Silken Prey Read Free Page B

Archbishop of Canterbury go on TV tomorrow and say he has absolute proof that Porter Smalls is innocent, and fifty other bloggers would be sneering at him in two minutes and CNN would be calling the bishop a liar. So we’re talking about dangerous, immoral, antidemocratic stuff.”
    “You’re saying the media is dangerous, immoral, and antidemocratic?”
    “Well . . . yes,” Henderson said. “They don’t recognize it in themselves, but they’re basically criminals. In the classic sense of that word.”
    “All right,” Lucas said.
    “And, of course, there’s the other thing,” the governor said. “The less righteous thing.”
    Lucas said, “Uh-oh.”
    Mitford said, “We’re already hearing rumors that he was framed. That there were hints
before
anyone found the porn that something was coming on Smalls. If it turns out that some overzealous young Democratic hacker did it, if this is a campaign dirty trick . . . then there could be a lot more trouble. If that’s what happened, we need to know it first. The election’s too close to be screwing around.”
    The governor added, “But the preliminary investigation has to be quiet. Invisible might be a better word.”
    Mitford said, “Totally quiet. That fuckin’ tool over in the attorney general’s office wants to move into this office. He thinks prosecuting Smalls is one way to do it. If he finds out that you’re digging around, he’ll paper your ass so fast you’d think you were a new country kitchen. You’ll be working for him.”
    “You don’t sound as
offended
as the governor,” Lucas said to Mitford. “About Smalls being framed.”
    “I’m paid to keep my eye on the ball, so that’s what I do,” Mitford said. “Short term, there’s no benefit to us, saving an asshole like Smalls. If we get a reward, it’s gonna have to be in heaven, because we sure as shit won’t get it now. If the party found out we were trying to help Smalls, then . . . well, you know, we’re thinking about the vice presidency. On the other hand, if
we
did this, meaning
we
in the all-inclusive sense, and if that comes out, say, the Friday before the election . . .”
    “I can’t afford to lose the state House,” Henderson said. He wasn’t running. He still had two years to go on his second term.
    “But Smalls is in the U.S. Senate,” Lucas said. “How could that affect the state House?”
    “Because our majority is too narrow. If it turns out that we tried to sabotage a U.S. Senate race, with child porn, Smalls will eat us alive in the last few days before the election. He could pump up the Republican turnout just enough that we could lose those extra three or four close-run seats. If we lose the House, and the Senate stays Republican, which it will, they’ll spend the next two years dreaming up ways to embarrass me.”
    “We can’t have that,” Mitford said. “I mean, really.”
    “But. If Smalls owes us, even under the rose, he’ll pay up,” the governor said. “He’s that kind of guy. He won’t go after us . . . if he owes us.”
    •   •   •
    “A LL RIGHT,” L UCAS SAID. He stood up. “I’ll do it.”
    “Excellent,” the governor said. “Call me every day.”
    “But what if he did it?” Lucas asked.
    “He didn’t,” the governor said.
    Lucas said, “I’m going to tell Rose Marie about it. I can’t . . . not do that.” Rose Marie was the public safety commissioner and an old friend.
    The governor was exasperated: “Jesus Christ, Lucas . . .”
    “I can’t not do that,” Lucas insisted.
    The governor threw up his hands. “All right. When you tell her, you tell her to call me. I’ll need . . . Wait. Hell no. I’ll call her right now. You get going on this. I’d like to get something pretty definitive in, say, mmm, three days. Two would be better.”
    “Man . . .”
    “Go.” Henderson waved him away.
    •   •   •
    R OSE M ARIE R OUX HAD been a cop, then a lawyer and prosecutor,