Brazen Virtue

him.” She took another drag. “I still want to see him, Ed.”

    “Why don’t we wait on that until we tie up loose ends?” He touched her cheek so that she turned her head to look at him. “You did what you needed to do, Grace. You have to let go of Kathleen now.”
    “Once it’s done, and I can call my parents and … and Jonathan, I think I can.”
    I T TOOK LOWENSTEIN LESS than forty minutes to deliver the warrant. She slapped it into Ben’s hand. “Hayden’s blood type was on file at Georgetown Hospital. It’s a match. Take him down. We’ll cover the house until you call in.”
    “Stay.” Ed put his hands on Grace’s shoulders.
    “I’m not going anywhere. Listen, I know the world needs heroes, but I figure I need you more. So be a good cop, Jackson, and watch yourself.” Taking his shirtfront, she pulled him down for a kiss. “See you.”
    “Take care of his lady, Renockie,” Ben said as they swung out the door. “I’d hate to see Ed drop-kick you.”
    Grace let out a long breath and turned to her new guards. “Anybody want some lousy coffee?”
    C LAIRE HEARD THE DOORBELL ring and nearly swore with annoyance. If they didn’t leave in five minutes they were going to be late. After signaling back the housekeeper, she smoothed down her hair and answered herself.
    “Detectives Jackson and Paris.” The badges Claire saw set off a slow, dull alarm within her. “We’d like to speak with Jerald Hayden.”
    “Jerald?” Years of training had her lips curving automatically. “What’s this about?” The Lithgow boy, she thought. His parents were going to press charges.
    “We have a search warrant, ma’am.” Ben passed it to her. “Jerald Hayden is wanted for questioning in connection with the murders of Kathleen Breezewood and Mary Grice and the attempted rape of Mary Beth Morrison.”

    “No.” She was a strong woman. She’d never fainted in her life. Now, she dug her nails into her palm until her vision cleared. “There’s a mistake.”
    “Is there a holdup, Claire? We’ve pushed right to the time limit.” Hayden strode to the door. The friendly impatience on his face changed only slightly when he saw the identification. “Officers, is there a problem?”
    “It’s Jerald.” Claire dug her fingers into his arms. “They want Jerald. Oh God, Charlton. They’re talking about murder.”
    “That’s absurd.”
    “Your wife has the papers, Senator.” Ed’s usual compassion had dried up on the drive over. “We’ve been authorized to take your son down for questioning.”
    “Call Stuart, Claire.” It was a time for lawyers, he thought. Though he didn’t believe it, couldn’t believe it, Hayden saw the years of building a strong, careful platform disintegrating. “I’m sure we can clear this up quickly. I’ll send for Jerald.”
    “We’d prefer to go along,” Ed said.
    “Very well.” Turning, Hayden started for the stairs. With every step he felt his life, his ambitions, his beliefs slip away. He could see clearly, painfully clearly, the look in Jerald’s eyes as they’d sat in the dean’s office. He held himself straight, as a courageous man would facing a firing squad, and knocked on Jerald’s door.
    “Excuse me, Senator.” Ben reached around to push the door open. The light was burning, the radio playing quietly. And the room was empty.
    “He must be downstairs.” Cold sweat ran a line down Hayden’s back.
    “I’ll go with you.”
    With a barely perceptible nod to Ben, Ed stepped inside Jerald’s room.

    It took under ten minutes to determine that Jerald Hayden was no longer in the house. When Ben returned to the bedroom, the senator and his wife were with him.
    “He’s got quite a cache.” Ed indicated the open desk drawer. “Please, don’t touch anything,” he warned Hayden as the senator stepped forward. “We’ll have someone come down and log this. Looks like about forty grams of coke, maybe an eighth of a kilo of grass.” He touched the lid of a jar with the tip of a pencil. “Some flake.”
    “It’s a mistake.” Hysteria began to bubble in Claire’s voice. “Jerald doesn’t take drugs. He’s an honor student.”
    “I’m sorry.” Ben looked from Claire to the computer which took up most of the desk, then to Ed. As Billings had said, the equipment was state-of-the-art. “He’s not in the house.”
    W HILE HIS MOTHER WAS sobbing in his bedroom, Jerald was climbing the fence between Ed’s property and the Breezewood