Be Mine at Christmas(39)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Sounds good to me,” Maxim responded and the guy in the passenger seat sent him a thumbs-up.

Adelaide didn’t comment. But she thanked the pilot once they landed. She shook Maxim’s hand and politely thanked him, too—as if they were still professional acquaintances. Then a paramedic helped her across the tarmac to an ambulance.

There was a second ambulance waiting for Maxim. Although he would’ve preferred to ride along with Adelaide, it made sense for him to have his own transportation. As opponents, they shouldn’t share an ambulance or anything else.

They should never have been on that plane together.

But, except for what had happened to the pilot, Maxim couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

CHAPTER TEN

HARVEY SILLINGER SLAPPED a file folder on Maxim’s desk. “Now you’ve got to do it,” he said, his eyes burning with exhilaration.

Maxim scowled at the intrusion. This was his first day back at work since the crash. He wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with his campaign manager’s intense personality. Christmas was in three days—his daughters would be arriving tomorrow. He’d wanted to spend a few quiet hours at campaign headquarters clearing off his desk before the new year. He’d thought he’d be able to do that when he walked in at eight and found Harvey so absorbed in a telephone conversation that he barely grunted hello. They’d already spoken several times since the rescue, had nothing pressing to discuss, and Harvey was the only one in the office. Maxim’s other employees and volunteers were off for the holidays.

It should’ve been a low-key, catch-up morning, but nothing about his campaign manager was ever low-key. A longtime political veteran, Harvey lived to one-up his opponents. That was initially why Maxim had hired him. He’d wanted a heavy hitter and had planned to do all he could to retain his senate seat. Maybe he’d even wanted to prove something to Adelaide. But he was learning that Harvey had no sense of when he’d gone too far.

“What are you talking about?” Maxim asked.

Harvey motioned toward the file next to the mini Christmas tree some volunteer had placed on his desk. “I have the e-mails,” he stated with obvious satisfaction.

Maxim could guess where this was going, but he’d already told his campaign manager that he didn’t want to follow up on what they’d uncovered about Mark Fairfax. He was even more reluctant to hurt Adelaide now than he’d been before—for reasons he refused to disclose to Harvey and preferred not to think about himself. “Tell me this has nothing to do with Mark Fairfax.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Short and stocky but bursting with frenetic energy, Harvey leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I have correspondence here that proves Fairfax was having a very sordid affair when he died—” he paused for effect “—with a male intern.”

“Oh, God,” Maxim muttered and dragged a hand over his face.

Harvey thumped the file, nearly knocking the Christmas tree to the floor. “Fairfax sent these messages to a boy of eighteen,” he said as he caught it. “They’re so explicit there’s no way anyone can argue about what was going on.” He chuckled. “Read them yourself. He had one hell of a dirty mind. It’ll be a shock to everyone.”

Especially Adelaide. “Why are you still at this?” Maxim asked, rising to his feet. “I told you I didn’t want to know any more about Fairfax. We’re running this campaign, my campaign, on the issues.”

Harvey stiffened, glaring at him. “A political campaign is never about the issues. You know that. At least you did when I came on. It’s a sales job, pure and simple. And I’m the best salesman in the business.”

“Then sell—but forget Fairfax.”

“You’re saying personal integrity isn’t an issue?”

“The man’s dead!” Maxim said. “The only person this will hurt is the wife he left behind!”

“You mean the wife who’s trying to take your job?” Harvey yelled. “Who just stole the Salazar endorsement? You hired me to win this campaign and now you’re tying my hands? I don’t get it! You’re the one who came to me with the tip on Fairfax. You’re the one who wanted me to see if there was anything to it.”

Maxim had received a voice-mail message from an anonymous caller who’d accused Fairfax of a lot of things, including bribery and a vague charge of sexual misconduct. Maxim had been interested in finding out whether or not he’d taken bribe money from some of the developers in the state. He knew it would reveal why Mark had changed positions and thrown his support behind certain projects. But he’d never expected the crazy accusation of sexual misconduct to take them where it had. A homosexual affair with a boy of eighteen? “I wanted to prove he was corrupt, but—”

“But we found something even more damning!”

“More sensational isn’t necessarily more damning.”

“Everyone takes bribes these days. Not everyone plays hide the salami with teenage boys.”

“Stop it.” Maxim scowled, but Harvey wouldn’t back off.

“He solicited sex from the young men who volunteered to work for him. That’s big news, Maxim, and people need to know.”

The “need to know” line warned Maxim that Harvey was out of control. “The man’s dead,” he reiterated. “No one needs to know anything about—” he gestured at the file “—this.”

Harvey began to stalk around the room. “I can’t believe it! I thought you were reluctant because you didn’t want to be perceived as desperate, grasping at straws, lowering yourself by accusing a dead man.”

Maxim had said all that and more, but keeping what Mark did a secret had always been about Adelaide, not the campaign.

“I thought you wanted me to pull back because we didn’t have enough proof,” Harvey went on. “So I get you proof, unimpeachable proof. This puts Fairfax and his widow right in our crosshairs. And you’re not happy about it? What am I missing here?”

Maxim shoved the file away and managed to knock the Christmas tree off the desk himself. “No, I’m not happy. I want you to shred every last e-mail and wipe away whatever’s on your computer. And don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anyone.” This time he leaned forward. “I mean it, Harvey.”

Apparently realizing that he wouldn’t relent, Harvey stopped pacing. “I’m only doing my job.”