“Sure.” She handed both a copy, and of course each tried to finish first. Kirk said, “You cut out the language that prohibited us from hitting the tobacco money.”
“Yes, I thought that was a nice touch. This agreement, fellas, is for a future with no Bolton Malloy in it.”
Rusty tossed his copy on the table and said, “I’m in.” Both signed and gave her a hug.
If you boys only knew, she thought to herself as they left her office.
（39）
The grand jury was confused by the facts and the charges and wrestled with the case for over two hours. It was difficult to believe that the Malloy brothers were willing to spend such a huge sum of money to keep their father in prison. Houston Doyle handled the case himself and patiently explained that first, the firm and its partners were quite wealthy, and, second, the elder Bolton was well along in his bribery scheme to free himself. Doyle was forced to present the theory that the boys missed their mother and held a grudge against their father.
A majority of the jurors were appalled at the thought of their governor being on the take and wanted to indict him as well, forget the election. Doyle assured them that an investigation was underway and the FBI was watching Sturgiss. His day of reckoning would come.
In the end, they returned indictments against Kirk, Rusty, and Jack Grimlow. One count of conspiring to bribe a public official, a Class E felony with a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Adrian Reece called Diantha that night with the news and asked her to avoid the office the following morning. Stay at home, don’t answer the phone, and watch the news.
At 3:10 in the morning, Rusty’s cell phone beeped and he snatched it off the night table. A vaguely familiar voice said, “Rusty, this is an old pal. The FBI has a warrant for your arrest and they’re coming to your office this morning. Something about bribery.” Before Rusty could say a word, the caller was gone. The line dead.
He sat in the dark for several minutes and tried to gather his thoughts but it was impossible. He threw on a jogging suit and sneakers, tossed some toothpaste in his travel kit, grabbed as much cash as he could find, and went downstairs without turning on any lights. He eased out back, got into his Ford SUV, and quietly left the neighborhood.
The FBI had listened to the call, had stuck a tracking device to his fuel tank, and was watching him as he thought he was making an escape. Rusty was approaching a thoroughfare when blue lights appeared from everywhere.
For Kirk, a Friday morning meant a day away from the office. He had planned to work in his hotel suite for a few hours, then make another painful visit to see his divorce lawyer. Such a visit, though, would seem like a trip to the ice-cream parlor compared to what was about to happen.
At 7:00 a.m., there was an abrupt knock on his door. It did not sound like housekeeping, and certainly not at that hour. He stepped to the door and asked, “Who is it?”
The response buckled his knees. “FBI! Open up. And we’re armed.”
Jackal was in Kansas City with the governor, campaigning hard with just days to go. He was dragged out of a hotel room before dawn and marched through the lobby. Thankfully, it was empty. An aide sent word to Governor Sturgiss.
By 9:00 a.m., word of the arrests had been leaked to the press and reporters appeared at the Malloy building and also at the jail. When the first bits of information hit the internet half an hour later, Diantha was waiting nervously on the sofa and staring at her laptop. By 10:00 a.m., the story not only had legs but was raging through the cyber world. A local TV station broke for news and weather at 10:00, and there were the first photos of the defendants, or at least two of them. The Malloy brothers in mug shots. As the story grew, Diantha’s phone vibrated nonstop.
At 11:00, she instructed her secretary to tell all employees of the firm to go home and lock the doors. She was not coming in. She called Old Stu to check on him and he said he was happily missing the show downstairs, said he was all wrapped up in some new accounting rules for deferred depreciation.
At noon, Houston Doyle held a press conference to chat about the case. Reporters assaulted him with questions about Governor Sturgiss, who, obviously, had not been charged with anything, but it wasn’t difficult to add two and two and get four. The alleged crimes involved a public official. Jack Grimlow worked exclusively for the governor. Doyle maintained a solid wall of nondisclosure and would not implicate the governor in any way. More than once, though, he said that the investigation was ongoing and he expected more charges. That drove the reporters crazy.