Page 112 of West Bound
“But he’s always had a problem with money. Never enough of it, right?” Hudson looks between Grant, who’s summarizing the findings, and Charlotte, who uncovered them.
“Correct,” they agree in unison.
“He’s drowning in debts, and they’ve made him vulnerable to a lot of bad actors. He’s chosen to get in bed with a number of them. This information”—Charlotte taps the stack of paperwork as she speaks—“could take down his whole career and half the people in the state of Colorado.”
“Including us?” Ramsey asks.
“Our parents. But they’re already buried,” I answer.
“But what about your role in the robbery?”
“Tougher, but we’ve hired a lawyer who says it would be an easy deal for immunity if we had the right people on our side. But we need to find some people in high places if we want to get that immunity deal.” I explain our biggest dilemma.
“Someone who wants the same things we want.” Hudson points out the politically advantageous nature of the documents. Any opponent of the governor would be eager to have it. We just need to know we can trust them to use it wisely. I don’t want the governor weaseling out of career-ending headline stories because he’s still in recovery or because he finds some way to spin this.
“I have an idea,” Hazel chimes in, looking at Ramsey, who nods supportively.
“Share with the class.” Finn smiles at the two of them and then looks back at Charlotte. The four of them are good friends.
“Our friend Bea in Cincinnati. Ramsey saved her life a while back. It’s what landed him in jail,” Hazel explains for Zephyrine’s benefit. “Her father is a senator. In Washington, but still… He’s likely got connections to the senators in Colorado. I wonder if he could set up a meeting?”
“That’s genius.” Dakota smiles at her friend.
Charlotte and Hudson nod along and look at Grant.
“Can we trust her? There are a lot of secrets to keep. A lot of family baggage.”
“She knows family baggage,” Ramsey chimes in. “And she knows secrets. She works in the PR business. If anything, she might be able to help us find the right journalist to spin it, or knows someone who can.”
“Then let’s reach out to her. See what she thinks and if she’s willing. Agreed?” Grant looks around for a consensus from the table, and the plan meets with everyone’s approval.
Zephyrine squeezes my hand under the table, and I give her a reassuring squeeze back.
FIFTY
Zephyrine
“I’m announcingtoday that I’ll be stepping down from my office as Governor of Colorado, and my Lieutenant Governor, Robert Davis, will be taking over, effective immediately. It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Colorado, and I’m grateful that I was able to accomplish so much in my term here. I know Robert will continue my legacy into the future, and I look forward to the next chapter.” My father announces his resignation on live TV, and it feels like a movie in slow motion.
I never thought this day would come, not in a million years. Even when we talked to Bea’s father, the senator from Washington. Even when we met with the senators from Colorado and members of the statehouse. I didn’t believe it. When the journalist came under the darkness of night to take copies of all the evidence we had of embezzlement and fraud, it felt like one of my daydreams. A thing I imagined to help make reality more tolerable. I hadn’t even dared to hope it would have any real effect.
But then we got word through back channels that the FBI and the CBI were opening investigations into my father. They were already working on the case and had frozen his assets. They started pursuing leads from the paperwork we gave them. It wasn’t a conviction of anything—far from it—but it was a start. Enough of one that it cast the kind of dark cloud of relentless questioning over his office that he felt compelled to step down. I’ve never known a bureaucracy that could move with this kind of efficiency against corruption. Then again, no one has made as many enemies over the years as my father has.
Once we started making noise, they came pouring out of the woodwork to offer their assistance on the case. People who were willing to turn state’s evidence. Others were willing to give us access to recordings that could help solidify the case. Apparently, everyone was just waiting for someone to be brave enough to do the right thing.
“You all right?” Levi asks, reaching over and threading his fingers through mine.
“I’m just in shock. This is real?” I look at him for confirmation that I’m not just imagining it.
“It’s real. Unbelievable but real.” He holds my hand and brushes his other palm over the back of it.
Tears are falling down my cheeks before I realize what’s happening, and my body starts to shake with how hard I’m crying. I feel like I’m floating, watching this all happen like an out of body experience. Seeing some semblance of the justice I always wanted but never thought I’d get.
“Hey. Hey. Come here.” Levi speaks to me softly, and I curl up against him. He wraps his arm around me and kisses my forehead. “I know it’s a lot to process. I feel the same, honestly.”
“It’s not prison. I hope someday it’s prison time, but at least this means he has fewer resources at his disposal. Fewer means to retaliate against us, right?”
“Right.” Levi nods. “He’s still wounded though. His ego as much as anything. We’ll still have to be careful. He might be angrier than ever, but if the firestorm of press continues like it has the last few days, he’ll have trouble leaving his house without an entourage of paparazzi.”
