“He was the cover man for last month’sTime,” I say.
Sterling nods.He’s clean-shaven; I can smell the lingering scent of shaving cream and soap, and it’s a heady mix when I'm this close to him.I’m so used to the pasture’s worth of distance he usually keeps around himself that sitting beside him is a little overwhelming.
“He’s also funding election fraud.”
Holy shit.I scoot my chair closer, my elbow brushing Sterling’s.He jolts.Oh, right.Personal space.Sometimes, I get so excited that I forget.
As subtly as I can, I pull away and see his hand flex on the desk before stilling.
Sterling peers out over the bullpen, eyes tracking our coworkers’ movements, but I know for a fact that Bianca is trying to beat today’s crossword and Andy is too involved in his fantasy draft to care what we’re talking about.
“These are campaign donation records,” I realize, looking at them with fresh eyes.“How did you get these?”
“That’s right,” he says, evading my question.“Cox gave over sixty million of his own money, which he’s been obnoxiously loud about, but he’s a master of nesting shell companies within other shell companies, making it impossible to keep track of his private donations.”He pauses.“Almost impossible.”
He’s so pleased with himself.It’s wildly attractive.
“But that’s why I also have these,” he says, shuffling through a second stack of papers he’s attacked with a red pen.
Jeez, it’s like looking at my old Economics homework.Sterling lays them in front of me, our shoulders brushing as he leans in.
I sway closer.He smells divine.
“This is a list of offshoot companies I can prove are his.I believe he’s shuffling the money around so that no one will notice it’s missing.I want to add up all the incoming donations tied to these companies.Getting a judge to grant discovery access to a hundred small companies would be a red-tape nightmare, but if we can narrow it down to a few big ones, I might be able to pull in some favors.”
My heart is beating really fast.
“I’ll still need someone willing to go on the record; otherwise, he’ll hide behind his lawyers and bury everything that points back to him.”He rubs a hand over his jaw.“It’s clear he’s been very careful, and I’m close, but there’s still something missing.A pattern.I can tell something is off, but I can’t pinpoint it yet.”
“What made you suspect him?”
“When you’ve done this as long as I have, you learn to trust your instincts.”
It’s not the only thing he’s picked up.Sterling speaks with a confidence that is bone deep, subtle enough that I might dismiss it as humble if it wasn’t for how unequivocally he knew his own worth.I would kill to borrow that feeling for a day.I’d be able to move mountains.
I turn it all over in my head.The money, I get.All roads lead there, especially where corruption is concerned, and using the shell companies as a basis is smart, but …
“Even if you can prove he made significant private donations, how are you so sure it’s for election fraud?”
He leans back in his chair, eyes the papers as though the answer might divine itself from them.
Either he’s guessing or he doesn’t want to tell me.
“I don’t trust him,” he finally says.“Cox has a history of friends in low places.Now he’s changed his tune and shaking hands with a progressive?It doesn’t add up.He’s not addressing any of his past either, always giving vague answers to sway the conversation in a new direction or using charm and Mayor Jackson’s positive following to shield himself from criticism.I’m afraid he’s trying to tarnish a good man’s reputation by aligning with him or else he’s playing a more dangerous long game.”
“You’d undo all the good Jackson will do because he’s following the same playbook the bad guys do?”
He stands, two palms on the table, pushing his chair back.The indecision is gone.This is a Sterling that is in full command.Determined.
Gorgeous.
My breath catches in my throat.
“And when Cox decides he wants to switch sides?Bankroll the other guys?Changing the rules to suit your cause is exactly what put us in this situation.Let’s say this turnaround convinces you to give him a second chance.Maybe he’s changed; shouldn’t we want that?In a few years, he gets to piggyback off that goodwill into a political position of his own.Maybe he even spends the first year following through on positive change.Then things start to shift.Suddenly, his talking points start sounding a little too familiar.He’s protecting the rich, sabotaging his new friends in favor of his old ones.”
He’s right.I hate it, but he is.
“You’re right, but I won’t make good people pay the price because one asshole wants to play dictator.Catching Cox won’t stop anyone else from doing the exact same thing, but it will be a loss for this city.”
