She walked around to the couch, sat down, placed her coffee on the small marble table, already ringed with many old coffee cup stains, including a few that were most likely from Amanda's cups and had never been cleaned.
'This place missed you,' I said, then felt silly for saying it.
'Really? It probably has enough festering life forms hiding that it did tell you that.'
'Yeah, the comforter and I, we chat sometimes.'
'If cleanliness is next to godliness, I think this makes you the Antichrist.'
I laughed, took a sip of the coffee. Then we sat in silence for a moment.
'So Gray Talbot,' she said, thankfully breaking the tension. 'What does he have to do with Michelle and
Daniel?'
'I did a bit of a background check on the senator,' I said. 'Found a few interesting facts.'
'Let me guess. This was after Wallace told you to let it be.'
'Naturally. Anyway, in 2001, after Michelle Oliveira disappeared from Meriden, Gray Talbot swooped in like an avenging angel and pretty much scorched the earth. He lambasted the government of Connecticut, the social services offices, the police force, criticized them all for betraying the families that lived within their borders. He said it was a sad day when an out-of-stater had to come in because the job wasn't being done right. And Talbot saved his best blasts for then Governor John Rowland.'
'Rowland,' Amanda said. 'That name rings a bell.'
'It should. John Rowland resigned from office as governor of the state of Connecticut in 2004 due to charges of massive corruption. Mail fraud, tax fraud, he even served ten months in a federal prison.'
'And this guy was running the state when Michelle disappeared?'
'Kind of like having a crack addict babysit your children. Rowland was skimming money for numerous personal projects that had nothing to do with the state. He took state money and paid for improvements to his weekend cottage, took thousands of dollars in gifts from his subcontractors. Of course, after prison he did the whole rehab-image deal, everything but appear on the cover of
People magazine. Anyway, Talbot came in after Michelle disappeared and tore Rowland a new one for letting the state go to seed. He said the state was not protecting its youth. At the time, Meriden had the second-highest crime rate in the state, and it had gotten worse over the previous few years. Even though Talbot was a New York senator, he was quoted as saying, 'This is a matter so vital to the future of our country that it would be irresponsible to only permit coloring within state lines.''
'So Talbot ruins Rowland, then what?'
'Talbot institutes a program called 'Not on Our Watch.'
He raises millions of dollars earmarked for improving security within Meriden and other surrounding counties.
More money for police recruiting, neighborhood watches, more incentives for gang members and criminals to become informants. He raises thousands of dollars for the
Oliveira family, basically seals up trust funds for their other children to go to college. Within two years, the crime rate in Meriden drops like a rock. He spent years working to help the Oliveiras move on with their lives.'
Amanda said, 'And now this guy is knocking on
Wallace's door telling him to let the city move on. It sounds to me like Talbot is a guy who worked his ass off to rebuild a community, then sees some punk reporter, no offense…'
'None taken…'
'…digging around, looking for holes in the masonry.'
'Not to mention the most interesting part,' I said.
'Michelle Oliveira grew up in Meriden, but guess where she was born?'
'I don't know, where?'
'Hobbs County.'
'Like Danny Linwood?' she said. 'Holy shit, that's a hell of a coincidence.'
'Or maybe not,' I said. 'Guess where our favorite senator also grew up?'
Amanda looked at me. She said, 'No way…'
'That's right, Hobbs County for two hundred, Alex.'
'So this guy has taken protecting his own to a whole new level. No wonder as a New York senator he decided to stick his nose into another state.'
'What's also strange, though, is that both Meriden and
Hobbs County were essentially cesspools before Michelle
Oliveira and Daniel Linwood were kidnapped. Since
Talbot came in, they've seen unprecedented growth and community support.'
'Talbot seems to have done his job well,' she said.
'There are certainly enough shitty neighborhoods in
New York, maybe he should take care of his own backyard for a bit.'
'That's why he was at Danny Linwood's home the day
I interviewed him,' I said. 'He is looking out for his own backyard. Literally.'
'What are you thinking we should do?' she asked.
'I'm not sure,' I said. 'But it concerns me any time a politician does something for the alleged good of the community. It makes me wonder what the quid pro quo is.'
'Well, how has Talbot's career been affected since
Michelle Oliveira and Danny Linwood came back?'
'Well, he's won by a landslide every time he's run for reelection,' I said. 'One would assume at some point he'll want to move from the senate to the governor's mansion.
All that good press can't hurt.'
'You think we might be a little too cynical?' Amanda said.
'I mean, this guy seems to have legitimately changed lives.
Maybe even saved a few. For all the politicians that talk a big game, this guy actually gets his feet dirty. Yet he ruffles a few feathers at your office and we're ready to string him up.'
'I'm not doing anything like that,' I said defensively.
'But I need to know why two children disappeared into thin air, reappeared years later with no memory of where they went, and nobody seems to be looking too hard into that fact. I have no idea if Gray Talbot is the greatest
Samaritan of all time or Jack the Ripper in a good suit. I just want the truth. And one thing I've learned in this job is that anytime somebody tells you not to look under that rock, there's something there they don't want you to find.'
'And now you're going to lift that rock. Even if it means your job.'
'Even if it means your job,' I said, looking her dead in the eye. Amanda seemed taken aback, then she took a breath and calmed down.
'Guess I should have expected that.'
'I'm sorry, I-'
'Don't be sorry. I want to respect you. If you pulled punches, I wouldn't.'
'Sometimes I hit harder than I need to. Against people who don't deserve it.'
'Yeah…' she said, eyeing me warily. 'I think it's time for me to head home.'
'You're sure?' I said. 'You want to grab dinner or something?'
Amanda looked at me, sadness in her eyes. 'Henry, this is what it is. I'll help you all you need. I want to know everything about Danny and Michelle, too. But this is what we are, now, you and me. And this is a choice you made.'
'What was your choice?' I asked.
She looked at me, her cheeks flushing red, anger in her eyes. 'I didn't have one,' she said. 'You made my choice for me.'
'I know. And I'm sorry I did that. I wish I could take it back. More than anything.'
Amanda took a step closer, her eyes locked on to mine.
For a moment I felt embarrassed, wanted to step back.
