The body cam footage continued to play. The video and audio were remarkably clear. Trask was blind, stinking drunk, and the battered, half-dressed woman curled up on the bed in the hotel room looked ridiculously young—late teens, early twenties at the most.
“Isn’t he married?” Austin asked.
“Yes.” Disgust filled Nina’s voice. “He and his wife just celebrated their thirty-year wedding anniversary at the Grand Floridian. He ran on a platform of being tough on crime and bringing traditional family values back to America.”
On-screen, Heckler escorted the young woman out of the room and interviewed her in the hall, where she declined medical assistance and refused to press charges. Hell, she even refused to say what happened, only that things had gotten out of hand and she couldn’t remember how her shirt got torn or how she got the black eye. While she talked, she finger-combed her tangled red hair and wiped away the dark makeup that had smudged beneath her eyes.
Heckler allowed her to leave a short time later when a cab arrived to take her home. Then he knocked on the senator’s door again, and the camera cut off as the door opened.
Larissa clicked a command to make the screen go dark and the lights brighten. “According to the time stamp on the video, this incident took place roughly three and a half years ago, but I was unable to locate a corresponding police report. As far as I can tell, the media never caught wind of it.”
“But Heckler kept the cam footage.” Pinto’s gut churned with sympathy for the young woman, disdain for the senator, and anger at Heckler. “I wonder what he’s getting in return for keeping this quiet.”
“From what I can tell, it started with cash and went from there. The day after this video was recorded, there was a five-thousand-dollar deposit into Heckler’s checking account.”
“That’s it?” Pinto scoffed. “What a cheap date.”
“Oh, that wasn’t the end of it. There have been subsequent deposits for the same amount, each month around the first of the month, until November of this year.”
“The sleazy senator finally cut him off?” Pinto asked, and Larissa nodded. “No wonder he wants the video back. He needs it to force the rich asshole to resume his monthly hush-money payments.”
“That’s not all,” Larissa added. “I did some digging and learned that Trask plays golf with one of the bigwigs at FDLE. How much you want to bet he’s been pulling some strings to bury Heckler’s excessive force complaints?”
Fucking hell, this was way bigger than anything Pinto imagined. “Where do we even go with this? With Heckler being so well-connected, if we go to the police, they’ll just bury it with the rest of the bodies.”
“Don’t forget we’re also dealing with a US senator with a mean streak and a shitload of power,” Ty said.
Pinto leaned back in his chair. His darkest instincts demanded retribution, the kind that included blood and bruised knuckles, but that wouldn’t solve the problem. If anything, it would make things worse. They needed a solution that delivered a justice that both men sorely deserved. “How about we take it to the press? This seems like the kind of thing they’d love to sink their claws into.”
“If we go that route, we’ll have to be careful about which reporter we contact,” Ryan said. “If we choose someone who’s an ally of Trask, they’ll give him the source of the information right before they bury the story. It’s also important to frame it in a way that highlights Heckler’s abuse of power as much as the senator’s shitty behavior.”
“Do you think Vicky might know a reporter we can trust?” Austin asked.
“I’ll find out when I get home. She’s familiar with the ones on the entertainment beat, but she might know a few who specialize in the political arena.”
“Thank you,” Pinto said, his heart filled with gratitude. “You have no idea how much I appreciate all this.”
“Don’t thank us until they’ve been booked and fingerprinted. We still need irrefutable proof that Heckler’s extorting Trask.”
“The deposits aren’t enough?” Pinto asked.
Austin shook his head. “Not in a court of law. Best-case scenario, the senator testifies against him, but I wouldn’t count on that happening. And without a smoking gun, Heckler might squeeze through the door of reasonable doubt.”
He was right, damn it. It pissed Pinto off. There had to be a way to prove the payments were meant to buy Heckler’s silence.
The beginnings of a plan formed in his mind. He didn’t like it one damn bit, but it might just be their only way to get the evidence they needed.
Chapter 21
FionapoundedonDennis’sfront door with the memory of how Joe looked on Christmas Eve front and center in her mind.
She could have rung the bell like a civilized person, but it felt really good to imagine she was pounding on Dennis’s head. Besides, she had a role to play and an important mission to fulfill.
It was her first time back to the house since she’d left all those months ago. On the surface, things appeared totally normal, just like her ex. But upon closer inspection, she noticed the settlement cracks in the stuccoed walls and the aphids eating away at the hibiscus bush beneath the living room window. No one had bothered to pressure wash the walkway leading up to the house, and a thin layer of grime now covered the textured concrete.
Taking it all in, she felt a mixture of relief and the need to leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Her quality of life had dramatically improved once she got the hell out of this house. And pretty soon, it would get even better.
The sound of movement from inside the house made her heart rate kick up a few notches. Seconds later, the door opened.
