Shadows and Lies (26 page)

“It was an early morning attempt at humor.” He lowered his voice. “I wouldn’t blow too many of those off. The campaign’s going to need the money – and don’t forget where the cash goes.”

The First Lady smiled like a conspirator. “What’s the count?”

“You’re up to $20 million. Not a bad personal nest egg.”

“I suppose. How much has Dick got?

“I’m not privy to that information. My guess is more than $30 million.”

“The bastard. Always gives me the short end of the stick. I’m having an omelet. Join me?”

“No, I had a bagel in the limo. I just dropped by to have an undisturbed chat. You’re staying here for the nominations tonight, then, what? Flying to New York tomorrow for the acceptance speech?”

“That’s it. Dick’s here today and we’ll travel together tomorrow. What do you want to talk about Marty? I have a busy day.”

Karp drew himself up. “Last Saturday night, while you were knocked out on Librium, Chesty gave me copies of the video tapes between Dick and his mistress. He’d found them in her apartment when he went back for what he thought was going to be a body.”

Becky Tufts lowered her cup. “So you’ve had them all along,” she said without surprise. Her look was not pleasant.

“That’s right. We share a common objective in seeing the woman is taken care of, but I always had the tapes.”

“What is it you want, as if I don’t already know?”

“Dick and I will be speaking today, but I’m giving you the gist of it now, to avoid later hysterics. I’ll be moving up to chief of staff with broad discretionary powers. I’ll be naming some positions on the FCC and a few other regulatory agencies. And I’ll be taking 30% of the cash from today on, his and yours, for my own little offshore nest egg.”

“That’s blackmail, honey.”

“It’s power, Becky. Isn’t that what this is really all about? I’ve got it and the only crime left inside the beltway is not using it.”

“You’d really let those tapes out?”

“Stand back and watch, if I don’t get my way.”

The First Lady placed her hand on his jacket sleeve. “I thought we were friends. Much more than that, Marty.”

Karp moved his arm bruskly. “The bloom has been off the rose for some time, my dear. Frankly, I enjoyed you better when you were an eager beaver law school graduate, ready to drop your pants or, even better, drop to your knees at the slightest opportunity, to prove your liberal convictions, and, of course, fuck and suck your way to whatever you were after. The best part of this new deal for me on a personal level is that I don’t have to screw you anymore.” Karp rose. “From now on you’ll be jumping to my orders. Get used to the idea.”

The First Lady took time to finish her coffee before speaking. “Marty, you should know that the President and I had a long talk about you last night.”

“If this is some feeble attempt at a threat you should...”

She cut him off. “Sometimes, lover,” she smiled warmly, “things just aren’t the way they appear. Have a nice day.”

Seven Fountains, 6:13 a.m.

Alta approached Powers tentatively across the rain slick ground. “I was so worried about you, Danny.” She was wearing Levis under her raincoat and a blue wool blazer. Both flapped in the wind. Her shoes were brown penny loafers.

“Why was that?” he said scanning the tree line to be certain no one was approaching on foot.

“You snuck away in the dead of night, and after, you know, we did it again, you just crawled away. Then you were so strange on the telephone yesterday and I’ve had no idea where you’ve been, or what you’ve been up to. I’ve been worried sick. Is she here?” She stepped towards him.

“Inside.”

“You’ve done a good a job. Have you worked the deal out with her? Did she give you the tapes?”

“Stop there, please.”

Alta stopped at once. “I don’t understand.”

“What are you doing here, Alta?”

“I came to talk to you.” She looked up at the sky. “It’s starting to rain again. Can I at least come in while you give me the third degree?”

“Are you alone?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “Danny, it’s
me
. I can explain everything. I think you’re in danger and I’ve come to warn you. Please!”

“Come in then.”

The White House, 6:14 a.m.

The First Lady picked up the telephone once Karp was out of the room. “I just had the most interesting conversation with Marty.” She listened. “Yes, that’s about it. When he’s back with word and the items, then I agree, we should get on with it, assuming Lily’s done his part.” She listened as she sipped fresh coffee. “Have it your way,” she said then hung up.

            
 
TWENTY-TWO

Seven Fountains, 6:15 a.m.

Alta glanced over the interior as she entered, then cleaned her glasses with a handkerchief. In the humidity and heat of the cabin they misted over as soon as they were back on her nose.  “Cozy. Those damn trees across the road made me stay in my car all night. It was miserable. If you hadn’t cleared them I’d still be out there. Where is she?”

“In back.”

“She’s all right then?”

“She’s surviving but needs medical care. I think she’s likely bleeding internally. How did you find me?”

“I think we have more to talk about than...” Alta stopped speaking as she leveled a revolver at Powers. “Please, don’t move, Danny. I don’t want to kill you.” It was a Colt .38 revolver, their lady’s model with the smaller grip, but more than enough gun at close quarters. She handled it as if she’d had training, because it never once wavered from his torso. “To answer your question: there’s a transponder in your cellular telephone. Chesty always knew where you were. I’m surprised you didn’t throw it away when you left the city.” Her voice turned cold. “Tell her to get out here.”

“Why you and not Shanken?”

Alta arched her eyebrow. “Because you’d never have let Chesty this close, would you? Now tell her to come out.”

“No.”

“Don’t be like that. I have to...” She stopped. “Marei!! Come out here!! I’ve got a gun. I’ll kill Danny, then kill you if you don’t come. Don’t make that necessary. All I want is to work something out. You can both leave after that, but if you refuse to talk to me then you leave me no choice. Now get out here before you make me do something you’ll regret!” There was no response for a very long time. “Can she move on her own?” Alta asked in a normal voice.

Powers shrugged.

Just then Marei eased the bedroom door open and peered out, looking terrified. “Don’t point the gun at me,” she said softy.

“I won’t,” Alta answered. “I just don’t want any misunderstandings. Sit on the couch while we talk. Danny, you stand there. I don’t want to shoot you, you must know that, but I’ll do what I have to. Don’t move at all.”

Marei shuffled very slowly across the floor with her blanket about her then collapsed on the couch, looking up at the gun in utter fear.

Alta sounded amazed as she said, “It never occurred to me you could still be alive until Danny turned up your uncle.”

“Is he...?”

“So far. We haven’t found him yet – but we will.” Alta’s glasses were still misty. She gave Powers a look which said “stay put,
”
then partially wiped them one handed with a clean handkerchief.

“Now what?” he asked.

She almost gave an apologetic smile. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Marei said, “Oh no, please no!”

“Shut up!” Alta snapped.

“Don’t do this, Alta. You aren’t a murderer. You’ve come so far. Just walk away.”

“If you knew the least thing about me you’d know why that’s impossible.”

“Tell me about it,” Powers asked softly.

He didn’t think she’d answer him, she hesitated so long. Then she said, “You know the old joke about what’s a hillbilly virgin? Where I come from, a 10-year-old virgin’s any girl who can run faster than her brothers. Well, I wasn’t fast enough. You can’t imagine what life was like, especially after mama died. I was 14 before I found a soldier on leave willing to take me out of that. I worked every single day after that to rid myself of every last vestige of that existence. I did what I had to, no matter how unpleasant, or demeaning. Six hard years later Mrs. Tufts hired me. It was the greatest day of my life. I was being sucked down, turned into nothing. She saved me, Danny.” Her lower lip quivered. “If you only knew. I tried to warn you, I really did. The hardest part is how much I like you. But that’s the way it has to be. I knew that Sunday night.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“If you love something, you lose it. That’s the price.”

“Price for what?”

“I said you wouldn’t understand. The greater purpose is more important than me, or you. It’s bigger than any or all of us. You said don’t make myself a murderer. This isn’t the first time for me. Chesty says it gets easier, but I don’t think so.”

“Who?”

“I told you – sort of. The President’s first campaign manager, Clyde. They weren’t so sure of him and asked me to get close. He was old. As old as you even, but I didn’t mind. I was used to it from before. We were secretly living together and I found out Mrs. Tufts was right. He was a traitor. He told me Mr. Tufts wasn’t moral enough to be President, as if morality has any place in politics. He was getting ready to talk to some reporter in New York.”

“You killed him?”

Alta’s eyes were no longer the color of rye grass. They had become brittle, the shade of a cheap emerald. “I liked him, but it was necessary. He was always gentle with me, like you. I think it’s because you’re both older. Young men tend to be rough, even when you’re not in the mood. I was upset at the time but Mrs. Tufts was right to make me do it. If something is important enough, it requires a price. If the price is high, that’s only a sign of how important the greater purpose is.”

“Like now? Killing her and me is difficult for you so that confirms how significant this all really is?”

Marei began to sob into her hands.

Alta looked at the woman contemptuously. “Not her. I should have slit her throat like a hog Saturday night just to be certain. Don’t think I haven’t thought about that a thousand times since,” she said to Marei. “I’m the cause of it all, you know, so this is only right. It was stupid of me. I know how vulnerable Mrs. Tufts is, the blind spot she has for her husband and his women. She has to stay with him. What choice has she got if she’s to accomplish great things? But the compromise makes her a little crazy about his lovers and she reacts irrationally sometimes. I should have remembered that. I’m more than her assistant, Danny. I’m the only friend she really has, the only one in whom she can confide. It carries with it a heavy burden. Last Saturday I was careless, stupid, like I said. Mrs. Tufts came to me in tears. Her husband had bragged about what a great time he’d had with... with this person here... and how a real woman could make a man feel great. He said as long as she... he put it crudely but meant that no woman who ever desired the comfort of another woman could ever really please a man. It was all so dumb.”

“What did you do?”

“I just told her wouldn’t it be something if she liked women too? You know the French, and Marty told me a story about her and that other woman putting on a sex show for the President. ‘Wouldn’t that be something?’ I said. I never should have opened my mouth.”

“You aren’t responsible, Alta. You can still put a stop to this madness.”

“There are prices to be paid. This is just more unpleasantness. There are always victims, Danny. Surely you know that, even if you never saw yourself as one. You didn’t have to get involved, did you? No one forced you into this. It was always your choice. What do you expect of me?”

“Not this.”

“I
have
to clean up the mess I left and should have taken care of Saturday night. That’s what I must do. And for it to mean anything, it has to hurt, you see?”

“They aren’t saints, Alta. They’re just two pretty shabby and unscrupulous opportunists.”

“You don’t understand, Danny, so don’t talk that way. You disappoint me.”

“Your orders were to get close to me, is that it?”

She nodded. “It wasn’t so hard. I just didn’t plan... I mean, I never thought I’d like you so much. Oh damn it!” She wiped at her glasses half-heartedly, then pointed the little revolver at Marei who drew a breath to scream. Powers shouted, “No-o-o!!”, as Alta fired three shots.

The bullets struck Marei in the chest. Her mouth froze into an oval. Her eyes showing amazement and incomprehension.

Alta swung the gun towards Powers, her wet pink tongue fixed between her lips in concentration, but his finger was already on the trigger of the Walther in his pocket. He squeezed once striking her low in the abdomen, some part of him not wanting to kill her, thinking as she doubled over that if he hurried and the roads were clear he could get her to a doctor and keep her from dying.

Alta moved backwards a short step and folded down on herself as if she had a terrible stomach ache. The gun looked heavy in her little hand as she dropped her arm nearly perpendicular to the floor. She looked up at Powers in utter confusion.