Twisted Hunger by Marilyn Campbell

that his wife could turn hers to the next guest.
    Luke took another small step so that he could properly greet his host and answer his question. As he met Senator Jones’ eyes, he was struck with the strange sensation that they’d met before, but then he rationalized that the man had been on the news quite a bit lately. Unlike Brandon Ross, however, there was a considerable difference between what the senator looked like on television and in person.
    The senator’s reaction to meeting Terrell was unexpectedly enthusiastic. “So you’re the famous Detective Harris. Your sheriff assured me that if anyone can solve that horrible homicide down there, it’s you. I’d like to speak to you a little more later on in the evening.”
    “It would be my pleasure, sir,” Terrell responded seriously, then drew Maria forward. “This is another one of our decorated officers, Sergeant Maria Fernandez.”
    As Maria began thanking the senator for inviting her, the goddess obviously noted the bottleneck and intervened. “Please help yourself to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. They’ll begin seating for dinner in about another half hour.” With that gentle hint, Luke, Terrell and Maria moved along.
    After Luke and Maria had their fill of teasing Terrell about how famous he was, they turned their attention to identifying the truly rich and famous among the attendees. For a few minutes they tried not to gawk then decided to walk up to one of the bigger names and introduce themselves. After that, the reception was a lot more fun.
    “What did you think of Mrs. Jones?” Maria asked her two escorts.
    “She looks like a politician’s wife,” Luke said with a glance in her direction.
    “Why?” Terrell asked.
    Maria leaned closer to confide the gossip she’d heard. “Somebody at work said they read something about her being involved in a sex orgy.”
    Both men’s brows shot up, and Luke asked, “Recently?”
    She giggled and shook her head. “I think they said it was when she was in college.”
    “Don’t tell me,” Terrell replied with a grin. “This hot news flash was in a supermarket tabloid.”
    “Don’t be such a snob. Some of those papers have really good stuff in them.”
    “Oh yeah,” Terrell agreed. “Like how all the women in Peru give birth to alien babies.”
    By asking a dozen different people, Luke ascertained that the redhead was Ellery Winters, the senator’s aide, but not much else as she was new to his staff. It occurred to him that some politicians might have hired the lady for more than her organizational skills. From what he had heard about the man, however, Jones was as pure as an altar boy, which was one of the reasons he was being singled out by the Republican Party.
    Their bold tour of the reception room eventually led them to a group that included the senator’s brother.
    As Maria shook Theodore Roosevelt Jones’ hand, she asked, “How did your parents decide which presidents you and your brother would be named after?” The question was innocently posed, but the lengthy pause that followed it and the look of discomfort on the man’s face suggested otherwise. As soon as he began speaking, however, it was completely clear why he might prefer not to be asked questions at all.
    “I w-w-was born fffirst, so mmmy father named mmme after his fffavorite president, like his fffather named him. So mmmother got to name Abraham after her favorite.”
    Fortunately, someone new walked up to greet Theodore, and Luke, Terrell and Maria quickly slipped away.
    “Well,” Luke murmured. “Now we know why the older brother didn’t go into politics.”
    “No shit,” Terrell replied quietly. “But isn’t it weird how much they look alike? Almost like twins.”
    Luke and Maria nodded their agreement. As he had when meeting the senator, Luke had the fleeting thought that there was something very familiar about the brother.
    Too soon, the doors to the grand ballroom were opened for the banquet to