The Topekan Read online

  She turned up her nose and said,

  “I’m a lady. I’m always on my best behavior. And I need a shower. I hope it’s clean.”

  “No, it could use a woman’s touch. Thanks in advance.”

  4.

  The next day as Danny drove the Lemans down Ward Parkway he noticed a gold Camry following him. The Camry kept half a block back. Danny was scared. Was it the men from last night? This type of thing didn’t happen to him. He led a boring, safe life. Maybe it was a coincidence. He parked on the street in front of the public records archive and he nervously waited for the Camry but it never came. He walked into the records archive and found a man standing in front of a gray metal file cabinet. It was Dusty Larue. Larue was leafing through a manila folder. Danny began,

  “Thanks for coming. What have you got?”

  “Dunedain your breath smells like a goddamn brewery.”

  “Come on.”

  “Record on Congressman Blackbush. Some pages are missing.”

  “What does it say?”

  The records archive had a low white suspended ceiling with shitty fluorescent lights. A thin brown carpet covered the floor. Dusty Larue’s gray suit was threadbare. Larue was short, in his late 40’s, balding, had smiling eyes, and his white shirt was yellowing at the collar. Larue held out his open right hand. Danny got out his wallet, counted out five bills, and handed them to Larue, who pocketed the money without taking his eyes off Danny. Then Larue handed the file to Danny and said,

  “The state bought some expensive water testing equipment.”

  “Hammergate?”

  “Right. Harris appointed me as special prosecutor but I withdrew.

  “Why?”

  “Conflict.”

  “What conflict?”

  “My friend Lipshitz was a potential defendant. His business received some of the payments.”

  “What happened to the case?”

  “No one at the end of the paper trail so they closed it.”

  Then someone came walking into the room. It was a tall, presidential man, fifty years old with short dark hair, navy blue suit. He looked like he should have been on a postcard, watering the large lawn of a nice house in a newly built subdivision with no trees. Damminway, District Attorney. He had high chubby cheeks and a narrow mouth, which made his face look like a bird face. Danny turned to Damminway and said,

  “Congratulations.”

  “It’s Dunedain, right? You entered your appearance on an adultery case.”

  “I did.”

  Damminway noticed the file in Danny’s hands and asked,

  “What have you got there?”

  “Blackbush.”

  “Did he retain you?”

  “No.”

  “Is that liquor I smell?”

  “Maybe.”

  Larue gave Danny a sidelong glance then another man walked into the room. Leto Bolton, Esquire. Bolton was a 38 year-old attorney, tall with slicked-back dark hair and an athletic physique. He wore a Paul Smith navy suit with a pink pocket square and a gold fraternity ring, and he ignored Danny and shook hands with District Attorney Damminway. Bolton spoke in the upbeat voice of a man whose dreams were coming true. His suit cost twice as much as Damminway’s and Danny’s suits put together. He would have used Larue’s suit as a dipstick rag. Danny interrupted them, handed the manila folder to Damminway, and said,

  “Here’s the Blackbush file, I assume that’s why you’re here.”

  Bolton’s eyes got big. Larue followed Danny out of the room. Bolton cleared his throat as they passed by and Danny wanted to punch him in the face. On the sidewalk out front of the building Danny asked Larue to refer Lipshitz. Larue looked at Danny and held out his hand. With a wry grin, Danny got out his wallet and handed Larue more bills, then they went their separate ways. Halfway down the block someone called Danny’s name.

  5.

  Bolton was walking down the sidewalk in his six-hundred-dollar wingtip brogues. Bolton said,

  “What do you know about this?”

  “Want to cut me in?”

  “What?”

  “I wouldn’t mind getting paid.”

  “Why are you snooping around here?”

  “A call girl from the bust hired me.”

  A look of recognition flitted across Bolton’s face and Danny continued,

  “I saw Lipshitz got paid.”

  Bolton’s eyes flared for an instant then he said,

  “Maybe we can cooperate on this.”

  Danny began to walk away but Bolton called out,

  “Wait!”

  Bolton’s mouth was twisted with annoyance as he said,

  “Your client made a recording. I need to have it.”

  Danny regarded Bolton and asked,

  “What’s the recording of?

  “You haven’t listened to it yet?”

  “Who sent the thugs to my office?”

  “What?”

  “Two guys came to my office and I beat their fuckin asses. Any idea why?”

  “I don’t know anything about that. How can I contact her?”

  “Why should I tell you?”

  “It’s your duty to help your client. This is a sensitive matter and I think we should cooperate.”

  “Thanks for the advice.”

  “We just want to talk to her.”

  “My meter’s running and I haven’t seen any cash yet.”

  6.

  Danny stood inside a factory and looked at a man who was tinkering with a machine on an assembly line. The air smelled of burnt machine grease. Danny yelled over the machinery,

  “Larue told me you need a lawyer!”

  The man’s name was Lipshitz. He was rotund and balding. He replied in a high-pitched voice,

  “Buzzards circling the carcass again?”

  Danny laughed and said,

  “Can we talk?”

  Lipshitz’s face pinched. He was too old for the type of hassles that required talking in private. He yanked off his gloves, slapped them down on the conveyor belt, and called out in a deflated voice, “Come on down.”

  A black metal fan stirred the air in Lipshitz’ office. He slumped down behind his battered grey desk. Danny sat across from him and began,

  “Hammergate.”

  Lipshitz blew an exhausted puff of air out of his mouth and replied,

  “You know how hard it is to make a dollar these days? It’s a race to the bottom!”

  “Paper trail?”

  “Paper trial? No, there’s no paper trail.”

  “Where are the records?”

  “Lost in a fire. The whole place nearly burned down six months ago.”

  “If anyone asks about it, say nothing. Got it?”

  “Ok, chief. I know the drill.”

  “And no talking to law enforcement. Got it?”

  Lipshitz looked away and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. Danny continued,

  “They’ll threaten you, make false promises, pretend to be your friends, pretend they can get lenience for you. It’s all bluff. They’re allowed to lie to you. Got it?”

  “Jeez, all this over a few pricey carbon kits! You should have seen what they used to do in the old days!”

  Lipshitz took a pair of eyeglasses from the desk and used his middle finger to push them onto his nose. Danny felt like it was a subtle way to say ‘fuck you’ and he felt angry. Lipshitz leaned back in his chair and began,

  “Ok boss. The state hired me to test groundwater for contamination.”

  “Contamination from what?”

  “Banning.”

  “Banning?”

  Lipshitz’ mottled forehead scrunched into lines. He looked down his nose at Danny and replied,

  “Yeah, Banning. Natural gas exploration?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can’t you get this dismissed?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I don’t want a trial. If you can’t get the case kicked, what am I paying you for?”

&nbs
p; Danny’s face got hot and he remembered the old lesson, ‘Play it like you’re their friend and you’re going to win their case.’ Danny replied,

  “I’ve been looking into this and there are holes in their case. We’re going to file motions to suppress, and to dismiss. The police have violated your rights and if the judge disagrees with us we’ll file an appeal. Honestly I can’t believe they even filed this case. It’s ridiculous.”

  Lipshitz was satisfied for the time being.

  7.

  Governor Carnahan had invited the bar association to his inauguration cocktail party at the governor’s mansion. Danny stood by the wall and nursed a cocktail. Lana was a smiling, dark beauty with long brunette hair and a 1960’s fashion model face. She surprised Danny by pulling him onto the dance floor. She was putting off a musky odor and didn’t seem to give a damn about anything. She wore a red dress and the red flower in her hair was the color of fresh blood. Before the song ended another man appeared in front of her and offered her his hand. She took the man’s hand and danced with him as Danny retreated to the back yard. Danny was disappointed and a little angry.

  The trees in the back yard looked haunted with the path lights shining up at them. Light reflections from the swimming pool water shimmered across beautiful women in dresses. Even the waitresses looked good. After a while Danny felt someone next to him, someone warm. He turned and noticed a thin tattoo along the bottom of her right forearm as she sipped her cocktail. Lana. Her blue eyes sparkled and she held out a hand and said,

  “I’m Lana.”

  “Danny, nice to meet you.”

  “You look cute in your jacket. Can I try it on?”

  Danny took off his jacket and handed it to her. She put it on, took his hand, and they chatted as she led him upstairs and into a large office. There was dark burgundy carpet on the floor with the state seal in gold on it. Expensive. Danny asked her,

  “Are we supposed to be in here?”

  “Its okay, my uncle lets me go wherever I want.”

  Danny was excited. Maybe he was going to hit it off with the governor’s niece? Lana walked across the room, sat on the desk, looked at Danny with a hint of a smile, and patted the desktop with her delicate hand. He felt like a fool walking over and sitting next to her but that’s what he did, because he wanted her. After he sat down she looked at him with half-closed eyes and he felt his body leaning in for a kiss but he heard footsteps on the carpet. He saw a tall man, about 60 years old, walking into the office. The man had a square head and brown hair with no pepper, and he wore a black tuxedo. Governor Carnahan. Carnahan smiled and said,

  “So this is what goes on in the governor’s mansion when no one’s looking.”

  His voice was loud and hoarse. Danny took care to look casual as he stood up from the desk and replied,

  “That’s right. Wait until you see what’s happening in the broom closet.”

  “I invented the broom closet, son, that’s where we divvy up the taxpayer money.”

  Carnahan had sharp eyes. He strode across the room and shook hands with Danny, who said,

  “Danny Dunedain, nice to meet you.”

  “I see you’ve already met my niece.”

  “Yes, just getting acquainted.”

  “You’ll excuse me if I prefer not to get acquainted. I’d offer you a drink but my guess is you’re doing just fine.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “What area of law do you practice?”

  “Criminal.”

  Danny waited for Carnahan to make a joke about criminal defense attorneys but he didn’t, and that surprised Danny. Instead Carnahan said,

  “Oh yes, you’ve got a client in the prostitution sting.”

  “I do.”

  Danny was also surprised that the governor knew about his case. Carnahan continued,

  “Best of luck with that. Those boys got a rude awakening from the new lawman.”

  “We’ll be ok. Your friends in the legislature got a rude awakening when you called them out publicly on the graft.”

  “I know they did.”

  Carnahan chuckled, walked to a wooden cabinet by the wall, and opened the double doors. A dozen rifles stood inside. He took out a rifle with a wooden stock and grip then he walked back to the desk, sat on the edge, and said,

  “This is an SKS. A friend of mine captured it in Nam. It sounds like two rifles when you shoot it.”

  Carnahan looked at Danny and continued,

  “I consider myself the protector of the women in this family…”

  “Understood. You’ll get no problems from me, sir.”

  Carnahan looked Danny over and said,

  “Nice tie.”

  “I bought it at Kmart for ten bucks. Can I have your permission to marry her?”

  “Watch your mouth. You aren’t marriage material, knucklehead.”

  “Yep, I already got the ring picked out. Babe, you want a breakfast nook?”

  Lana replied,

  “You mean in our trailer?”

  “Yes, the one your uncle’s buying us.”

  Carnahan said,

  “You’re making me need a drink.”

  Then a short balding man in a black suit walked into the office and said,

  “Sir, attorney Bolton to see you.”

  8.

  Danny stood outside the door and listened to Leto Bolton’s narrow voice braying from the other side,

  “If you make the case go away my client will grateful.”

  Danny leaned in and heard Governor Carnahan reply,

  “But there’s nothing he has that I want.”

  “If you want to get anything done you’ll need friends in congress-”

  “No, you see, I don’t care if they try to stop me. I plan to call each and every one of them out.”

  “About what?”

  “Don’t play dumb, counsel. Those puppets will be exposed for what they are. If that’s the only thing I accomplish I will be satisfied.”

  “I urge you to rethink this!”

  “I’m not going to rig the game for him. Now, I’ve got guests downstairs.”

  Danny was glad to hear that. He nervously speed-walked down the hallway and down the stairs. Lana was standing near the bottom of the stairs and she asked him to escort her to her car. Her hand resting on his arm made him feel warm and satisfied, but he knew such things were always dangerous. On the way through the lobby Danny saw something that made him do a double take. Chrissy. She was swaggering and laughing. She looked reckless and beautiful in a black dress that had thin straps crisscrossing her back. Danny tried to make himself small and pass by unnoticed but Chrissy saw him and called across the lobby in a loud voice,

  “Where are you going?”

  Some of the guests turned and looked. Danny replied,

  “Taking my friend to her car.”

  Chrissy regarded him with dark skeptical eyes then she marched across the white tiled floor. Danny anxiously walked a few paces towards her, hoping that Lana wouldn’t hear whatever Chrissy was about to say. They met in the middle of the room under the chandelier. Chrissy stood erect and glared at Danny, who said,

  “Look, don’t make a scene-”

  “I’ll make a fuckin scene if I want to!”

  “Jesus, shut up, please!”

  “I oughta knock some sense into you!”

  Danny looked around then continued,

  “Did Bolton talk to you?”

  “Who the hell is that?”

  “An attorney. They’re the ones that attacked us. You better get out of here before they realize you’re here!

  “What?”

  “He told me you have a recording!”

  Chrissy glared at Danny then she reached into her purse, took out a cellular phone, and played a recording on it. It was a woman talking to a man who sounded like he’d had a few drinks. The man asked,

  “Charging double now?”

  Chrissy’s voice replied,

  “Inflation.”
r />   “I’ll have to buy more thousand-dollar carbon kits.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. Cash?”

  “I take anything that spends.”

  “How about clean water?”

  Chrissy stopped the recording and looked at Danny, who asked,

  “Was that you?”

  “It sure as hell wasn’t Santa Clause.”

  “Who’s the man?”

  “A congressman, I think.”

  “Which congressman?”

  “I don’t reveal names.”

  “Why do they want the recording?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “It’s Blackbush isn’t it.”

  She looked down and Danny continued,

  “Does anyone else know you made that recording?”

  “He knows.”

  “How does he know?”

  “I thought he might pay me for it.”

  Danny looked at her contemptfully and Chrissy frowned and said,

  “Don’t give me that shit-eating look!”

  “Give it to me.”

  “I need this phone!”

  “I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “When?”

  Danny pulled out his wallet and handed cash to her. She handed him the phone and burned him with her eyes then she turned away. Her long blonde hair whipped around after her. Danny almost laughed at her audacity then someone touched his arm. Lana looked up at him with serious blue eyes and asked,

  “Who is that?”

  “A client.”

  “Looks like more than a client.”

  “No just a client.”

  Danny put an arm around Lana’s waist and she asked,