and McNab.”
She was glad he’d brought up the subject of Jimmye McNab. “Well, isn’t there a possible connection?” she asked. “After all, Senator Caldwell raised Jimmye McNab from infancy—”
“Yeah, I know that, but that doesn’t mean their murders had anything to do with each other.”
“But maybe they did. Anyway, that’s one line of inquiry we’re following—”
“Lotsa luck, Lydia. From what I hear, Mrs. Caldwell… pardon me, Senator Caldwell… she’s not what you’d call happy that the McNab and Caldwell murders are being linked. She wants the McNab thing put to rest as much as her husband did.”
Lydia thought for a moment, then asked with genuine puzzlement, “Are you suggesting that Senator Caldwell wanted Jimmye McNab’s murder investigation stopped?”
“I didn’t say that, Lydia. All I meant was that neither of them, the senator or his wife, were happy about what developed. Can you blame them? It’s bad enough your daughter gets killed by some nut in a park without having it dragged on and on, in the papers, on TV, all of that. It makes us look pretty foolish, huh?”
“Like bums.”
“That’s right. Hey, McNab was a popular TV reporter. Even though the family didn’t push to have the murder solved, lots of other people did, and still do.”
“There you go again, an inference that Senator and Mrs. Caldwell didn’t cooperate in the investigation.”
“Well, she wasn’t really their daughter.”
“I know that, but she might as well have been.”
Jenkins checked a wall clock behind her. “Sorry, but I’ve got to move on. The commissioner wants to see me in a half hour.”
“About the Caldwell case?”
“Who knows? Satisfied?”
“No.”
“What’ll make you happy?”
“The transcripts of the interviews you did, and a chance to look at the McNab file.”
He shook his head.
“Back to square one, a subpoena.”
“You want me to level with you, Lydia?”
“That would be refreshing.”
“Come on, Lydia, I got a job to do, just like you, only for me the stakes are bigger. You and the committee will go through the motions and then announce that you didn’t find anything that implicates the government or any government official in Caldwell’s murder. Me, I’m still left with everybody looking over my shoulder and demanding that we solve the crime.”
Lydia knew that much of what he said was true, and she felt some sympathy for him. She and the committee were dabbling in crime, dilettantes in a grimy game that he lived with every day and would continue to live with until he either retired or dropped dead.
Still, she knew she couldn’t allow sympathy to get in the way of the job she’d taken on. She slipped her copy of the list into a slim leather briefcase. Jenkins saw the look of disappointment on her face and extended his hands across the desk, palms up, as though to say, Don’t be mad at me.
“Thanks for your time,” she said coolly.
“You want the transcripts?”
“I’ll have them one way or the other.”
“Just sit a minute.” He swiveled in his noisy chair, opened a sliding door on a cabinet, leaned back sothat Lydia could see past him and said, “There’s all the copies. They’re too heavy for you to carry. Send somebody over for them.”
She smiled. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
His face hardened, and he pointed his index finger at her. “But I warn you, Lydia, that committee you’re working for, like every other damn committee, has enough leaks to sink a destroyer. One leak on what I give you and you can go whistle for anything else. Now and forevermore.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said, meaning it. His concerns were justified, and she determined to do everything in her power to keep the materials private and within the confines of the committee. “I’ll have somebody over here this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“What about the McNab files? Can I see them?”
“Yeah, but here. No copies.”
“Fair
She was glad he’d brought up the subject of Jimmye McNab. “Well, isn’t there a possible connection?” she asked. “After all, Senator Caldwell raised Jimmye McNab from infancy—”
“Yeah, I know that, but that doesn’t mean their murders had anything to do with each other.”
“But maybe they did. Anyway, that’s one line of inquiry we’re following—”
“Lotsa luck, Lydia. From what I hear, Mrs. Caldwell… pardon me, Senator Caldwell… she’s not what you’d call happy that the McNab and Caldwell murders are being linked. She wants the McNab thing put to rest as much as her husband did.”
Lydia thought for a moment, then asked with genuine puzzlement, “Are you suggesting that Senator Caldwell wanted Jimmye McNab’s murder investigation stopped?”
“I didn’t say that, Lydia. All I meant was that neither of them, the senator or his wife, were happy about what developed. Can you blame them? It’s bad enough your daughter gets killed by some nut in a park without having it dragged on and on, in the papers, on TV, all of that. It makes us look pretty foolish, huh?”
“Like bums.”
“That’s right. Hey, McNab was a popular TV reporter. Even though the family didn’t push to have the murder solved, lots of other people did, and still do.”
“There you go again, an inference that Senator and Mrs. Caldwell didn’t cooperate in the investigation.”
“Well, she wasn’t really their daughter.”
“I know that, but she might as well have been.”
Jenkins checked a wall clock behind her. “Sorry, but I’ve got to move on. The commissioner wants to see me in a half hour.”
“About the Caldwell case?”
“Who knows? Satisfied?”
“No.”
“What’ll make you happy?”
“The transcripts of the interviews you did, and a chance to look at the McNab file.”
He shook his head.
“Back to square one, a subpoena.”
“You want me to level with you, Lydia?”
“That would be refreshing.”
“Come on, Lydia, I got a job to do, just like you, only for me the stakes are bigger. You and the committee will go through the motions and then announce that you didn’t find anything that implicates the government or any government official in Caldwell’s murder. Me, I’m still left with everybody looking over my shoulder and demanding that we solve the crime.”
Lydia knew that much of what he said was true, and she felt some sympathy for him. She and the committee were dabbling in crime, dilettantes in a grimy game that he lived with every day and would continue to live with until he either retired or dropped dead.
Still, she knew she couldn’t allow sympathy to get in the way of the job she’d taken on. She slipped her copy of the list into a slim leather briefcase. Jenkins saw the look of disappointment on her face and extended his hands across the desk, palms up, as though to say, Don’t be mad at me.
“Thanks for your time,” she said coolly.
“You want the transcripts?”
“I’ll have them one way or the other.”
“Just sit a minute.” He swiveled in his noisy chair, opened a sliding door on a cabinet, leaned back sothat Lydia could see past him and said, “There’s all the copies. They’re too heavy for you to carry. Send somebody over for them.”
She smiled. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
His face hardened, and he pointed his index finger at her. “But I warn you, Lydia, that committee you’re working for, like every other damn committee, has enough leaks to sink a destroyer. One leak on what I give you and you can go whistle for anything else. Now and forevermore.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said, meaning it. His concerns were justified, and she determined to do everything in her power to keep the materials private and within the confines of the committee. “I’ll have somebody over here this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“What about the McNab files? Can I see them?”
“Yeah, but here. No copies.”
“Fair
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