Read Online The St. Paul Conspiracy by Roger Stelljes - Free Book Online

we’ll go about testing the senator’s DNA.”
    “I don’t get it,” said Peters, “I mean, I’ve spent enough time around politicians. They always leave themselves a way out. What, he kills her and then just gets on a plane, heads to Washington and acts as if nothing happened?”
    “Ever heard of Chappaquiddick?” That caused a chuckle, and Mac turned his head to look at Kennedy, who was smiling herself.
    “She has a point,” said Mac, picking up on the line of thought. “Think this one out a little, it’s not that hard. Senator’s married. Maybe Claire says something about his wife. Asks, or better yet, demands that he get a divorce. He says no. She says, ‘If you don’t tell your wife, I will.’” Mac took a sip and continued, “Senator gets upset, says she can’t tell his wife. It’d ruin his career or at least do it a lot of damage. He just wants something on the side.”
    “He’s a senator. It’s not unheard of,” Lich added.
    “Yeah,” Mac replied, going on, “But Claire Daniels isn’t a woman to put up with that. She’s assertive, says she’ll do what she wants. They argue. It gets physical on the bed, gets out of hand. He grabs her around the throat. Can’t stop himself and strangles her.”
    “Yeah,” Kennedy replied, thinking along with him, “Something like that could have happened. He’s killed her. He panics. He can’t call the police. He can’t be seen with her. He’s got to get out of there and as far away as fast as he can.”
    Mac finished, “So, he goes home, composes himself and heads to Washington, acting like nothing happened.”
    “Crime of passion?” offered Lich.
    “Manslaughter” said Mac, nodding his head agreeably.
    “You bet, detective.” Kennedy took a long swallow of her whiskey, leaned back into the couch and casually said, “He doesn’t go there with any intent of killing her. He wants to get laid, nothing more. Daniels, as you said, is getting sick of being his bed sheet.”
    She was blunt, thought Mac.
    “So she says it’s either his wife or her. They argue, it gets physical, and before you know it, she’s dead.”
    “Only one fly in the senator’s ointment” added Mac.
    “Yup,” said Kennedy, now looking right at Mac with a little smile on her face, a nice smile, he thought, “Juan Hernandez coming down the sidewalk. Bet he didn’t count on that.”
    “No, counselor, he didn’t. Hernandez puts him at the scene at the time of Daniel’s death.”
    “But he’s gone too far down the path now. The senator can’t go back, so he has to keep going. Gets on the plane. Gets back to Washington. Hopes the guy didn’t recognize him. Maybe you and Lich don’t find him.”
    “And you know what?” It was the chief now, making sure Mac and Kennedy didn’t monopolize the whole conversation, “if he were some average Joe, he probably wouldn’t have been noticed.”
    Mac jumped back in, “But he’s not. We got Hernandez putting him there last night and the neighbor a couple of nights ago.”
    “And we have samples of DNA and a print that, if they match the senator—” Lich started.
    “He’s nailed,” Peters finished.
    “I don’t know about nailed,” Kennedy replied, putting on the breaks. “We’re not even twelve hours into this thing. And we’re speculating here. There might be any number of ways this thing could go. But if we get DNA and print matches, it will be pretty tough—”
    “—To create reasonable doubt,” said Mac, finishing Kennedy’s thought. “But...”
    “...What?” Kennedy asked.
    “I keep thinking about what the captain said. I’m having a hard time believing Johnson did this. He’s too smart. It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Politicians aren’t any smarter than anyone else, and in some ways they’re dumber,” the chief replied, “No offense, Helen.”
    “None taken,” though her look said otherwise.
    “Can we leak anything to the media? That we have a lead, a suspect, anything?” asked