AllFreeNovel
Share Us
15
Savich sent her a quick text and slid his cell back into his jacket pocket. He slowly rose when Congressman Rich Manvers came into the room. Rebekah quickly walked over to him and took his hand. Manvers studied her face a moment, then kissed her lightly on the cheek. Manvers said over Rebekah’s shoulder, “Good to see you, Agent Savich. Let me say again I owe you a great deal for saving my wife. Have you made any progress in finding the men who attacked her? Do you know yet if there was any connection to this charlatan, Zoltan?”
“That’s what we’re looking into and why we’re talking with Rebekah now, Congressman,” Savich said.
“Rebekah already told me a lot of what happened, the faked séance, that Zoltan was after some kind of information? I wanted to go to Zoltan’s house and shake her by the neck until she coughed up the truth.” He hugged his wife to his side. “But Rebekah was quite right. Involving myself probably wouldn’t have ended well. We will need to trust you to get to the bottom of this.” He grinned. “You might have saved me from an assault charge.” He glanced at Sherlock, did a double take. “You’re Agent Sherlock—the heroine of JFK.” He pumped her hand. “A great pleasure to have you in my living room.”
“Thank you. It all happened months and months ago.”
Manvers smiled. “And bringing down that terrorist at the Lincoln Monument? I’m a politician, Agent Sherlock. That makes it my job never to forget anything that important to our country. I don’t believe acts of heroism like yours should ever be forgotten.”
Sherlock found herself smiling back at him. So he knew how to be self-deprecating and charming, not to mention he was freely stroking her ego. Still, she wondered why Rebekah had married a man old enough to be her father. She was young and smart, and her art authentication business was taking off. Maybe she’d been badly burned by a younger man? Sherlock planned to find out. “Sir, what did you think about Zoltan’s revelation? Of the Big Take? After you’d calmed down, of course.”
He sat down in a big armchair that fit him nicely, facing them. “I knew Rebekah’s grandfather, John Clarkson, actually I interned with him in the nineties. What he—Zoltan—was saying sounds preposterous. I mean, the Big Take? The John Clarkson I knew would never do anything illegal.
“I think the woman’s a criminal, and she may be responsible for all that’s happened. I think you should arrest her, Agent Savich, or at least haul her in to the Hoover Building for questioning.” He sat forward, clasped his hands between his knees. “Rebekah is frightened, and so am I. If you hadn’t been in Celeste’s neighborhood at just that time, what would have happened to her? I know you’re concerned as well, enough to assign an agent to guard my wife.”
Savich said, “I’d already decided to bring Zoltan in for an interview. Sir, who have you told about the Big Take?”
“Only Arlan Burger, to help me think it all through. He’ll keep it to himself.”
Savich said, “So you didn’t tell Beck or Tucker?”
Manvers shook his head.
Sherlock said, “I understand Beck still lives here with you?”
Manvers visibly tightened, then relaxed. Sherlock wondered if he had to protect his younger son often. Manvers said, his voice matter-of-fact with a touch of humor, “Yes, for the short term. I hear he has a girlfriend, so my fingers are crossed.”
Savich said easily, “Tell me, sir, has anything unusual happened in your congressional office the past month? Anything to concern you? Unsolicited emails or threatening letters, perhaps?”
Manvers fanned his hands. “Unusual? No, nothing unusual. Every politician gets their share of nut-cake threats. There are always unhappy people out there who want to blame somebody in government. Staff hands them over to Justice if they’re at all concerned. Why? Are you thinking this isn’t about Rebekah’s grandfather? That it’s something else entirely?”
“We’re trying to cover all the bases,” Savich said. “After what happened to Mrs. Manvers, we will double down and examine any questionable emails or letters you’ve received in the past month or so.”
“You mean you think they might have gone after Rebekah when they were really after me?” He shook his head. “That would mean this whole thing is some sort of convoluted conspiracy against us. But for what hoped-for outcome?” Manvers pulled his wife closer. “Where is the FBI agent who’s supposed to be guarding her from these people?”
Savich said, “Agent Hammersmith will continue to be here with Mrs. Manvers whenever you are unable to be.”
Back came a charming grin. “Kit tells me I should demand another agent.”
“Goodness, why?” Rebekah asked her husband. “Griffin is very nice and you know he’s—what’s the matter? What are all these grins about?”
Kit laughed. “Rebekah, I told Rich that Agent Hammersmith’s a danger to womankind, and he’d best be careful.” She gave Rebekah another poke on the arm. “Earth to Rebekah.”
Rebekah shook her head. “Sorry, I’m on the slow side today. Actually, I was thinking about Beck, wondering what he’ll say about Agent Hammersmith.”
Manvers said easily, “Beck hasn’t been around in the past couple of days, and though I can say with certainty Beck will hate his guts the minute he lays eyes on him, he isn’t stupid. No way would Beck take on an FBI agent. But maybe Agent Hammersmith being here will motivate Beck to move out sooner.”
Sherlock laughed. “Or perhaps, you, Congressman Manvers, could give Beck thirty days’ notice.”
Manvers nodded slowly, a smile on his mouth. He saw, too, the humor had put color in Rebekah’s cheeks, at least for a little while.
