of lawn, an old man in gray coveralls wearing a wide brimmed straw hat attended to the hibiscus that lined the stone walkway leading to the boat dock. No question Freddy enjoyed a lush lifestyle.
She wondered if he would lose all this when the Privado affair became public? Likely not, he came from a moneyed family. The rules are different if you have money. But can it buy forgiveness? Would his constituents forgive him? That was a different question. It seemed to Sandy that a politician on a beach with a naked dead girl was a dead politician. Yet, other politicians had done worse, even been convicted of their transgressions, and somehow resurrected a public career. Frederick Kidde didn’t appear to have that spark within him.”
She turned back from the charming vista to look at him. He stood with his head down as though he had just confessed his guilt before a judge and was awaiting his sentence. “Does your wife know any of what you just told me?”
His head snapped up. “Oh god, none of it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “She wouldn’t believe it of me anyway. She thinks I’m a bit uptight when it comes to sexual matters.”
“Imagine that.”
The office door opened abruptly. They sat in awkward silence while Mrs. Wolfe brought in the drinks. Sandy smiled politely. She was certain the secretary had overheard that last comment. She must be questioning their relationship, and wondering what sexual subject could keep the conservative congressman engaged for hours with this young woman.
She stared at Sandy then at him. “You know, Mr. Kidde, you’ve a stack of important messages waiting.” He nodded sheepishly in reply. She shook her head and closed the door behind her.
They looked at each other, listening to the retreating footsteps of Mrs. Wolfe on the hardwood floor. Then in a lower voice he said, “I’ve been living with this nightmare for months now.” He took a sip of his Bloody Mary. “Did you follow the story in the papers? She was nude when they found her.”
“No bikini,” Sandy added. “I wasn’t down here then, but I went back and read it all.”
“That’s right. Both the top and bottom parts were gone. Of course, the newspaper sensationalized her being found naked. Plus her being shaved...down there...really made a titillating story.”
“I brought the police report. They aren’t looking for you. You could have come forward at any time.”
“May I see that report?” He found his glasses, flipped through the report, and then started over and read carefully. Only three pages, but fifteen minutes later he was still studying it. He put it down. “No mention of DNA in here.”
“No DNA was found.”
He frowned. “Must be a mistake. DNA must have been found.”
“No, I confirmed that fact with my police friend. Apparently, the tide touched the body enough that she received the equivalent of a saltwater douche. The semen traces were also unusable.”
“I guess I just assumed they found Toby’s DNA. The way he stared down at her like a cannibal.” He handed the report back. “I was thinking Toby, but someone else might have passed by. Paper said it was a hangout for kids. I hope a bunch of teens didn’t get to her. Possibly some cop stumbled across her while checking the beach for teenage drinkers, or turtle egg poachers and he couldn’t resist.”
She was tired of him, wanted him out of her sight. Was there anything left? “Let’s do this, Freddy. I know the police up there in Park Beach. I’ll arrange a meeting with Detective Chip Goddard. He trusts me, I practically live with him. The media won’t know a thing about it.”
“They will eventually. Damn it all, I’m a Congressman.”
“Being in the public eye is your problem all right. If you were Joe Blow, you’d just turn you self in, be scolded by the police and be done with it. Now, the only solution is for you to preempt Abby by going to the police first. You will then have come forward innocently. They’re already investigating Abby for blackmail because they found the money. She’s not going to keep you out of it.”
“I’m not walking into a police station without an attorney.”
“Fine. Get your attorney. Just get in there first. Get your associates together and start planning damage control. Then when Abby rings the bell on you, it’ll be old news by the time reelection comes around. Politicians have done a hell of a lot worse and survived. You meant her no harm, even tried to save her life. It’s understandable and very human why you didn’t come forward the next morning. You thought the police were on the way and thought you had left her in responsible hands.” She bit her tongue, he didn’t deserve her kind, non- judgmental words, but she wanted him to come forward.
“It almost sounds okay, the way you say it. What if they try and accuse me a something besides simply leaving?”
That gave her pause. “What else is there?” As soon as she said it, she thought of the unsolved shooting of Toby. She approached the subject obliquely. “Toby being murdered certainly helped your situation, didn’t it?”
“No, it hurts me. It makes the entire situation more serious, more dramatic.” He studied her face. “Surely, you’re not back to thinking I shot him?”
“You or one of your minions.”
“But he was shot after Abby contacted me. If I shot him, I’d still have to worry about her blackmailing me.”
Another thought occurred to her. “Perhaps you didn’t shoot him to stop the blackmail. Perhaps you shot him because he was the only living soul who could connect you to Privado Beach.”
“In that case I’ll have to get rid of you now, won’t I? You now know the story.”
“I’ve no proof. You could simply deny it. Okay, if you’re not connected to the Toby murder, then there’s no reason not to go to the police. You’ve nothing to worry about. The police have no idea how she ended up on the beach and Toby can’t talk. You can tell them whatever you want about the trip and all that.”
“I appreciate you’re trying to help, but you don’t realize how politics works. If this gets out, regardless of how I spin it, I’ll not be reelected. Sorry, I’m not turning myself in. If you go to the police, I’ll deny we ever talked.”
“But that wasn’t the deal. You said you’d come forward and I said I’d help you. I already have by getting you the police report and suggesting how you can handle this. And here’s some more help. Do you know State Attorney Lawrence Moran?”
“Casually. I met him at the Governor’s Inaugural Ball.”
“So, you’re both in the same party. Good. Did you know Moran wants to run for U.S. Senator? Does that bother you?”
He shook his head. “I’m not interested in the Senate. My House seat is safe. I can be a congressman for life if I can get this behind me. I see what you’re getting at, but I’m not going to call Moran and ask him to get me out of this and in return, I’ll help him in his campaign. That’s an ethical violation for both of us.”
“That’s not what I’m thinking. Let me set up a confidential meeting with the police. Of course, they’ll immediately advise State Attorney Moran. He’s not going to prosecute a failure to report violation with flimsy supporting evidence. He’ll drop everything immediately. He’s not going to mess with you. He wants your eventual support. You still have time. Abby might not even realize we’re on to the blackmail scheme. Please, Freddy, get your name into this voluntarily before Abby gives the police her version.”
“If she mentions my name, she’s admitting to blackmail. She won’t do that.”
“Her ex-husband followed her here. They’ll trace the money.”
“I’ll deny I ever set eyes on Abby, and Toby won’t be telling anyone anything. Therefore, I’m not connected to any blackmail plot. If I deny everything, it won’t be worthwhile to pursue her for blackmail without my testimony. Easier to get her for murder. Also, I don’t want Moran to have this over me.” He stopped long enough to drain his Bloody Mary. “I’ve changed my mind. Now that I’ve read the police report, I can see they’ve nothing that links me to this. I’ll go on my merry way.”
“It won’t work. The media will be involved at some point and they could care less what you deny or whether the charges are true. You can’t keep yourself out of this.”
“Is that a threat? You said you wouldn’t tell.”
“Wait a minute. I was onto the blackmail scheme when I walked in here. I won’t promise to keep that part quiet. As of now, they’ve no reason to question me about what you told me about the trip or the beach scene. But if they ask me under oath, I must tell what I know.”
“I’ll deny that as well. You must have made up such a crazy story to save your own skin.” He stood and threw his shoulders back in an attempt to regain his dignity.
“Don’t say absolutely no. At the very least, discuss this with a trusted attorney.”
