Free Sleeping Dogs by Ed Gorman

didn’t say was that the average consultant was much smarter than the average candidate.
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    â€œ I think Dev’s right,” Senator Nichols said half an hour later, after Kate and Laura had argued that we should at least hint that we believed Congressman Lake was behind last night’s incident. He looked better than I’d expected he would and his voice was strong and persuasive.”Number one, we don’t have any hard evidence. And number two, we don’t know where an accusation like that would lead. Like Dev said, it might take over the whole election. The Chicago TV boys
wouldn’t let go of it. And the cable news people would go after it twenty-four/seven. Our message would get lost in all the drama. We don’t even know where we stand today. I’m like Dev. I want to see some polling from last night before I do anything except stick my head out and say that I’m feeling fine, thank you very much.”
    Billy frowned. “Polls.”
    â€œPolls help pay your fee, Billy,” Warren said gently. The top campaign slots offered some very attractive salaries. “And speaking of which, Kate tells me that we can expect a lot more money from the national party committee because of last night. They’ll be getting it to us right away. They’ve suggested that we need two new thirty-second spots that show me strong and vital.”
    â€œI wrote them in the middle of the night,” I said. “I have a production company scouting indoor tracks, handball courts, places like that. We can cheat a lot of the shots.” I smiled. “You won’t have to run more than fifteen yards, but we can make it look like you’re doing a marathon.”
    Everybody smiled at that one.
    Warren clapped his hands together. That always signified that we were done. “So if that’s it, I’ll let you all get back to work and I’ll do the same here myself. I need to make some calls. And then about twenty minutes from now I’ll go out there and face the jackals.”
    â€œYou’d better,” I said, “before they start bringing in blankets for the night. They might not want to leave.”
    Kate, Laura, Gabe, and Billy all said good-bye. Warren was expecting me to leave, too. He seemed surprised when I said, “There’s a coffee shop down the street. It’ll be busy right now, perfect for talking in private because everybody else’ll be talking, too.”
    I tried to sound amiable but he caught the tension in my voice. “I have this place swept three times a week.”
    â€œI’d still feel better about us having coffee down the street.” No matter how often you sweep an office, there’s always the possibility
that some new electronic spying gadget won’t show up on your radar. If this office was bugged, all kinds of information would now be in Lake’s hands. But nothing about blackmail and hotel maids.
    â€œYou’re the boss,” Nichols said. He tried to keep it light whenever he said that, but there was an edge of bitterness to it. We slipped out the back way and took the scenic route down the alley.
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    B ack booth. Place packed. Poor waitresses frantic.
    I said, “Hotel maid. Married man who happens to be a United States senator. Sound familiar?”
    At first he didn’t seem to understand. But then every feature on his face was suddenly dragged down as if by gravity.
    â€œI thought you gave that shit up, Warren.”
    He made a fist. “That was a slip.”
    â€œSome slip.”
    â€œHow the hell did you hear about it?”
    â€œCourtesy of R. D. Greaves. He wants one million dollars cash for the video he has.”
    â€œAre you fucking crazy?”
    â€œHe says you come from big money. As you do.”
    â€œNot that kind of money.”
    â€œWe pay for our sins, Warren.”
    Waitress. All either of us wanted was coffee. There’s