“Call the cops,” the man said. “This woman sneaked by me into City Hall when I walked in-how was I supposed to know-”
“He is the cops,” Kelli said, pointing.
“I am the police,” Jake said at the same moment.
Now there were five people in the same office. Pretty interesting. And possibly suspicious. Meantime, Catherine Siskel was probably still cleaning herself up in the bathroom and wondering why no one had gone in to make sure she hadn’t passed out on the floor.
At least they seemed to have forgotten Jane’s “sneaking” episode.
The EA hung up the desk phone. “No answer from Ms. Siskel,” she said. “I’ll try to see if she’s-”
“No,” Kelli Riordan interrupted. “I’ll go. Listen, Ward. Is her daughter here?”
“Not until nine,” Ward said. “Supposedly.”
Daughter here? Jane looked at Jake, trying her own telepathy. Did you know about a daughter here? I didn’t.
No. Jake used a fraction of an expression to convey his surprise. Me either.
Time to take back the morning, Jake thought.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he interrupted the three staffers. “We’re all busy, and I understand you’re concerned about your colleague. But I’m here to talk with Ms. Siskel privately. I’m sure any meeting she had arranged with you two can be postponed. Ms. Hult, will you go check on Ms. Siskel? Thank you.”
The EA opened her mouth, closed it, and flounced from the room.
Jake waited until the door closed behind her. “I need your names and contact information, please,” he went on. “And you mentioned a daughter. Does Ms. Siskel have a daughter who works at City Hall?”
Jane’s phone rang again. She made a face, like, sorry. And went out into the hall.
“I’m Kelli White Riordan, city attorney.” The woman flapped open a leather portfolio, presented him an embossed business card. “You’ll understand why I’m concerned with your tactics. Might I ask, once again, why you’re here? As the city attorney, I have every right-in fact, it’s my responsibility to know.”
“It’s a private matter, between me and Ms. Siskel. I’m sure she’ll contact you if she deems it necessary.” Jake put the card in his pocket and turned to the man-Ward? He’d tossed his Starbucks paper cup into an empty wastebasket and now seemed at a loss for what to do with his hands. He’d already yanked his shirt collar, scratched his nose, smoothed his hair.
“And you are…?” Jake asked.
Checked shirt and Riordan exchanged glances. Times like these Jake wished for telepathy. Clearly these two had some agenda.
“Ward-” He stopped, frowning. The office door had opened again.
Jane.
“Dahlstrom,” the man went on.
“Title?” Jake prompted. It was nothing Jane couldn’t hear.
Dahlstrom looked at Riordan as if needing some guidance from the lawyer. She waved a weary hand. Go ahead.
“Director of external communications.”
“I see.” Jake almost laughed. Politicians rivaled only cops for unmitigated jargon. “Communications?” Maybe public relations? Did it have to do with spinning the Curley Park murder? “And that means…?”
“Detective?” Riordan answered instead. “He handles our surveillance cameras.”
36
Catherine yanked a length of towel from the automatic dispenser, doused it with cold water, and held the soggy paper to one cheek, then the other, cooling her flushed face while trying not to wet the escaping tendrils of her hair. Every muscle in her body ached. She realized she’d been clenching everything, trying to prevent fifty land mines from blowing up in everyone’s face.
And who was taking care of her? No one ever took care of her. Maybe it was her own fault. Every time Lanna talked about leaving, she’d ignored it instead of talking about it. She was a terrible mother. And look what happened.
Her husband started being distracted and distant and silent. Instead of trying to understand him, she’d ignored it, focused on work, figured he’d get over whatever it was. She was a terrible wife. And look what happened.
Now she was a terrible chief of staff, too, crying in the bathroom while the mayor’s political career was about to fall apart. To keep that from happening, she had to lie. And cover up what she knew about her own husband. Her career-and Tenley-were all she had left. Yes. It was her own fault.
She soaked the towel again, listening to the water gush from the faucet, wishing she could jump into the sink and swirl down the drain, lost and forgotten and swept away by the tides of Boston Harbor.
But Tenley. She still had Tenley. She would do everything in her power, starting now, everything, not to blow that. She’d be a good mother. Make up for her failings. She’d go to Tenley’s office, right now. Leave her a note. Arrange lunch. She looked at her face in the mirror, all blotches and red-rimmed eyes. Oh. Greg. Another sob escaped her. Poor Tenley.
“Mrs. Siskel?” Someone was pounding on the bathroom door. “Mrs. Siskel! Are you in there?”
Siobhan. What was she doing here this early? How’d she find her in this bathroom?
“I’m fine,” she called out, attempting to remove any trace of sorrow from her voice. She felt like grief was strangling her. But she could not let anyone know. She raised her voice over the sound of the running water. “Two minutes, okay?”
The meeting. Shit. She moved closer to the door but didn’t open it.
“Are Kelli and Ward waiting?”
“In their offices,” Siobhan said. “Are you sure you’re fine?”
“I’ll call them, thanks so much, all good.” Catherine tried to sound cheery and normal. Exactly what she wasn’t. “All good,” she whispered.
Another lie.
Surveillance cameras? If Jane hadn’t been so distracted, she’d have pounced on that admission and moved into high reporter gear. Did they have the Curley Park murder on tape? Jane knew about the whole traffic cam controversy and the hullabaloo over the decision. Did City Hall have other cameras that recorded? There couldn’t be sound, because it was illegal in Massachusetts to record voices without permission. But you could record silent video. And if there was a person in charge of surveillance, there had to be surveillance.
But the call she’d just taken from Melissa had changed Jane’s entire day. She’d had to call Marsh Tyson, once again, explain she had family issues. He seemed understanding, said he’d assign someone else to the City Hall story, but who knew what he really thought.
She also had to tell Jake about Melissa’s call. Somehow. He’d just heard about this surveillance guy, and that was potentially critical. This was, too.
Standing on the threshold to Siskel’s office, Jane cleared her throat, needing to get his attention. All three turned to her. Ward annoyed, Kelli disdainful, and Jake concerned.
“Ah, Detective?” she said. “Sorry to interrupt, but ah, I’ve got to, uh, go.” Incredibly inarticulate, but her mind was racing so fast her voice couldn’t keep up with it. She hitched her tote bag over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jake. She had to let him know it was important, but she didn’t want the two pols to think he had anything but a professional connection with her. “Regarding the story we were discussing earlier. I do need to follow up with you about that as soon as you have a moment.”
“You’ll need to call the public relations department, Ms. Ryland,” Jake said. “Maybe in about ten minutes? I think the special duty officer will be there by then.”