High Profile

“Did that seem to bother her?” Jesse said.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Jesus, Jesse,” Suit said. “She just lost her husband, I didn’t want to press her hard right away.”

Jesse nodded.

“She may have killed him,” Jesse said.

“Jesus,” Suit said. “You think so?”

“I don’t know,” Jesse said. “Neither do you. And there’s nothing wrong with kind. But we need to know what we need to know.”

Suit nodded.

7 1

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

“Everybody I talked to said they had no idea who killed him. They said he was controversial but not, you know, crazy.”

“Threats?” Jesse said. “Hate mail?”

“They said they didn’t know, that his office handled that stuff.”

“Who’s the office?” Jesse said. “Carey?”

“No, according to them she was strictly his personal assistant. His manager handled the, you know, business stuff.”

“There’s probably a lawyer in there someplace,” Jesse said.

“No lawyer on your list,” Suit said. “Maybe the manager’s a lawyer, too.”

“Maybe,” Jesse said. “When you talk to them, see if there’s a lawyer.”

“Okay.”

“Any of the wives coming up here?”

“I don’t know,” Suit said. “None of them said they were.”

“Anybody been arranging for a funeral?” Jesse said.

“The wife,” Suit said. “Soon as the ME releases the body.”

“That would be Lorrie,” Jesse said.

“Yeah.”

Jesse nodded. They were quiet for a time.

Then Suit said, “There’s stuff bothering me.”

“Like not knowing who did it?” Jesse said.

“Yeah,” Suit said. “That. But this guy’s a big famous public figure, you know. And nobody knows why he’s up here.”

Jesse nodded.

7 2

H I G H P R O F I L E

“I mean, there’s nothing in the papers about him going to give a speech. Guy as famous as him, you always see stuff in the papers. His bodyguard don’t even know why he’s here.”

“Or says he doesn’t,” Jesse said.

“And another thing,” Suit said. “I can’t think of a way to attract more attention to this case. Kill them at the same time. Save the bodies. Then hang the famous one on a tree. And wait awhile, and put the other one in a Dumpster.”

Jesse smiled.

“Surprise,” he said. “The press is all over it.”

“For crissake,” Suit said. “It’s like the guy wants publicity.”

“That bothers me, too,” Jesse said.

7 3

19

Jay Wade had longish blond hair that he combed straight back. His eyes behind the aviator-style glasses were pale blue. His jaw was firm.

“You still see Jenn?” he said.

“Yes.”

“You two together again?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jay said.

Jesse nodded. Maybe Jay Wade had never slept with Jenn. Or maybe he had. He could feel the muscles in his shoulders and neck tighten. Calm down. She’s not my property.

H I G H P R O F I L E

If I were him, I’d have slept with her, too. The muscles continued to bunch.

“Jenn thinks you can tell me about Walton Weeks,” Jesse said.

Jay Wade nodded and leaned back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head.

“Actually,” Jay said, “I knew Walton a little. I was political editor for a station in Maryland when he was doing weather.”

“Tell me about him,” Jesse said.

Jay smiled.

“Well,” he said. “Walton always had a good voice. People liked his voice. It projected well. He sounded like a guy from your neighborhood, but smarter. Walton always sounded smart.”

“Was he?”

“You know,” Wade said, “I don’t know. When I knew him he was a damn weatherman, you know. I never thought much about him being smart or dumb. After I left Maryland, and he got to be a national figure—I mean, who knows who wrote that column or the little editorial set pieces on his TV

show. He seemed quick enough on the call-ins and guest interviews.”

“So he has some staff support in all of this.”

“Sure.”

“You wouldn’t know any names?” Jesse said.

“No. I don’t want to mislead you. I once knew Weeks in a casual workplace way twenty years ago.”

7 5

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

Jesse nodded.

“Did he ruffle a lot of feathers?” Jesse said.

“You mean back when I knew him or in his national celebrity phase?”

“Either way.”

“When I knew him everybody liked him. He was pleasant,” Wade said. “Now that he is, or was, a national figure, yeah, he ruffled a lot of feathers.”

“Conservative or liberal?” Jesse said.

“God, didn’t you ever listen to him?” Wade said.

“No.”

“My God, what do you do with yourself.”

“Mostly I’m a cop,” Jesse said. “When I have free time I follow baseball.”

“Jenn told me you used to play,” Wade said.

“Yep.”

“And you got hurt.”

“Yep.”

“Tough,” Wade said.

Jesse nodded.

“What about Walton Weeks?” he said.

“Walton’s a libertarian,” Wade said. “That probably brings him more in line with the right than the left. But basically he believed that government which governs least governs best. He believed in what he called the Eleventh Commandment.”

“Leave everyone else the hell alone,” Jesse said.

“Yeah. Guy like Walton Weeks,” Wade said, “it often depends on who’s ox he’s goring, you know? When he was 7 6

H I G H P R O F I L E