is, she thought.
“We gave money to your last campaign. A lot of it. I’ll bet you didn’t even know that.”
“I didn’t,” she said.
“The donations were not in our own name, of course. The media, to say nothing of the federal election commission, would have made a big stink over that. But it was support nonetheless. Come, sit down.”
“Save the pleasantries. Can we keep this short? What is it you want? I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Make time.” he said. “After all, I’m not one of your fawning constituents looking for a photographed handshake to put on my mantel.”
She took a deep breath, released some of the muscles in her back, dropped her shoulder, and slowly turned around to face him.
“That’s better. I came here to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“It’s possible that the press, some of the media types, might be contacting you now that Serna is no longer with us,” he said.
This caused a spike in the adrenaline already running through Grimes’s body. He saw the startled look in her eyes.
“Why would they be calling me?”
“The two of you ran in the same circles. She plied the Capitol, came in contact with you regularly. It’s only natural.”
“She came in contact with a lot of people,” said Grimes.
“Yes, but she managed money for two of your campaigns before she registered as a lobbyist.”
“I thought you said that’d been taken care of? That the records were purged.”
“We thought they were,” he said. “Seems we were mistaken. Some old tapes containing FEC reports on campaign funding apparently got out. There’s nothing to worry about. Nothing illegal about any of it. She just shows up as the campaign finance chair on two of your early reports, that’s all. That’s it.”
Grimes put a finger to her lips, as if to seal them as she thought and looked away from him off into the distance. Those records placed them in the same universe, the circle of hell that led Serna to Maya Grimes’s life of sin. If she found it, so could others.
“It’s not important,” he told her.
“That means they know we had financial dealings,” said Grimes. “If they start poking around and somebody finds out we had a falling-out, they’ll want to know why. One thing leads to another.”
“Relax! We’re confident they don’t know anything.”
“Where did these tapes go?” she asked.
“Purchased by some Internet news group.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know,” he lied. “It happened more than a year ago. I’m sure it’s nothing. For all we know, they have probably thrown them out by now.”
“You’re telling me everything, right?”
He raised two fingers. “Honest injun,” he said.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” said Grimes.
He looked at her, arching an eyebrow as if to say, “What else is new?”
“I’m just trying to give you a heads-up. I’m not saying they will call. Just that they might, ask you a few questions.”
“And what do I say if they do?”
“Don’t deny it, the fact that she worked on your early campaigns, that’s all. Just tell them that you and Serna were friends way back in the early part of your career. Ancient history,” he told her. “She helped you run a couple of your campaigns and that’s it. But don’t bring it up unless they do. If they are doing an obituary on her, it’s only natural that they might contact you. I didn’t want you to panic if they should mention the campaign stuff. That’s all.”
“Still, I don’t understand why they would call me,” she said. “There are plenty of others who were closer to her. It’s not like we were friends. What if they know we had a fight?”
“They won’t.”
“What if they know about Ginger and Spice?”
“They don’t. Trust me, how could they know?”
“You found out.” Grimes almost spit the words at him.
“Yes, but we had the means.”
“So did Serna.”
“That was your fault,” he said. “You were careless. Now stop
“We gave money to your last campaign. A lot of it. I’ll bet you didn’t even know that.”
“I didn’t,” she said.
“The donations were not in our own name, of course. The media, to say nothing of the federal election commission, would have made a big stink over that. But it was support nonetheless. Come, sit down.”
“Save the pleasantries. Can we keep this short? What is it you want? I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Make time.” he said. “After all, I’m not one of your fawning constituents looking for a photographed handshake to put on my mantel.”
She took a deep breath, released some of the muscles in her back, dropped her shoulder, and slowly turned around to face him.
“That’s better. I came here to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“It’s possible that the press, some of the media types, might be contacting you now that Serna is no longer with us,” he said.
This caused a spike in the adrenaline already running through Grimes’s body. He saw the startled look in her eyes.
“Why would they be calling me?”
“The two of you ran in the same circles. She plied the Capitol, came in contact with you regularly. It’s only natural.”
“She came in contact with a lot of people,” said Grimes.
“Yes, but she managed money for two of your campaigns before she registered as a lobbyist.”
“I thought you said that’d been taken care of? That the records were purged.”
“We thought they were,” he said. “Seems we were mistaken. Some old tapes containing FEC reports on campaign funding apparently got out. There’s nothing to worry about. Nothing illegal about any of it. She just shows up as the campaign finance chair on two of your early reports, that’s all. That’s it.”
Grimes put a finger to her lips, as if to seal them as she thought and looked away from him off into the distance. Those records placed them in the same universe, the circle of hell that led Serna to Maya Grimes’s life of sin. If she found it, so could others.
“It’s not important,” he told her.
“That means they know we had financial dealings,” said Grimes. “If they start poking around and somebody finds out we had a falling-out, they’ll want to know why. One thing leads to another.”
“Relax! We’re confident they don’t know anything.”
“Where did these tapes go?” she asked.
“Purchased by some Internet news group.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know,” he lied. “It happened more than a year ago. I’m sure it’s nothing. For all we know, they have probably thrown them out by now.”
“You’re telling me everything, right?”
He raised two fingers. “Honest injun,” he said.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” said Grimes.
He looked at her, arching an eyebrow as if to say, “What else is new?”
“I’m just trying to give you a heads-up. I’m not saying they will call. Just that they might, ask you a few questions.”
“And what do I say if they do?”
“Don’t deny it, the fact that she worked on your early campaigns, that’s all. Just tell them that you and Serna were friends way back in the early part of your career. Ancient history,” he told her. “She helped you run a couple of your campaigns and that’s it. But don’t bring it up unless they do. If they are doing an obituary on her, it’s only natural that they might contact you. I didn’t want you to panic if they should mention the campaign stuff. That’s all.”
“Still, I don’t understand why they would call me,” she said. “There are plenty of others who were closer to her. It’s not like we were friends. What if they know we had a fight?”
“They won’t.”
“What if they know about Ginger and Spice?”
“They don’t. Trust me, how could they know?”
“You found out.” Grimes almost spit the words at him.
“Yes, but we had the means.”
“So did Serna.”
“That was your fault,” he said. “You were careless. Now stop
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