Candidate: A Love Story (33 page)

“Well, we have the photos from last weekend. Grady worked on a house for Habitat for Humanity. We haven’t used any of that footage. We could probably put something together.”

“Yeah, okay, that was a great feel-good project. Maybe playing that up is that little extra we need,” Stanley said.

“Let me see if I can get ahold of Dillon in research. He can get us that footage, names and any quotes.”

Mark dialed Dillon and started telling him what they were looking for.

“What? What about The Roads Foundation? No, I’m talking about last weekend when he was working with Habitat for Humanity. I need the names and some images if we are going to put a spot together.” Mark listened, and his eyes widened as the senator and Stanley looked on. “Yeah, hang on, I’m going to put you on speaker.” He held the receiver in his hand. “You are both going to want to hear this.” Mark hit the button on the phone console.

“You there, Dillon?”

“Yes,” a voice crackled over the speaker.

“I’m here with Senator Malendar and Stanley. Could you please repeat the question you just asked me?”

“Good morning, sirs. I’m sorry for the confusion, I just thought when you were asking about Mr. Malendar that you wanted more information on his Roads Foundation connection.”

Stanley held the back of the soft leather chair, looking like he was bracing for bad news. None of them needed bad news at this point.

“And what connection is that, Dillon?” Mark asked.

“I’m sorry. I gave the report to Kate. Maybe she’s the person to discuss this with. She asked that I delete the report, said it wasn’t relevant.”

Both Stanley and the senator were anxious now.

“What did the report say? Spill it, Dillon,” Mark said. He was tired.

“Um, well I had to do some digging. There was a flag on Mr. Malendar’s tax returns. It was brilliantly disguised, but my guys are good, so . . . ”

“Dillon!” Mark barked.

“Right, sorry. Mr. Malendar is The Roads Foundation. I mean he and his three friends, but he’s the money. On the surface it looks like he’s funneling money to a trust, but that trust is then accessed through three separate accounts for The Roads Foundation projects.”

The room was silent as all three men looked at each other. Stanley leaned into the speaker in the center of the table.

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling us that Grady Malendar is the funding, the mind behind one of the largest philanthropic organizations in California, possibly the country?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying, sir. But, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want anyone to know. I mean he’s been doing this since he was eighteen.”

“Eighteen?” The senator asked, shocked. “That’s impossible. He’s my son. I would know if he was running a foundation, or funding, whatever. This makes no sense.”

“Dillon, thanks. Do you have access to the report you sent Kate?” Mark asked.

“Is Kate there? Can you get it from her?” Dillon’s voice grew shaky.

“She’s out of town this weekend. Forward me the report.”

“Sure, yeah.”

“Thank you.” Mark disconnected and looked up to something he hadn’t seen since the senator became a client. Stanley was smiling. A big, teeth and all, smile.

“Well, well, if this pans out, senator, the little shit just won you another term. Probably a few more after this one.”

“Stan, I’ve asked you not to call him that.” The senator looked at Mark. “I’m stunned, I mean Grady’s a great kid, but I’m—maybe I’m a little hurt I didn’t know. A father should probably know these things about his son.”

“Sounds like he didn’t want anyone to know, sir,” Mark said.

“Right, maybe we shouldn’t—” Senator Malendar started to say.

“Don’t do it, don’t even think it.” Stanley interrupted. “I can’t use your opponent’s affair, or his daughter’s suspicious visit to Planned Parenthood. We are using this. Your son’s a damn hero, assuming this is true.”

The senator said nothing, and as he had always done, let his machine work.

Mark received the report within a half hour. He made a few phone calls and there was no denying The Roads Foundation was the brainchild of Grady Malendar. There was a great picture of Grady and the three Roads executives when they were back in school. It would be online in less than two hours and in tomorrow’s paper. Stanley was right, Senator Malendar had just sealed his re-election. It might be on the back of his son’s hard work, but that was the nature of the political beast, Mark told himself.

When he arrived home that night, it felt yucky, even a bit wrong, but he’d found his Hail Mary, and all Mark wanted was a decent night’s sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Six

T
he next morning, Grady’s phone was dancing across his nightstand. He had dropped Kate off and fell into bed happier than he had ever thought possible. That all changed the moment he picked up his phone.

“Grady! Shit, man, where have you been?” he heard Bryce say, and instantly he knew. He could feel the walls, the same ones he had tried so hard to open to let Kate in, closing around him.

“The press is everywhere,” Bryce went on. “Outside the office, our homes. I managed to escape this morning, but Eric still can’t get out. They know, I’m sorry, but it’s everywhere, Grady. None of us have said anything yet, but we need to say something. This looks like we have something to hide and Christ, Grady, we don’t.”

Grady looked around the corner through his glass front door and sure enough there were press vans and reporters outside his home. His sanctuary. The tree house he built was being invaded and he knew exactly why. He had broken the one rule he swore to uphold when he was seven years old. No girls allowed in the tree house.

“I’ll send a car for Eric. Is Jason there yet?”

“Yeah. What are you going to do?”

Grady moved toward his closet to get dressed. “Not sure yet.” He cradled the phone on his shoulder while he flipped through his suits. He would need to wear a suit.

“What do you want me to do?” Bryce asked.

“Just sit tight. Don’t say anything. I’m stopping by Bracknell and Stevens on my way in. Plan on a press conference in an hour or two. As Nana would say, Bryce, ‘The jig is up!’”

Grady hung up and ignored the rest of the calls flashing on his phone. Stanley, his father, several reporters he recognized from the LA Times, and Kate. Grady swallowed back what felt like betrayal and got into the shower.

Grady reached Bracknell and Stevens less than thirty minutes after Kate gave up trying to call him. He walked straight past Sabrina and into Kate’s office. She was sitting at her desk with her face in her hands. She looked up when he closed the door behind him and braced herself for the blow. At least this time, when her heart shattered, she could say she saw it coming.

Grady was in a suit and wringing his hands at his sides. She knew better than to ask him to sit.

“Where is he?”

“Who?”

“My father.”

“Grady, I’m not sure. It apparently broke in this morning’s paper.”

“How?”

“I’m not actually sure.” She could see him trying to take deep breaths as his eyes jutted back and forth, sort of like an animal under attack.

“I asked Mark this morning and he said they got the information from research. He asked why hadn’t I shared this with him earlier? I told him I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

“Let me guess. He and my father and Stan thought it was.”

“They did,” Kate replied, standing up. “Grady, listen, I told them to delete the report, I took it off my computer. I guess they wanted some footage on the Habitat for Humanity thing you were doing and it came out—”

“Don’t. Just stop explaining. You ran the report. You poked around in my life, got into my life and that—that Kate, is why this is happening. That is why the foundation offices are flooded with vultures and the men that have done more for Los Angeles than this office, or my father, could even imagine, can’t get out of their homes. You, Kate. I let you in. My mistake.”

Kate sat back down and confirmed that even seeing the pain coming didn’t lessen the impact. He was angry and he had every right to be. If he needed to blame this all on her, if that helped him, then she would take it. She did order the report. She did pull up his secret for the world to see and yes, because of what she did, his father would win another election. He had already jumped three more points. All of those things were true and because she loved him, she would take it.

Until he said, “You used me.”

“Excuse me?” Kate stood up.

“You and this place. Your bullshit business. You used me and my work to get what you wanted. Oh, I’ll bet there’s a big bonus in there for you too, Ms. Galloway, when the senator wins re-election.”

“Now wait a minute.” Kate raised her voice and Grady stepped into her. She didn’t back down.

“No, you wait a minute.” With that, Grady dropped into a laugh and stepped back from her. “This is stupid. I have to go to a press conference now.” Grady shook his head. “This is actually my fault, Kate. I know better. I don’t live in the real world, isn’t that what you said?”

Kate tried to reach him, but he held his hand up.

“You’re right. I don’t, and I’m heading back to my world now. You see, I like it there. We work there and while I appreciate your taking me on a tour of reality, I think I’ll pass. Goodbye, Kate.”

Before she could say a word, he was gone. Kate slowly sat behind her desk, bowed her head, and did something she had not done in a while. She cried.

Grady had the media relations director for The Roads Foundation issue a statement outside of their offices confirming that Grady Malendar was in fact a founder and, as of this morning, president of The Roads Foundation. The statement also said that Mr. Malendar would be at the official opening of the Jack Everoad Law Enforcement Resource Center later today, in his official capacity.

Grady met with the guys, and Jason was happy to step into the vice president position. Grady knew they were all secretly thrilled everything was out in the open and there was a part of him that was happy to relieve their stress. It had not been easy sneaking around for the past thirteen years, but Grady had thought it was what was best for the work they did. He still thought that, but he had no choice now. They had yet to feel the pressure his name and his father’s connections would bring down on The Foundation, but all Grady could do at this point was face it head on. Three hours later he did just that.

“Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for coming out today. My name is Grady Malendar, and when we started The Roads Foundation out of our college dorm room almost thirteen years ago, the goal was to enrich communities without destroying their essence. Money tends to think it has all the answers and money without knowledge, history, listening, can be destructive. It was never our intention to tell people what they needed. We have always wanted, preferred, to be listeners. We are a complement, a student, and a helper for the great people of Los Angeles today. Behind me is the new Jack Everoad Law Enforcement Resource Center. It’s the first of its kind in California. This center will employ retired police officers, so their experience is not lost, it will be repackaged and available as a valuable resource for current officers. This center will provide a historical context to the work our men and women do today. This building will house counseling, education, guidance, and a positive support structure for our officers. Being a police officer in a large city is a difficult job on a good day. Chief Flanagan felt the best way to support his officers was to use the resources of retirees, as well as returning veterans. There is a brotherhood among officers and soldiers that often gets a bad rap, and he would like to see that bond used in a positive way.”

There was a grumbling among reporters and Grady smiled. “Yes, I know there are females in the military and law enforcement, but I like the word brotherhood. It worked in the speech, you all know what I mean, so if you want to turn this into something it’s not, I’ve learned I certainly can’t stop you.”

The crowd laughed, but Grady knew, some of them at least, would be sure to mention “Mr. Malendar’s sexist remarks.”

“The Roads Foundation heard Chief Flanagan, and we have helped the city of Los Angeles make it happen.” Grady finished up his speech and then introduced Kate’s father, who looked imposing in his uniform. Chief Flanagan said a few surprisingly warm words, shook Grady’s hand, and then the statue of Peter’s father was unveiled by Mrs. Everoad. There was applause and a few tears. Grady and his father, the soon to be newly re-elected Senator Malendar, cut the ribbon.