by J. J. Franck
“Come on, we’re going,” Don said.
“We just got here.”
“I just came to check on Charlie’s progress. He’s calling it a day.”
Raven just shrugged and followed Don out of the station house. There wasn’t much activity now, but later it was sure to get busy as Saturday nights were always a busy time in the Capital.
Don quickly helped Raven into the squad. He pulled into traffic and once they were on their way he turned to Raven.
“What do you know about the firm Cathy worked for?”
Raven shrugged. “Nothing much. I think it’s fairly new. Five, six years. But it’s one of the largest firms handling campaign finances now. Cathy was in charge of drumming up new accounts. She was good.”
Don glanced at Raven for the longest time and then quickly asked, “Did you have anything to do with Senator Maxfield using her firm?”
Raven just stared at Don. It bothered her that with some of his questions, it was as if he considered her a suspect. She finally replied. “No. I was his personal assistant. I didn’t make decisions like that. Why would you ask?”
“Just curious?”
“Curiosity killed the cat!” Raven snapped.
“Who runs it?”
Raven was getting frustrated. She had enough to do with her own job. She never really paid much attention to Cathy’s job or the running of her firm.
“Cathy never talked about management when we got together. Shop talk was not what we talked about. Mostly we talked about good places to eat, or where there was a good sale going on. What is so important about who runs the company?”
“Somebody was skimming a whole lot of money off these campaigns. Charlie already came up with about 4 billion of unaccounted funds that Senator Maxfield uncovered during his investigation.”
“You’re kidding?” Raven said with her mouth open.
Don just shook his head. He could tell Raven was clearly surprised by this revelation. It wasn’t an act. The more he was getting to know her, the more he liked what he saw. She may have come from old money, but she did not act that way or flaunt that fact. She seemed well grounded, and her boss must have been really naïve not to realize that people would be after him because of his investigation. He may have suspected some skimming of funds, but given the magnitude it was clear they would go to great lengths not to be caught.
“It’s actually really ingenious when you stop to think about it,” Don said and when he got Raven’s attention, he continued. “If your boss hadn’t come on to it, they might have continued for years. But they started getting greedy,” he laughed. “And with that, they got sloppy.”
“What has Albright Enterprises got to do with all of this?”
Don pulled out a cigarette and lit up quickly while stopping for a red light.
“They’re not reporting all the contributions. Instead, a percentage gets transferred to dummy accounts. Those funds get transferred out to other dummy accounts which, once Maxfield checked them out, were tied to a Super PAC.”
“Are you saying...?” Raven asked.
Don cut her off. “They used the same dummy accounts for the different clients, instead of keeping them separate like they should have. That was Maxfield’s first clue that something was amiss.”
“Wouldn’t someone have noticed this before?” Raven asked. She was a little puzzled by what Don just said.
“Money comes and goes. There’s no great amount left in the account at any one time, so why get suspicious?”
“I still don’t see how this could have been going on without someone knowing.”
“Did your friend ever talk to you about the firm?”
“I told you, she was a sales associate. She couldn’t even balance her checking account much less figure out a scheme like this.”
The green light came on. Don quickly stepped on the gas. He was deep in thought for the longest time and then turned to Raven.
“I think Senator Maxfield was about to blow the whistle on the whole operation.”
“You think it’s someone from that firm?” Raven asked.
“They are prime candidates for now,” he said as he stopped and thought for a moment before continuing. “You said your boss was worried.”
“He never really said why?”
“His campaign had a lot of money skimmed off his account.”
“Willie would never have condoned that if he knew.”
“Facts are facts,” Don said.
“There has to be a mistake,” Raven snapped. “That doesn’t explain Cathy and how she’s figured into all of this.”
“She might have caught on to what was going down,” Don said and then turned to Raven with a look of sincerity. “You might not have even been the target.”
“How do you explain your partner getting shot in my house then?”
Don just shrugged while shaking his head. Raven had a point there. Initially, she may not have been the target but then, with going after the Senator, they might have figured Raven knew more than she should and had to be eliminated too.
“Collateral damage control,” was all he could muster up to say.
“You’re giving me a headache,” Raven snapped as she wiped away a tear.
Don turned to her as she slid down in the seat and rested her head back on the headrest. He could see she was clearly upset by this revelation.
She shut her eyes, not in sleep but to relax the muscles that were causing the pain. It all seemed so unreal. Two weeks ago she was enjoying her life. Willie was getting ready for the upcoming reelection campaign. All was as it should be and now, her life was in turmoil. Everyone around her was targeted and being killed. She no longer had a job. Life as she knew it was no more.
Raven wished it was all over with, but when it was finally finished, she didn’t know what she would do or where she would go. Because going back to her home in Falls Church was no longer an option for her. There were too many bad memories there.
Chapter 22
It had been a long day and Don was glad to be back in the sanctity of his mother’s home. He knew Raven would be safe there. In all actuality she was thought to be dead, there was no reason for them to seek her out now for elimination. He felt confident that in a few days he’d have the case all wrapped up. Charlie was making great headway with the flash drive, and Don was sure the guilty parties would be behind bars soon.
Once it was known Raven was alive, Dr. Schmidt confirmed the remains on the autopsy table were that of Cathy Monroe, but an official announcement was not made public yet. Only a few people were made aware of her fate.
Raven’s parents took the news quite well, considering the fact it was a piece of information they withheld from the police from the start. They originally wanted Raven to come home, but for her own safety Don felt he could offer more protection for their daughter than Dr. VanBuren’s house staff could, which consisted of an aged butler/driver and his wife.
Maggie, on the other hand, was enjoying the houseguest even though she was there because of a case Don was on. The two sat in the living room watching a movie on television that Don rented for them.
Don walked in from the kitchen and handed the women the bowl of popcorn he made for them. Bear was laying on the floor with his body wrapped around Raven’s feet. He didn’t move for Don as Don stepped over him to sit on the chair on the other side of the couch. Raven glanced up at Don and smiled.
“Is this how you spend your Saturday evenings?” she asked.
Don was about to answer when Maggie quickly piped in.
“My Lord, no,” she said. “Saturday night is his night out with the boys. If he had a girlfriend then he would be spending Saturday night out with her.”
Don appeared somewhat embarrassed discussing girlfriends, or lack thereof, with Raven.
Raven turned and smiled at Don because she could see the look on his face and knew he was uncomfortable talking about his personal life.
“Where do you go?” Raven as
ked.
Don shrugged and then mumbled, “Paddy’s Pub, it’s a joint down the street.”
“Sounds like a fun place.”
Maggie laughed. “A bunch of losers get together and play cards, throw darts, or shoot pool in a smoke-filled room. Some fun that would be.”
“Still, it’s something to do on a Saturday night.”
“I doubt you’ve ever spent time in a dive like that,” Don quipped.
Raven looked seriously at Don for the longest time. “Take me. I want to see how a poor Joe like you unwinds.”
Don suddenly turned to Maggie as if looking for her help in convincing Raven otherwise. Bear glanced up and just growled. He was enjoying the warmth of Raven’s feet.
Don stuttered a moment because he was not getting any help from Maggie. He reluctantly looked at Raven and shrugged. “Sure.”
Raven was all smiles. “What should I wear?” she asked.
“What you have on is fine.”
Raven got up quickly. She turned to Maggie, who gave her a look of approval.
“Want to come with us?” Raven asked Maggie.
Maggie glanced quickly at Don and gave him a snide grin and then turned back to Raven. “No, I think I’ll turn in early tonight. I’m going to early mass tomorrow.”
Raven got up quickly. Don took her arm and they walked over to the front door. Don turned to Maggie, who gave him a big smile and then shooed him out.
Don had doubts about what he was doing. Taking Raven out to a local bar was not the smartest move he had done. But then what harm could possibly come of it. He was with her, and he would keep her safe from harm. There was no one in his neighborhood who knew who she was. He wasn’t even sure her picture made the paper yesterday. It was just an evening out, so what harm could it do. That’s what he kept telling himself. But that ever-present feeling he had that there was still something to fear just wouldn’t leave him.
The parking lot at Paddy’s Pub was filled, unlike two nights ago—but then that was a weeknight. This was a Saturday evening when most people went out to unwind. Once they parked the car, Don felt a little better about what he was doing. Deep down, he was actually looking forward to spending more time with Raven alone without Maggie. Luckily, Fred was in the hospital, and Don rarely ran into anyone from the station in this part of town when he went out.
As they reached the door to Paddy’s Pub, Don took a deep breath and then opened it for Raven. As busy as it was, there were two empty stools at the far end of the bar. They quickly took the stools, and then Don motioned to the bartender for two beers.
Don turned to Raven. “I could get in a lot of trouble for having you out,” he said.
“My father doesn’t dislike you that much,” she mocked.
“Your father is the least of my worries.”
Raven glanced around at the other patrons in the bar and then shrugged as she turned back to Don.
“Who in here knows or cares who I am?”
“You got a point there,” Don remarked.
Don was glad Raven was looking forward to the evening out as much as he was. He knew, under normal circumstances, he might never have had a shot at dating her. Although this technically wasn’t a date. She was still in protective custody, and he’d have to keep a close watch on her. Don decided not to worry about the case and just enjoy the little time he had left with Raven. He grabbed the two beers off the bar and handed Raven hers while holding his beer. To his surprise, it wasn’t a non-alcoholic beer. He threw caution to the wind and didn’t send it back.
Raven tapped her beer bottle on Don’s and then quickly replied. “Besides, you said I might not have been the target.”
“If you put it that way, I guess you being here shouldn’t matter.”
Don was finally feeling relaxed when the front door opened and Jackie walked in with her new boyfriend. Don had the wind knocked out of his sails. Raven on the other hand secretly just smiled to herself because she recognized Jackie from the picture in Don’s desk. But she said nothing to Don and just watched the exchange.
Jackie strutted up to where Don and Raven were sitting. The bartender, knowing the situation between the two, kept a close watch because he didn’t need a confrontation like the last time Don and Jackie were in the bar just before their breakup.
Don quickly put a bill on the bar, not sure how much longer they would stay there given he didn’t want a scene with Jackie.
Jackie walked over to where Don and Raven were sitting. She looked up at Don. “Look who the cat dragged out for the evening,” she snapped.
Jackie gave Raven the once-over in a way that made Raven uncomfortable.
“And what do we have here, did he pick you up for jaywalking?”
Don got off his stool and was about to say something to Jackie when the boy friend stepped between them.
“Come on, Jackie, leave him alone.”
Raven glanced up at Don as the two walked off. Jackie purposely strutted her stuff.
“She a friend of yours?” Raven asked.
Raven knew his answer. She just wanted Don to confirm the fact that the woman was an old girlfriend. For some reason she wanted to know more about the man behind the badge. She never knew a cop before and wondered what kind of person chose that for a living. Her father was not happy with being dragged into the police station for the interrogation, and he clearly was not happy that Don took the initiative to put her in protective custody and that Raven was taken to Don’s mother’s house instead of letting her parents care for her.
After a long moment of silence Don finally answered. “Not anymore,” was all he said and hoped that satisfied Raven and she wouldn’t ask anymore questions.
Raven was surprised at Don’s response and wondered why he avoided telling her he and the woman had been close. That annoyed her about Don. He didn’t say much about himself, but, little by little, she was learning more.
Don’s mother was a great help. It was like peeling an onion. The outer skin was tough and bitter but as you peel away the layers, you get to the center, which had a sweet mild taste. She liked the core of the man she had spent the last twenty-four hours with. And most of all, she liked the fact that she felt safe with him and that he would protect her from the evils of men.
“She’s pretty,” Raven said.
“Yeah. But she has a mean streak that would make a bear tuck tail.”
“Oh, that bad,” Raven said with a laugh. It was hard to envision Jackie making Don tuck tail.
Dan raised his eyebrows as he got Raven’s attention. “I have stitches to prove it.”
“You’ll have to show me some day,” Raven said.
Raven smiled and found it hard to believe that Don, being a cop, would let a girlfriend inflict such an injury, yet after staring at Don for a moment she noticed the little scar above his right eyebrow.
Raven turned and glanced at Jackie. She wondered what type of woman could incite a fight and then inflict such an injury on someone you professed to care deeply for. If Don retaliated during the argument he surely would have lost his badge, not to mention gotten jail time. Who would believe someone who looked like Jackie would be the aggressor, given her size compared to Don’s.
Don ignored her question and took her arm and got off his stool. “Want to play darts?” he asked.
Raven didn’t have a choice as he dragged her over to one of the many dartboards around the bar. The group that was there was just finishing up their game.
She looked up at Don helplessly. “You’ll have to show me how.”
Once a dartboard became free, Don guided Raven in front of the line a few feet from the board. He walked over the board and pulled the darts off the board. Then Don walked back to Raven and positioned himself behind her. He reached for her right hand.
“You are right-handed?” he asked, looking down at her.
Raven glanced up as their cheeks touched. Raven stared up into Don’s eyes. He smelt good.
All she could muster up w
as a simple “yes” as she waited for more instructions.
Don suddenly got nervous being so close to Raven. He quickly went through the fine art of throwing the dart at the board. They played a few rounds of darts, and when Raven tired of that they went on to play pool. Don didn’t have to explain pool to Raven and suspected at one time she may have been a pool shark because she put him to shame in their very first match. It became apparent when she took her final shot that, for Don, it would have been virtually impossible to make. But Raven sent the cue ball ricocheting off two sides before tapping the eight ball in the corner pocket. When the ball sank in the pocket, Raven jumped for joy in Don’s arms, while Jackie just glared at the two.
Raven enjoyed the evening with Don. It had been the first time she ever really let her hair down. She liked the fact that she could mix so well with the people around Don. She got the impression these were people Don really didn’t know that well, but they all seemed somewhat familiar with each other from just hanging out at the same joint. She wasn’t so sure any of them knew he was a cop from how they joked around with him. It was as if the ugly world of politics didn’t exist. This was the real world, where people on an evening out mixed with his fellow man. The job you had didn’t matter to anyone at the moment.
Don on the other hand couldn’t get over how easily Raven fit in with the people around her. That was, everyone but Jackie who glared at Raven up until the point where her boyfriend dragged her out of the place. Don was thankful for that because his biggest fear was Jackie purposely picking a fight with Raven. He didn’t need Raven in a catfight with his ex while she was in his protective custody.
It was near midnight when Don decided it was time to leave. Raven didn’t really want to leave Paddy’s Pub but Don insisted. Once outside the pub they slowly strolled down the dark street. The moon was till shining brightly as they strolled down the sidewalk. In the distance they could still hear the music from Paddy’s. Don without thinking reached for Raven’s hand. He took it in his as Raven just glanced over at him and smiled. She didn’t resist this gesture and as they got closer to the car, Don reluctantly let it go and opened her car door.