in Fitzgerald's office? I didn't think they hired just anyone."
Kasi nodded to herself. "I've wondered about that too," she said at last. "What I keep coming back to is that Paloma’s and Kirk's mothers were close, and if her mother couldn't get her into Kirk's office, she still got something out of him." She looked around again. "Figure it out: if you're not known for your hard work and someone isn't doing you a favor, what's left?"
The Golden Boy Returns (The New Pioneers Book 5) Page 10