Shadows and Lies (25 page)

“
Mere de Dieu!
”

“It’s all right, Julie. I understand why you are so afraid of me, but there is no reason. I’m not here to harm you.”

Her grey eyes bleached to the color of ash. "It was
her
! His wife! She attacked me!
Mon Dieu
, you are going to kill me, aren't you?"

“No.” He paused then said, “But I was sent to find you so someone else could.”

            
 
TWENTY

Seven Fountains, 10:09 p.m.

“It came apart Saturday night,” Marei said in a monotone 20 minutes later. It had taken that long to calm her down enough to speak. “Can you believe that was only three days ago? Dick was in a vindictive mood and complained constantly about his wife. He was drunk and rambling about divorcing her once he was reelected. I tried to talk him out of it. He said I could move into the White House then, wouldn’t I like that? I told him he was talking crazy. Because of his drinking it was a difficult night sexually for him, but it turned out all right, better than all right actually, and he left in high spirits. Perhaps two hours after he left,
she
arrived. I was shocked. That had never happened before and I had never seen her in person. She was made up, expensive perfume, clinging clothes, very
chic
. I thought she was going somewhere special and had stopped to see me on the way.”

Marei’s eyes dropped and she struggled to keep awake but they were near the end of it. “Go ahead,” he said.

“She told me she knew her husband saw me, that he had been with me earlier that night. She said she didn’t care, they had worked this out many years before. She hoped we could be friends. Her manner was nothing like I expected and I found it... unsettling. I remember thinking for just an instant that she was crazy. When she asked for a glass of wine and smiled at me a certain way, I realized she was dressed to see
me
.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Americans. I often wonder how you manage. She was
seducing
me. You see now?”

“You’re certain?”

Marei made a distinctly Gallic gesture with her mouth and said, “A woman knows when she’s being seduced whether it’s by a man, woman or couple. You understand what I’m telling you about what was taking place that night?”

“I’m not sure I do.”

“It’s a very feminine thing. A man might seduce the wife of an enemy to get revenge, so could a woman seduce a husband, but a woman like her... She wanted to have me too, you see? I think what she was really after was to steal me away. What better revenge? It isn’t the first time a lesbian made the attempt, but I’d never experienced anything like that before.” Marei lit a fresh cigarette. “I made it clear I had no interest in her sexually and asked her to leave. She became angry. I think I was too sudden... that’s not it... abrupt... that’s the word. She called me a slut, that was the word, slut. Since that night I have had much time to remember what happened. I think a lot of things about it. I do believe she is insane. I even think I know why. On Saturday, though, she was jealous that her husband found me fulfilling. She couldn’t deal with it for some reason. She said I wasn’t to see him again. I was feeling, what’s the word? Proud? Haughty, I think that’s it. I told her she couldn’t keep me from seeing him. He was the President and could do what he wanted. It wasn’t very smart of me, I can see now. If she couldn’t take me away from him, or drive me away, then...” She closed her eyes and for a moment Powers believed she had fallen asleep. She resumed speaking without opening her eyelids.

“She stormed into the little kitchen, shouting at me. I couldn’t understand her words. Then, without warning, she came at me with a butcher knife! I was so shocked I didn’t react at first. It all happened so fast I don’t remember much of it. She was screaming and slashing at me. I was trying to keep the knife away from me and fought her off with my hands and arms. She was a maniac and just kept slicing at me. Finally she stabbed me here,” the woman opened her eyes and gestured towards her abdomen. “The knife went in so deeply, she looked so satisfied, I thought I was dead. I collapsed from the shock and lay there thinking I was bleeding to death. I didn’t move, or beg. I was trying to comprehend what was happening to me, trying to accept my death. And I must have looked as if I was dead. She thought I was because she didn’t stab me again. She stood there breathing heavily, muttering to herself words I couldn’t understand. It was very quiet. I could hear my heart and feel the blood gushing out of me.

“Then that vile little dark haired woman with the ugly glasses came in. They talked in whispers about what had happened. Dick’s wife became hysterical and started sobbing. She was quite out of her mind. Then that person slapped her repeatedly. She struck her very hard, like a man might. She told her again and again that she’d take care of it, that everything was going to be fine. I was just some... whore and no one would ever miss me. I don’t remember much after that. I was frightened the evil woman would slit my throat just to be certain I was really dead. But she didn’t. She grabbed my hair, lifted my head up and stared at my face. I didn’t move, or breathe. I’ve never been so frightened. Then she just let my head drop. She took Dick’s wife out of the apartment but I knew I didn’t have long. Someone was going to be back for me, and even if I was still alive by then, I didn’t think I would be very long after that. I did the best I could to stop the bleeding then got out. You know the rest. I drove to my uncle’s and he saved my life. I was able to drive myself here. I don’t know how.” Her voice drifted off. With this last she fell asleep.

Outside the wind and rain continued. Powers covered the young woman with the blanket and turned out the lights. He moved a Shaker straight-back chair beside a kitchen table and turned it facing the front door where he had a view into the darkness of the storm. He finished a pack of cigarettes by the time his mind exhausted itself.

Just before midnight the cell phone rang. Powers answered on the first ring. It was Carmine. He listened without commenting, then thanked the man. Afterwards, with the heavy duty flashlight he began a systematic search of the cabin. Marei was so deeply asleep he knew he couldn’t possibly waken her, not that it would matter. It took nearly two hours, but in a bedroom wall he found the tapes and along with them copies of documents. With the letters was a notarized statement, in both French and English, signed by Marei and dated two weeks earlier. It confirmed she had been a courier for the President and provided details. It read in part, “I have released these letters because I believe my life is in danger, and that only making my role public will provide me with a measure of protection. I urge the media to publish these communiques at once, not only for my sake, but so the world can know the truth about what has been occurring between the presidents of the United States and Iraq.”

He read the communiques, then with the sound set low played each tape through in its entirety. Afterwards, he placed the tapes and letters into an athletic bag the agents had used to carry their weapons. For the remainder of the night he stripped the firearms by feel, wiped them clean then reassembled them.

They’d come when the weather lifted.

WEDNESDAY, August 15

United Wire Service, New York, N.Y.

FLASH    FLASH    FLASH

Rebecca Gordon Tufts presentation to the Democratic National Convention last night gave the gathering the highest television ratings so far this week. The overnight Nelson ratings confirm that her national viewer audience exceeded even Republican candidate Hugh Guthers acceptance speech earlier this month. In a confident and relaxed manner the First Lady worked the audience like talk show host Oprah Winfrey, but made no mention of the adverse ruling by the Supreme Court earlier today. The nominations for President and Vice President will take place tonight.

MORE TO FOLLOW.....

            
 
TWENTY-ONE

Seven Fountains, 5:41 a.m.

It was more night than morning when Powers slipped on one of the dead men’s jackets. Marei was tightly bundled in her blanket on the couch so he turned up the cabin heat then drove the Explorer down the road to the fallen tree. At first glance there appeared to be no change in the wind and rain, but he could sense a lessening of its intensity. The radio said the storm was at last advancing north, having caused extensive damage throughout Virginia, Maryland, and portions of West Virginia.

He slipped a nylon tow rope around the lighter end of the tree, fighting with his footing on the rain slick ground every second. It took three attempts before the four-wheel-drive managed to nudge it clear. To his dismay he found the road blocked by smaller trees farther along but only one was enough of an obstacle to requiring moving. The public roads were liable to be just as bad, he realized. Satisfied they could at least get away from the cabin, Powers drove back arriving just as the rain lifted, leaving the beaten area scrubbed fresh and smelling like the dawn of the first of all days.

~

Powers moved with a sense of urgency. Marei was difficult to rouse, but he persisted until she opened her eyes, as if emerging from an opiate dream. She blinked lazily and focused on his face with difficulty. “We have to leave,” he said. “The storm’s lifting and they’ll be here any time. We have to be somewhere else before that. Can you make it to the bathroom by yourself or should I carry you?”

She winced in pain the moment she moved, but with considerable effort managed on her own, though very tentatively. He stripped blankets from one of the beds then carried them and a few supplies to her Taurus. In these conditions it was always possible they could be stranded for a time. He placed the weapons into a second athletic bag, keeping only the Walther 380 on him. He placed it in the pocket of the jacket. He would have preferred to take the Explorer given the road conditions but it might be recognized. Carmine was going to be unhappy about the condition of the Cadillac he was leaving behind.

Back inside the cabin, Marei had spread a white Navy blanket across her shoulders and stood uncertainly near the door. The wind flapped the blanket from her and she shivered. She had slipped her dainty feet into oversized galoshes and looked exceptionally vulnerable. He took her arm and considered just carrying her to the car when she said, “Wait! There’s something I must get.”

“I found the tapes and documents last night. They’re already in the car. You failed to mention taking them with you when you left your apartment, but I thought they’d be here.”

She looked up at him, first in anger, then in defiance. “You think you know so much, don’t you? I
didn’t
take them. They were already here. Yvette suggested it for my protection. And I never kept the letters in the apartment anyway.”

“Why didn’t you tell the Frenchmen?”

Marei drew her chin up and said, “I wasn’t so weak with them as I said.”

“Good girl, Julie.”

Her face softened. “Maybe...”

“What?”

“Maybe, it’s not too late, after all. If we can get the letters published and let Dick know I have the tapes, then Nasr can find somewhere to hide me until this is over.”

“That’s the plan. Come on. Move carefully. We don’t want to reopen anything.” He eased her awkwardly onto the porch and had decided carrying her would be the better way when he heard the car engine.

“Back inside,” he ordered. “Someone’s coming.”

“Oh no! No!! Tell them I won’t say anything. I won’t, really I won’t!”

“Come on.” He lifted her up and carried her into the cabin, kicked a bedroom door open then placed her in a corner. “Wait. I’ll be back for you. I promise.”

She clung to his arm. Outside the vehicle was drawing close. “Dan.”

“What?”

“I... “

”It’s all right. I’m scared too.”

Powers stepped onto the front porch as the green BMW emerged from the trees then came to a stop well behind the Taurus. There was no sound of another vehicle though he wasn’t certain how far away he could hear with the wind. He stood waiting as Alta stepped out, stretched, then pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and smiled at him as if he’d been a bad boy.

The White House, 6:08 a.m.

Karp joined the First Lady at her private dining room as he did infrequently. Her face was drawn with strain and she wore too much makeup. “Marty, surprised to see you this early.”

“I was surprised to learn you were here. I hadn’t expected you back so soon from the Big Apple.” He helped himself to a cup of black coffee.

“I was scheduled to attend some dreary fund raiser at the Ritz and couldn’t stand the thought, so I feigned exhaustion, which wasn’t too hard, and came back. I’m just sick of them, especially the Asians. They smile constantly and without an ounce of sincerity.”

“Like a politician.”

Becky looked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”