Patrick straightened in his chair, a new energy in his body. "Great. He's next. Anyone else?"
"Not off the top of my head. I'll think on it. While I'm doing that, you should also consider whether you really want to go down this path," Joe said. "What you find out may not make you sleep better at night. I liked your mother, and I don't want to think she ventured onto the wrong side of the street, but I've seen it happen too many times not to consider it a possibility. Money and power are addictive and corruptive. You never know what will make someone break. Trust me, I've been around that block many, many times."
"I respect your opinion," Patrick said. "But I don't believe my mother crossed any lines. She was a patriot. And she believed in the good in people."
"But not everyone is good—even when you want them to be."
"I have to take that risk. If there's something to know, I need to know it."
Joe nodded. "Then I'll wish you good luck."
"Thank you."
Joe turned back to her. "Now that I've asked Patrick to do some thinking, I'm going to suggest you do the same. This doesn't sound like your fight, Dani, and forgive me for meddling, but I can tell you right now that getting tangled up in Patrick's problems will not endear you to the senator or to Erica. If your career is as important to you as you've always told me it is, then you should drop this right now."
She sucked in a breath at his blunt words. "I understand what you're saying. I just wanted to help Patrick because…" Her voice drifted away.
Why had she wanted to help Patrick?
She glanced over at him, and his handsome face, sharp brown eyes, and beautiful mouth made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't tell Joe she wanted to help Patrick because she liked him, because she wanted to kiss him…
"Dani knows what I'm going through," Patrick cut in. "Because she lost a parent in a plane crash."
"Oh, that's right," Joe said. "I hadn't put that together until now."
She was grateful to Patrick for giving her a reason, but while Joe might accept and respect her motivation, she knew neither the senator nor Erica would feel the same way.
"Well then," Joe said. "I'll wish you both luck."
"I am getting out of this," she told Joe, as she got to her feet. "I just wanted to give Patrick a chance to talk to someone who might be able to help."
"I get it. I'll walk you out." He led them back through the house. At the front door, he said, "I would offer to barbecue for you, but I'm pretty sure you're going for tacos."
"Good guess," Patrick said. "Thanks again for the help."
"No problem. You two watch your backs. In DC, you never know who's watching or who's listening."
Seven
Rico's Tacos was a trendy restaurant in downtown Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac from Washington DC. When they arrived a little before eight, the small restaurant was crowded, but they were able to snag a table.
"Montalvo does a good business," Patrick said, as they settled into their seats.
She nodded in agreement. "I looked up the reviews on the way over here. They have a solid four-and-a-half star rating with over two thousand reviews." She glanced at the menu. "A lot of those reviews raved about the shrimp tacos. But look at all the other choices: pork, chicken, beef, vegetarian…"
"You're sounding hungry," Patrick teased.
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm sure you heard my stomach rumbling in the car."
"I must admit I'm happy Rico owns a restaurant and not a gym or a dry-cleaner."
"A dry cleaner?" she echoed with a laugh.
"You know what I mean—any place that doesn't sell food."
"Yes, I get it, and I'm happy, too. I think we should order the assorted platter to share."
"That works for me. And maybe a margarita to wash them down."
She nodded, thinking a cool, icy margarita would taste pretty good. "You were quiet on the drive over here."
"Just thinking about what Joe told us."
"I'm surprised that would take an hour. He didn't say that much."
"You weren't talking, either," he pointed out.
She shrugged. "I guess I had a few things to think about as well."
"Like why you're still helping me?"
"It is a concern. I don't want to lose my job, Patrick."
"I can't see why you would, but we made a deal, so I won't ask you for any more favors."
His words should have made her happy, but for some reason they didn't.
A waiter came over to take their order. "What can I get you?" he asked.
"We'd like to get the assorted taco platter to share," Dani said. "And I'll take a strawberry margarita."
"Make mine a regular margarita," Patrick put in. "No salt. Also, we were wondering if Rico Montalvo is here."
"He's in the back," the waiter said.
"Would you ask him if he has a moment to speak to us? It's important."
"Sure, I'll tell him," the waiter said, as he took their menus.
"He didn't even ask us who we were or what we wanted," Dani said.
Patrick smiled. "He doesn't care. I learned a long time ago that it's easy to lose perspective when you're deep in investigating something. You think everyone and everything around you is part of it, and you forget there's a normal world going on."
That was probably true. Since she'd rescued Patrick, she hadn't been able to think about anything or anyone else.
The waiter set down their drinks and told them that Mr. Montalvo would be with them shortly. She sipped her strawberry margarita with eager delight, happy at the fruity slide of icy liquid down her throat. "This hits the spot."
"Can you even taste the alcohol?"
"No, but that's fine. These days I need to be very aware of who I'm talking to and what I'm talking about at all times."
"Sounds a bit dull."
"But necessary. And it's not all dull. I get to go to some cool parties. There's one tomorrow night, in fact—a gala at the Dunsmuir Hotel."
"Really? Who gets to go to that?"
"All the power players."
"Senator Dillon?"
She saw the gleam in his eyes. "You're not going, Patrick."
"He's going to be there, isn't he?"
"Possibly."
"Who else? Congressman Parker?"
"I don't know. It's a big gala. There will be a mix of politicians, press, and lobbyists as well as staffers like me. It's also a fundraiser for public schools in DC, so not just a party."
"You have to get me in, Dani."
"I thought you said you weren't going to ask me for any more favors."
"One last favor, and you don't have to take me; you just have to get me a ticket."
"I don't know if I can."
"Will you try?"
He was a really hard man to say no to, especially when he looked at her with such an earnest plea in his eyes. "I'll see if there's an extra ticket, but if you go, you cannot talk to me."
"I can make my own way as long as you get me in the door. You won't regret it."
"I'm already regretting it. If Erica or the senator were to find out that I helped you ambush him—"
"I'm not going to attack him, Dani; I'll just say a friendly hello. I'll charm him, make him realize I'm no threat to his political ambitions."
"But you are a threat. And I didn't need Joe to remind me of that." She sighed. "What am I doing?"
"You're not doing anything. You're just helping a friend."
"Are we friends?"
"I'd like to think so. You did save my life. In some cultures, that makes you responsible for it."
"I've never understood that saying. It seems like once I saved you my responsibility should be over. If anything, you should be watching out for me."
He smiled. "We'll watch out for each other."
Rico Montalvo stopped by the table. A Hispanic man of medium height, Rico was an attractive forty-something-year-old man with jet-black hair and dark eyes, eyes that were already a little suspicious.
"Hello. Can I help you? Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"Not at all," Patrick replied. "We were wondering if we might speak to you for a moment. Joe Gelbman gave us your name."
Patrick's words did little to ease the tension in Montalvo's eyes.
"It will just take a minute," Dani put in, giving him a reassuring smile.
"I'm not in politics anymore," Rico said, as he sat down at the table. "And if Joe sent you, then it has to be about that."
"My name is Patrick Kane. Jackie Kane was my mother. This is my friend, Dani Monroe."
Dani was happy that Patrick had left off the fact that she worked for Senator Dillon.
"You were Senator Stuart's press secretary when he died," Patrick continued.
"I was," Rico said, not elaborating.
"Was the senator having an affair with my mother?" Patrick said bluntly.
Rico's eyes widened. "No, of course not."
"Are you sure? Because I've heard some rumors."
"They were close friends. But as far as I know, that's all they were."
"I've heard that in the weeks before their deaths, they were working on something big, that they shared a lot of late nights. Do you know what that was about?"
"Why are you asking these questions now? It's been eight years since they died," he countered. "Why not let them both rest in peace?"
"Because I need an answer and the fact that it was so long ago should make it easier for you to give me one," Patrick said. "I want to know if my mother and your old boss were working on something that might have put them in danger. I'm not getting very far with the elected officials who are currently in office, but as you said, you don't work in politics anymore, and I'm hoping that you'll understand the need of a son to find out what happened to his mother and try to help me."
Rico stared back at him for a long minute. Then he looked over his shoulder, checking the vicinity of the nearby tables and the diners at those tables. Finally, he turned his attention back to them. "They were having a lot of late-night meetings in the two weeks prior to the crash. I know that on at least one of those occasions they met with a reporter from the
Washington Tribune
—Ann Higgins."
Dani sat up straighter in her chair at that piece of information.
Was it possible they were actually getting somewhere?
"What were they talking to her about?" Patrick demanded.
"I don't know. The senator was cagey when I asked him about it. I was the one who dealt with the press, so it was odd that they were leaving me on the sidelines when they were talking to a reporter—a reporter who wasn't always that kind to our party, either. I thought it was strange."
"Did you speak to Ann Higgins about it?" Dani asked.
"I tried. After one of my press conferences, I asked her to wait. But she evaded my questions and referred me back to my boss."
"Did you tell that to the FBI when they investigated the crash?" Patrick enquired.
"I did. I also asked Craig Haller if he knew why the senator had met with Ann Higgins. He said he didn't know anything about the meeting and seemed as surprised as I was that the senator was meeting with a reporter without keeping us in the loop. You should talk to Haller about all this. He would have a lot more information than I do."
"He's not returning my calls," Patrick said tightly.
Montalvo nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. He wouldn't want anything to come out now that he should have dealt with before. Can I ask you why you're looking into all this now? Is it just because of some rumors about a relationship between them? Because that seems like something that should be left alone. Or are you thinking that the crash wasn't an accident?"
"I'm considering all the options," Patrick said. "How did you find out about the crash?"
"I got a call from Haller in the middle of the night. We were both in DC. The senator had taken a late evening plane back to Corpus Christi. It was an unexpected trip."
"How so?" Dani asked, jumping on what she thought might be a new clue.
"It wasn't on his schedule. He told Haller he had some work to do with Jackie, and she wanted him to go back to Texas with her for a few days. He told Haller he'd fill him in when he got back." He let out a breath. "Senator Stuart was a good man. His death devastated all of the staff. He was very well-loved and well-respected, as was your mother. The two of them were becoming forces to be reckoned with in their respected areas of government."
"Why did you leave politics?" Dani asked, genuinely curious. Montalvo had risen to a prized job, one a lot of people would love to have.
"I worked for another senator for a while, but I didn't like his level of integrity. It was time for me to get away from the podium. I'd always wanted to open my own restaurant. It seemed like the right time. I've never looked back. I am sorry about your mother, Mr. Kane. But I don't know that you'll ever be able to find out what happened to her, if it wasn't an accident. The tracks would be covered by now. It's been a long time."
"Maybe long enough for someone to let down their guard, or feel more free to talk," Patrick said.
"Perhaps. I need to get back to the kitchen." He stood up, then hesitated. "The time the senator met with your mother and Ann Higgins, he used an odd word—some kind of code, I think—
hummingbird
. I don't know what it meant, but if you find Ann, she might be able to tell you. Or, you can try to corner Haller."
"Thanks for your help," Dani said, as Rico left the table.
Patrick pulled out his phone, his fingers flying as he obviously did a search for Ann Higgins. "Ann is not at the
Tribune
anymore," he said a moment later. "She runs an online political magazine—
Beltway Beat
."
"In DC?"
He nodded. "Not far from the Capitol. I need to talk to her."
"I can see why you would want to, Patrick, but can I just say that if this reporter was working on something with your mother and Senator Stuart, and they died tragically and maybe mysteriously, wouldn't she have followed up? Wouldn't she have taken what she knew and gone to the Feds? Wouldn't she have wanted the exclusive story that only she could deliver?"
Patrick's lips tightened. "All good questions that I will definitely ask her."