Capitol Murder Read online

  Dr. Emil Ibanescu, the deputy director of national intelligence, was a balding, middle-aged man with a sallow complexion. He was wearing an expensive tailored suit, but his paunchy build made it look lumpy. Ibanescu’s parents had emigrated from Romania when Emil was seven. He had graduated at the top of his public high school class in Brooklyn with a perfect grade-point average. Scholarships had covered his tuition at Harvard, where he earned a PhD in record time. Ibanescu spoke many languages, most of them fluently, and had fast-tracked through the CIA. When the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was formed in 2005 to oversee and direct the National Intelligence Program, Ibanescu was tapped to serve as a deputy director.

  “Something must be up if Emil is here,” Lucas said. Carson took his seat without comment. Brad and Lucas sat behind him with their backs to the wall, and an aide shut the door.

  “Let’s get started,” Senator Rivera said. “Dr. Ibanescu is here to brief us on a very real threat to our national security. Emil, why don’t you take the floor?”

  “Thank you, Madam Chairperson.” Ibanescu’s speech betrayed a faint hint of Eastern Europe. “In the past year, we have received information from multiple sources pointing to the strong possibility that a major terrorist operation is under way in the United States. We are facing two obstacles. First, we know the event is scheduled to take place in the near future, but we have not identified the target. Second, we are convinced that the group that is behind this plot is centered in Pakistan, but the group is not al-Qaeda or any other known terrorist group. This means that monitoring these known terror networks has not provided the information we need to foil the plot.”

  “It doesn’t sound as if you’ve made much headway here,” said Senator Allen McElroy of Alabama.

  “That’s true. Because this plot is the work of a small unknown group, many of our methods of gathering intelligence have not been particularly useful. However, there is some good news. We have obtained one solid lead in the past few days. InCo, an Oregon company, may be involved in laundering money that is being used to finance part of this operation.”

  Behind Carson, Lucas Sharp shifted in his chair.

  “Our evidence is not conclusive,” Ibanescu continued, “but we’re putting together an affidavit for a search warrant for the company records. Hopefully we will know more in the next few days. The purpose of this briefing is to let the committee know about this potential event. If it happens, there could be as much damage to the national psyche as there was after 9/11, and we want you to be prepared.”

  Ibanescu’s report continued for twenty minutes more. By the constant movement behind him, Carson could sense that Lucas Sharp was uneasy. Carson looked over his shoulder and Sharp caught his eye. He was very tense.

  As soon as the meeting adjourned, Sharp told Brad that he had to speak to the senator in private. Then he pulled his friend into an empty meeting room and shut the door.

  “Do you remember talking to a woman named Jessica Koshani two months ago at the Hilton fund-raiser?” Sharp asked as he watched his friend intently.

  Carson couldn’t stop the heat from rising in his cheeks. Sharp noticed.

  “Koshani, yes. She and some of her business associates gave us a sizable contribution.”

  “Is anything going on between you and Koshani?” Sharp asked.

  “Nothing. She’s just a supporter,” the senator stammered. His answer wasn’t convincing.

  “I hope to God you’re telling me the truth, Jack. Remember the night you met Koshani at the fund-raiser at the Hilton?”

  Carson nodded.

  “Do you also recall my telling you that she’d been the subject of discussions when I was in the DA’s office?”

  “Yes.”

  “And do you remember I told you she was suspected of laundering money through several companies? One of the companies we discussed when I was a prosecutor was InCo.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Yeah, ‘shit.’ I don’t think it will go over well with your constituents if it’s revealed that one of your supporters is also supporting terrorists.”

  Carson started to sweat. “Emil didn’t mention Jessica.”

  “He didn’t mention a lot of stuff. The people running this operation worry about leaks, for which politicians are notorious. So, Jack, how bad is this?”

  “It’s not bad,” Carson answered, fighting hard to keep calm.

  “Did you screw her?”

  Carson’s eyes dropped. “Just one time,” he lied. “I had a little too much to drink.”

  “Fuck!”

  “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

  “You pay me to worry.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Carson repeated, but like a lot of things he said on the campaign trail, he didn’t believe one word of what he had just told his best friend.

  Chapter Ten

  “Jessica, it’s me, Jack. I have to talk to you.”

  “It’s two in the morning. What’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m at the gate. Let me in. I flew all night to get here.”

  “You know the rules. We meet when I say we meet.”

  “This isn’t about sex. It’s urgent and it concerns your future, your life.”

  Koshani was silent for a moment. Then the gate swung open and Carson ran a hand across his face. He was a mess. Ever since his first night with Jessica Koshani, he had been her slave. He craved her the way an addict craves his drug. He was besotted, and he lived for the infrequent times she permitted him to see her, times she rationed out slowly so that the days between became sheer torture. And now this. Everything he’d worked for could crash and burn.

  The senator was terrified that Koshani’s house was under surveillance, so he was wearing jeans, a dark jacket, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, and he parked in the shadows so his rental car could not be seen from the gate. The front door opened and he rushed inside. Koshani was wearing a black see-through teddy, and the sight of her near-naked body stopped his breath.

  “We’re in trouble,” he blurted out, praying that the CIA had not bugged the mansion.

  “Stop,” Koshani commanded, and he obeyed. “We’ll talk upstairs in my bedroom.”

  Koshani turned and Carson’s eyes followed her tight, swaying buttocks as she walked up to the second floor. It was difficult for him to think so close to her. Despite the danger, he grew hard.

  When they entered the bedroom, Koshani turned and looked at him with contempt.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded.

  “I shouldn’t be. I’m taking a huge risk,” he babbled.

  “Get to the point.”

  “Our committee met this afternoon,”

  “What committee, Jack? You’re an important man,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You sit on many committees.”

  “Intelligence. There’s concern—real concern—about a terrorist plot. One of your companies was mentioned. The FBI suspects it’s being used to launder money for terrorists to finance an operation.”

  “Nonsense. What company did they mention?”

  “InCo, the import-export company. Jessica, if you’re questioned, you can’t mention me.”

  “Who does the FBI suspect the company is aiding?” Koshani asked.

  “I . . . I can’t tell you that. It’s classified. I’d be in big trouble if they found out I came here to warn you. I just wanted to make sure you know you might be questioned so you won’t be surprised and get me in trouble.”

  “Why in the world would you think that I’d place your well-being over my own?”

  “Look, if it’s money you want . . .”

  Koshani swept her hand around her beautifully appointed bedroom. “Does it look like I need your money?”

  “Please, Jessica.”

  Koshani studied him the way an entomologist studies a common and uninteresting insect. Then she walked over to a cabinet and took out a DVD, which she inserted in a slot in a DVD player that stood beneath the plasma TV acr
oss from her bed. She clicked the remote and a picture appeared.

  “This is your last session,” Koshani said. Carson blanched and he felt as if he might throw up.

  On the screen, a woman in black latex was holding a leash attached to a dog collar worn by a naked man, who was on all fours. The woman’s identity was concealed because the camera was behind her. United States Senator Jack Carson’s face was clearly visible.

  “You are a good boy and you deserve a reward,” the woman in the DVD said. “Do you want a reward?”

  “Yes,” Carson said, his voice hoarse with desire.

  “Is that the way I have trained you to answer?” the woman asked angrily.

  Carson cowered. Then he said, “Yes, mistress,” and kissed the woman’s foot.

  Koshani clicked the remote and the picture disappeared.

  “How would your wife and children react if this recording appeared on the Internet? How many votes do you think you would get after it was shown?”

  Carson’s hands balled into fists and his face flushed with anger. He took a step toward Koshani, then stopped abruptly. He had been so focused on the television that he had not seen her take the Beretta out of the drawer that held the DVD.

  “That’s a good boy,” Koshani said in a tone that mocked the words that had been said on the screen. She waved the barrel toward the bed.

  “Lie down,” she ordered. Carson knew what would come next. He’d done it often enough during their sex play.

  Koshani used sets of velvet-lined handcuffs to fasten the senator’s hands and feet to the four corners of the bed. Then she sat on the bed and caressed Carson’s crotch. His penis was limp.

  “Has the fun gone out of sex for you?” she asked with false concern. Carson turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look at her. She slapped him.

  “Look at me when I speak to you,” she ordered.

  When Carson brought his eyes to hers, there was real fear in them. This was not a game anymore. Koshani jammed the gun barrel under the senator’s chin.

  “What is the FBI going to do about InCo?”

  “I can’t tell you. I’d be committing treason,” he whined.

  “I don’t think you fully appreciate your situation, Senator. You are going to answer my questions with complete honesty or the DVD will be released and you will be disgraced. Then, when your humiliation is complete, your wife will be killed in an extremely violent manner, and your children will be kidnapped and sold as sex slaves.”

  Carson stared openmouthed. Then he gagged. When he was through, Koshani got a tissue and dabbed at his mouth.

  “You’ve ruined my silk sheets, but the sacrifice was worth it if you’re clear about what will happen if you disobey me. And don’t think you can lie to me, then go to the FBI. I’m a small cog in a big machine. There are people who enjoy violence. They will do what needs to be done to punish you if you go to the authorities. They have copies of the DVD, and they know where your children go to school. Do you understand?”

  Carson nodded. Koshani slapped him again.

  “Answer me out loud.”

  “Yes, I understand,” Carson said, utterly defeated.

  “Good. Now tell me what the FBI has planned for InCo.”

  “They’re going to serve a subpoena for business records.”

  “When?”

  “Soon. I don’t know the exact day.”

  “What are they looking for?”

  “I don’t know specifics. They’ve heard rumors about a major attack in the United States.”

  “Where is this attack supposed to take place and when is it supposed to happen?”

  “They don’t know.”

  Koshani thought for a moment.

  “I’m going to send you back to Washington, Jack. You will tell me where the authorities suspect the attack will take place and when they think it will occur. You will also inform me of any actions that are planned against me or anyone else.”

  “The FBI may not know where the attack will take place. I don’t know if I can get the information.”

  Koshani leaned forward and stared directly into Carson’s eyes. “Pray that you can.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lawrence Cooper’s office was in a strip mall in Hyattsville, Maryland, between a liquor store and a nail salon. Cooper rarely had visitors he needed to impress, so the office reception area was furnished with cheap furniture that looked as though it could have been made in a high school shop class. Most of the furniture and furnishings in Cooper’s private office weren’t much better, but his wife had hung hunting prints on the wall behind his desk in hopes of giving the office a little class.

  Cooper had an aversion to exercise and the sun. You would expect him to be fat, but he had allergies to so many foods that he ate like a bird and looked anorexic. His chest was sunken, his shoulders stooped, and his skin had an unhealthy pallor. Initial impressions pegged him as weak, but he was tenacious in business and strong-willed if not strong of limb. Cooper earned a respectable living by fighting his way up the food chain, and very little scared him. Steve Reynolds was an exception.

  Reynolds appeared in his office shortly after Cooper’s secretary left. Cooper thought his secretary had locked the front door so he was surprised when he looked up and found Reynolds standing in his doorway. Cooper got over his initial surprise quickly, but he didn’t pull out the drawer where he kept a loaded .38 Special because his visitor was a neatly shaved white man with a styled haircut who was dressed in an Armani suit. Instead, he furrowed his brow, perplexed by the situation, and asked his visitor what he wanted.

  Reynolds sat on a plain wooden chair across from Cooper.

  “I want to make you some easy money,” he said with a warm smile.

  Cooper didn’t return the smile. Life had taught him that there was no such thing as easy money. Still, he was intrigued.

  “Talk to me,” he said as he eased open the drawer that held his protection.

  Reynolds raised an eyebrow. “There’ll be no need for the gun, Mr. Cooper. Besides, I emptied it last night.”

  Cooper looked as though he had not understood Reynolds or understood him but couldn’t get his head around the idea that he had been burglarized. Reynolds waited patiently while Cooper checked the gun. There were no bullets in the chamber. Cooper’s face darkened.

  “What the fuck is this?”

  Reynolds held up a conciliatory hand. “I apologize, but I don’t like getting shot, and I thought our conversation would go better if neither of us was armed.”

  “You know what?” Cooper said, “We’re not going to have a conversation. I don’t converse with assholes who break into my office.”

  Reynolds nodded. “I’m not surprised that you’re upset, but hear me out. I’m going to offer you ten thousand dollars in exchange for a favor and another ten once it’s performed.”

  The money caught Cooper’s interest. “What kind of favor?”

  “I want you to hire four men. You won’t have to pay them to earn the money. You’ll just have to tell your managers to use them.”

  Cooper smirked. “What will these gentlemen say when INS asks for their green cards?”

  “They’ll say they have them. You won’t get in trouble with the Immigration people.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  Reynolds sat up and leaned forward. “You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.”

  “And if I don’t?” Cooper answered belligerently.

  “This is not a negotiation,” Reynolds said. “Either you do everything I ask of you and make some money or you refuse and your comfortable life will come to an end. And don’t even think about going to the police. That would be a huge mistake. Anytime you get set to contact the authorities, think about how easy it was for me to break into your house last night.”

  “My house?”

  “Check the dresser in your bedroom. Look under your winter pajamas. The envelope with the ten thousand dollars is folded inside the flan
nels with the tartan check.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Transcripts from Clarence Little’s trial for the murder of Winona Benford were piled up on the coffee table in Millie’s living room. An empty mug was perched on top of the transparent plastic cover that protected one of them. Scattered across the living room floor were more transcripts and the police, forensic, and defense investigation reports in the Winona Benford and Carol Poole cases.

  Millie put down the police report she had just finished and rubbed her eyes. Then she picked up the coffee mug and picked her way through the legal debris until she reached her kitchen. It was Monday morning, and Millie had risen with the sun to finish rereading all of the paperwork in the two murder cases, a task she had started on Saturday and was about to finish after two twelve-hour weekend days.

  In Clarence’s postconviction cases, the issue before Judge Case was whether the state had violated Clarence’s legal rights, not whether Clarence had murdered someone. In preparing for the postconviction hearing, Millie had focused more on the legal issues than on the facts. At Clarence’s new trials, the issue the juries would decide was whether Clarence had killed the two girls, so Millie was rereading everything from a different angle. The more she read, the more uncomfortable she felt.

  The state did not have overwhelming evidence that Clarence had murdered Benford or Poole, but the evidence against him was disturbing. Of course the evidence against Clarence in the Erickson case had been very persuasive, and he was totally innocent of that murder. Still . . .

  Millie refilled her coffee mug and walked over to the kitchen window. The leaves on the trees that lined her street were starting to turn from green to gold, and the sun looked cold. Fall was visiting Oregon, and months of rainy, dark days would soon follow.