Solomon's Eagle by Andrew Stanek

Author:Andrew Stanek
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers
Publisher: Andrew Stanek
Published: 2019-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

We were shown into Senator Davila’s office, also in Downtown Sacramento, about half an hour later. Unlike Senator Hampton’s campaign headquarters, which had been bustling and bursting with energy, Senator Davila’s office was muted and quiet. We hardly saw anyone on the way in. The actual inside of Davila’s office was dark - the lights were so low, you could barely see anything. The office was fairly large and surprisingly untidy, with books and papers littering several vacant desks and tables. Furniture was strewn across the room chaotically, like a tempest had swept through her office. As we entered, the lights brightened slightly. At first, I thought we were there alone. Then, finally, I saw at one of the untidy desks in the center of the room a withered, emaciated woman with sallow skin and bony cheeks, her hair thinning and her face sickly. She clutched a book in her hands, her eyes flicking over it. As we approached, she set the book aside.

I read the title, obscured by black dust. It was Two Treatises on Government, which she placed on top of a ruffled copy of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

“John Locke,” I said, observing Two Treatises. “From the looks of where you are, you’re well into the second treatise.”

Senator Davila nodded her balding head slowly.

“Gentlemen,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m simply preparing for my upcoming debate with Senator Hampton. Locke was among the first to argue that the sole legitimate source of the authority of government was the consent of the people, and that democracy was therefore the only legitimate government. In advocating electoral democracy, though, Locke brought forth a contradiction. He says in the second treatise that the only legitimate government is one that has the consent of the people, and it therefore follows we have government by election. However, if the election is competitive, someone must lose this election. What about the people who voted against the government? How can the government legitimately govern those who did not vote for it - those who never gave their consent to the authority of the state? I have to resolve this contradiction if I am to advocate reconciliation between the parties at the debate next month. Let us set that aside for the moment, though. Please, sit.”

Pierce and I sat, and I got my first good look at Davila.

I’m going to be honest about this: she looked bad, like she was dying. I could have believed she would never make it to the debate stage with Hampton, much less run for office, and I already knew it wasn’t going to look good, putting this dying, skeletal Senator who was never elected next to the booming, purple-suited Hampton.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Senator,” I said. “I’m Detective Mark August and this is Officer Anthony Pierce.”

“Lydia Davila,” she said. “How may I help you?”

“When you were the Democratic Secretary of State, you were in charge of administering state elections, correct?” I said.

“I was,” she said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.