Chapter Twelve
On Jackson’s way into the hotel, a skinny man wearing heavy-looking glasses grabbed his arm. Jackson shrugged him off and opened his mouth to shout at him, but the man held his hands up.
“Mr. Kane? I’m with the campaign,” the man said.
“Are you an intern?” Jackson had met the core campaign staff, so the only people unknown to him were the assistants and internswho weren’t staying at the hotel.
“No, actually, I work for the RNC. Ken Tucker.” The man held out his hand.
“All right.” Jackson shook it. “Nice to meet you. But I’m already late for a meeting, so if you’ll excuse me.”
“Just, real quick, I wondered what the odds are that Parker Livingston will be exonerated. I have to file a report for my boss, see...”
“I think the odds are excellent.”Jackson considered his words. “Tell your boss Mr. Livingston is innocent and that my firm is doing absolutely everything I can to make sure the right man is brought to justice.” He figured he might as well project confidence to the RNC.
“Thank you, sir. We appreciate it. We hope to relaunch the campaign soon, next week if possible.”
“We’ll have to see about that. Now I need to go.”
“Of course.”
Jackson rode the elevator up to Park’s room fretting about the time. Tardiness was one of Gavin’s pet peeves, and Jackson had already had to deal with subway delays—there was no efficient way to get uptown when one was in a hurry, he supposed—and now RNC operatives detaining him in the hotel lobby. Lord.
Luckily, Park was ready to go when he answered the door. Martha and Danfollowed him into the hallway, where Dee and Dum were waiting to act as escorts.
“The hotel has a side exit, which is where the car is waiting,” Martha said.
“A side entrance?” Jackson could have bypassed the teeming horde of reporters.
“The press know about that one, too,” Martha said. “I left that way yesterday because I really wanted a hamburger, and sure, the chef here makes afancy one with organic beef and fancy aioli and whatever, but I just wanted a big, greasy burger with American cheese and pickles and ketchup and shit. When I left, I ran into a reporter from thePostwho offered me money in exchange for a statement.” She grunted. “God, I hate this.”
“I hate it more,” Park said. “Is outside nice? I’ve heard it is. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it thatI’ve forgotten what it’s like.”
“You’re about to find out. Come on, we’re late. Let’s go.” Jackson quickly assessed the crowd. “Where’s Ray?”
“Ray and I are going to sit this one out, if that’s all right with you,” Dan said. “This is really beyond the scope of what we do and Park said you’re friendly with the detective, so I feel okay leaving him in your capable hands. Plus, I think ifthe whole legal team showed up at the precinct, that would just piss off the cops more than they already are. But I’ll have my phone on me. Ray and I are going to be in the conference room downstairs dealing with some paperwork all afternoon if you need us.”
Jackson had wanted to suggest the same thing—Gavin would surely view Park showing up with half his staff as an effort to intimidate thepolice—but he didn’t feel like it was his place to get bossy with the campaign lawyers. “Thanks,” he said instead. “So, it’s just me, Park, Martha, and the bodyguards?”
“I’m driving,” said Dum. “One of the valet guys is holding the car.”
“Let’s go,” said Jackson.
Leaving the hotel turned out to be as tricky as Martha had indicated it would be. Someone must have tipped off the pressthat the bodyguards had moved Park’s car, because twenty or so people crowded the side exit. A hotel security guard and a bellhop opened the doors for Park and his entourage, and then they were all hit with a wall of sound as the press came to life. The proliferation of flashbulbs popping in Jackson’s face temporarily blinded him, and everyone was shouting, “Mr. Livingston! Mr. Livingston! What’shappening?”
“We have a meeting,” said Dee as Dum pushed ahead to get to the black car parked at the curb. “Please let us through.”
Martha had her handbag clutched in her hand as if she were about to start beating people with it. Jackson grabbed both her elbow and Park’s and tried to create a united wall as they pushed through the crowd. Dee started yelling at people to back off. As theyplowed forward, Jackson glanced at Park’s face; he looked alarmed by the crush. It made Jackson feel a little protective, like it was his job to get Park through this safely, even though it wasn’t.
They managed to get in the car with Jackson sitting shotgun and Park sandwiched between Martha and Dee in the backseat. The reporters all clearly had a death wish, because a couple of them werebanging on windows, still trying to get a statement. Jackson rolled down his window and shouted, “We have no comment, and we’re late for a meeting. Please back away from the car.”
Dum revved the engine, which seemed to motivate everyone to step away.
Things were better once they peeled away from the curb. Dum executed a few surprisingly graceful turns given how big the sedan was, and thenthey were headed north on Amsterdam.
“This isn’t normal, is it?” Jackson asked. “When you aren’t part of a murder investigation, you can move around freely, yes?”
“Most of the time, yes,” said Park. “That is, I have to be careful, and I don’t really go anywhere alone these days, but I’ve never dealt with anything on this scale before. I hope things go back to normal quickly.”
