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Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee…
Jessica Hewitt, ex Washington State Attorney General, winced as she recognized him when she was escorted into the interview room. Since the prison was low security, she wasn’t cuffed or chained.
Brinkman waved toward the chair opposite of him. “Please sit down, Miss Hewitt, or am I supposed to call you,”—he peered at the number printed on the bright orange coverall—“Prisoner 77824 now?”
“Fuck off, Brinkman.”
“Now, is that a way to greet an old friend and colleague?”
“We were never friends, you asshole. What do you want?”
“Isn’t it amazing how the mighty have fallen?” Brinkman leaned back. He grunted at the discomfort of the small chair. “I always find it amusing to see how someone who used to be so meticulous with her appearance turns into a slob.” He smirked. “Prison life must be hard, I imagine.”
He prodded his memory for more details. Jessica Hewitt was a forty-something redhead. Feisty, beautiful, and super intelligent. Even prison life couldn’t diminish those characteristics. Over her entire career, she had stringently followed the straight and narrow path. That she had turned corrupt and joined the Golden Wizards had been a surprise. If not for the value she added to the top rung of the group at the time, he would have opposed her appointment.
“Either get to the point, or I’m leaving,” she sneered. “You’re wasting my time.”
“Of course, and you have so little to spare.” He laughed at her expression. “Very well.” His face morphed into seriousness. He had to tread carefully. Hewitt didn’t know of his involvement with the Golden Wizards in the past or present, for that matter. His association had always been as a silent partner, and he had only dealt directly with Salvitore Sanchigo. Letting the cat out of the bag could be detrimental for him.
There was a desperation in Jessica’s eyes that warned him off. She wanted out of prison and would use anything at her disposal to do so. He had no intention of swapping places with her. Not now, not ever.
His mind spun as he searched for the right route to take. Straightening his shoulders, he locked eyes with her.
“I’m involved with the commission investigating the banking fraud you were incarcerated for… and your involvement with the Golden Wizards, of course.”
“There’s nothing I can tell you that I haven’t told the investigating officers over and over again. If you want to know what I said, read the fucking transcripts.”
“See, that’s where I disagree. I don’t believe you told them everything. For one thing, how did the FBI find out what you and Ben Whitmore were involved in? How did they even know of the existence of the Wizards?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. They received an anonymous tip.”
“Hmm, and none of you ever wondered where that tip came from? I mean, for someone to give the tip, they must have had concrete knowledge of what was going on, right?” His eyes sharpened as she looked away from him to glance to the upper right corner of the room—a signal of deceit or that she was grasping at a lie to spit at him. He chose to push ahead. “Don’t tell me it never came to mind that there was a mole in your organization—The Golden Wizards?”
“This is harassment. I have nothing more to say, Brinkman. I wasn’t a fucking leader of the group or the entire fiasco. I was as much a victim as the other fifty-odd people stuffed in jail cells all over the country for that fuckup. We believed the promises made by Sanchigo and Abrams of riches beyond our imagination.” She spread her arms wide. “And look where that got me.”
“Yeah, not ideal, I imagine.” The chair groaned in protest as Brinkman leaned his behemoth frame back and stretched out his legs. “Come now, Jessica. Give me something. Surely, you would rather spend growing old somewhere in the Caribbean than looking at the world through steel bars?”
“What do you mean?”
“Give me intel that would lead me to the mole, and I’ll make sure you are exonerated of all charges against you.”
“Pretty promises.” Jessica leaned forward, her eyes spitting venom. “If there’s one thing I learned in the world of power and politics, it’s never to trust a politician. All you’re interested in is pushing your polls up.”
“Granted, but I have proven to be one of the trusted senators over the years. I come with a clean record. All I’m interested in is to stop another attempt at fucking up our country’s economy.”
“Are you saying… hold on. Not everyone was caught. Is that what you’re saying? Apart from Sanchigo, who I know got away, you’re implying that there are others involved we didn’t know about?”
“Investigations point to that, yes.” He forced an earnest expression to scroll over his face. “I know you fucked up, Jessica, but I have followed your career for years. I’m sure getting involved with the GW group was just a momentary weakness, a relapse caused by some trauma that directed you on the wrong path. Help me set right that wrong. You don’t belong here. You know that as well as I do.”
“What guarantee do I have that you will have me exonerated?”
Glee exploded inside Brinkman, but none of that showed on his face.
“I have a reputation to uphold. One I’m very proud of. When I make a promise, I always honor it.”
“Even to a jailbird like me?”
“Even then.”
