Taylor sighed. She did need answers…answers that only Victor’s wife could give. Forgoing the seat next to Rosemary on the sofa, Taylor sat in the chair, directly in front of her.
“How are you alive?” Taylor asked, getting right to the point.
Rosemary tensed. Her entire demeanor changed. She inhaled a deep breath. And, even though it was Taylor who had asked the question, her eyes were trained on Victor.
“As you probably know, in my past life, I was an immigration attorney. To make a very long story short, I stumbled upon a massive human trafficking ring with major conspirators. Some of those conspirators were very close to the top of the political food chain.”
“How close?” Victor questioned.
“As close as Senator Craven,” Rosemary whispered as if someone other than the room’s occupants would overhear.
“Henry?” Victor marveled with disbelief.
Apparently, Victor was capable of being shocked, but Taylor would put nothing past a politician. She would admit that she didn’t expect the senator to be involved in something as inhumane as human trafficking.
Henry Craven, a senior United States Senator from Illinois, held the highest position in the Republican Party leadership in the Senate. Even though he was a Republican, the senator was favored by most citizens of Illinois, Republicans and Democrats alike. He was the current chairmen of the subcommittee on human rights and the chairman of the subcommittee of financial services in general government. Hell, even Taylor had voted for him.
“You can’t be serious.” Victor sighed.
“But I am,” Rosemary confirmed, looking deeply into Victor’s eyes.
Taylor watched Victor as he processed the information that Rosemary had just divulged. Because he had considered Senator Craven a friend, he was beyond disturbed. Although she felt for him, Taylor wanted Rosemary to get on with the rest of the story so that she could get the hell out of her house and go back to being dead.
“Go on,” Taylor urged, with very little patience.
Rosemary cut her eyes Taylor’s way, but when the dare sparked in Taylor’s eyes, she was smart enough to stifle her comment. Instead, she continued.
“I discovered that the senator, among others, was working with human traffickers from certain countries to trick young women into migrating to the United States. They would help by providing whatever documentation that was needed to enter the country. The women were led to believe that there would be jobs waiting for them in the “land of the free.” But when they arrived, they were stripped of their visas and sold into sexual slavery.”
Taylor, unlike Victor, was not as stunned. Since she’d been on the police department, she’d seen plenty of heartbreaking cases involving human trafficking. “How?” Taylor asked.
“How, what?” Rosemary asked, confused.
“How did you discover this conspiracy?”
“Through one of my clients. She was lucky enough to escape. For a while, she found work as a domestic, but her immigration status was discovered. When she was arrested, she couldn’t afford an attorney. My firm was on a pro bono rotation, so I was assigned the case.”
Victor was still and quiet. Rosemary massaged her temple as if even thinking about the case was creating a headache. But Taylor was eager to hear the rest of the story.
“What does this have to do with your death?”
Rosemary inhaled a shaky breath before responding. “I went to a friend in the U.S. Attorney’s office. She initiated an investigation that got her and my client killed.”
Rosemary’s cheeks flushed. Taylor could see sadness and regret etched across her pretty face.
“I’m sorry,” Taylor whispered sincerely.
“Thank you,” Rosemary mouthed.
“Wait,” Victor injection. “Why didn’t you go to your father? Phillip is one of the most powerful lobbyists in the United States. He certainly wields more power than Henry. Surely, he could have provided you with protection.”
Rosemary sighed. Her baby blues eyes began to water. “I couldn’t put my dad in danger. If something were to happen to him, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” Rosemary hiccupped and swiped a tear from her cheek.
“My friend was brutally beaten and then shot four times. I just couldn’t put anyone else in harm’s way.”
“Damn,” Victor responded with a deep breath.
He walked over to Rosemary. She was so shaken that she was close to hyperventilating. Victor kneeled down in front of her, placed his hand on both shoulders, and pulled her into a hug. For some reason, that time, Taylor didn’t mind as much.
