Capitol Offense (Texas Heroines in Peril) (7 page)

Jim's lake house was only a short drive from
Austin, but they would not be able to get there until three o'clock
Saturday afternoon because of Jim's busy schedule.

The McNallys, Jim and Lacy made the trip in
McNally's Mercedes. It was a miserable trip. McNally's car air
conditioner went out, and it was a sultry, humid day. They opened
the windows. Waves of warm breezes kept them comfortable—and ruined
her hair. The sun-baked local terrain seemed to amplify their
sensation of roasting. The once green roadside grass was
bleached straw color now by the blistering sun. Pieces of broken
glass along the roadside caught the sun's rays and cast back
piercing reflections.

Lacy was totally impressed with her first
glimpse inside the house. Situated on a hillside fronting the lake,
the house had few rooms, but they were each huge, open spaces with
soaring ceilings. A glass wall facing the lake gave on to a
red  flagstone terrace which ran the length of the house. The
terrace, a series of descending platforms, eventually reached the
lake and boat dock.

The small party was greeted by a maid Jim
introduced as Flo. Jim asked her to prepare the McNallys a drink
while he showed Lacy the house.

He guided Lacy through the
three bedroom house, explaining that the first bedroom, one
with an accompanying study, was his. The middle room had been his
wife's. He merely let Lacy look into the room from the hallway and
quickly shut the door, explaining that she could look over the room
later, since that was where she would sleep. The third room was the
guest room where the McNallys would sleep.

He concluded the tour in the sprawling
living room where they were reunited with the McNallys, who sat in
a shady spot in the large room, sipping margaritas. Just as Lacy
and Jim settled on the L-shaped sofa, Flo appeared with two more
margaritas.

This room completely captured Lacy's
attention. It ran the length of the lake side of the house. From
any point in the room, majestic views of the lake dominated. Next
to the view, Lacy liked the way the architect reflected the rustic
charm of the hill country in this room. It radiated a ranchy
quality in its exposed beam cathedral ceilings and forged-iron
light fixtures. The elegance of a baby grand piano, which occupied
one end of the long room, clashed with the earthiness the architect
had achieved.

Lacy's eyes rested on the piano. "Do you
play, Jim?"

"No, Ruth did."

They sat silent for a moment.

Jim broke the chill. "I guess we're all
tired and sticky. Why don't we go to our rooms and wash up and
rest? I'll get Flo to help you with your things, Lacy," Jim said as
he started for the kitchen. "Can you find the room okay?"

Lacy laughed. "I think so, even if I didn't
bring my Girl Scout compass." She found the room incompatible with
the picture of Ruth Chambers that had been painted by her husband.
Lacy had not really known Mrs. Chambers. It was widely repeated
that Mrs. Chambers did not care for living in the lieutenant
governor's apartment adjacent to the Senate chambers in the Capitol
building. She had spent a great deal of her time here at her lake
retreat.

The room was utterly feminine and homey. The
room's white iron bed featured the sturdy look of an antique
hospital bed. No lacy iron work for her. The bedside table of white
enamel evoked something from an old doctor's office. All the linens
were white.

A built in bookcase near the window
caught Lacy's eye. She walked over to it and examined some of the
volumes. Lacy was surprised at Ruth Chambers' taste. Most of the
books were collections of poetry, not deep or metaphysical, but
mostly ballads and light romantic poems by unknown poets. Many of
them were nicely bound first editions, many of them privately
published and autographed by the authors. Amidst these books Lacy
was pleased to spot a slim volume of East Texas folklore. It was
written by E. Donald Blair, Lacy's father.

Flo entered the room, after a short rap on
the door, announcing "Ma'am, I'll draw your bath." She disappeared
into the adjoining bathroom.

Lacy nodded as she rummaged through her
suitcase for her terry cloth robe. Flo reentered the room. "Honey,
let me unpack for you." She opened the door to the empty closet.
"I'll hang your things up in here and iron anything that needs
it."

"Oh, I'm sure that won't be necessary.
They've been packed scarcely two hours." Lacy wanted to get Flo's
impressions of the unfortunate Mrs. Chambers. "Was this Mrs.
Chambers' room?" She knew full well it was.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I understand she spent a good deal of time
here."

Flo stopped hanging clothes. The blouse she
had been hanging she now clutched to her breast. Her gaze seemed
fixed on a far away object. Almost as if she were thinking
aloud, she began, "She loved it here. She'd sit out on the terrace
for hours, just readin' and writin'. And she'd work in her
garden  it's all gone now. I had meant to keep it up for
her, but it takes more time and knowhow than I got. She was always
takin' in stray pets. I think her biggest disappointment in life
was not havin' any youngins." Flo put the blouse on its hanger.

"You were very fond or her, weren't
you?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am. She was a kind lady. She
loved to cook, and she'd work right along side of me in the
kitchen. She taught me more 'bout cookin' than my own mama. Yes,"
she said thoughtfully, "she was a whole lot different from her
husband. They was sure a strange couple. She was always so happy
until he would come home. Then she be in kinda bad mood. And I'll
tell you, girl, when he was here I always had two beds to
make."

"Are any of Mrs. Chambers' things still
here?"

"No, Mr. Chambers boxed 'em all up himself.
Her clothes, photographs and writings  she wrote poetry,
you know."

"No, I didn't."

"Well, not many people did. She wrote under
one of them pen names."

"I'd love to see some of her work. Is any
here?"

"Not that I know of. Mr. Chambers carted it
all off. He got rid of all of it."

"What did he do with it?"

"Well, I'll tell you that man's a strange
one. He must have taken her death pretty hard, 'cause he took
everything she owned way out to the back of the place and burned
'em. If you asks me, it served him right if he grieved her so bad,
'cause he didn't treat her too lovingly when she was alive."

"You said she published a book. What was her
pen name?"

"Let me see. What was it? Laura. Laura...I
don't remember the last name. Something like Windsong, but I just
don't remember."

"Do you remember who published it?"

"All I knows is she paid for it herself.
Seems like she had about 300 copies made. She belonged to a poetry
club and exchanged books with other members. We was always getting
them little books in the mail."

She went to the connecting bathroom. "Your
bath be ready, ma'am, and I'd better get back to the kitchen."

Lacy had removed her shoes and jewelry.
"Thank you, Flo."

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you Mr.
Chambers said he's going to personally barbecue steaks tonight, and
he really knows how to barbecue. He said to come down to the
terrace 'bout six o'clock."

Once she was alone in the room, Lacy slipped
out of her clothes and got into the bath. She desperately needed to
shampoo and blow dry her hair after their windy car ride.

Following the bath, she donned her
terrycloth robe, and blew her hair dry, then found her mystery
novel, which Flo had thoughtfully placed on the nightstand.

She opened the drapes, filling the room with
sunlight. Not another house could be seen.

She curled up on the bed, read the remaining
chapters of her book and dozed off. When she awoke, hands on the
bedside clock pointed to five fifty. Lacy from the bed,
retrieving her makeup bag on the way to the bathroom. Hurriedly,
she applied her makeup, ran a brush through her hair, and
dressed.

At six o'clock straight up, she nonchalantly
strolled on to the terrace.

"Have a nice rest?" Jim asked her.

"Yes. So nice, in fact, that I nearly didn't
make it here  I just woke up."

"If this is the way you look when you wake
up, I know I'm going to have a great wife," he said as he handed
her a margarita.

Lacy sniffed the air in an exaggerated
fashion. "Flo was certainly right about your barbecue, Jim. It
smells fantastic. I don't think I'll be able to wait."

"You've still got half an hour of margaritas
before you're ready for Big Jim's treat."

"Our poor stomachs are already churning."
Lacy selected a seat by the McNallys.

Vivian McNally wore a turquoise cotton sun
top and floral skirt. She had miraculously repaired the damage to
her hair. She smelled of a light floral scent and looked as if she
had spent the entire day in a beauty shop.

McNally soon left his wife and Lacy to chat
with Jim.

"This is the first time we've been here
since dear Ruth's death," Vivian said. "We were here the weekend
before her death  poor thing." She paused, just as Flo
had done when recounting long stored memories of Ruth
Chambers.

"Did you know her well?" Lacy asked.

"I don't think anyone knew her well. She was
sort of...well sort of queer. Very quiet. Of course it struck me as
odd that she didn't care anything for the public life. Most women,
you must admit, find it glamorous. But Ruth hated it, I do
believe."

"Would you know,.." Lacy stammered, "if they
were happily married?"

"I suppose they were in their own way. After
all you couldn't live with a man far ten years and not love him.
But it was a strange match. Jim's so gregarious, and she was such
an introvert. I think he would have been happier with someone
better suited for him—someone like yourself  but, to my
knowledge, he never fooled around with other women."

Maybe not physically. But he had lusted for
another woman, Lacy thought.

"By the way, Lacy, I haven't had the
opportunity to congratulate you on your engagement. Richard and I
both think it's a great match. Also, the family image is so much
better for Jim's career than the dashing bachelor one."

Lacy smiled. "I certainly hope there are
other reasons than that for the marriage."

"Oh, I didn't mean it to sound like that. As
a matter of fact, Richard says Jim is absolutely crazy over
you."

Lacy looked into her lap. She could not meet
Vivian's eyes. "I'm crazy about him, too," she mumbled.

"How do you like it here?" Vivian asked.

"I love it. I hate to sound
anti social, but it's so wonderfully isolated."

"I don't think it's anti social to want
to get away from civilization for awhile. You've got to unwind from
the pressures of this highly mechanized society."

"You and Richard have a weekend place, too,
don't you?"

Vivian nodded. "That's why I know what it is
to be wonderfully isolated. Our hideaway down on the gulf is more
isolated than this. Our closest neighbor is a mile away, and we
have no phone. Rich and I go there and forget there's an outside
world.

"When we're there, there's just the two of
us on the earth..." she trailed off, as if she were afraid she
would reveal too much of her inner self.

Shortly before dinner Flo pushed a serving
cart onto the terrace and unloaded a big salad, Texas toast,
dishes, silverware, napkins and condiments onto one of the
glass topped wrought iron tables.

Jim put his arm on Flo's shoulder. "My
steaks without Flo's trimmings would be like spaghetti without the
meatballs." He looked down at his beaming housekeeper. "Thanks a
lot, Flo."

"Just doin' my job, Mr. Chambers."

"I'd like to take her back to Austin with
me," Lacy said.

Flo had a smile on her face as she returned
to the house.

"She'll be yours to command soon enough,"
Jim said. "Just think. Mrs. Lacy Chambers. How does that
sound?"

"Very nice," Lacy said, placing the
inflection on very.

In spite of the flies buzzing around them,
they ate until dark. When the mosquitoes came out, they moved into
the living room.

Jim mixed another round or drinks, then
asked if anyone could play the piano.

Both McNallys shook their heads. After a
long pause, Lacy said, "I play a little. Despite four years of
piano lessons, I still play poorly."

"Let's have a sing along," Jim said.

Lacy took a seat on the piano bench and was
surprised there was no sheet music. Had he burned it, too? Jim came
to sit beside her as Richard claimed his wife's hand.

With the four of them
gathered around the piano, Jim quickly made a request. "Since we're
all UT grads, can you start with
The Eyes
of Texas
?"

She obliged, and they all sang.

His next request
was
Dixie
.

She followed by
playing
You Can't Always Get What You
Want
.

By the time they gone through a dozen songs,
they were giggling like junior high girls at a slumber party. Hands
still clasped, the McNallys were exchanging lovesick glances with
one another.

The foursome returned to the sofa to watch
the last of the day's sunset over the shimmering lake. They spoke
of the governor's race and sipped drinks until midnight when Jim
suggested the ladies retire. "You girls must be dead tired. Rich
and I have some things to talk over, but y'all better saw some
logs. C'mon, Lacy, I'll walk you to your room."

The hallway lights were dim. When they
reached Lacy's door Jim took her in his arms. He stood there
holding her tightly for what seemed to Lacy like ten minutes. At
last, he kissed her. It was long and very tender. And she wished
she were kissing Mike. Why had she let herself get into this
situation with Jim? She was filled with self loathing.