Page 184 of State of Suspense

“Oh my God,” Sam said. “I knew there was something.”

“Reggie took Henry out of an abusive home. His sister’s ex-husband was beating the shit out of both of them. She refused to leave the guy. Reggie rescued Henry and took him in. He and the first wife raised him as their own. There’s nothing Henry won’t do for Reggie.”

“What does Reggie gamble on?”

“Everything. Sports, horse racing, fights.”

“How did you find out about it?” Faith asked.

His gaze shifted between them as he seemed to weigh how much he should say. “I run some gambling rackets. Interested people tend to find you when you’re in the business. He was in heavy to me over the last seven years. Right now, he owes me about one-point-five.”

“Million?”

“Yeah.”

Faith stared at him in disbelief. “The Attorney General of the United States has a one-point-five-million-dollar gambling debt?”

“That’s just to me. Who knows what else there is?”

Faith sat back in her seat. “This leaves him open to blackmail.”

“I’m aware, and so is he.”

“How did Tom Forrester play into this?”

“As they go way back, Tom was aware of Reggie’s past problems with gambling, but he didn’t know it was ongoing until Henry Allston’s name popped up during his investigation into me. That led him right back to Cox and the gambling.”

“Is that what the three of you were fighting about shortly before Tom was killed?”

He nodded. “Reggie was after Tom to forget all about that part of the investigation, but Tom, being Tom, wasn’t having it.”

“Did Reggie have Tom killed?” Sam asked, even though she still believed the Peckhams had been responsible for Tom’s murder.

“No! God no. Reggie loved Tom like a brother.”

“And his brother was about to blow the lid off his dirty secret.”

“Tom said he wouldn’t tell anyone, but only if Reggie got serious help.”

“How would he do that as the current Attorney General?”

“That was a sticking point. Reggie swore he’d resign and get help as soon as the investigation into the former joint chiefs was completed.”

“That could take months,” Faith said.

“Which was understood. Reggie felt it was important that he personally oversee that situation.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “Couldn’t that have been handed off to a deputy AG?”

“Tom said the same thing, but Reggie insisted on seeing to it personally.”

Again, Sam’s gut was telling her there had to be more to the story. “So Tom was willing to wait, possibly months, to reveal what his investigation into your campaign finance irregularities had uncovered?”

“No, he was going to handle the two things separately.”

“Was Reggie’s debt covered by campaign money?”

Sam could tell that question made him uncomfortable as his gaze darted toward Faith.

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