“Listen, I want you to be careful, okay? This Tucker guy, I think he could be dangerous. Gavin just called to tell me he talked to someone atthe RNC who actually worked with Tucker directly. The official employment record hasn’t been updated, but they fired Tucker two weeks ago.”
“Oh, god.” A shiver went up Park’s spine as he realized that this very man had sat across from him in a meeting and claimed to be a representative of the RNC, but he’d clearly been lying. Knowing he’d gotten that close to Park was unnerving. “Did theysay why they fired him?”
“Gavin told me they said he’d been behaving erratically and had essentially stopped doing his job. The RNC is already nervous about the midterm elections. They didn’t want anyone on staff who would make them look bad. Allegedly.”
“They have some candidates in flyover states that are accomplishing that in spades, though.”
“Maybe true, but those people don’twork in the RNC office. Anyway, I don’t know, this is just what Gavin told me. Until Tucker is apprehended, you should stay in your hotel. Between the plainclothes guys and Dee and Dum, you’re safe there.”
“You think this guy will come after me?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if he’s the killer, just that he’s acted suspiciously. He’s already gotten close to you once.”
Park’s heartpounded. He rubbed his chest and lay back on the bed. “Well, that makes me feel better.”
“You’ve got Dee and Dum nearby, right? At least one of them is always manning your door. Bring them with you if you have to go anywhere in the hotel. But otherwise, sit tight. Hopefully, the NYPD finds this guy fast and it’s only a day or two of lockdown.”
“All right.”
“Maybe it’s nothing.”
“You’re worried, though.”
“Yeah.”
“You could be in danger, too. He stopped you in the lobby, didn’t he?”
“What could he possibly want with me?”
“What could he want with me?” Park shot back.
“Gavin has a theory, but he was kind of cagey about it. He wants to do another walk through the crime scene on Monday to see if there’s something he’s overlooked so far. He wants you to comewith him to see if anything is missing or out of place at your apartment.”
“I imagine a lot of things are out of place.” The idea of going back to his apartment filled Park with dread.
“Probably true. The Crime Scene Unit has already been all over the apartment. I saw the report. One of the reasons you were the top suspect is that they didn’t find any prints that didn’t belong to you orsomeone on your staff, so if someone else broke into your apartment, they probably wore gloves. But they did also pick up some hairs and fibers. Gavin’s still waiting for those test results. Fatima had been to your apartment recently, right?”
“The Tuesday before the Buffalo trip. I was only home to sleep between then and when I left for the airport.”
“So it’s likely any stray hairs orfibers are the killer’s.” Jackson took a deep breath that hissed through the phone receiver. “We’re close, Park. I think Gavin is going to be able to wrap this up within a few days. Now he just has to track down Tucker.”
Park took a deep breath. That was good news, but it didn’t fix his other major issue. “I suppose if I’ve been cleared, I don’t need you as my lawyer anymore.”
“Yeah, thatwas the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“No ethical violation committed.”
“How can you say that? I slept with a client.”
“I know, but...it’s over. If anyone asks, we’ll say we hooked up after everything was over.”
There was a long silence, after which Jackson said, “After everything is over.”
Park realized that what he’d just said implied they’d be together afterthe case closed. He wanted that, but he knew how difficult it would be.
Jackson said, “I’ll stick around until the investigation is over, if you want. And Reed can answer any questions you have, because I still think you need someone to represent you in that matter, and I don’t think Dan or Ray is up to the task.” Jack’s tone made it seem like he was appointing Reed to replace him so thathe could take a bigger step back.
That was not what Park wanted to happen. “What happens to us now?”
