Capitol Rookie, part 7: Corruption, Desire, and the Price of Truth
As Alex Shelby uncovers layers of political scandal, his ethics are tested—not just by the powerful forces at play, but by a forbidden attraction that threatens to compromise his pursuit of justice.
Capitol Rookie is an 11-part crime fiction noir set in 2004 in Sacramento, California.
By Vince Wetzel
I sipped my vodka tonic at the bar at the Picadilly Inn near the Fresno airport. The Piccadilly was no chain, but it had its old-school charm with modern flair. I had to fight for this room as the Tribune was undergoing further cost-cutting measures to maximize its profits, facing competition from the 24-hour cable news cycle and the internet.
I appreciated the extra stiff pour of vodka in my tonic. I couldn’t understand how I had gotten everything wrong. Either Doug or Senator Florez was lying to me. I looked at the documents in front of me. But if Florez was going to deny everything, I needed to double down and find more proof of their relationship.
“Shelby, what the hell was that?” came a voice behind me at the bar. I recognized it and quickly folded the paper and put it back in my pocket.
Red was Anna’s go-to color, and it was hard not to imagine why. She was no longer wearing the black business suit I had seen her in at the fundraiser. Instead, she had changed to a form-fitting red summer dress. She was in her late 20s but had a sophisticated look of a woman at least five years older, particularly more than anyone in Fresno. Her features were angled and cut, belying the amount of time she spent at the gym. That was the other question that had me confused. How had Doug, who was not attractive, snagged this beauty?
“Why is your boss lying to me? Doug told me about her adoption. And why would she deny it?”
“You already know,” Anna said. “She can’t claim him. She’d be crucified for giving him up for adoption and watching how he grew up without a family.”
I hadn’t thought of that angle. I thought her relation to a drug dealer would be the problem. But women were held to an unfair higher standard, especially when being a parent. Be tied to a drug dealer kid? You could spin it to help him keep the line straight. Be an absent mother while that same kid went down the wrong path? That was unforgivable in the eyes of the public.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were married to Doug?” I asked. “I don’t know if I should be more upset that you kept me in the dark, or that I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
Anna turned her head, deciding whether to shoot an insult back at me or just let it go. I expected her to be here. After crashing the fundraiser, I knew she would try to do damage control. I wondered if my arrival had cost her her job, or if she had been questioned about it. Did the Senator know Anna was my source? When she turned back, she decided to be amiable. Her smile, while fake, was bright with a hint of flirtation. She sat down on the stool next to me.
“So, what kind of drink are you going to buy me?” she asked.
“That’s pretty presumptuous, considering you make more than I.”
“But you’re not going to let me buy you a drink. That would be against your ‘ethics.’”
“True. In that case, why don’t you buy yourself a house red?”
“How about a Chardonnay?”
I motioned to the bartender and ordered. As she poured the wine, Anna turned back to me.
“Well, you didn’t come to town covertly?”
“That’s not my style,” I said. “And why are you here?”
“I’m taking a big chance being here. You were supposed to ask the Senator about the nonprofit before blowing into town guns blazing. Now, you’ve put everything at risk.”
I looked at her with an eye toward disbelief. “You were the one who called me, remember? You gave me the piece of paper that led me here in the first place. Besides, what’s at risk?”
Anna sipped her wine and winced. It was a house wine in Fresno after all. She scrunched her shoulders, urging me to talk more quietly.
“I don’t get why you are feeding me information on Florez when you’re still working for her,” I said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“There are bigger things at play. We need a statewide news organization like the Tribune to break it open.”
It was my turn to look forward to the bar. Doug was saying not to rock the boat with Villalobos and Florez. Now, Anna was saying there were bigger things at play? I hated being manipulated and used as a pawn in a grander scheme. Politicians were always trying to use news as a tactic to move bills or their electoral chances by planting stories with me or my colleagues. I didn’t mind when it suited my needs. But be transparent about what you want to do. Don’t be mysterious. It will only make me dig even deeper.
“I am missing something. What are Villalobos’ ties to the foundation if he’s hustling street drugs? How does this all play with wanting to bankroll the Senator when she’s termed out anyway? And what power do they have over Doug and the paper that they won’t print anything about it? It can’t be just you.”
“That’s a lot of questions.”
“And you’re not providing any answers.”
“It’s not that easy. You don’t understand how Theresa has a stronghold on everything around here. She controls the council. She controls the politics. She controls the police and the crime. I wouldn’t be surprised if she controls the gangs.”
“Really? She doesn’t look like she would last five seconds with gangbangers,” I said. I changed tactics. “Well, at least tell me how Dustin Jones, the treasurer, plays into all of this. I couldn’t find anything in my research about him.”
Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head. Throughout all of our interactions, Anna had been concerned, maybe anxious. But now she looked scared. She looked around to see if anyone was listening. It was just us and the bartender, but her voice got even quieter.
Anna shook her head as she looked down. When she raised her head, her eyes focused on mine, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her hand touched mine. There was something electric that was passing between us, and if she weren’t married, I might see this as a signal to make a move. Typically, my strengths lie in confrontation rather than empathy. Now, it was my turn to feel discomfort despite my wanting to pull my hand away. I kept it underneath hers, partially because I didn’t want to break the spell that could bring me the truth; partially because I liked the feel of her touch.
“Dustin doesn’t exist,” she said. “He’s not real. It was part of the scheme to help move money to various political campaigns, influence, and more.”
The more she spoke, the more confused I became. She came to me with some misappropriation of nonprofit funds. Now, I was assuming political corruption, fraud, possible money laundering, and who knows what other businesses? Drugs? This story was spiraling out of my control. I had wanted something to get noticed and gain sources and prime real estate in the paper. This could lead to more. It took everything not to imagine my Pulitzer on my desk.
“I still don’t know why you didn’t share this with me earlier. This is a much better story than the whole Valley Healthcare Foundation undue influence piece.”
“Because I’m scared,” she said. “If there were a journalist just sniffing around, then perhaps I could lie low long enough to get out. But we’ve all taken so much dirty money that we can't get out. How would it look to blow the whistle on my boss, who had funded the campaigns of every major politician in the region, even some in the state? I’m deep. I don’t know what to do.”
She broke down again, her hands covering her face. I let her wail away. My attempts at comfort only went so far. There was an effort to find a source to talk to more. There was also a breaking of the barrier between source and confidant. She looked at me, her brown eyes searching for that extra comfort. The moment lingered. I’m not one to make a first move, particularly to a married woman.
“I need to talk to Villalobos,” I said, returning my focus to the story. “He’s the key to it all. I think I can stop by tomorrow.”
I needed my rest and to think through everything I needed to ask. I was sure I’d only get a couple of questions before the door was slammed in my face. Anna turned her head sharply, before catching herself.
“You know where he lives?”
“Yeah,” I said dismissively. She was frustrated by my lack of concern. Perhaps, she wanted to be responsible for putting me on the trail. Or that she couldn’t control the story anymore.
“What are you doing the rest of the night?” she asked.
“You’re looking at it,” I said, holding up my glass.
She made her move, leaning in and pressing her full lips onto mine. I caught a hint of the white wine. I wasn’t sure I could return the kiss, but I didn’t move away. I felt her tongue cross the threshold of our mouths to find mine. I was confused. Doug was a friend, though I wasn’t happy with him at the moment. Anna was a source. How could I be kissing his wife? My treachery was only surpassed by the inherent loneliness I had since moving back to California. My desires were strong, unfortunately, stronger than my loyalty to Doug. I pulled back.
“What about Doug?”
“Marriage of convenience. We have an open marriage. He can’t satisfy my appetite, and he’s ok if I sleep with other men, just as long as I come home to him. I’ll call him and tell him I’ll be home late.”
She kissed me again; this time, she was in control. When she pulled away, she sucked my lip. She smiled seductively, held up her finger, and pulled out her phone to call Doug from the other side of the room. I couldn’t move, partially out of shock, partially because of the sudden tightness in my pants.
The alarm bells were going off. The red flags were appearing everywhere. I should leave the bar and go to my room and lock the door behind me. If she were in an open marriage, then was she fair game, right? My bigger concern was sleeping with a source and a subject of my story. Talk about an ethical lapse. How could I write a story objectively if I had carnal knowledge of this informant?
“Not a bad pull,” the bartender giggled under his breath.
With my erection still pushing against my pants, I got off the stool and went to my room, alone.
Side of Mustard
John Adams Rewatch
In honor American Independence Day, for the next eight weeks, I’m rewatching the 2008 HBO Miniseries on our second President John Adams, and his rise from humble Boston lawyer to a signee of the Declaration of Independence, to an envoy to Europe to gain French support, to the war years, the Vice Presidency, and the growing pains of a new nation.
This is a poignant time to rewatch this eight-part miniseries. As we grapple with the meaning of tyranny, freedom, and liberty, and the differences between rhetoric and integrity in modern America, we see the struggle of a new nation finding its way forward.
Episode 2: Independence (1774–1776)
This episode covers the debate on how the colonies should respond to further British aggression toward America. Initially, there is a plea for diplomacy toward the Crown, but as the episode progresses, hostilities continue to escalate, George Washington is offered command of the Continental Army, and the sentiment gradually shifts toward independence.
Through an impassioned plea by John Adams, aided by Ben Franklin's mastery of politics, and the words of Thomas Jefferson, Congress declared its independence.
What I am reminded of each time I watch this episode is the stakes of this debate. They were committing acts of treason with the notion that they would likely not win the war, endangering the lives of their families, friends, and neighbors. Yet, the ideal of independence and governance of law, not a crown, was that important. As we examine our politics now, we wonder if our complacency has eroded our resolve for this ideal.
Holiday Movies
Amongst the backyard BBQs, baseball games, and hot dog eating contests, you may be looking to sit on the couch and experience US patriotism.
If so, here’s my list of the top entertainment to stream:
The Sandlot (Disney+): One of my favorite baseball movies. (See the podcast where I talk about it here.) Outside of the early 60s Americana nostalgia, the segment that makes it a great Fourth of July moment is their lone “night game.” With Ray Charles’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” playing, the boys all rush past the block party to the field to play by the light of the fireworks show. Always gives me chills.
Hamilton (Disney+): After watching John Adams, this is always a great counterpoint on the founding of our country. I saw the touring company of this show in San Francisco, and when they released the original cast stage show a few years ago, it has to be a must-watch on Independence Day.
Forrest Gump (Paramount+ Prime): Boomers get a bad wrap (some deserved, some not so much). Forrest Gump captures the insanity of the events that shaped their lives from Rock’ n’ Roll to Vietnam, television, AIDs, and more. I’m not a smart man, but I do know what the second half of the 20th century looks like thanks to Forrest Gump.
Independence Day (Hulu): Yes, it’s an alien disaster movie with enough corny jokes and uplifting nostalgia to make a cynic cringe, but what I take from it is this: You can blow up the White House and the Empire State Building. You can destroy all the symbols of America, but the spirit remains true.
National Treasure (Disney+): Take a little Indiana-Jones adventure, add in a little colonial intrigue, and sprinkle Nic Cage intensity, and you have a crowd-pleasing holiday movie. The key is not to dwell on the historical, security, or logistical details.
Glory (MGM+ Prime-purchase): I haven’t watched this movie in a while, and I think it’s time for a revisit: Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, and a young-but-mindblowing Denzel Washington on a story that resonates today.