A/N: There is the next chapter! Thank you for all the reviews, it is nice to hear from the readers. This chapter is from Alicia's POV. This is going to be a multi-chapter story (because I felt the need to start another based off of what could potentially happen with this ballot box scandal). Things will be unraveling slowly and pick up pace as the story continues... so stick with me :) Happy Reading!
Alicia
I'm pacing in the foyer. Peter is being the usual politician; trying to say something without actually saying anything. "Peter, all I want to know is if it is taken care of?" my frustration can be heard like a laser pointing at someone's forehead. I hear him sigh on the other side of the phone. That's not good; that's never a good sign.
"Marilyn wrote that her inquest was inconclusive. She's handing it over to the Feds."
I want to pull out my hair and scream. But I don't. I take in a deep breath. "Why did she find it inconclusive?" My mouth just decides to start spewing out words. I can hear him shuffling papers around his desk, and mumbling trying to evade the question. "Peter. What's going on?" Silence. All I hear is silence. I check the phone to make sure it is still connected. When I see the meter still ticking away, I put it back to my ear. "Peter."
"I will fix this Alicia. I will." Then silence.
I let out an aggravated sigh. I turn on my heels and walk back into the kitchen. I head straight for the pizza boxes, ripping them open and placing the pizzas in the oven. I can feel Cary's eyes following my movements. He is probably wondering what the conversation on the phone was about. Honestly, I am trying to figure it out myself. Inconclusive. Opening a Federal Investigation now.
"Mom?" Zach's voice is loud compared to the silence that enveloped Cary and I in the kitchen.
"Yes, Zach?" I turned to look at him, he looked nervous.
"If this goes to a federal investigation, could I be in trouble for bringing attention to the ballot box?" His voice was very tight, confusion seeping through towards the end.
"No, Zach. You were doing your due diligence bringing the box to the courts attention. If it was placed there by the campaign then the individuals involved will be in trouble."
"What about colleges? Could this impact my acceptance?"
Ah. He's concerned about being rejected by name if this latest "scandal" gets out. "I don't think it will, but I honestly don't know." I watch as he nods, and I can't help but feel guilty that he's going through this turmoil because of his father's job. Maybe the campaign and the politics are too much for my kids to handle.
"Peter didn't fix it, did he?" I hear Cary ask, my back is to him. I tap my foot trying to think of a way to deal with this. I'm drawing blanks. I don't know what the repercussions would be against my firm if this gets out. As far as I know right now is that it is contained by Eli and Marilyn. I haven't seen anything on the news yet. News!
"Have you seen anything on the news about this?" I turn quickly, questioning Cary. When he shakes his head, I rush into the living room to turn on the TV. The news would be all over this if it was out. So Eli had to have been tipped off about this video. This is keeping everyone's attention preoccupied.
"What are you thinking?"
"I haven't seen anything on the news about it. Which means it is being handled in house and that someone had to have tipped them off to the video. But why tip them off? Why not just release it?" I rushed out, hoping that he was following my logic.
"So you think what…." Cary's voice fades off
"Why not release it to the public? That will make everyone scramble. Right now, only the Governor and his staff are scrambling. But what if they want only them to be scrambling?" I continued. My mind racing a hundred miles a minute.
"Like to keep them distracted?"
I grab my phone, clicking speed dial. I feel as though I am so close to completing the puzzle. "Robyn, can you come to my apartment? I need you to investigate something… okay, see you in 20." I fall back on to the couch with Cary staring at me. He looks like he is about to say something when the timer goes off before he can get it out. I sigh and push myself off the couch. "Kids, the pizza is ready."
Ten minutes later, the kids, Cary and I are sitting around the table eating. The kids and Cary are carrying on a conversation, while I have wandered back to my thoughts. What if I'm on the right track and this play to keep them distracted? Distracted from what? What pawn could the media be trying to move? My thoughts are interrupted when there's a knock at the door. "I'll get it." I say automatically, not even glancing around the table.
As I open the door, I am floored by the two people standing there. "Well, I know I called one of you here…" I started.
"Cary asked me to come." She gives a small smile.
"Come on in. There's pizza in the kitchen." I shut the door after they enter, leaning against it; closing my eyes and just breathing. I hear Cary's footstep stop at the entryway of the foyer. Without opening my eyes, I question his presence.
"I invited Kalinda here to see if she has any knowledge of the video. Maybe see if we can figure out how knows of it and who leaked it to whomever. And because she's a woman, that way you two can do that girl-talk stuff."
I nod. "Let's fill them in. See what we can figure out."
Thirty minutes later, my kids are in their rooms and Robyn has started on a hunt to see if there is any potential release against Peter in the coming days. The three of us are sitting around the table, quietly glancing at each other for a few seconds before dropping our gaze. We all have shot glasses and limes in front of us. I only told Robyn the absolute minimum amount of information she needed to know in order to search for other possible scandalous information.
I glance over as Cary lets out a cough after taking a shot of tequila. "How do you two drink this?" he says with a cracked smile. Kalinda and I both shrug at the same time. I reach forward and throw back my shot, letting the cool liquid slide down my throat with a slight sting.
"If it's too uncomfortable, I can leave."
"There's more than what we told Robyn." Cary started, looking at me expectantly to fill her in.
I'm nervous. I don't want to share what I'm thinking, partly because I know how good Kalinda is at her job so there is a high probability that she had found and viewed that video that I was shown earlier today. I fidget with my shot glass, wondering if Kalinda had told anyone else about the video. I suddenly reach across the table for the bottle, pouring myself a shot.
"Kalinda, we need to know if you know about a video concerning the governor's campaign." Cary asked as I sat there, listening. I was watching Kalinda. It is not often that she ever gives hints whether or not she knows certain tidbits, but I see something, in her eyes. I'm unsure about what it pertains to, but there is something there.
"You'll have to be more specific Cary."
She somehow manages to be completely detached, almost all the time. I wonder if I could ever perfect that. I tried, immediately after the scandal, but that failed in the months following. I just grew thicker skin.
"About election night. Will, Diane and Alicia were in court trying to disallow a ballot box in polling numbers."
She tilted her head to the side. What does that mean?
"Why are you asking me?"
I continue to stare at her. She hasn't glanced my way since the questioning started. "Diane and Will wouldn't want to touch this with a 9 foot pole." I answer. "They were fighting for Peter at the time, therefore his legal representation. I am not aware of everything that was discussed because I wasn't present the entire time, I was with my son. Please, do you know anything about it Kalinda?" I know I am asking a lot of her. We haven't been on great terms, or any terms since I left Lockhart/Gardner. But she wouldn't be here if she hated us. Cary was the one to ask her to come, but the real reason was for me, ultimately.
"My loyalties lie with Will." She stands up to make her way to the foyer.
I exhale as I watch Cary following her. I reach for my phone that rested on the table. Flickering through my contacts, I pull up a new window to text Eli. Could the threat of this ballot box video being leaked be distracting the administration from another issue; another issue that could be more scandalous? I click send without thinking twice. Then pull up another window, one for Will. I stare at the blank screen wondering how to go about phrasing this. Would I be privy to attorney/client privilege from the election ballot box since I was a lawyer on the case? I type, my finger hesitating over the send button. Do I send it and risk causing myself added troubles? Before I can think further, I feel myself pressing the button.