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He grabbed the notebook and wandered into the front parlor, sitting in one of the rocking chairs. His mother’s house had contained a parlor, as had her mother’s, so he’d included one even though the room was hardly ever used. Pauline called it a waste of space but indulged his whim, decorating it in proper Tennessee fashion. They hadn’t visited the house much while in the White House since the Secret Service would have demanded too many security changes. He’d always known that, once out of office, this would be his home, so he’d wanted it to remain inviolate.
And it had.
Now it was his alone.
He stared down at the notebook in his lap, the circle and cross visible in the leather. “It’s a wheel cross,” Diane had said. “Or a sun cross. An ancient symbol of the sun, for good luck.” Last week Alex had been here, in the house, during their last visit together. He’d been glad to see his old friend, but they’d talked little about politics and more about doing some hiking and fishing. Not once had Alex mentioned retiring from the Senate. Not a word about something monumental. No comments, either, about marital discord. And Danny had sensed nothing wrong. Misdirection? Possibly. But anyone who managed to get elected multiple times to the U.S. Senate knew how to keep things close. Was it none of his business? Maybe. But he and Alex had been friends. They’d shared a lot. Apparently not everything. Still, who was he to criticize. He’d never once mentioned his feelings toward Stephanie Nelle, though he had told Alex that his marriage to Pauline was over.
He had to know if Taisley’s fears were justified. It still amazed him that Alex had maintained a six-year connection with another woman and no one, not even his wife, had ever suspected a thing. But wasn’t that exactly what he’d done with Stephanie? Their interaction for eight years had been out in the open, only fleeting opportunities here and there to speak alone. And no one had ever suspected that they harbored feelings toward each other.
Not even Pauline.
Rain pattered gently on the windows.
Outside, he heard cars approach, then stop on the graveled drive.
They were early.
Doors slammed closed.
The old boards of the front porch creaked beneath heavy footfalls.
He glanced out through the screen door and saw the governor of Tennessee. While here, the governor planned on meeting with local industry leaders and had called a few days ago and asked if he might bum a night in one of the spare bedrooms. Nashville was only a hundred and eighty miles away, and his old friend could have easily gone back to the state mansion, but he’d been glad for the company.
He slid open a drawer in a table beside the rocker and dropped the notebook inside.
No use involving another co-conspirator.
Then he rose and called out, “Come on in.”
CHAPTER TEN
Diane Sherwood sat at her desk.
People remained in the house, still mingling and reflecting among themselves on their grief. The time was pushing 7:00 P.M. She expected the gathering would end soon. Afterward, the help would clean things up and restore the house to order. In a few weeks it would go on the market, the story being that she could not bear to live there any longer without her husband. They’d built the place long ago using Alex’s money and, being childless, their last wills and testaments left everything they owned to each other.
The rain outside still fell.
She’d asked for a few minutes alone and everyone had understood. A widow with her grief. She and Alex had been married a long time. She’d met him back when they both were barely thirty and there’d been so much promise to his future. He’d been headed for the Tennessee state legislature, but people were already talking about the U.S. Senate, maybe even a presidential run down the road. Instead, another man from east Tennessee claimed the White House. A pompous, arrogant, self-righteous fool.
Danny Daniels.
His visit earlier had nauseated her.
But she’d learned long ago that there was nothing stupid about Danny Daniels. That good ol’ boy façade shielded a shrewd mind. She’d invited him out of courtesy since not to do so would have raised questions. At the graveside, where he hadn’t seemed eager to come, she’d been thrilled. Duty done and refused. But instead he’d showed his face and asked disturbing questions. Hopefully her offer of peace, which he’d accepted, would be the last time the two of them ever spoke.
She felt reassured enough to pour herself a Scotch, sipping it slowly, allowing the alcohol to soothe her nerves.
The door eased open and her brother entered.
She’d asked one of the ladies to have him join her. Nothing unusual should arise from the request, as she’d want family near her at such a difficult time.
“Close it,” she said to him. “And sit down.”
Her tone conveyed the extent of her sour mood, but a few more sips of Scotch made her feel better.
Kenneth Layne was not much of a man, either mentally or physically. He stood tall and thin, with the tawny hair of their father and a mustache to match. He had an expressionless quality about him that all her life had been irritating. Most of that detachment came from their mother, a docile, placid woman with few convictions and even less purpose. Thankfully, those weak genes had avoided her and she’d favored their father, a man of strength and élan, tough as a hickory stick. But it was Kenneth’s lack of courage that she most detested. Her brother was more a man of reflection than action. He’d take bold steps, but never alone. And risks? Those terrified him. She, on the other hand, enjoyed pushing the envelope.
He sat in one of the club chairs across the room.
She walked closer to him, her eyes turning narrow, her cold lips taut. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused?”
The problem started a few weeks ago with a call from Alex. Kenneth had come to see him in Washington, explaining what they were planning and seeking help.
“What you and Kenneth want to do would change the course of this country,” Alex said to her.
“Which is precisely what you’ve talked about for the past twenty years. Maybe it’s time we actually do something about it.”
“I’m not sure that’s a decision for you or me or Kenneth to make. It’s something the people themselves have to choose, after open debate.”
“Be real, Alex. That’s never going to happen. The people don’t have a clue what they want. We have an opportunity here. Why not take it?”
“Is the Speaker of the House with you?”
“Definitely.”
“He told you that?”
“In no uncertain terms. He’s ready to make history.”
“I bet he is, considering the incredible benefits he’ll accrue. I’ve been reading Kenneth’s notebook, and I’ve ordered some books. Amazingly, what you’re proposing seems perfectly legal, and entirely consistent with the Constitution.”
“People have known that since before the Civil War. This is not a new idea. Frankly, I would not have involved you in any of this. Kenneth made that decision, on his own, without consulting me.”
“Which only illustrates how far you and I have drifted apart.”
“We both know that our marriage is in name only.”
“And I can see now what you’ve been busy with these past couple of years. More than I ever realized.”
“I want to actually do something, Alex. And here’s the chance.”
“I’m not as convinced as you.”
Those last words had sent a chill down her spine. Containment was everything, and her brother’s unilateral decision to involve her husband had jeopardized their success. Alex was a dreamer who believed too much in the system as it existed. Like so many others, he screamed change but did little to nothing to make it happen.
“You made a big mistake,” she said to her brother. “If I’d wanted Alex part of this, I would have included him.”
“Who died and left you in charge?”
“You did, when you came seeking my help.”
He did
not challenge that statement, because she’d told him at the time that the price of her participation was that she make all the critical decisions.
“Alex was needed,” he said. “There’ll be hard resistance in the Senate, and he could have worked to lessen that. Now we’ll have to find someone else.”
Her eyes locked on his. “Who gives a damn what the United States Senate thinks? It lost its ability to have an opinion on this when it decided it was better than everyone else. I don’t care about their resistance. In fact, I welcome it.”
Never had she shied away from a fight.
