Trail of Destruction

Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Christine's last interview of the day was with Brad, and she was anxious to speak with him. Once Ryan had revealed Amy's crush on the candidate, the agent had asked others about it. Some expressed surprise, but others had noticed what Ryan had. And no one else had come up with any possibilities for the baby's father. In fact, no one was even aware that Amy had been dating anyone.

When Brad walked into the conference room, Christine flashed him her most disarming smile. "It's nice to see you again, Governor. I really appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to meet with me."

Brad reached forward and shook her hand. "Of course. I want to do everything I can to help you nail the bastard who killed Amy."

"I'd like to start by reviewing everything you can remember from the day of the shooting. I realize that we covered all this when I first spoke with you, but I know you and the others were probably in a state of shock then. I've often found that people are able to remember more details after some time has passed."

"That makes sense. We were all pretty shaken up that day."

As Brad began to relate his memories of the shooting, Christine interrupted him periodically with questions or to ask him to elaborate on certain points. When the agent was satisfied that she had all the information she could get from him about the shooting, she switched the focus to Amy.

Wanting to broach the subject slowly, Christine reviewed what she had learned about Amy's responsibilities on the campaign, both from Brad when she had first spoken with him, as well as what she had culled from her other interviews. Once that groundwork was laid, she asked about Amy's life outside of work.

"I'm not sure I can help you with that," Brad said. "Amy never shared any details about her personal life with me. I know she had been married and divorced, but that's about it."

"How about more recently? Do you know if she was dating anyone?"

"No. If she was, she never mentioned it."

Christine leaned forward, looking directly into Brad's eyes. "Did you know she was pregnant?"

"Amy -- pregnant? I had no idea." Brad looked genuinely surprised. "That's awful. That means there were two victims in this tragedy. Has the baby's father come forward?"

"No. That's why I asked the question. If I could find out who he is, I'd like to inform him. I think he has a right to know."

"I wish I could help you. I suppose it could have been someone on the staff. But if no names have come up yet, it's possible it was just a fling." Brad turned his palms up. "The travel schedule we keep is hard on everybody. I'm sure some people are resorting to one-night stands."

"Terry Brinson had the same theory. Although most of the others I've talked to didn't think Amy was the type. Unfortunately though, they didn't give me any other alternatives. No one seems to be aware of her being involved with anyone."

Christine shuffled some papers around before continuing. "In fact, the only name that came up was yours."

Brad's eyes widened. "Mine? What do you mean?"

"A few people I talked to mentioned that Amy had a crush on you."

Christine noticed the candidate's jaw tighten, but when he spoke, his voice was calm. "That may have been the case. As I'm sure you're aware, some women seem to be attracted to men in office. We get our share of groupies. I don't understand it myself. It's not like we're rock stars."

"So was Amy one of those women?"

Brad shook his head. "I really don't know. If she had any feelings for me, she certainly never made them known to me. Which is not surprising. Amy was well aware that I am very much in love with my wife. She would have known that there was no chance for a relationship between us."

"Has anyone else ever mentioned her feelings for you?"

"Not that I can recall."

"Not even your brother?"

Brad raised his eyebrows. "Ryan? Ryan told you that Amy had feelings for me?"

Christine nodded. "Yes, actually he's the one who first brought it to my attention."

Brad scratched his head, looking puzzled. "I suppose it's possible that he mentioned it to me at some point. I really don't remember. If he did, I'm sure it was just an offhand comment, and I wouldn't have paid any attention to it. As I told you before, that sort of thing comes with the territory. I've gotten used to it over the years, but Ryan's new to the political world. I'm not sure if he's noticed how regularly women throw themselves at me."

"I appreciate your candor." Christine's lips curved in a wry smile. "I guess ever since the John Edwards scandal, we're all a little more aware of that sort of thing."

"Yes, but I have a beautiful wife whom I'm very much in love with. I would never disrespect her that way. Carolyn and my children mean more to me than anything. I would never jeopardize my marriage in any way."

Christine smiled. "Your wife's a lucky woman."

"I assure you, I'm the lucky one." Brad looked at his watch. "Is there anything else? I have a cocktail reception I need to get to. It's not good form for the guest of honor to be late, you know."

"No problem. We're finished here." Christine stood and extended her hand. "I hope I didn't offend you in any way."

Brad took her hand. "Not at all. I know you're just doing your job."

When he left, Christine jotted down some additional notes. Her impression of the candidate was that he seemed very sincere, but then again, most politicians came across that way. Years in the public eye seemed to leave them all with that smooth veneer. They could look you straight in the eye, and lie through their teeth. Was that the case with Newcomb? Was everything he had just told me a lie? she wondered.