“I did meet with him late Thursday, at the Hilton. My lawyer was also there. We were trying to find some middle ground, to cool off the attacks.”
“Did you make any progress?”
“We did, a little. That’s one more reason it was such a tragedy that he died. My last chance of helping the governor died with him.” More grief. Grief surrounded and pursued me like a cloud of mosquitoes. How could anyone live with it all?
Katie had her moments. She’d felt that same pesky grief, of course, but she had rallied, with my support. We’d been there for each other, Katie and Jason. Jill Abernathy helped the viewers to see what a strong and caring woman Mrs. Boyer was and how, with great effort, she was effortlessly adapting to her new place in life.
“How did you feel when you learned the truth about your father-in-law?” Jill asked.
“It was a shock,” Katie said. “But that wasn’t the whole truth about him. He was a complex man, and he shouldn’t be judged by just that one part. His foundation has done amazing things, and he was a very good and effective senator. It’s been so hard to go through all this. I wish it could have been done more quietly. We tried to keep it quiet. Not hidden, just quiet.”
I almost believed her. She was a much better actress than I. She may have even fooled Jill, that expert trained in falsifying sincerity.
Bill asked about our plans. I said we wanted to expand the foundation’s work, and I mentioned Nathan Kern by name. Such a gifted man! I expressed hope that the investigations would quickly be concluded, to bring this painful chapter to an end. We would all sleep easier when the killer was brought to justice and Melvin and Angela, and also Clinton Grainger, would rest in peace. And everyone in the state would benefit from a good housecleaning in the statehouse.
Did I have any political plans myself?
Ha, ha, I was quite busy enough at the moment just keeping my head above water.
“He’d make a wonderful congressman or senator,” the wife quipped.
I laughed. “You better cut that, Stan,” I said to the camera. “We don’t want to start any rumors.”
“You would, though,” Katie said. Meaning, she would love to be a senator’s wife. With her expertise in spending other people’s money, she’d actually be a great senator herself.
And speaking of senators, how did we feel about Bob’s comments of the night before?
“I was surprised,” I said. “We’ve only met a few times, and I’ve only spoken with him once recently.”
“Will you be meeting with Senator Forrester again?” This question had been discussed beforehand.
“Yes, actually. Katie and I will be visiting with him this evening, at his request. I hope we can have some reasoned discussion. The last thing we need just now is more hot tempers and baseless accusations.”
Then finally the wrap-up, thank you so much, it’s been so interesting. Friendly but not too syrupy-this is an independent news organization of course, not a propaganda machine. How weary I was getting of lies.
The cameras and lights turned off, and so did Bill and Jill. Maybe they were just machines, too. We said good-bye.
“And good riddance,” I said. The trucks had left us to go to their next crime scene.
“I thought it was fun,” Katie said. “And you could be senator if you wanted.”
“We already have two.”
“Well, I don’t like the one we’re meeting with this evening.”
In the front hall I met Prince Charming, here to pick up his fairy godmother, to be made ready for the ball.
“How was the interview?” Eric asked.
“You can see it tonight.”
“We’ll be at dinner.”
“You’re in charge of recording it,” I said. “We’ll watch it when we get back.”
“Okay.” Eric was now officially interested in politics, particularly the personal connections he was about to make. “So what are you going to talk about tonight?”
“I want Big Bob to know who’s in charge, and that it’s not him.”
“It’s you?”
“In my opinion, yes.”
He smiled. “All right.”
I saw big thoughts bouncing around inside his head, possibly knocking other things off shelves or breaking furniture. “I’ve thought of what Rule 94 was supposed to be. Whenever I actually tell you the truth about something, don’t ever tell it to anyone else.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
He left on his mission. So what were we going to talk about tonight? I played the senator’s comments through my mind, back and forth, and the more I did, the more riled I got. It wasn’t the ends, of trying to gain control over his own destiny, but his means. To sternly advise me to keep out of politics, when it was Boyer power that put him on his pedestal in the first place-that was unnecessary roughness.
My instinct was to pulverize him. Bright had been practice, but not a challenge. This would be the real thing.
And from where had this instinct sprung? It was pure Melvin, although the old man wouldn’t have been hasty. But he’d built the edifice stone by stone. I was trying to keep it from falling over, and I couldn’t be cautious. I had to maintain my nasty attitude. I called Fred.
“I’m trying to get in the mood for our dinner with the senator,” I said. “I was going to get a flyswatter but I can’t find any flies.”
“Tonight you’ll be in a beehive. Be careful what you swat.”
“Tell me specifically how Forrester could sting me.”
“Just because he has no organization doesn’t mean he can’t build one. He has money and friends with money. Clinton Grainger is gone but there are other organizers who could put the governor’s organization back together for someone else. Forrester couldn’t match your machine in just three years, but he could become competitive.”
“I don’t think he has the personality.”
“A good campaign staff can compensate for that, somewhat. And do you have a better personality?”
“Slightly. And I have unions and lots of employees. You don’t need personality when you sign paychecks.”
“He has his office as senator. He can continue to attack your youth and inexperience, and the media will broadcast his message. Stan Morton can downplay it, but he’ll still have to report what a senator is saying. He can’t ignore it.”
“Okay. But I can get my message out just as well.”
“That is true, but this is not the time. Take care of the state government first. It will take all your attention to hold it together.”
“I still have to do something tonight.”
“Negotiate. Neither of you wants a battle.”
Might as well just say it. “Both of us want that Senate seat.” There, I’d said it.
“Then this is what you should do. First, blackmail Forrester into resigning. Second, bribe Bright to appoint you to the vacant seat. But do it quickly, before he goes to prison. Third, have a new birth certificate forged to add two years onto your age. As an alternative to the third step, you could have the Constitution amended to lower the minimum age for senators.” He was highly exasperated. “Or you could just wait a little while.”
“Where do I get the forged birth certificate?” I said.
“When you are in prison for the bribery and blackmail, I’m sure you will make many new friends who can help you with that. Perhaps you can share a cell with the governor, and he can introduce you.”
“I’ll be patient, Fred.”
“Good. That may be the first intelligent thing you’ve said.”
“It took a lot of effort.”
“But now you will need to be rational for an entire evening.”
“I won’t promise, Fred. The senator was a little too pointed yesterday evening. He deserves a jab.”
