Free Raven: A political thriller by J.J. Franck Page A

standing on the
front porch with suspicion in her eyes.
    “Can I help you?” she asked with a curtness in her voice as she
glanced beyond them to the car they drove.
    Don could tell that the woman was not impressed and figured she judged
everyone by the automobile they drove. It was like that with the upper crust.
Even their help had an air of superiority about them.
    Don normally didn’t get involved in high-profile cases. It just
started with the investigation into a woman murdered in a burnt-out car, and
now it was leading to a senator who had been missing for over a week. He only
hoped he wasn’t stepping on any toes with his investigation. He would know soon
enough.
    “Is Mrs. Maxfield in?” Don asked, taking the lead.
    “Is she expecting you?”
    “This is official business.”
    By then Don had his badge out and held it in front of the elderly
woman. She turned and started to walk away. Don followed her, but she quickly
turned around and held out her hand.
    “Wait here, I’ll see if she will receive you.”
    Don stared at her for the longest time, because this visit was not up
for debate. They would not leave under any circumstance without seeing the
Senator’s wife. He didn’t know why the maid thought there was a choice in the
matter. Don reached in his pocket and handed her his business card.
    The maid accepted it reluctantly and just stared at it for the longest
time before looking up and saying with a tone of concern, “She is not well.”
    The maid disappeared through a side door, leaving Don and Fred
standing in the foyer. Don glanced up at the crystal chandelier that hung down
from the tall ceiling. The winding staircase was impressive, and Don wondered
how many bedrooms were up on the second floor, not to mention bathrooms,
because he knew there had to be more than one. Don thought about his growing-up
years with his two brothers, always fighting for bathroom-time first thing in
the morning. Being the youngest, he always seemed to be last. The cold shower
when he was younger was annoying, but as he grew older he found it to be
invigorating first thing in the morning.
    It didn’t take long and the maid was back. Don wondered if she had
other clothes that she wore when cleaning because the white apron didn’t look
like it was worn while doing housework. Plus, her knees didn’t look like she
did any work on her hands and knees. It finally occurred to Don that there
might be people who came in for cleaning the mansion and the maid was just for
show. The maid cleared her throat to get Don’s attention and then handed the
business card back to him.
    “Mrs. Maxfield will receive you in the sun parlor.”
    The maid turned quickly and, without saying a word for them to follow
her, she started walking toward the door she’d just come through. She had been
very curt and tight-lipped, not giving Don any more information than what he
asked for.
    Don was curious what a sun parlor looked like and didn’t have to wait
long to get a glimpse of one. He was lucky enough to afford an apartment with a
living room. Once they walked up to the door that was at the south end of the
mansion, the maid turned to them.
    “Try not to upset her, please,” she said, in a way that reminded Don
of his mother.
    Don didn’t say anything, just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know
what he could say to reassure this woman. This was a police investigation. He
was not going to dance around this with kid gloves on.
    As the maid opened the door, Don knew now why this was the sun parlor.
In his old neighborhood this room would have been called a screened-in porch
but this room was lined with triple-pane windows, no screens. The sun almost
blinded them. Sitting in the corner was Ellen Maxfield, holding a beautiful
Siamese cat on her lap. Its blue eyes stared cautiously at Don and Fred as they
walked in. Through the window Don could see the kids playing in the backyard
with an adult nearby. The adult looked more like a bodyguard