Florentyna agreed to let Mark make a full investigation while she remained silent on the matter. Don Short rang during the week to congratulate her on her victory and to remind her that the contract with the Navy for the missile program was up for discussion in the subcommittee that Thursday. Florentyna bit her lip after Don Short’s next statement: ‘I’m glad you cashed the check. I’m sure the money came in useful at election time.’
Florentyna immediately asked the Majority Leader to postpone the vote on the missile program until he had completed his inquiry on Bill Pearson. Mark Chadwick explained that he couldn’t comply with her request because the allocated funds would go elsewhere if the decision was held up. Although Defense Secretary Brown didn’t care which company was awarded the contract, he had warned them that all hell would break loose if a decision was postponed any longer. Finally, Chadwick reminded Florentyna of her own speech about members who held up defense contracts. She didn’t waste any time arguing.
‘Are you getting anywhere with your inquiries, Mark?’
‘Yes. We know the check was cashed at the Riggs National Bank on Pennsylvania Avenue.’
‘My bank, and my branch,’ said Florentyna in disbelief.
‘By a lady of about forty-five who wore dark glasses.’
‘Is there any good news?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ replied Mark. ‘The manager considered the sum large enough to make a note of the bill numbers in case some query arose later. How about that for irony?’ She tried to smile. ‘Florentyna, in my opinion, you have two choices. You can blast the entire thing open at Thursday’s meeting or you can keep quiet until I have the whole messy business sorted out. One thing you can’t do is talk publicly about Bill Pearson’s involvement until I get to the bottom of it.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘The party would probably prefer you to keep quiet, but I know what I would do if the decision were left to me.’
‘Thank you, Mark.’
‘No one’s going to love you for it. But that has never stopped you in the past.’
When Defense Subcommittee Chairman Thomas Lee gaveled the hearing to order, Florentyna had already been in her seat for several minutes making notes. The radar satellite contract was the sixth item on the agenda and she did not speak on the first five items. When she looked toward the press table and the seats occupied by the public she could not avoid the smiling Don Short.
‘Item number six,’ said the chairman, stifling a slight yawn — each subject on the agenda was taking much too long in his opinion. ‘We must discuss today the three companies that have bid on the Navy’s missile project. The Defense Department’s Office of Procurement will make the final decision, but they are still waiting our considered opinion. Who would like to open the discussion?’
Florentyna raised her hand.
‘Congresswoman Kane.’
‘I have no particular preference, Mr. Chairman, between Boeing and Grumman, but under no circumstances could I support the Aerospace Plan bid.’ Don Short’s face turned ashen with disbelief.
‘Can you tell the committee why you feel so strongly against Aerospace Plan, Mrs. Kane?’
‘Certainly, Mr. Chairman. My reasons arise from a personal experience. Some weeks ago an employee of Aerospace Plan came to visit me in my offices in order to go over the reasons why his company should be awarded this contract. Later he attempted to bribe me with a check for twenty-four thousand three hundred dollars in exchange for my vote today. That man is now in this room and will no doubt have to answer to the courts for his actions later.’
When the chairman of the committee had finally brought the meeting back to order, Florentyna explained how the testimonial dinner had worked and she named Don Short as the man who had given her the money. She turned to look at him, but he had vanished. Florentyna continued her statement but avoided making any reference to Bill Pearson. She still considered that to be a party matter, but when she finished her story she couldn’t help noticing that two other members of the committee were as white as Don Short had been.
‘In view of this serious allegation made by my colleague, I intend to delay any decision on this item until a full inquiry has been carried out,’ Chairman Lee announced.
Florentyna thanked him and left for her office immediately. She walked down the corridor, surrounded by reporters, but made no reply to any of their insistent questions.
She talked to Richard on the phone that night and he warned her that the next few days were not going to be pleasant.
‘Why, Richard? I’ve only told the truth.’
‘I know. But now there are a group of people fighting for their lives on that committee and they only see you as the enemy, so you can forget the Marquis of Queensberry rules.’
When she read the papers the next morning, she found out exactly what Richard had meant.
‘Congresswoman Kane Accuses Aerospace Plan of Bribery,’ ran one headline, while another read, ‘Company Lobbyist Claims Member of Congress Took Money as Campaign Contribution.’ Once Florentyna had seen that most of the papers were running roughly the same story, she jumped out of bed, dressed quickly, went without breakfast and drove straight to the Capitol. When she reached her office she studied all the papers in detail, and without exception they all wanted to know where the $24,300 had disappeared. ‘And so do I,’ said Florentyna out loud. The headline in the Chicago Sun-Times was the most unfortunate: ‘Representative Kane Accuses Space Company of Bribery after Check Cashed.’ True, but misleading.
Richard called to say that Edward was already on his way down from New York and not to talk to the press until she had spoken with him. She would not have been able to in any case, because the FBI sent two senior agents to interview her at ten o’clock that morning.
In the presence of Edward and the Majority Leader, Florentyna made a complete statement. The FBI men asked her not to inform the press of Bill Pearson’s involvement until they had completed their own investigation. Once again, she reluctantly agreed.
During the day some members of the House went out of their way to congratulate her. Others conspicuously avoided her.
In the lead story in the Chicago Tribune that afternoon the paper wanted to know where the $24,300 had gone. They said it was their unfortunate duty to remind the public that Congresswoman Kane’s father had been tried and found guilty of bribery of a public official in the Chicago courts in 1962. Florentyna could almost hear Ralph Brooks calling from the State’s Attorney’s office to let them have all the salient details.
Edward helped Florentyna to keep her temper, and Richard flew down from New York every night to be with her. Three days and three nights passed while the papers kept the story running and Ralph Brooks made a statement from the State’s Attorney’s office saying: ‘Much as I admire Mrs. Kane and believe in her innocence, I feel it might be wise in the circumstances for her to step down from Congress until the FBI investigation is completed.’ It made Florentyna even more determined to stay put, especially when Mark Chadwick phoned to tell her not to give up. It could only be a matter of time before the guilty man was brought to justice.