Shadows and Lies (14 page)

Becky placed her hand on his cheek. "You're sweet, Danny. But I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I don't understand," he managed to say. "I thought..."

"I know. Maybe we shouldn't have done anything, you know? But Danny, if we go out, then that's that. You'll soon be just another ex-boyfriend and you know what I think of my old boyfriends. This way we stay friends with one wonderful night together to remember. That's better." A horn sounded. "Got to go," she said. "You keep being just like you are. You're perfect."

Powers watched her climb into a convertible and drive off with one of the sweatered boys from the country club. He'd never been, and would never again be, so sick at heart except for the winter day he buried his wife and son.

~

The taxi dropped Powers at O and 27th Streets, five blocks from the brownstone. He worked to shake a tail he couldn't locate. Shanken was right about something else. He was rusty. Of course, as a cop he had been the one doing the following. It wasn't often he had the tables turned on him. If it was only Shanken or Lily they knew about the brownstone anyway and there was no point. His concern was the others his actions had drawn.

He spent 40 minutes at it and satisfied he had done as competent a job as possible approached the brownstone from the north side then let himself in. He didn't know how long he'd have to wait so he rummaged through the refrigerator and prepared a plate of cold cuts. He turned the television to CNN while he ate and sipped a Beck's beer. The news was grim.

It was Bobby Batista with her lazy eye, talking somberly. "...return to our lead story. In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein has announced the execution of Captain Clifton Moorehead, one of the downed American airman who has been held captive since last May. Iraqi spokesman, Mr. Taysir Kemal, stated that Captain Moorehead was killed in self-defense for the aggressive actions of American air forces in the Gulf, which he said were routinely violating Iraqi air space. In the statement, Mr. Kemal said that any further provocation will result in more executions of those airmen held prisoner.

"President Tufts is expected to make a statement in about twenty minutes. We'll cover that live. Condemnation of the Iraqi action has come from heads-of-state around the world, but nowhere more passionately that from Mrs. Jeffrey Wolf, wife of the pilot of the B-52 shot down last May, the same plane on which Captain Moorehead served." The camera cut to the obviously angry and distraught woman, standing under an umbrella, reading from a prepared text. He turned off the television.

Powers was willing to admit both Karp and Shanken had another point. This was no time for the President to be subject to outside influence, no matter how much he had contributed to his own problems. He didn't envy the man with the decisions he was being forced to make.

Powers left the plate and beer unfinished as he stretched out on the couch. His side ached from his fall the night before and somehow he'd managed to bang his left elbow good. It hurt every time he extended his arm. All in all, not bad, considering the alternative. He was sound asleep when Becky Tufts woke him up. The failing light was the color of pewter and the First Lady was turning on the lamps.

"You look tired," she said slipping out of her wet raincoat. Powers could hear the wind blowing outside and rain beating on the windows. He sat up and rubbed his eyes as she removed her old lady glasses, head scarf and black wig. "How ridiculous am I?" she asked.

"No sillier than a circus clown. I guess you've been forced to get a lot of practice at it."

"Whenever I come here. I told Alta to wait in the car. Are you all right? I heard what happened. I think you've got a black eye in the making. Just like when you were a football star."

"I've done inventory. I'm fine."

"Shall I make coffee?"

"Yes. Please. I heard about Captain Moorehead before I dozed off."

She looked stricken as she entered the kitchen. "Wasn't that just terrible?" she called out. "They displayed his body for the cameras and now we hear they have dragged him through the streets. That will be on the news any minute now. Those people are just animals!"

Powers went to the kitchen door. "I'm sorry to have bothered you at a time like this but my assumption is that what I'm doing is even more urgent than before."

"Yes, absolutely." She was measuring coffee into a beige paper filter. "Like I said last night, I wish this could have been wrapped up then. The longer it takes the more concerned I am." Becky returned to the living room, sat down and lit a cigarette. He took a seat across from her. "I'm flying to New York tonight," she said. "I'll visit the empty convention hall for a late night run through of my speech, then attend fundraisers tomorrow morning. After that, a nap and finally the big moment. I'm supposed to be memorizing right now. I want you to know I took your call seriously."

It didn't appear as if the First Lady had slept the night before. She had developed a very slight tick beside her left eye since Powers had last seen her, and she was smoking compulsively. But more than that she was visibly frightened.

"I'm reporting directly to you what has taken place since we last spoke," he began. "When I got to Julie Marei's apartment I found it had been searched and every paper of potential help to me taken. There were many expensive items left behind, so robbery was not a motive. There had obviously been a struggle. There was blood in the living room, quite a bit of it as well as in the hallway and bathroom. There was no body. The search was messy but thorough. There were no private tapes. I did find a camcorder on a tripod in her closet. I searched carefully and could find no sign of a hidden surveillance system. I also viewed a portion of the tape you received yesterday."

Her face whitened. "Oh God. I wish you hadn't done that."

"It was necessary. He was playing to the camera."

"You're telling me my husband
knew
he was being taped?"

"I can't see any other conclusion. If you're able to watch the tape all the way through it's obvious enough."

“That bastard!"

"I don't want to be out of line here, Becky, and I know that it’s off point, but why have you stayed with him?" The question had been on his mind since he first saw her at the White House.

"I told you. I compromised."

Powers looked at her as if the thought were incomprehensible. "You deserve better."

"I'm touched you think so. I know plenty who'd tell you I got just what I deserve. But I’ll tell you this, I've learned that power is a cold lover."

"It's not essential to what I'm doing, but can you tell me why your husband would tape himself in such a compromising situation? I find it utterly without logic."

She snorted. "That's because you don't know him. He's a risk taker. His parents were alcoholics and he was raised in emotional chaos. That's what the psychiatrist I consulted told me. He never feels that anything is normal unless it’s in danger of falling apart. I think he's addicted to the adrenaline rush as well. He needs it like a junky. I just wish I'd figured all this out before I married him." She took a long pull on the cigarette. "You know what I really regret?"

"No."

"Not having children. When I said we were thinking about adopting, people acted like it was a political ploy. I guess for my husband it was. They were running dailies to see if I should adopt a minority or one with a disability. The plain truth was, I just wanted a baby."

Powers cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I've more bad news. A neighbor of Julie's, Yvette Dorat, saw the apartment with me. She was murdered last night." Becky sucked air and shuddered. "Julie's parents were murdered as well, in New York, sometime last night."

"My God," Becky whispered. "First the attack on you, and now this. What's going on?"

"I wish I knew. I'm hoping you can shed some light for me. Did Alta tell you about my talk with Dorat?"

"Not that I recall. She told me it appeared that Marei had been stabbed and was probably dead. The tapes we needed were gone and the ones she took were all clear."

"Martin Karp talked to me after I first saw the apartment. Did he mention it to you?"

Becky lit another cigarette with the tip of the one she had finished. "Yes, he did. I was very upset with him. I said I would take care of this, that it was important no one from the White House be directly involved. He said he understood. I've known Marty a long time. I trust him, so I don't think his interest is anything you should be concerned about. He's just looking out for me and the President."

"Something's been bothering me, Becky. Alta is the only one I told about Dorat."

"What are you suggesting? Alta would have nothing to do with something like that. Whoever did attack... that woman... was likely keeping an eye on her apartment and now they're on to you. They are probably the same people who killed the others and tried to kill you. It looks to me like someone is cleaning up loose ends."

"All right. On another subject, Shanken is dogging me. Can you get him off? Him and Lily?"

"It was Lily who saved your life."

"I'm not unappreciative, but they are following me and I don't like it. I want them called off."

"You're not suggesting..."

"I'm suggesting nothing. I just want them gone."

"I'll see to it," she said reluctantly. "But after last night I’d think you'd see you need protection. We already know that others are watching you. Are you really certain you don't want someone covering you? Chesty is very good at that sort of thing. Remember, you
were
almost killed."

"I'm sure. Frankly, Becky, I don't trust either Karp, Shanken or Lily. I think you should reconsider your faith in them."

The First Lady looked startled. "Danny, it's very hard as it is to know who to trust these days. I've got to trust
someone
. I can't live in a vacuum, fearful of every person I deal with. I think you're being too hard on both of them. I don't defend their manner, I know it can be harsh at times, but Chesty has always been loyal to us and Karp is one of my dearest friends. Keep an open mind, please. There are plenty of bad people around who can account for what is happening without your turning on those I know we can trust. I think you've already seen the proof of that."

Powers could smell the coffee so he went into the kitchen and poured them each a large cup. He guessed right. She took it black. As he sat back down Becky said, "Alta told me to tell you that she doesn't know where my husband was late Saturday night. What she does know is that he wasn't where the White House log says he was. Does that mean what I think it does?"

He gave her the cop look. "You tell me."

Becky slumped in the couch, looking exhausted, as if the strain was about to break her. She closed her eyes momentarily. The tic was in overdrive. "This is my worst nightmare. I knew how obsessed my husband was with that woman. I should have told you. You can only imagine what it’s been like for me these last two years. I don't think in my life I've ever felt so low. I was forced to watch that obsession grow, unable to do anything about it. Don't think I didn't try. You suspect Dick went to see Marei Saturday night, don't you? Things got out of hand and he killed her. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"

"It's a possibility."

"If that's true than he's running a plan of his own, separate from me, and is having everyone who knew anything about it taken care of. My God. I just can't believe this. Could that possibly be it?"

"Is he able to have the other killings done?"

Becky laughed harshly. "Of course. There are people who salivate for the chance to do favors like this. The real problem is holding them in check. I just don't want to believe that's what he's come to."

"What about Lily?"

"I don't know. I've only seen him a time or two and, until I learned he'd saved your life, I didn't like what I saw. Maybe, I guess. His background is shadowy. But I understand he works for or with Chesty, something like that, and Chesty's no killer. He's a little crude sometimes but he's a problem solver, not an assassin." She lit another cigarette. "Danny, I'm sorry I ever got you involved in this. If what I fear is what's going on then you’re in grave danger. I wouldn't fault you one second if you just walked away from it all."

"I appreciate that, but frankly I think it's already too late. Whoever is closing off loose ends, if that's what this is, will certainly figure I know too much. If it's your husband's men, don't think for an instant they'd let me leave. If it is them, I just wish I knew what the hell they were after, that they can't get themselves. My best bet, if I want to stay alive, is to see this through."

Becky shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry. So very sorry." She drew a short breath then coughed into her balled hand. "What other possibilities are there?"

"Any number. None of them good but from your personal perspective they are preferable. I'll give Shanken and Karp that much. The main thing I want to convey to you, and my primary reason for seeing you today, is that I now have reason to believe Julie Marei is
not
dead." Becky's eyes grew wide. "I believe she was seriously injured and received medical treatment. I think her life is in danger, obviously. If I'm right she's in hiding somewhere. It is very likely she took any remaining incriminating tapes with her. It is still likely that those tapes are not out of her control, not this early."