Homicide in the House Read online

  Homicide in the House

  A Washington Whodunit

  Colleen J. Shogan

  Camel Press

  PO Box 70515

  Seattle, WA 98127

  For more information go to: www.camelpress.com

  www.colleenshogan.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Cover design by Sabrina Sun

  Homicide in the House

  Copyright © 2016 by Colleen J. Shogan

  ISBN: 978-1-60381-333-4 (Trade Paper)

  ISBN: 978-1-60381-334-1 (eBook)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016933263

  Produced in the United States of America

  * * *

  Acknowledgments

  After lumbering about the deserted Madison Building at the Library of Congress for three weeks during the fall of 2013, I decided the sequel to Stabbing in the Senate would take place during a government shutdown. Capitol Hill assumed an unsettled eeriness during the closure. Hallways were quiet, restrooms shuttered, and all public events were canceled. A high degree of political tension layered on top of the gloomy and desolate setting provided a perfect backdrop for the second book in the Washington Whodunit series.

  Thank you to my agent Dawn Dowdle and the talented publishing and editorial staff at Camel Press, Catherine Treadgold and Jennifer McCord. My social media “fans” read excerpts of this book on Facebook and provided helpful feedback, particularly when I described familiar scenes in the House of Representatives. While working on the plot, I shared several twists and turns with my colleagues at the Library of Congress, who were always willing to listen enthusiastically and patiently. Thank you to several House of Representatives employees who provided key pieces of information about congressional operations. Your input made this book possible. Finally, without the support of my family, particularly my husband, I would have never been able to finish another mystery novel while balancing the demands of everyday life.

  Capitol Hill provides a great backdrop for telling entertaining stories. That said, all characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  Chapter One

  The digital clock blinked an irritating red, glaring “11:59” in block numerals. The wait was nearly over. Every television news station had displayed the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds remaining until the inevitable federal government shutdown. We’d peered over the cliff, and apparently, it was time to jump.

  “Kit, did you approve my quote for the press release?” The high-pitched voice of my boss, Representative Maeve Dixon from the great Southern state of North Carolina, jolted me out of my brief reverie. The clock now radiated “12:01.” Armageddon had officially arrived.

  “Yes, Maeve. I approved your comment a few hours ago. I like the part about you standing with the people of North Carolina against the politicians who caused this mess. It’s always good to run against Washington.” I mustered a small smile and added, “Especially when it’s shuttered.”

  “I can’t imagine the quote will put me in good stead with my fellow colleagues in Congress, but what choice do I have?”

  Representative Dixon, who insisted I call her Maeve, was right. She had been elected to the House by the narrowest of margins a little over a year ago, and it being February, she’d face reelection in nine months. Homespun constituents closely monitored her political posturing. On the other hand, the leadership of her party in Congress would also look to Maeve, who was young and energetic, to carry the day when the politics surrounding the shutdown ripened on the airwaves and Twitter-sphere. We were heading into uncharted waters. Maeve was a middle-of-the-road Democrat new to Congress and I had never dealt with such a monumental catastrophe. But as her legislative director, it was my job to know everything about the ensuing crisis.

  A cacophony of telephone rings resembling a bad handbell choir served as background music. It was all hands on deck in the Dixon office. We’d been barraged with calls from constituents for several hours now, with questions ranging from Maeve’s position on the shutdown to whether they could still visit the Smithsonian next week during February’s Presidents’ Day holiday. The negative answer to the latter question was usually met with a litany of loud expletives, routinely resulting in our interns holding the telephone receivers at least six inches from their ears.

  “Kit, I asked you a question. Do I have any other options?”

  I looked directly at Maeve, whose long brown hair had been drawn into a hastily assembled late-night bun. Her athletic body assumed a slumped posture, no doubt the result from tiresome workdays with no recent opportunities to relieve stress at the gym. I thought her earlier question was rhetorical, but I should have known better. Maeve was literal and straightforward. She’d completed military tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. If she asked a question, she expected a direct answer.

  “Not right now, ma’am. We should move forward with the plan we discussed. Let’s not deviate until we know how long this shutdown might last.”

  When it became clear that Congress might not come to a resolution on the federal budget before funding ran out, Maeve and I had devised a plan for how she’d handle the crisis. She needed to walk a fine line. Our party was pushing a spending bottom line that was too high. On the other hand, the Republicans wanted to cut every social program known to mankind. Maeve couldn’t stand wholeheartedly behind her party’s leadership because it would kill her with the more conservative constituents in her congressional district. But if she spoke too loudly against mainstream Democrats, they would make her pay when the crisis was over.

  Keeping her head down wasn’t an option, either. As she’d told me many times, she’d done enough of that during her military service. For her, being labeled a backbencher for the rest of her congressional career was tantamount to a political death sentence.

  Behind me, a deep voice said, “I agree with Kit. Let’s stay the course.” I turned around to face my immediate supervisor, Dan, the chief of staff. A few years younger than me, Dan was a nice guy who meant well. Unfortunately, the kind words ended there. He came to Washington with Maeve and knew her congressional district like the back of his hand. But he understood almost nothing about policy and Congress. It was a constant battle to educate him about how politicians operated and the distinct culture of Capitol Hill. I was a newbie to the House of Representatives, but at least I knew how a bill became a law. Dan struggled with the most basic Schoolhouse Rock version of events.

  Dan looked as if his brain had been wiped clean. His eyes were round with panic. He hadn’t bargained for a government shutdown when he left North Carolina for Washington. He moved closer so that Maeve couldn’t hear his whispered question.

  “What should we do next?”

  “Dan, doesn’t it make sense to issue the press release?” I used my regular speaking voice. Maeve should know her top aide had no clue about handling a political crisis.

  “Right. I’ll make sure that gets done.”

  He sped down the hallway toward his small private office. I hoped he knew how to email the release to our important press contacts, but I had my doubts. Yesterday, I overheard him ask his iPhone, “Siri, what is a government shutdown?” I pretended I hadn’t overheard. Ignorance is bliss, especially in Washington D.C.


  All staffers in the Dixon office were working tonight, but tomorrow would be an entirely different story. A government shutdown meant no money was available to keep government programs or buildings operational. That included paying government employees. Each member of Congress had to determine how to keep his or her office functional during the shutdown. Maeve decided that Dan and I would report for work. Everyone else would remain at home unless absolutely needed. Despite the winter darkness, that meant long workdays were ahead, unless Congress resolved the dispute over government funding levels quickly. With deeply entrenched views on both sides of the aisle, it was unlikely that this fiasco would be short-lived.

  My desk phone buzzed. Recognizing my live-in boyfriend’s cell number, I answered it.

  “You’re still at work?”

  “Good evening to you, Doug. Happy government shutdown.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I wanted to check because I’m headed to bed soon. Are you going to stay there all night?”

  “No, I’m going to leave as soon as Maeve decides to call it a day. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay, great. Bye.” A click was followed by a dial tone.

  The conversation with Doug was par for the course—lately, at least. I’d been at my job with Maeve for six months now. Working for a newly elected freshman member of Congress had proven more time consuming than my previous position with elder statesman Senator Lyndon Langsford. After my former boss’s murder, which I helped the police solve, I interviewed for numerous jobs in Congress. My best friend Meg had accepted a job working in the House of Representatives. When the opportunity to work as a senior legislative staffer for Maeve presented itself, I eagerly applied.

  I’d anticipated a steep learning curve. After all, the House and the Senate function as separate political institutions with totally disparate traditions and norms. What I had not anticipated was how much work it was to staff a member of Congress who was just starting her political career rather than approaching the end of it. As a military veteran with no track record, she had to consider every vote she made and position she took with the utmost care. Her constituents in North Carolina were watching her every move. She represented a “swing district,” which meant her seat frequently changed hands between the two political parties due to the evenly divided voting electorate who resided there. Doug hadn’t quite adjusted to my new 24/7 responsibilities. He was a history professor at Georgetown, and between my work and his attempt to finish yet another book, our recent time together had been limited to hastily shared late-night dinners or abbreviated, stilted phone calls.

  His increasing detachment should have been causing me considerable concern, but this wasn’t the time to focus on it. I glanced at my email inbox. The messages were already piling up. There were several from top staff in the Speaker’s office. Maeve couldn’t ignore those emails. Not only was the Speaker the leader of the entire House, he was also her party’s head honcho. An almost equal number of emails came from the Minority Leader’s entourage across the aisle, who knew that Maeve had tough decisions ahead, pitting her district’s beliefs against her partisan loyalties. The game was on. Both parties wanted a piece of Maeve Dixon during the shutdown.

  An email from Meg popped up. Ignoring the rest of my inbox, I eagerly clicked on it. Meg’s new position as an investigator for a House committee focused on oversight had been time-consuming, as well. Our days of carefree happy hours had dwindled. We were lucky if we found time to share frozen yogurt in the House cafeteria.

  Can you believe this is happening??? she wrote. Are you excepted? If so, let’s try to meet for lunch. :) Meg

  “Excepted” was slang for an “excepted federal employee.” That meant that even though the government had no money to pay salaries, you still had to report for work.

  My spirits lifted after reading Meg’s email. At least I wouldn’t have to suffer through this mess alone. I hit reply.

  I’ll be here. See you at Tortilla Coast at noon. I suggested her favorite restaurant near the House office buildings. Some things never changed. Though you wouldn’t know it from looking at her, Meg still had an appetite to match her ambition.

  It was nearly one o’clock in the morning, and thankfully the phones had quieted. I clicked off my computer and walked toward Maeve’s office. As I approached the open door, I was struck by how loudly she was speaking.

  Dan was standing next to my boss, who was seated at her desk with the phone at her ear. He was sweating profusely, and when he saw me, he grabbed a tissue and blotted at his forehead and cheeks. Maeve was having an argument. Only one hour into the shutdown and the shenanigans were in full swing.

  “You know the shutdown puts me in a difficult position,” she yelled. “The Speaker understands that. He told me yesterday he’d rather have me in Congress next year than count on my solidarity with the party.”

  Who was on the other end of the line? Maybe the Majority Leader of the House, the Speaker’s second-in-command? Or the Democratic party whip, who had the unenviable job of trying to make sure everyone on our side of the aisle stuck together on the problematic floor votes ahead?

  I mouthed silently to Dan, “Who is it?”

  He shook his head. No idea. Why was I surprised?

  I grabbed a blank Post-it note from Maeve’s desk and wrote: Who’s on the line?

  Whoever it was, his voice was getting louder. Maeve held the receiver away from her ear to avoid being deafened. She punched the “mute” button on the phone and covered the receiver with her hand, just in case.

  “Jack Drysdale.”

  That explained why Maeve was getting an earful. Drysdale was the Speaker’s top aide and Washington politico extraordinaire. Just shy of fifty, he’d been working on the Hill for two decades and had finally ascended to the most powerful staff position in the House of Representatives. I knew him only by reputation. Even senior legislative staffers like myself were never in the same room as him. He was the Speaker’s eyes and ears, and when he didn’t like what he was seeing and hearing, he made your life a living hell.

  Jack must have come up for air, because it was now Maeve’s turn to get a word in edgewise. “I can’t give you my answer now. I told the Speaker I need to take the temperature in my district. Like I said earlier, my chief of staff will be in direct contact with our North Carolina office. After he gives me a report, I’ll be in a better position to tell you what’s possible.”

  Drysdale must have said something that upset Maeve, because she frowned and then promptly gave the middle finger to the phone receiver.

  “If you don’t want to deal with Dan, then you can communicate with my legislative director, Kit Marshall.” A brief pause as she listened to his response.

  “Yes, that’s Kit Marshall. She can run point for me on the policy decisions related to the shutdown. Touch base with her tomorrow and we’ll go from there.” She slammed the phone down with no pretense of a polite farewell.

  Maeve pressed her fingertips to her forehead to forestall the inevitable headache. “That man is insufferable. I don’t understand how the Speaker of the House stands him.”

  Dan shifted his weight from one foot to the other nervously. “Did he say something about me?”

  Maeve grabbed a bottle of water on her desk and chugged several gulps. “He doesn’t want to deal with you on the specifics of the shutdown.”

  I was embarrassed for Dan, who fiddled with his glasses and said, “Did he say why?”

  Maeve looked directly at Dan before answering. Was she going to try to soften the blow? I held my breath, praying that she wouldn’t make an awkward situation worse.

  In her infinite wisdom, my boss must have decided to take the high road. “He knows you’re going to be spending all your time on the phone with our district director and the press in North Carolina to figure out the political thinking there. That’s why I told him to communicate with Kit on the details of the Speaker’s proposal to end this mess.”

  I exhaled in relief. I doubt
ed that Drysdale had been so diplomatic. Dan’s reputation as a lightweight was well known. Maeve’s ability to think on her feet and bend the truth was impressive, especially for a novice politician.

  She sat down at her desk. “I can’t think straight. Let’s call it a night and come back fresh in the morning.”

  I glanced at my watch. It was 1:30. How fresh would I be after four hours of sleep? I’d have to take what I could get until Congress solved this mess.

  After gathering my belongings, I took the elevator to the ground floor and walked mechanically to the southeast exit, which was closest to the Capitol South Metro station. The busy station entrance was quiet, with no one entering or leaving. Then it dawned on me that it was well after midnight and I had missed the last train. I pressed the Uber app on my iPhone, and in three minutes, my own personal taxi was on the way.

  While I waited for my ride, I walked west on C Street so I could catch a glimpse of the Capitol at night between the Cannon and Longworth House Office Buildings. New Jersey Avenue provided the perfect view. The February night was cold and clear. The Capitol’s iron dome stared back at me peacefully, but the tranquil silence was deceiving. Starting tomorrow, a battle would ensue within those walls. Instinct told me some unlucky politicos wouldn’t survive the fight. As I climbed into my cab, I had no idea how accurate my premonition would turn out to be.

  Chapter Two

  The snooze alarm on my iPhone had already gone off twice. It was time to face the music. I silenced my favorite wake-up song, “Rainbow Connection,” and threw the covers aside. According to Kermit, rainbows had nothing to hide. The same thing couldn’t be said of angry politicians fighting over the federal budget.