Meanwhile, news about the chemical plant was spreading across Wilbur like mosquitoes in May. Roger, Juliette Rose, and even Robert took turns on the phone calling everyone they knew, and those people called everyone they knew, and on it went until only a tiny fraction of Wilbur’s 700-odd residents were unaware of the sneaky deal being perpetrated behind their backs. The whole process took the better part of an hour.
DJ, who was too new in town to know anyone, was exempted from this duty, so she slumped in Roger’s wing chair with her leg over one arm of it, and watched and listened to the others run through their address books while she went over in her mind everything Robert had said about what he overheard. Robert stole a glance at her every now and then but didn’t interrupt her train of thought – he knew what Juliette Rose was like when she was in that state – but his heart leapt into his mouth when she suddenly got up and came over to sit next to him on the couch. Juliette Rose was on the phone and Roger was in the kitchen making coffee.
“Tell me again what the Senator’s aide said. Word for word, whatever you can remember. Close your eyes and concentrate.”
He did as she asked and once again he was in the bush listening to the three men talk. In the beginning she coaxed him through it but as he got rolling, he didn’t need her any more. He was there, and it was all happening again exactly as it had. All he had to do was repeat what he heard them say in his head. At a certain point, DJ stopped him.
“They knew about the meeting? You’re sure you heard him say that?”
“Yeah.”
“And he knew about Roger?”
“Well,” Robert answered slowly, “he said ‘lawyer’. I don’t know who else he could’ve meant.”
“Neither do I,” DJ said, slumping again and chewing her lip. She stayed that way for some time. Robert slumped next to her and let his shoulder touch hers. For the moment, it was enough.
When Juliette Rose was off the phone and Roger back with the coffee, DJ said, “What are we going to do about the informer?”
“What informer?” Juliette Rose wanted to know.
“What are you talking about, DJ?” came from Roger.
“The Senator’s aide knew about the meeting this morning. Somebody in Wilbur had to tell him. How else would he know?”
Juliette looked at Roger. “She’s right. No other way.”
Roger frowned. “That’s not possible,” he said. “It was spur-of-the-moment.”
“They were already on their way here,” DJ went on, “when Juliette Rose put the word out. Somebody must have called him on his car phone.”
“Shit,” Juliette said.
“Fuck,” Roger answered and dropped dejectedly into a chair.
“I don’t get it,” Robert said.
“Senators’ aides don’t give out their car phone numbers to just anybody. Whoever called him had it, and that means they’ve been doing business with each other for a long time,” DJ explained. “Our informer, whoever it may be, has a direct line into the legislature.”
