Allison Brennan - Silenced

Lucy smiled. “I’m sure you were an angel.”

Genie laughed deeply. “Honey, I was a little devil. Where’d you think I learned my colorful language? Not just because I started as a beat cop.” They walked out.

“Are you going to Mrs. Taylor’s place of employment first?”

“No, we have a much bigger fish to talk to first. I have Chris Taylor’s phone records. He made two calls last night-one to his office where he left a message on voice mail that he wasn’t coming in today, and one four-minute conversation to Senator Jonathon Paxton.”

Lucy nearly stumbled off the curb.

Genie didn’t miss the recognition. “Know him?”

“Yes.”

“Conflict?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

Was her face that expressive?

“Yes.”

She got into the passenger seat and waited until Genie pulled into traffic before she spoke. How could she explain her relationship with Jonathon Paxton in a way that didn’t make it sound bizarre?

You can’t.

She hadn’t seen the senator in nearly six months, and she didn’t want to see him today. But her curiosity would keep her on this case, because she needed to know why Taylor called Paxton.

“Taylor worked for Hartline, right?” Lucy confirmed.

“For the last six months. Before that, he was a legislative aide to Senator Paxton. I need information, Lucy, before we walk in there. I’ll admit, I don’t like dealing with these guys, and if there’s any chance that the senator is guilty of a crime, I gotta turn it over to the feds, and I won’t be heartbroken about it. But as far as I know, Taylor is a former employee.”

Lucy didn’t want Genie to know about her past, but she couldn’t avoid it now. If she found out later, the detective would think Lucy had lied or intentionally withheld information.

“I’ve known Senator Paxton for seven years,” Lucy said.

“You must have been a kid.”

“Eighteen. I met him when I moved to DC for college. Both his daughter and I were attacked by the same man. Monique wasn’t as lucky as I was.”

“You knew his daughter?”

“No. She was killed years ago, but her killer was never caught until he kidnapped me.” Lucy hesitated, considering telling Genie the whole story, but now wasn’t the time or place to explain that Jonathon Paxton considered her some sort of hero for killing the man who’d killed his daughter and raped Lucy.

“Senator Paxton took me under his wing, so to speak. He gave me a recommendation for the FBI Academy, and I interned for the Senate Judiciary Committee for a semester when I was in college. I haven’t seen him in six months.”

“It sounds like a conflict. Shit.”

“It’s not. He won’t lie to me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He thinks of me as a daughter. But believe me, I don’t consider him a father figure.”

“Is he capable of murder? Do you think he killed the Taylors?”

Two different questions. Lucy answered the latter. “He didn’t kill the Taylors, or that poor girl. If Chris called him for anything, it was for help. Senator Paxton is very loyal to the people who work for him.”

“So our vic calls an old senator instead of the police for help?” Genie made a ticking sound with her tongue. “That sure sounds fishy to me.” She glanced at Lucy. “All right, I’m going to trust you on this. Let’s find out what they talked about during those four minutes.”

Lucy straightened her stance and put an impassive expression on her face, steeling herself against any emotional reaction. Jonathon Paxton read people well, and he would see through her if she gave him even one small crack in her composure.

She walked into his office behind Genie.

“Senator Paxton,” Genie said extending her hand. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us so quickly.”

“Of course.” He looked at Lucy, his eyes lit with surprise and unspoken questions.

“Senator,” Lucy said formally.

“Lucy. It is so good to see you.” He took her hand. He held on long enough to have Genie change her posture. The detective was now hyperalert, and Lucy would have to be doubly diligent not to say or do anything that would make Genie think there was a conflict. Because there wasn’t. If Lucy could prove the senator was guilty of any felony, she would make sure justice was done.

“I’m sorry the circumstances are so tragic,” Lucy said carefully.

He motioned for them to sit on the couch in his sitting area. He sat in a leather chair and said, “Do you know what happened to Chris? If you knew him, you’d know he’s a good man. He doesn’t get into trouble.”

Genie said, “Mr. Taylor and his wife were found dead in their hotel room along with an unidentified woman. We confirmed that he left a message with Congressman Hartline’s office that he would not be coming in to the office today, and then he called you. You were the last person Mr. Taylor spoke to, and near as we can tell based on the evidence, he was killed less than an hour later. What did you discuss?”

Paxton was processing the information, but Lucy couldn’t help but think he was calculating his response at the same time.

“Chris wanted to meet with me. I told him come by anytime today, I’d leave whatever meeting I was in.”

“Would you do that for any of your former staff members?”

“Most of them. Chris? Absolutely.”

“Did he say why?”

“He didn’t share a lot of details, but told me that Jocelyn-his wife-was helping a couple girls who were in trouble and he wanted my advice. You know what his wife does, right?” He looked at Lucy.

“She works for Missing and At-Risk Children,” Lucy said.

“It’s a vocation for her. She reminds me of you, how dedicated she is to the people she’s trying to help.”

Genie said, “You didn’t find that odd? That he would call you and not someone else? If they were in trouble, why not call the police?”

Lucy knew the answer before Paxton said it. “Detective, the girls were scared of the police. Jocelyn worked primarily with teenage prostitutes. I’ve given a substantial sum of money to MARC, and Chris knows I’m always willing to help. I suspected he was going to ask for money, as well as advice.”

“You normally hand over money to prostitutes?” Genie asked.

Paxton didn’t miss the double entendre, and Lucy held her breath.

“These are troubled girls who are often dragged into this business by people they trust. If they show the desire to get out, and if they need help to do it, yes, I’ll give them money. Usually, I’ll give it through MARC and they direct it where it’s most needed. But sometimes, if the need is immediate, the director will call me.”

“Chris isn’t the director,” Lucy said.

“But he knows I’ll help. I didn’t know about the organization until he started working for me. That was nearly four years ago.”

Genie said, “Let me make sure I have this straight. Chris called you last night and asked for a meeting to seek advice to help teenage prostitutes.”

“Chris would do anything for his wife, and his wife would do anything to help these girls.” Paxton leaned forward, his compassion tinged with anger. “These girls are unwanted by everyone. Many were turned out of their homes. Abusive fathers. Molestation. Fast-talking boyfriends who uprooted them, then forced them to sell their bodies. The system failed them, over and over. Most don’t survive. If they have enough hope left to try and create a new life, why wouldn’t I help?”

In one conversation, Lucy was reminded about why she had liked and admired the senator for so long.

Everything he said was true. Chris had called him for help, and the senator planned to help him. But Lucy suspected he knew more than he was saying. For Jonathon Paxton, “help” meant a lot of different things.