“And the only thing Williams got in return was help in Afghan opium farming policy? That doesn’t even sound like something Becker could pull off by himself.”
“That type of help might have had a huge impact on the rebirth of Afghan poppy growth. Although you would never be able to prove it. And I seriously doubt that Ron was the only one Ian Williams was working with.”
Max considered that. Who else was involved with Ian Williams? How big was his circle? VIP meeting?
Upton continued. “Afghan policy was just how it started. Ian Williams was like the drug dealer that starts you off on pot, only to trade you up into the hard stuff later. Williams wanted Ron to taste how good it could be. Three years after the two met, Becker won his Senate seat. And that’s when Williams came calling again.”
“What did he want then?”
“I don’t know. I was no longer on staff.”
“Then how’d you hear about it?”
She looked like she was stuck. Caught saying more than she’d intended to. “Ron mentioned it last year. I saw him at the party’s convention. We had a drink and got caught up. Ron told me that someone working with Ian Williams had approached him, trying to push some new policy ideas. Perhaps that person was the lobbyist who was killed?”
“Did Becker play ball?”
She looked at Max with a cynical stare. “You keep asking about Becker. Again, I don’t think Herb even knew about it. You need to understand something. Senators don’t do the grunt work at that level. They have staff that brings them all of the information and big ideas. With a lot of ’em, politicians are just the monkeys behind the microphones.”
“So if Ron was on board, the senator was too? Maybe without knowing why?”
Upton nodded. “Yes. If Ron was sure they would get more funding, and weren’t at risk, my guess is he went along with it. You know the whole system works this way, right? Money makes the world go round.”
Renee shook her head. “I don’t understand. What’s the problem, then? Why would Ian Williams be sending Senator Becker death threats now, if Ron was still playing ball? And why would he want to hurt you?”
Jennifer’s eyes darted around the room as she spoke. “I wouldn’t know. This weekend was the first time I’ve seen Herb in a long time. My guess is that Herb found out Ron was still in contact with Williams somehow and told him to break it off, once and for all.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Herb Becker is truly motivated by only one thing. Ambition. Like many politicians, he wants to be president. And Herb would do anything to become president. Herb is pushing this new Opioid Epidemic Bill. It’s a political football. But it’s definitely not compatible with Ian Williams’s interests.”
“Why not?”
“From what Ron told me, Williams’s investors included members of Big Pharma as well. International companies that made billions in opioid sales in the US. So Maybe Ron was still playing ball with Williams behind Herb’s back? Maybe Ron told Williams or this lobbyist he was working with that everything was great. That Herb was still on board. That might have worked as long as their policy agendas were aligned. Williams thought he had a big fish in his pocket. Then Herb decides he’s going to make this new bill his big signature achievement. I have to admit, it’d look great if you were running for president. Everyone wants to help stop the opioid epidemic. Who wouldn’t want their name attached?”
“Do you know where Ian Williams works now?”
She shrugged.
“Let me ask a different question. Does Senator Becker know where Ian Williams works now?”
A dark smile formed on her lips. “Ask yourself why Herb is going so hard against the drug cartels now.”
Max stared at her, his face impassive. So she did know. And she was implying that Becker knew too.
“You tell me,” he said.
“It’s because he wants to counter any problems he might have if the Williams scandal comes to light. Now let me make this clear. Herb didn’t do anything wrong. But just the mere association with someone who’s now involved in a drug cartel could be catastrophic to a presidential campaign. Ian Williams is toxic now. Look at where he is. Herb must be terrified at that development. Then all of a sudden, Ron isn’t returning Williams’s calls. He’s cut Williams off. Williams feels betrayed because Herb isn’t playing ball. Herb doesn’t need Ian Williams’s shady friends anymore. But he sure as hell will need to make sure none of those skeletons fall out of the closet if he ever wants to become president.”
“You keep saying Herb. I thought Ron Dicks was the one who was connected to Williams?”
She shrugged. “Excuse me. I misspoke. Ron knows the details. He knows not to bother the senator with them, I’m sure. He did back when I worked for him. Herb’s clean. But Ron, God rest his soul, may have taken a few shortcuts.”
Max frowned. “Who knows about Becker and Williams?”
“Almost no one. And I’ll deny it, if you ever try to make this public. Herb Becker made one mistake. He didn’t report his connection with Ian Williams in the beginning. But after that, everything he did was legal. And I’ll say something else. Everything he did, he did for the right reasons. We won the war on terror, in part because men like Herb made deals to keep Afghanistan stable. Keep their economy going.”
Renee said, “By growing heroin?”
“Don’t give me that judgmental look, missy.”
Max said, “Has Senator Becker had any contact with Williams in the past few years?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You seem pretty sure of that.”
“I am.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have, as you say, been seeing Herb socially again, every so often. I would know if they were still in touch.”
“Do you know anything about a meeting Ian Williams is about to have?”
“A meeting with who?”
“Some important people.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about any meeting. I haven’t seen Williams since the 2000s. And even then, it was only a few times.”
“Why do you think Ian Williams would need to kill a list of people before this meeting?”
Max thought she looked alarmed for a moment, but then she said, “I wouldn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“Let me ask you the same question I asked you yesterday. Do you know of any reason that Ian Williams would want to hurt you?”
She said, “Ian Williams could care less about me.”
“What do you mean?”
“The only reason he would care about me is if he was trying to get to Herb. It’s not me you should be worried about. From what I’ve seen, Ian Williams is a survivalist. If he’s at the point where he’s killing people, then he’ll definitely take a shot at the senator.” She sighed and looked at Max. “I lied to you yesterday. I was scared, and I didn’t want to put Herb in legal jeopardy or hurt his career. But I care about him. He’s a good man, and he’s tried to do the right thing. This is the reason I’ve decided to talk to you about all of this today, even if it gets Herb in hot water. Please, Max. Don’t let Herb Becker get hurt. You don’t need to worry about me. It’s Senator Becker you need to be protecting.”