insistent.
At that point, McCreavy went to her desk drawer, removed a pistol from it, and with a sobbed, 'Oh, Willi, I never stopped loving you,' placed the pistol to her own head.
* * *
Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia
The news traveled around the floor like wildfire. Juani could not at first believe it. She came to believe it, though, when a representative from Massachusetts, a woman, walked up to her and, first spitting on Juani's face, announced, 'So it wasn't enough to drive her from office and ruin everything she's done for the people. You Texan bastards had to kill her, too, just like you did JFK.'
Putting a restraining hand up to prevent Jack from flattening the Yankee, woman or not, Juani just shook her head in negation.
'It's all over the news. The President is dead and one of you Texas rednecks killed her.'
Juani didn't, couldn't, make a verbal answer. She turned to Jack and pleaded, 'Please take me to my hotel room.'
Epilogue:
I
'Well, what did you expect to come out of the convention, Juani? Some utopian dream of truth and justice?'
The governor glared at Schmidt, at her side as he had been every day since the attack on her family. She glared, and then relented.
'I don't know what I expected, Jack. Something better. Something that had a better
'If she'd lived she would have been a thorn in our side, true, Juani. Dead, the bitch is a dagger. Frankly it has me worried. The new President is likely to win reelection by hanging on to Willi's spiritual coattails. And he is, if anything, even less principled than she was. He might be smarter, too. Worries me.'
Changing the subject, Juanita asked, 'Is there any word from Elpidia?'
Schmidt hesitated before answering. Finally, reluctantly, he said, 'She made it through all right, I know that much. But she's not coming back here. She can't face you. She won't.'
'Poor girl,' muttered Juani. 'As if I would blame her for anything that's happened.'
'You don't have to blame her, Juani. She blames herself enough.'
* * *
II
Elpi had never flown before, other than that once in the helicopter with Charlesworth. She was looking forward to the experience no more than she had wanted to fly with Charlesworth; which is to say, not at all.
She'd had no money of her own, but Minh had loaned her a fair amount. Well, he'd called it a loan to preserve the girl's meager self-respect. It had been intended as a gift, though, one Minh was pleased to make.
Minh had also made a phone call to a friend in a different country, asking for someone to meet her at the other end of the trip, see to setting her up, show her the ropes.
Minh understood that sometimes one just had to leave and start afresh.
Elpi wanted that, a fresh start someplace new. There were too many memories, too many harsh memories, in Texas for her ever to hope to be able to stay there.
Minh's ears caught the tiny sound. He squeezed her shoulder once, for assurance, and then again, for luck. 'You'll do fine, girl. A fresh start somewhere new is all you need.'
Elpi smiled her thanks and relaxed slightly. 'You'll tell the governor?'
'Yes, surely. She'll understand but I think she may be hurt you didn't come back.'
'Maybe,' answered the girl. 'But she'd be hurt worse if I did come back.'
'You might be right,' said Minh. 'In any case, that door will stay open, I think.'
'Yes . . . I hope maybe someday . . .'
An unseen speaker interrupted Elpidia's sentence. 'Continental Airlines Flight 888, nonstop Hobby Field to Tocumen airport, Panama is now boarding. . . .'
Elpi turned to the even smaller Vietnamese man. 'Good-bye, Colonel. And thank you.'
Minh merely smiled in his subtle Asian way. 'Never mind, young lady. Just make a better life for yourself.'
* * *
