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“Yeah.”
Roman sank into the well-used, comfortable couch, letting his weary body relax into the cushions. Despite having slept well, he still experienced a bone-deep tiredness. Probably not something that could be fixed with sleep alone.
Wander settled into the adjacent armchair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “How are you feeling after getting some rest?”
Roman rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly. “I’m doing a little better, but I’m still on edge. My mind won’t stop racing.”
Wander nodded, his piercing blue eyes filled with concern. “I want you to tell me everything that’s been going on. Start from the beginning.”
“I can’t tell you everything for legal reasons, but I’ll share what I can.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’ve been receiving anonymous phone calls, voicemails, and texts over the last few months. First, whoever was on the line stayed silent. Then, they left brief messages. ‘Stop your investigation.’ ‘Drop the case.’ All with a distorted voice. Lately, they added general threats. ‘Drop the case or else.’ ‘If you know what’s good for you, stop your investigation.’ Along those lines.”
“I’m gonna ask the obvious questions to get a clear picture, yeah?”
Roman waved his hand. “Ask away. I’ll tell you if I can’t answer.”
“Who knows about these messages?”
“My boss, who is the head DA, the attorney general of Massachusetts, and a handful of FBI agents who investigated.”
“Have they been able to trace them?”
“The FBI said they’re all coming from burner phones. They thought they had a lead on them, but that turned into a dead-end after all.”
“Hmm, okay. What else?”
“My apartment was broken into. The place was trashed, but nothing was taken, as far as I can tell. And I know I’m being followed.”
“Followed? You mean someone has surveillance on you?”
Roman nodded. “I’ve never seen their face clearly, but I’ve noticed someone watching me several times. And I received a letter in my mailbox with printed surveillance pics of me, which only confirmed what I already suspected.”
Wander whistled. “That’s a lot. And the message is consistent, a variation on ‘drop the case?’”
“Yes, but they never mention which case.”
“But you said you have a strong suspicion who’s behind this, yeah?”
“You know I’m always working on multiple cases at the same time, but for the last year, I’ve focused on one case in particular.”
Should he tell Wander? He wasn’t bound by legal reasons not to, and Wander wouldn’t tell anyone. Besides, Whitman already knew Roman was building a case against him.
“Senator Whitman.” Even mentioning the name felt like an exhale of tension.
Wander’s mouth set in a grim line. “Why am I not surprised? He’s always been a weasel.”
“Well, he’s a corrupt weasel, and I’m building a case against him in close cooperation with the FBI. We have evidence, enough for a grand jury, but we haven’t found the proverbial smoking gun yet that will seal the court case beyond any doubts.”
“And you suspect he’s behind the threats.”
Roman leaned forward. “The man has spent his entire life amassing wealth and power by building a corrupt empire. He’s not gonna go down without a fight. He would do anything to prevent his downfall.”
Wander scratched his beard. “Yeah, I can see that. It’s gonna be hard to prove it, though. No way would a man like him do the dirty work himself. He has people for that, guys who are probably several steps away from him and may not even know who they’re working for.”
“Exactly.”
