“And our cooperation with you can be very helpful.”
Jesse nodded.
“You don’t seem to care,” Kennfield said.
“I don’t,” Jesse said.
“Perhaps we could change that,” Kennfield said.
He stood and walked to the door. With the door half open, he turned back to Jesse.
“Is it something personal?” he said. “Do you dislike the governor?”
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H I G H P R O F I L E
Jesse shook his head.
“I don’t even know the governor,” Jesse said. “It’s you I dislike.”
Kennfield stared for a moment at Jesse, then he turned and left.
“Wait until he gets to his car,” Molly said.
“Why?”
Molly smiled.
“I gave him a parking ticket,” she said.
Jesse smiled and raised his right hand and Molly highfived him. 6 5
17
How’s it going so far?” Jesse said on the phone.
“Fine,” Sunny said. “She’s taking a shower right now.”
“You think this might be kind of bizarre?” Jesse said.
“If things get back to normal, it will get bizarre, I suspect,” Sunny said. “Right now it’s about sisterhood.”
“She and Rosie get along?”
“Deeply bonded,” Sunny said. “In fact, Rosie is sitting at the bathroom door as we speak, waiting for Jenn to come out.”
“Jenn’s never had a dog,” Jesse said.
H I G H P R O F I L E
“Well, she seems to like Rosie, and Rosie likes her,” Sunny said.
“Jenn’s a lot of fun,” Jesse said.
“Except when she’s not,” Sunny said.
“Except then,” Jesse said. “I don’t assume you’ve made much progress on the rapist.”
“We’re just getting ourselves comfortable together,” Sunny said. “I haven’t even asked her about it yet.”
“Hard to investigate if you have to stay with her all the time.”
“My friend Spike will help with the babysitting,” Sunny said. “And helping me investigate might be good for her . . . and here she is, looking elegant in a large bath towel.”
Jesse could feel the memory of Jenn in his stomach. She would come from the shower like that, and flip the towel and flash him.
“I need to talk with her,” Jesse said.
Jenn said, “Hello?”
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“What can you tell me about Walton Weeks?”
There was a pause. Jesse knew Jenn’s focus was deep but narrow. It would take her a minute to think of anything but her situation. Suitcase Simpson appeared at Jesse’s door, saw that Jesse was on the phone, and paused. Jesse waved him away and he disappeared.
“Me?” Jenn said.
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“You’re in his business,” Jesse said.
“Well, I know he’s very successful,” Jenn said.
“Uh-huh.”
“And he’s, let’s see . . . He’s got the weekly TV show.”
“Walton’s Week,” Jesse said.
“Clever, isn’t it,” Jenn said. “And he’s got his daily radio show, and the syndicated column he does.”
“It’s in the Globe around here,” Jesse said. “Is he right-wing, left-wing?”
“Oh, hell, Jesse. I don’t know. You know I don’t pay attention to stuff like that.”
“Who would know?” Jesse said.
“Have you tried the Internet?” Jenn said.
“I’m looking for someone I can talk with.”
“I don’t . . .” She was silent while she thought. “I know.”
Her voice quickened. “My former news director, Jay Wade. He’s a communications professor now, at Taft, you know, in Walford.”
“I know.”
“I could call him for you,” Jenn said. “Arrange for you to see him.”
“You and he are pals?”
“Sure, we worked together for two years, Jesse.”
“And he was your boss?” Jesse said.
“Yes. He’s the one gave me that Race Week feature.”
Alone in his office with his feet on the desk, Jesse nodded silently.
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“I can call him,” Jesse said. “Thanks.”
When they had hung up Jesse sat motionless for a while. I wonder if Jay fucked her? He shook his head. Got to stop doing that. He stood and went to the door of his office and stuck his head out and yelled.
“Suit.”
6 9
18
I been going through that list of names you got from the bodyguard,” Suit said.
Jesse waited. Suit always admired Jesse’s silence. Suit thought he himself talked too much. He wished he were silent like Jesse.
“Couldn’t reach the manager,” Suit said. “He’s in New York. I left word to call me back.”
“And when he doesn’t?”
“I’ll call him again.”
Jesse nodded.
H I G H P R O F I L E
“The wives all got back to me.”
“Two ex-and one current,” Jesse said.
“Yeah.” Suit looked at his list. “Two of them in New York. They still use his name. Lorrie Weeks is the current wife, and Stephanie Weeks is wife number two. Ellen Migliore, wife one, is remarried and lives in Italy. I haven’t talked to her.”
Jesse nodded.
“The other two were mostly interested in the estate, you know, the will and stuff. Current wife, Lorrie, was also interested in Carey Longley and how come she got killed.”
“They have any idea what he was doing up here?”
“Nope. Current wife says he told her only that it was business, and he’d be gone a few days.”
“He was gone more than a few days,” Jesse said. Suit nodded.
“Did that seem to bother her?” Jesse said.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Jesus, Jesse,” Suit said. “She just lost her husband, I didn’t want to press her hard right away.”
Jesse nodded.
“She may have killed him,” Jesse said.
“Jesus,” Suit said. “You think so?”
“I don’t know,” Jesse said. “Neither do you. And there’s nothing wrong with kind. But we need to know what we need to know.”
Suit nodded.
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“Everybody I talked to said they had no idea who killed him. They said he was controversial but not, you know, crazy.”
“Threats?” Jesse said. “Hate mail?”
“They said they didn’t know, that his office handled that stuff.”
“Who’s the office?” Jesse said. “Carey?”
“No, according to them she was strictly his personal assistant. His manager handled the, you know, business stuff.”
“There’s probably a lawyer in there someplace,” Jesse said.
“No lawyer on your list,” Suit said. “Maybe the manager’s a lawyer, too.”
“Maybe,” Jesse said. “When you talk to them, see if there’s a lawyer.”
“Okay.”
“Any of the wives coming up here?”
“I don’t know,” Suit said. “None of them said they were.”
“Anybody been arranging for a funeral?” Jesse said.
“The wife,” Suit said. “Soon as the ME releases the body.”
“That would be Lorrie,” Jesse said.
“Yeah.”
Jesse nodded. They were quiet for a time.
Then Suit said, “There’s stuff bothering me.”
“Like not knowing who did it?” Jesse said.
“Yeah,” Suit said. “That. But this guy’s a big famous public figure, you know. And nobody knows why he’s up here.”
Jesse nodded.
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“I mean, there’s nothing in the papers about him going to give a speech. Guy as famous as him, you always see stuff in the papers. His bodyguard don’t even know why he’s here.”