“Suppose, just suppose in the next few weeks or months we can prove beyond a shadow of a DNA-fingerprinted doubt that Robert W. Towne is indeed innocent of murdering his wife in this hideous fashion, at a time when your execution machine here has already rolled on Towne? If he is summarily killed by you, by your jury, by your great state of Oregon, and the world learns of his innocence, what then? How will that play out on national TV? Do you think the sympathy vote will swing your way or to an opponent who will be only too willing to also play politics with this execution?”
“Nice speech, Doctor, but conversely, if I don't allow that switch to be pulled on time, and Towne is proved guilty once more by your precious DNA print?”
“Then what will it have hurt?”
“The integrity of this office and state! Besides, my political enemies will play that card just as quickly.”
“Do you hear yourself, Governor? You are playing politics with a man's life.”
“A confessed killer who is deemed guilty by the system. A man who refused his own defense appeal.”
“A system we know is flawed.”
“What in life isn't flawed?” He touched her, his hand going to her breast.
Jessica flinched and pulled away. “I assure you, Governor Hughes, I am not sleeping with you so that you can hold the power of your position over me. You can forget whatever cesspool notions are swimming round in your-”
Darwin pushed open the door. “You need help in here, Jess?”
“No, no Darwin. We're just getting a little heated on the debate here. Wait outside now, go!”
She watched Hughes watch Darwin go quietly back outside. “You've certainly got him well trained. You could train me, Jess, and afterward, we can talk about this Towne affair in more… shall we say depth.”
“We have a DNA comparison… from blood found in Minnesota during the exhumation, blood not the victim's, blood that proves it could not have been Towne who-”
“Killed some woman in Minnesota. We are in Oregon, darling. It does not sway me. Too many variables. The so-called evidence has passed through too many hands, too many opportunities to taint it, and one too many relatives involved in gathering this evidence.”
“No way, this comes directly from Cellmark of St.-”
“Do you have any idea what kind of crucifixion I would have to endure if Towne is shown mercy?”
“Just postpone it. Just do it. Do the right thing.”
His response was to again attempt to put his hands on her. She backed along the table, lifting the autopsy photos and files she'd dumped there. “I think we're through here.”
He placed a hand over hers. “Of course, I will look at any new and compelling evidence you bring me, Dr. Coran, the operative words being new' and 'compelling'. And I will entertain your suggestions, but I cannot promise you or Agent Reynolds anything. Is that understood?”
“Be open to the new evidence that is on the way from Minnesota as we speak,” she calmly replied. “That is all I ask.”
He pressed in against her when suddenly Mrs. Dornan stepped in. “It's your wife, Governor, on line one. She's insistent, sir.”
Hughes had backed off with a calm born of practice when Dornan had broken the silence in the room. Hughes loudly said to Jessica, “So far, I see nothing in my possession that warrant's a stay of execution. I'm sorry.” To Dornan he added, “I'll get it, Agnes.”
“I was just leaving,” Jessica said, joining Dornan for the exit.
“When your Agent Sharpe arrives from Minnesota, I will gladly look over any new information that warrants my attention, Dr. Coran.”
She thanked him from the safety of the door.
When they were on the other side of the door, Dornan said to Jessica, “It can't be easy on James… ahhh… the governor. It's so troubling, this whole matter of holding a man's life in one's palm.”
Yeah, unless you get a kick out of it, Jessica thought but only said, “Some phantom killer running loose over the moors doesn't seem to bother him in the least. What about you, Mrs. Dornan?”
“Sometimes the facts don't make for good copy for any of us. The idea that a man can do such a thing to a woman with impunity and… and remain free to roam, but somewhere in all of it… someone must pay.”
“But we must not execute Towne for the actions of this fiend or our failure to recognize our shortcomings.”
Mrs. Dornan bridled at this as if it were a personal attack on her. “I'm sure Governor Hughes will see your Agent Sharpe and the two of you again when and if you come bearing something in the nature of new and compelling evidence. What other step can he take?”
Jessica nodded and took in a deep breath. “Agreed, and thank you, Mrs. Dornan. Do keep the light burning for us.” “You make a persuasive opponent, Doctor. Most persuasive. Debate society?”
“When in college, yes.”
“Impressive. Perhaps you ought to teach young Reynolds a thing or two about negotiations.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
Jessica left the governor's personal assistant, not believing she'd made any headway with either her or Hughes. She found Darwin pacing the outer hallway like an expectant father.
“What'd he say? What's the upshot of it all? Tell me.”
“He's going to give Richard Sharpe a hearing as soon as he arrives.”
“What about all that we brought him, the theory, the pattern, the blood type?”
“He's not interested in theories and patterns, Darwin, or tests not yet performed. He wants-”
“But it's a pattern crime, and it's going to be repeated as sure as we're standing here.”
“He needs hard, irrefutable evidence, Darwin. And we've got to pray Richard's found it.”
“We still need to compare whatever Sharpe finds in Millbrook with Robert's DNA strand, and we're running out of fucking time, Jess.”
“I know that, Darwin. I know.”
“Get on the phone with Sharpe. Find out where the hell he's at. Get-”
She raised up both hands to him. “Whoa up, Darwin. Calm down! We're going to get Richard here in time. We have to.”
“Call him.”
“When we are back at the inn, I'll call him, and I'll let you know when we can expect to get out to the airport to greet him. Meanwhile, we'll have the local FBI lab prepped and ready to do the blood typing and the DNA match, so it does not look like the fix is in.”
Darwin visibly calmed, nodding. “OK… OK…” “We've got the governor to agree to this step. We're batting a thousand, Darwin,” she lied.
“That'd be great if this was a fucking baseball game.”
Darwin stormed off ahead of her, going out the huge doors and into the Oregon night. She dropped her head and sighed. In a moment, she found him on the mansion steps, seated, head in hands, slumped and quietly holding back tears. Jessica allowed him a peaceful moment before sitting alongside and placing an arm over his shoulder.
He muttered, “Robert doesn't deserve this… doesn't deserve any of this.”
“I know… I know… He's his own worst enemy, Darwin. If he'd gone for appeal, we'd have had months to prove him innocent.”
“The blood test'll prove it. Hell, I know it will. Then they've gotta listen.”
She allowed him this, his final illusion. Secretly, she prayed Richard would somehow miraculously be waiting for them at the inn with the DNA strand they so needed.
Later the same night at the Minneapolis Airport
“I can't believe I missed the fucking plane out of here,” Richard Sharpe complained to Brannan.
“Hey, there's another one in a couple of hours. At least you've got the goods from the lab, right?”
“Not exactly, no.”
“Whataya mean, 'no'?” Brannan replied with a short inward gasp that spoke of a developing ulcer.
“They're going to hot-wire the results over the Internet to the FBI lab in Portland. It's the best I could do under the circumstances. Just hope it's not too late.”
