Raven: A political thriller (13 page)

After hearing that, Don liked David Sinclair even
less than before. It was clear he was a user and, once done with a person, he
discarded them like yesterday’s trash.

“Getting back to the firm she worked for, what can
you tell me about it?” Don asked. He knew his time was running out with David,
but he still needed answers.

“It’s an accounting firm that handled collections
and payments of all the bills various senators ran up during their campaign.
There are several firms out there, all government-regulated,” David said as he
paused and then looked sternly at Don.

“Why do you ask?”

“The name came up a few times,” Don said.

“You have access to what Willie was working on?”
David asked, looking at Don with renewed interest. “Do you realize, in the
wrong hands, that could ruin lives?”

“He was investigating corruption in government,” Don
said with a sternness to his voice.

David leaned forward. His mannerisms became hard as
his jaw muscles tensed.

“Be careful,” David finally said.

Don stared at him for the longest time. “Is that a
threat?” Don asked.

David hesitated a moment and then collected himself.
His body language changed abruptly.

“I mean, be careful how you handle the information.”

“I will,” Don said as he got up. He patted his
pocket as he walked over to David. Don offered his hand.

“Thanks for the cigarettes,” Don said.

“Don’t mention it,” David replied.

Don took his leave quickly before Lydia came in to
escort him out. Before leaving the room, Don glanced back at David, who was
sitting at his desk with a condescending grin on his face.

Chapter 21

Once Don walked out of the Sinclair residency he
stood on the porch, glanced over at the squad, and stared for the longest time
at Raven. He couldn’t get over how different she was from the Sinclairs. It
showed in how she interacted with Maggie or Charlie at the station. She didn’t
have that air of superiority that the Sinclairs had. Why some people felt the
need to put you down, because of your station in life, was beyond him. When, in
fact, they were no better than him in the end. And, given a little training,
Don was sure he would know what piece of silverware to use with what course
that was being served at a meal.

Don reached in his pocket and turned the recorder
off. He slowly walked over to the squad and, once inside, he tossed the pack of
cigarettes to Raven.

“Do you know anyone else who smokes these?” he
asked.

Raven shook her head and then replied, wondering why
it should matter. “No, never saw them before,” she said, clearly puzzled.
“What’s the significance?” she finally asked.

“We found a few of these strange cigarette butts at
your murder scene. I’m sure they will match his brand,” Don said, looking at
Raven for her reaction.”

She turned to him. “Would you please stop referring
to it
as
my murder scene
. It’s giving me the creeps.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” he said.

“You think David Sinclair is involved?”

“He is starting to look good.”

“But he and Cathy...” she started to say and then
stopped.

“People have died for less,” Don said as he turned
to her as if to accentuate that point.

Don started the engine. He feared the longer they
sat outside the house, the more chances there were that someone would peek
outside a window and see Raven sitting in the squad. He quickly backed the
squad up and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

 
Don was
relieved when he pulled up to the police station. This was his life. It may not
be filled with a lot of glamour, but the people he knew and worked with were
not superficial. Even the criminals he sent up the river had more substance
than the Sinclairs. After meeting them and the way they acted toward him, he
almost wanted to take a shower because of the dirty feeling he had when leaving
their house. They may be hobnobbing with the rich and famous, but they were not
anybody to look up to. And he certainly didn’t envy them their existence.

Raven didn’t talk much about them, and Don got the
impression she didn’t much care for them either. It was what she didn’t say
that said a lot.

Once they reached the Homicide department, Don left
Raven sitting at his desk while he walked over to Charlie’s desk across the
room. It surprised him that Charlie was still there, given it was a Saturday,
but then he was a widower and didn’t have a girlfriend. His life was his job.
That thought sent a chill up Don’s spine, wondering if that was going to be him
in thirty years. He quickly shook free of that thought.

While Don stood talking to Charlie, he took the pack
of cigarettes he got from David Sinclair out of his pocket, then turned them
over to Charlie to have them compared to the butts at the crime scene.

Don’s back was to Raven, so she got nosy and started
opening desk drawers. What caught her attention was the picture of Don and
Jackie under a stack of papers. She glanced up at Don and then at the picture.
Raven quickly put it back under the papers and shut the drawer. It was a good
thing she did that because Don slowly turned and walked over to her. He took
her by the arm.

“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 asked.

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 was 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.

Raven turned and looked up at Don. She smiled
sheepishly. He had seen this type of behavior before when Jackie wanted
something from him.

 
“I have a
big favor to ask,” she said in a way she wasn’t sure Don would agree.

“Ask it,” Don said, rolling his eyes. He just knew
it was not going to be something he really wanted to do.

“Last night we left my place in such a hurry, I
forgot my overnight bag in the bedroom.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier,” Don said and then
glanced at his watch before continuing. “I could have swung over there for
you.”

“I just thought about it now because when we get
back to your mother’s I don’t have a nightgown to wear, and I don’t really want
to wake Maggie. Couldn’t you take me now?”

It was late, but the pleading in Raven’s eyes made
it hard for him to deny her request.

Don shook his head and finally reluctantly
responded. “Okay.”

Raven quickly got into the car relieved that she
would have her own nightclothes to wear rather than hunting up another T-shirt
from the bedroom she slept in. It was okay for last night but she would at
least like to have some make-up to put on in the morning. She was tired of
looking like an unkempt woman. Once Don got in the car she turned to him and
smiled.

“I enjoyed the evening.”

Don secretly was glad for the opportunity to spend
more time with Raven. He started the engine and then quickly pulled out into
traffic. Once on the way to Raven’s house in Falls Church, he finally turned to
her.