Ed Hartley -- Beginning
After accusing the Governor of illegal activities, Lieutenant Governor Ed Hartley finds himself undone by his own indiscretions.
The end always comes when you least expect it, Ed Hartley thought staring down at his father's .38 special sitting in his lap.
The pistol had been his father's service revolver throughout his 19 years as a police officer.
It was Frank Hartley's pension that had helped him finish up school, pass the BARR and propel himself to heights that no other member of his maternal or paternal families had ever reached.
And now it was all gone.
Because Ed had been greedy and foolish.
For nineteen years, his father had carried that gun, and five times, he had used it to save his life.
The use of it now, as it sat gleaming like a cold jewel in his lap, was hard to define.
It was terrifying how quickly his whole life had fallen apart. Only three days before, he was the Lieutenant Governor - well respected and a cinch to replace Governor Blackwell when he'd reached the end of his final term.
"Well that's all very interesting, Ed," Governor Blackwell had said after Ed had stated his case.
The cold February sun poured into the private residential offices of the governor. The governor's face was pale and sweaty as always with dark circles under his eyes, and he had four days worth of grayish stubble on his chin. His salt and pepper hair, receding, looked greasy. His heavy wire-framed spectacles sat crookedly on his face.
"But who gives a damn?"
Ed leaned forward and cleared his throat. "I do."
Governor Blackwell smirked, stood and looked out the window. There would be no press today, so the governor wore only a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of khaki slacks.
"You have nothing. The governor can use his discretion in awarding government contracts."
"To your own companies?"
"They were the best people to do the job."
"It's taxpayer money."
The governor turned around and smirked.
"Taxpayer smackspayer. Almost people care about when it comes to taxes is that it gets deducted from their salary. They don't care where it goes. And might I point out that our new facilities are well above standards?"
"Not as far as building code goes. Most of them failed inspection, but were never inspected again."
"Imagine that."
Ed sighed with frustration.
The Governor shook his head and gave him a look that almost appeared like sympathy.
Then he grinned flashing yellow teeth. It always amazed Ed how well Governor Blackwell cleaned up for public appearances. Any other time, he looked like an ex-convict.
Ed nodded and sat back. "Javier Bonilla. Newly arrested in connection with a drug-traffic ring. His name came up a lot in your campaign donations."
He nodded. "And so did a lot of other names. Where are you getting all of this crap?"
Ed gave him a shrewd look. "Ernest Schreiber."
The grin fell off Blackwell's face and his eyes narrowed to slits. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, and then he turned back to face the window.
"Never heard of him."
Ed laughed assertively, opened his brief case, and placed a black and white photograph of Ernest Schreiber standing beside Governor Blackwell on his desk.
The governor looked over his shoulder at it and then looked back out the window.
"Ernest was a very good investigative journalist. In the Senate's inquiry into these allegations of corruption, we came across this. His mother faxed us all his documents."
Blackwell turned around and gave him a grave look.
"Well if it was such a good goddamn story, why didn't we ever read it in the morning papers?"
Ed smirked.
"It seems that Ernest, after having been as straight as an arrow all of his life, decided to take up a heroine habit one night and overdosed, just before he was to turn the story in. His computer mysteriously disappeared."
Blackwell nodded. "Listen here, Ed. You're a very good politician, and I respect that. And it's no secret that you've had a hard-on for this office ever since we got here."
Ed shook his head and sat back.
"But I'm also a very good politician. All I have to do is pick up the phone, and make three phone calls and this whole thing goes away."
Ed shook his head. "Not anymore."
Blackwell chuckled and sat down in his overstuffed leather chair behind his mahogany desk.
"Part of my job is knowing things about people, just like you, and you, sir, are no choir boy."
Ed rolled his eyes.
The Governor gave him a shrewd look.
"Remember that trip you took overseas right before taking office? Those Russian whores were a little on the young side weren't they?"
"I did nothing illegal."
"No, but I'm quite sure that those taxpayers that you were so adamantly defending wouldn't be quite so impressed especially when we give them some domestic examples of your wanton lust for young ass."
Ed looked down at his briefcase. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Blackwell chuckled.
"Certainly you haven't forgotten about Michelle Farthing. Found out she was pregnant a week after she turned eighteen? Died giving birth to a bastard who will grow up not knowing who either of his parents was, because the DNA paternity test magically disappeared?"
Ed smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Blackwell winked. "I'll bet that test can turn up if it has too."
Ed frowned.
"And what about that seventeen-year-old girl? Kathy? Graduated high school Valedictorian last year, and was accepted into State in their law program. You teach a class over there, don't you?"
A stroke of terror shot through Ed's chest.
"Of course, she learned a lot more in your class than just law. She's sitting at home right now with her mother more than eight months pregnant. I wonder who's paying her hospital bills?"
Ed tried to give him his best poker face, but the governor seemed to pay no attention.
Ed glared at him and leaned forward. "You don't have shit."
The governor gave him a reassuring smile. "And neither do you. When you leave this room, I'm going to make three phone calls, and I have every hope that you'll make the correct decisions to see to it that you survive politically until my office can gladly nominate you for the office of Governor once my final term has expired."
Ed shook his head slowly and bunched his lips together.
"You son-of-a-bitch."
Blackwell grinned. "You and me both, buddy."
Ed went to see Kathy Weiss this morning, once he was sure that his political career was over.
It wasn't the dirty affair Blackwell had made it out to be.
He had been attracted to her mind before he'd given a second thought to her body. She remembered everything she learned in his law class. Her thoughts were clear, and she had a way of cutting straight through the crap that everyone pushed on her.
The moment her mother opened the door, delicious smells of baking bread wafted out onto the wooden stoop.
And he found Kathy sitting on her mother's couch across from the door eating a bowl of Cheerios and looking pregnant and grumpy.
Her face lit up at the sight of him. She stood up, waddled over to him like a penguin, and hugged him hard.
The gesture nearly brought him to tears.
She drew back from him and studied his face with her glasses drooping halfway down her nose.
"Something's wrong," she said.
He bunched his lips together. "Can we sit down?"
She frowned and led him over to the couch. Her mother, who returned to the kitchen asked him if he'd like a cup of coffee.
He thanked her and then turned to Kathy.
"Everything you said about the rottenness and corruption in politics is correct," he said through a pale smile.
She frowned.
"Our Governor is financing an illegal drug operation along with several other illegal operations, and no one will do anything about it because they are all as bad as he is."
"Why can't you do something about it?"
He nodded. "That's what they all want, but the governor has something on me too."
She leaned forward. "What is it?"
He sighed and looked away from her. She was so pure, and he was so dirty. He looked at her mother who had stopped washing dishes and was staring at them now.
"About three years ago, before I was in office, I took a trip to Russia with Blackwell. I got drunk one night, and had a little run-in with a prostitute."
"Why? You're rich and attractive. You can have any woman you want."
He smiled and patted her leg. "I'm a loner. That's why I've never married."
She shook her head. "They can't hold you accountable for that; it happened in a foreign country."
"No, but it could destroy me politically along with some of the other things they have."
She gave him a cynical look. "Like what?"
"Two years ago, I had a relationship with this girl, Michelle Farthing. She was about your age, and she died giving birth to my child. I was afraid of what might happen, so I allowed the Governor to cover it up for me."
She shook her head.
"Is that what you would do to me?"
Ed looked her in the face. "No, I'm done staining my soul. It's time I take ownership for something."
The tension drained from her shoulders and she sat back in the chair. "Why did you do that, Ed?"
"I was scared."
She glared at him. "She was the mother of your child!"
He shook his head. "It was stupid."
"Yeah, boy."
He leaned forward.
"You're the mother of my child now, and I'm not going to do you wrong."
She shook her head. "When I told you I was pregnant, you advised me to leave school. That was pretty self-serving."
He nodded.
"Yeah, but I want to make that right. You're more worthy than I am to be in public office, and you'd do better. I want you to go back to college."
She huffed. "How do you expect me to do that, Ed? I'm pregnant and soon to be a single mom. I can't just dump my child off on my mother."
"No, you can't, but I'm about to have a whole lot of free time."
She gave him a skeptical look. "You don't strike me as someone who'd be a very good nanny."
He smirked. "No, probably not, but if you're willing, I'd like to marry you."
Her mouth fell open. "You don't mean that."
Ed reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box. Her eyes bulged and she hugged him hard.
Her mother was out of the kitchen now and giving Ed a look of distaste.
"Honey, I think you should think about this before you commit."
She eyed Ed. "And you should, too."
Ed shook his head. "I don't have anything to think about. I love her."
Her mother's eyes welled up, and she looked at her daughter. "Don't say yes to anything, yet."
"Mom," she warned, and then she looked back at Ed.
"About the other situation, you need to get your head out of your ass and do what we elected you to do."
Ed squinted at her.
"Who gives a crap if it ruins you, do what is right for the people. You're a public servant. Do what serves the public."
She looked down at the ring and then back up to Ed.
"I'm going to wear this ring, but we're not making any plans until this mess is over. Once you're out of this, then we'll see how we feel."
Ed nodded and stared into the T.V. across from the couch. On it, President Obama was silently addressing congress. Ed shook his head.
"The man has balls. He stands up in front of the most corrupt governmental entity in this country inside the most corrupt city in the world and tells them they're all greedy. Why can't I be more like that?"
She smiled and turned his head back toward her own. "You can. They might take you down, but you can take all the bad ones with you."
Ed loved her candor and her honesty.
The pistol had been his father's service revolver throughout his 19 years as a police officer.
It was Frank Hartley's pension that had helped him finish up school, pass the BARR and propel himself to heights that no other member of his maternal or paternal families had ever reached.
And now it was all gone.
Because Ed had been greedy and foolish.
For nineteen years, his father had carried that gun, and five times, he had used it to save his life.
The use of it now, as it sat gleaming like a cold jewel in his lap, was hard to define.
It was terrifying how quickly his whole life had fallen apart. Only three days before, he was the Lieutenant Governor - well respected and a cinch to replace Governor Blackwell when he'd reached the end of his final term.
"Well that's all very interesting, Ed," Governor Blackwell had said after Ed had stated his case.
The cold February sun poured into the private residential offices of the governor. The governor's face was pale and sweaty as always with dark circles under his eyes, and he had four days worth of grayish stubble on his chin. His salt and pepper hair, receding, looked greasy. His heavy wire-framed spectacles sat crookedly on his face.
"But who gives a damn?"
Ed leaned forward and cleared his throat. "I do."
Governor Blackwell smirked, stood and looked out the window. There would be no press today, so the governor wore only a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of khaki slacks.
"You have nothing. The governor can use his discretion in awarding government contracts."
"To your own companies?"
"They were the best people to do the job."
"It's taxpayer money."
The governor turned around and smirked.
"Taxpayer smackspayer. Almost people care about when it comes to taxes is that it gets deducted from their salary. They don't care where it goes. And might I point out that our new facilities are well above standards?"
"Not as far as building code goes. Most of them failed inspection, but were never inspected again."
"Imagine that."
Ed sighed with frustration.
The Governor shook his head and gave him a look that almost appeared like sympathy.
Then he grinned flashing yellow teeth. It always amazed Ed how well Governor Blackwell cleaned up for public appearances. Any other time, he looked like an ex-convict.
Ed nodded and sat back. "Javier Bonilla. Newly arrested in connection with a drug-traffic ring. His name came up a lot in your campaign donations."
He nodded. "And so did a lot of other names. Where are you getting all of this crap?"
Ed gave him a shrewd look. "Ernest Schreiber."
The grin fell off Blackwell's face and his eyes narrowed to slits. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, and then he turned back to face the window.
"Never heard of him."
Ed laughed assertively, opened his brief case, and placed a black and white photograph of Ernest Schreiber standing beside Governor Blackwell on his desk.
The governor looked over his shoulder at it and then looked back out the window.
"Ernest was a very good investigative journalist. In the Senate's inquiry into these allegations of corruption, we came across this. His mother faxed us all his documents."
Blackwell turned around and gave him a grave look.
"Well if it was such a good goddamn story, why didn't we ever read it in the morning papers?"
Ed smirked.
"It seems that Ernest, after having been as straight as an arrow all of his life, decided to take up a heroine habit one night and overdosed, just before he was to turn the story in. His computer mysteriously disappeared."
Blackwell nodded. "Listen here, Ed. You're a very good politician, and I respect that. And it's no secret that you've had a hard-on for this office ever since we got here."
Ed shook his head and sat back.
"But I'm also a very good politician. All I have to do is pick up the phone, and make three phone calls and this whole thing goes away."
Ed shook his head. "Not anymore."
Blackwell chuckled and sat down in his overstuffed leather chair behind his mahogany desk.
"Part of my job is knowing things about people, just like you, and you, sir, are no choir boy."
Ed rolled his eyes.
The Governor gave him a shrewd look.
"Remember that trip you took overseas right before taking office? Those Russian whores were a little on the young side weren't they?"
"I did nothing illegal."
"No, but I'm quite sure that those taxpayers that you were so adamantly defending wouldn't be quite so impressed especially when we give them some domestic examples of your wanton lust for young ass."
Ed looked down at his briefcase. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Blackwell chuckled.
"Certainly you haven't forgotten about Michelle Farthing. Found out she was pregnant a week after she turned eighteen? Died giving birth to a bastard who will grow up not knowing who either of his parents was, because the DNA paternity test magically disappeared?"
Ed smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Blackwell winked. "I'll bet that test can turn up if it has too."
Ed frowned.
"And what about that seventeen-year-old girl? Kathy? Graduated high school Valedictorian last year, and was accepted into State in their law program. You teach a class over there, don't you?"
A stroke of terror shot through Ed's chest.
"Of course, she learned a lot more in your class than just law. She's sitting at home right now with her mother more than eight months pregnant. I wonder who's paying her hospital bills?"
Ed tried to give him his best poker face, but the governor seemed to pay no attention.
Ed glared at him and leaned forward. "You don't have shit."
The governor gave him a reassuring smile. "And neither do you. When you leave this room, I'm going to make three phone calls, and I have every hope that you'll make the correct decisions to see to it that you survive politically until my office can gladly nominate you for the office of Governor once my final term has expired."
Ed shook his head slowly and bunched his lips together.
"You son-of-a-bitch."
Blackwell grinned. "You and me both, buddy."
Ed went to see Kathy Weiss this morning, once he was sure that his political career was over.
It wasn't the dirty affair Blackwell had made it out to be.
He had been attracted to her mind before he'd given a second thought to her body. She remembered everything she learned in his law class. Her thoughts were clear, and she had a way of cutting straight through the crap that everyone pushed on her.
The moment her mother opened the door, delicious smells of baking bread wafted out onto the wooden stoop.
And he found Kathy sitting on her mother's couch across from the door eating a bowl of Cheerios and looking pregnant and grumpy.
Her face lit up at the sight of him. She stood up, waddled over to him like a penguin, and hugged him hard.
The gesture nearly brought him to tears.
She drew back from him and studied his face with her glasses drooping halfway down her nose.
"Something's wrong," she said.
He bunched his lips together. "Can we sit down?"
She frowned and led him over to the couch. Her mother, who returned to the kitchen asked him if he'd like a cup of coffee.
He thanked her and then turned to Kathy.
"Everything you said about the rottenness and corruption in politics is correct," he said through a pale smile.
She frowned.
"Our Governor is financing an illegal drug operation along with several other illegal operations, and no one will do anything about it because they are all as bad as he is."
"Why can't you do something about it?"
He nodded. "That's what they all want, but the governor has something on me too."
She leaned forward. "What is it?"
He sighed and looked away from her. She was so pure, and he was so dirty. He looked at her mother who had stopped washing dishes and was staring at them now.
"About three years ago, before I was in office, I took a trip to Russia with Blackwell. I got drunk one night, and had a little run-in with a prostitute."
"Why? You're rich and attractive. You can have any woman you want."
He smiled and patted her leg. "I'm a loner. That's why I've never married."
She shook her head. "They can't hold you accountable for that; it happened in a foreign country."
"No, but it could destroy me politically along with some of the other things they have."
She gave him a cynical look. "Like what?"
"Two years ago, I had a relationship with this girl, Michelle Farthing. She was about your age, and she died giving birth to my child. I was afraid of what might happen, so I allowed the Governor to cover it up for me."
She shook her head.
"Is that what you would do to me?"
Ed looked her in the face. "No, I'm done staining my soul. It's time I take ownership for something."
The tension drained from her shoulders and she sat back in the chair. "Why did you do that, Ed?"
"I was scared."
She glared at him. "She was the mother of your child!"
He shook his head. "It was stupid."
"Yeah, boy."
He leaned forward.
"You're the mother of my child now, and I'm not going to do you wrong."
She shook her head. "When I told you I was pregnant, you advised me to leave school. That was pretty self-serving."
He nodded.
"Yeah, but I want to make that right. You're more worthy than I am to be in public office, and you'd do better. I want you to go back to college."
She huffed. "How do you expect me to do that, Ed? I'm pregnant and soon to be a single mom. I can't just dump my child off on my mother."
"No, you can't, but I'm about to have a whole lot of free time."
She gave him a skeptical look. "You don't strike me as someone who'd be a very good nanny."
He smirked. "No, probably not, but if you're willing, I'd like to marry you."
Her mouth fell open. "You don't mean that."
Ed reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box. Her eyes bulged and she hugged him hard.
Her mother was out of the kitchen now and giving Ed a look of distaste.
"Honey, I think you should think about this before you commit."
She eyed Ed. "And you should, too."
Ed shook his head. "I don't have anything to think about. I love her."
Her mother's eyes welled up, and she looked at her daughter. "Don't say yes to anything, yet."
"Mom," she warned, and then she looked back at Ed.
"About the other situation, you need to get your head out of your ass and do what we elected you to do."
Ed squinted at her.
"Who gives a crap if it ruins you, do what is right for the people. You're a public servant. Do what serves the public."
She looked down at the ring and then back up to Ed.
"I'm going to wear this ring, but we're not making any plans until this mess is over. Once you're out of this, then we'll see how we feel."
Ed nodded and stared into the T.V. across from the couch. On it, President Obama was silently addressing congress. Ed shook his head.
"The man has balls. He stands up in front of the most corrupt governmental entity in this country inside the most corrupt city in the world and tells them they're all greedy. Why can't I be more like that?"
She smiled and turned his head back toward her own. "You can. They might take you down, but you can take all the bad ones with you."
Ed loved her candor and her honesty.
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