I hadn’t yet reached Jerry, so I called Anna to make sure she would be available for tonight. Her English and my limited Spanish were both improving. We communicated a lot better in person than on the phone, but we worked it out. An absolute dear, I believed her to be a wonderful mother to her two grade-school daughters.
I sat down and began scoping out what Mort had given us. The tape might not get played in court with all the technicalities, but it would give Max and the FBI a good picture of what he’d done for Kelly, Pembroke, and the others. I put a third call into Pembroke, telling the phone-answerer that Mort Stroble was the subject of my call. She said they’d get back to me.
I called Claire Rowley. After the preliminaries, I got right to it. “I’m interested in Senator Pembroke.”
“Pembroke?” came her startled reply. “He’s an easy-going, open sort. He stays out of the public eye as much as he can. He’s a respected third-term senator, a family man, kids in college . . . why Pembroke?”
“It’s the Tutoxtamen thing. He fought alongside Kelly for party unanimity in supporting the FDA’s not approvable decision.”
“I hate to bust your bubble, but the senators weren’t involved in that. They only supported the FDA’s decision for further testing of possible side effects.”
I’d been here before. The newsperson closest to the action not acknowledging there could possibly be something wrong on their beat. `However, I decided to let it go.
“That’s why I’m calling you, Claire. You know these people. Is there some sort of compromise brewing between the pharmas and the Senate?
Tutoxtamen goes down the tubes, and now they’re willing to negotiate a few discounts.” I hoped I sounded incredulous.
“That’s been going on, the talking, for a long time.”
I could tell by her tone that my minor mea culpa had its effect.
“Do you have any insight into Kelly and Pembroke, other than leader to chairman?”
“Not really. They are very different types—Kelly bombastic, Pembroke soft.”
I almost said opposites attract, but refrained. “Did you know Mort Stroble?”
She let out a guffaw. “Any woman that got within sniffing distance had a Mort experience.”
“He ever lust after you?”
She was still giggling. “You kidding? I’m thirty pounds and twenty years out of his hit zone.” She sounded like she was enjoying this or thinking me naïve. Either way, she had a sense of humor.
“Do you think that’s what got him into trouble at the Pub? Maybe an irate husband? I understand from my crime beat buddies he was sitting with two women and a man.”
“That’s a very probable scenario.”
“You ever interview Pembroke?”
“Not formally, just questions on the run.”
“What about Kelly?”
“No. His home-state papers put out the stories on him. We get them from the wire services. I don’t believe we’ve ever run one of them.
“My father has run a small town paper for nearly forty years. I could never imagine him taking some third-hand story when the subject was available live. My years on the street haven’t prepared me for this sort of drawing-room journalism.”
“I hear you,” she said, sounding bored.
I thanked her for her time and hung up. Mary buzzed me immediately after my phone light went out. “Mr. Horne would like you to call him.”
I punched in his number.
“The senator got the go-ahead for your husband,” he offered immediately.
“Great. See you then.” While calling Jerry, I wondered whether Michael approved.
“Hi. What’s up?” He sounded unusually down.
“You don’t sound like your day is going very well,” I replied softly.
“I’ve had better.”
“Well, maybe I can pick you up. I’m inviting you out for dinner.” I hoped I sounded cheery without sounding soupy.
“What’s the . . . did I forget something?” he asked, concerned.
“You never forget anything. No. It has something to do with the Caribbean.”
He didn’t respond. I imagined he was trying to pull his mind out of whatever had him in a funk. He normally shifted from his stuff to mine fairly easily. Finally he said, “We planning a trip?”
“Noooo. We’re promised an evening of engaging Rufus conversation. And maybe a discussion about an island or two.”
“The Gov—that should be fun.” He was sounding more up. “What time?”
“At 6:00. I’ve already talked with Anna, so we are all right there.”