Free Dev Conrad - 03 - Blindside by Ed Gorman Page B

screen together when I walked past the conference room. Kathy glanced up and said, ‘Dev, I’ve got some news for you.’
    I walked in and helped myself to a cup of coffee while they finished up looking at some new demographic breakdowns on Ward’s base. Apparently they were still worried that more than six percent of union voters would end up in Burkhart’s column even though Burkhart was actively anti-union. The American tradition – voting against your own interests.
    I sat at the conference table trying not to think about Erin. Work was my only hope. Work would keep me sane.
    They finished in a few minutes.
    Kathy got some coffee for herself and sat across the table from me. Lucy closed up the laptop and took it with her after waving goodbye to us.
    â€˜The Porsche was registered to a Pellucidar Corporation. I typed in the name on Google and got nothing. Then I tried Bing. No luck there, either. I found it ten minutes later. All that was listed was the name and the explanation that Pellucidar was in the business of selling audio equipment for stage shows and outdoor concerts. None of the names of the company’s officers was familiar to me.’
    â€˜It could be a dummy corporation. You know, a cover for somebody who doesn’t want to be known.’
    â€˜Burkhart?’
    â€˜Maybe. I’ll call my home office. We’ve got an intern there from Northwestern who’s really good at penetrating all these corporate names. Second year in law school and she’s already a wizard.’
    â€˜Both CBS and NBC will be at the news conference. Their reporters have been spotted outside headquarters here.’
    â€˜Figures.’
    â€˜And our favorite not-news network is already asking, “What did Congressman Ward know and when did he know it?”’
    â€˜That doesn’t make any sense. But it doesn’t have to. All that matters is the implication. He’s somehow involved in the murder according to them.’
    She consulted her delicate wristwatch on her delicate wrist. ‘I need to go help Lucy set everything up for the press conference. You’ve got my cell number if you need me.’
    â€˜Thanks, I appreciate it.’
    â€˜If David should happen to call in—’
    â€˜I’ll see that you get to talk to him.’
    I called my Chicago office. Howard Steinberg who runs the office when I’m gone got me up to date on all the good and bad news. The two main parties were about evenly balanced. No big surprises, either. We were still ahead where we planned to be ahead and still behind where we’d been from the start. But it was a tricky cycle this time and not even the best of polls could track the vagaries of public opinion very well.
    I was forcing my way through some new internals, still deliberately not thinking about Erin, when my office phone buzzed. The receptionist downstairs said, ‘There’s a young woman calling for you, Mr Conrad. All she said was that her name is Jenny.’
    â€˜Oh, right. Put her through, please.’
    When Jenny came on she said, ‘Have you had lunch yet?’
    â€˜Actually, I have had lunch. Why?’
    â€˜I just wanted to talk to you. Could you stand just watching me eat?’
    â€˜As long as you use the right fork for the salad.’
    â€˜I know you think that’s funny but my father is big on that stuff.’
    â€˜Not your mom?’
    â€˜She just does what my dad tells her. Makes life easier for her, I guess. The only time they disagree is about me. My dad would already have me on death row if my mom hadn’t stopped him.’
    â€˜Is that what you want to talk about?’
    â€˜Now you’re making fun of me again. I want to talk to you about what we were talking about last night except then I didn’t want to talk about it.’
    I smiled. ‘I think I know what you mean.’
    â€˜The secret? Jimmy’s secret?’
    â€˜Right.