After Midnight Part 15

"Talk to Clay," Derrie invited. "Perhaps he'll listen to you. He's gone deaf with me."

"I'm sorry you won't stay," Nikki murmured.

"I can't. He wanted me to call the television stations and get them over to Mr. Lombard's plant." She grimaced. "That was Haralson's suggestion, too, I'm pretty sure, but Clayton was willing to do it."

"I see." Nikki didn't recognize these tactics. Not only were they not like Clayton, they weren't like Mosby, either. Mosby wasn't a malicious man. Even in his antienvironment stance, his goal was to save jobs, to put people to work. He wasn't working for personal gain. He never had. But he'd sent Haralson to help Clayton's campaign. Why?

"I would have refused to call the TV stations, too," she said when Derrie appeared to be waiting for rea.s.surance.

Derrie forced herself to smile. "It feels funny to be without a job," she said slowly.

"What will you do?"

"Something I may regret. I'm going to work for the compet.i.tion. Sam Hewett asked me to work for him when the race started. He's very pro-women's rights and I know his family," she said, grimacing at Nikki's pained look. "He's a good man and he won't fight dirty. He has integrity-the sort of integrity that your brother always had until that Haralson man came along and started helping him." She lowered her eyes. "I'm very sorry. I wish it hadn't come to this."

"So do I. Let me talk to Clayton before you rush into anything," Nikki pleaded.

Derrie moved closer, a hand going to her tangle of blond hair. "You don't understand, Nikki," she began. "He told me what he really thought of me. I guess because we joked so much I never took him seriously when he teased me about being a prude. But he was really mad this morning. He said the only reason he kept me around was because I was efficient." She shook her head. "I didn't realize how much I cared until then. It's hopeless, you see," she said with a sad smile. "I can't make him love me."

Nikki knew how that felt. Her own heart was still raw from Kane's unexpected rejection. "Oh, Derrie," Nikki said miserably. "Whoever he gets as a replacement won't come close to you. You're the only long-term staff member he's kept from the old days in the state house of representatives."

"I know. Well, I hope you and I will still be friends."

"Don't be absurd, of course we will. Thank you for helping me get home, Derrie."

"Any time." She picked up her purse and moved to the door. It was all beginning to hit her now. "I'll call Mr. Hewett and then have a nice lazy weekend before I start back to work, if he still wants me, that is."

"I have no doubt that he will."

Nikki looked concerned and Derrie instantly knew why. "I'm not going to sell out Clayton, even if he is a rat."

Nikki flushed. "Derrie, I wasn't thinking..."

"Yes, you were, it's quite natural to. But I'm not that mad. Mostly, I'm hurt." She breathed heavily. "I'll get over it. Life happens."

"Doesn't it just?" Nikki said sadly, remembering Kane and what she'd had to sacrifice. "I want to know how things work out for you."

Derrie smiled at her. "You will, I promise."

Clayton came that night to see about Nikki. He looked drawn and preoccupied.

"Worn out from learning to make coffee?" Nikki asked mockingly when he walked into the living room, curled up on the couch waiting for him.

"So she told you," he said. He dropped heavily into his armchair and stared at her. "You look awful."

"I feel better than I did," she replied. "I caught a chill. Stupid of me, under the circ.u.mstances, but I'm better now."

"I'm glad. I would have come, but Derrie made it impossible," he said angrily.

She laughed in spite of herself. He looked as he had when they were children and someone took something he treasured away from him. The two of them looked very much alike except for the darkness of Nikki's skin. He shared her dark hair but he had blue eyes, and she had green ones, a legacy from both sides of the family.

"She quit," he muttered. "Can you imagine? I asked her to do one little thing beyond her regular duties, and she walked out!"

"I know why she walked out," Nikki returned. "I'd have walked out, too. Haralson is destroying you, Clay. You've changed more than you realize."

He glared at her. "If the Lombards get hold of your marriage, do you have any idea what they'll do to you and Mosby in that supermarket sleaze sheet they've made millions on?"

"Yes, I know," she agreed quietly. "And I'd rather face that than watch you use the same tactics to get reelected."

"You have to play hardball sometimes. Haralson knows what he's doing. Maybe his methods are a little ruthless, but Lombard is ruthless, too."

"Not like this," she said. "If he hit you, you'd see him coming."

His face cleared. He stared at her for a long moment. "How do you know?" he asked quietly.

She hesitated. "I've read some very interesting things about him," she said. She couldn't tell her brother that she'd spent several days alone with Kane Lombard, or that she'd been falling in love with him. In Clayton's current frame of mind, that would have been foolish.

"No more Derrie," Clayton was mumbling dully. "I can't even believe it! She's been with me for years, from when I was first elected to the state legislature until I was elected to Congress, she was always there. And now she walks out over a triviality."

"It isn't a triviality," she said.

He glanced at her curiously. "Wake up, Nikki. You know what politics is like. Neither of us has ever been blind to what went on behind the curtains."

"Yes, but Clay, you've never been part of that before. You were an idealist."

"I can't change anything until I garner some political clout, and I can't do that until I'm reelected. Two years terms for Congressmen are outrageous, we aren't even settled in office before we have to run for reelection. I want back in. I have plans, an itinerary," he said, talking to himself. "How I win isn't that important. Once I'm reelected, I've learned that nothing changes, no matter how hard you work," he said dully.

"Unemployment is growing by the day." His face hardened. "Derrie's worried about an owl and I'm trying to save jobs. Well, I can recoup my support right here in my own state. All I have to do is throw Lombard to the wolves. He's been dumping chemicals in a marsh. The media is having a field day at his expense," he added, brightening. "This is the first break I've had since the campaign began. I got full credit for helping catch him."

"Do you know what Mr. Lombard's been through in the past year?"

"Who doesn't?" he said shortly, rising. He held up his hand when she threatened to continue. "Enough, Nikki. It doesn't change facts. He's guilty and I'm going to nail him to the wall."

"Mosby is behind you, I gather," she said coldly.

"He loaned me Haralson. He always liked me."

Nikki averted her eyes. Yes, he had. Mosby even liked Nikki, but that was all. She couldn't forget the revulsion in Mosby's eyes the one time she'd tried desperately to arouse him by stripping in front of him. The damage he'd done, without any malice at all, to her image as a woman was never going to be fully erased. Kane might have helped, but he had his own emotional barriers.

"You've forgiven Mosby," Clayton said slowly.

"Yes," Nikki replied softly. "He couldn't help it."

Clayton winced. "If it got out, he'd kill himself," he told her. "He's a decent man, a very private man. He supports job programs and minorities, even if sometimes he only does it for political gain. The environmentalists may hate him, but they're the only ones. He's kind, in his way."

"Yes, I remember," she said. Her heart was still bruised, and it didn't help to recall Mosby with an injured bird on his lap driving wildly to the nearest veterinarian's office to have it treated.

"You never even suspected, did you?" Clayton said sadly. "Dad did, I think, but he wouldn't admit it even to himself. He was too bent on saving his own skin. Mosby needed a wife, and Dad needed Mosby."

"And the only one who suffered was me," Nikki said miserably.

"That's not quite true," Clayton told her. "Mosby was devastated when he realized exactly how you felt. It took him a long time to get over it. He's more sensitive than most, and he doesn't like hurting anyone."

"I know that," she said. She looked at Clay. "But Bett doesn't mind hurting people. She's trained you so that you're the same way lately."

He glared at her. "Bett is my business. And she doesn't like you, either."

"Heavens, should that surprise me?" Nikki laughed. "I don't think she owns anything except pin-striped suits and ties. I'll bet you've never seen her in a dress."

Clayton scowled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I like dresses," she replied, her green eyes sparkling. "I don't have to prove that I'm better than a man. I already know that I am," she added wickedly.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Nikki, you're hopeless."

"Probably. Don't lose yourself in the political maze," she pleaded. "Don't lose sight of why you ran for the office in the first place. You're on the Energy and National Resources Subcommittee and the energy committee. You've made suggestions that won you more support on the hill. I'm very proud of you. Don't blow all that to keep Mosby and Bett on the good side of the timber lobby."

"I'll reconsider my position," he told her. "Now. When you get back on your feet, I thought we'd throw a few gala parties."

"I know, beginning with one in Washington, D.C., in September," she added, feeling brighter and happier as she considered the motif for the first party.

"The primary election will be over by then," he said uncomfortably.

"And we'll win," she a.s.sured him, smiling. "And the party will be a celebration."

He hoped so, but didn't put it into words.

"I do love politics, Clay."

"So do I," he seconded. "And I'll try not to disillusion you too much with my campaign. Just remember, Nikki, we both have a lot to fear from Lombard. If he's occupied with defending himself against the EPA rules, his family will be too busy trying to help him to pay much attention to you and Mosby before the primary. It's only a delaying tactic, and he's filthy rich. They won't hang him too high."

Nikki didn't like agreeing with him, but he was probably right. All the same, she wondered at what it was already costing him to adhere to his new policy. The first casualty was Derrie. She wondered how many would follow.

Mosby Torrance sipped wine as he stood in front of his lofty window overlooking the traffic of nighttime Washington. He was barefooted, wearing a silver and gold robe that emphasized his blond good looks.

He felt triumphant over Haralson's victory against Lombard in Charleston. Now Lombard had his hands full trying to defend himself. The very action of keeping Lombard's family occupied would keep Mosby off the line of fire as the campaign escalated.

He couldn't afford to let Clayton lose the election. The Democratic contender was mild-mannered, but still a liberal who had no sympathy with Mosby's position on the real major issues like tax incentives for industry and a bigger military budget and supporting the lumbering industry. He needed all the support he could get from the House, and Clayton was shaping up very well as an environmental candidate and a strong national defense ally.

Mosby needed that wedge on his team, because he didn't support environmental programs; he supported industry and expansion and growth to provide much-needed jobs for the unemployed. Privately, he thought that Clayton did, too, but it was politically correct at the moment to be an environmental candidate. And until Mosby had coaxed Clayton into helping him with the timber bill, the congressman had a spotless record of environmental championship. It had been a shame to blot that record, but Mosby had needed Clayton's support. Besides, the Lombard scandal was going to make everyone forget that Clayton hadn't helped the spotted owl.

Mosby leaned his head wearily against the cool gla.s.s. It was good not to have the Lombards after him. He was older than Clayton, raised in a generation with stifling att.i.tudes toward anyone different from the norm. His parents had hidden his flaw from other relatives. They had made Mosby ashamed of it. Because of his upbringing, he'd always had to hide what he was. No one would have understood. At least, that's what his parents had said. Often he'd wondered what Nikki would have said, if she'd known. He'd had to steel himself not to show desire for her, not to let her know, ever, how attractive he found her. All he could have given her was a travesty of the real thing and, inevitably, she'd have wondered why he couldn't function as a man. It was better this way, he told himself. Much better.

He was dignified and very conservative on the outside, and that won him votes. But inside, he was a frightened, insecure man who dreaded the new climate that threatened to expose any politician who kept a secret. Mosby had exacted many sacrifices. He would do anything to keep his private life secret, and he had; he'd married Nikki. He winced, remembering. It had been hopeless from the very beginning.

His fist clenched on the gla.s.s. Poor Nikki. Poor, poor Nikki, to be so much in love and have all her dreams shattered. He'd engineered that sight she had of his private life, that fiction of himself as a gay man. He'd known that it would drive her away, and it had. But he also knew that she'd never become serious about anyone since their divorce, and he knew why. He regretted hurting Nikki most of all.

It was all over long ago, he told himself. He just had to live with it, and with the fear of exposure. The thing now was to get Clayton ahead in the polls while keeping the pressure on Lombard. That last part was Haralson's idea, just as it had been Haralson's idea to go to South Carolina and help with Clayton's campaign. In fact, Haralson said that he knew the truth about Mosby and wouldn't hesitate to give it to the media if Mosby didn't send him to Charleston to help Clayton.

He scowled. Haralson was a wild man just lately, into all sorts of shady things that Mosby had tried not to notice. But the man was like a loose cannon. Mosby had a bad feeling about his obsession with getting something on Lombard. He didn't know why he should. After all, Lombard was no friend of Mosby's, with his family sticking its nose into his past. But just the same, Mosby didn't like the idea of doing anything illegal. Perhaps he should take a closer look at Haralson's methods. If worse came to worse, there might be a way to nudge Haralson into a corner and keep him quiet about what he knew of Mosby's worst secret.

He picked up the telephone and dialed a number.

While he waited for the connection, he remembered his first year in the Senate, a young idealist with so many hopes and dreams that an unfortunate bit of publicity-a hint about his s.e.xual preferences-had almost ended. His marriage had saved him, at Nikki's expense. But even marriage would no longer protect him, not if Lombard got wind of his past. The dreams and ideals had gotten lost in the shuffle to protect his secret, until now it was almost second nature to him. Perhaps his three terms in the Senate had jaded him, he thought miserably. He lived in a closed society, despite his frequent trips to his home state to keep in touch with his const.i.tuents. But the longer he lived in the Capitol, the more distasteful the outside world became to him. He was safe here. For the time being, at least. As long as he had Haralson out of his hair for a few weeks while the campaign picked up steam. He'd have to find some leverage to use against Haralson if it became necessary. If he dared, he'd warn Clayton about him as well, but that wouldn't be wise at this point.

"h.e.l.lo," came a quiet voice on the other line.

"I need a favor," Mosby said. "I want you to do a little digging for me, strictly on the QT."

There was a pause. "Okay. Shoot."

He gave the man Haralson's name and background.

"Isn't this the one who's working for Seymour down in Charleston, the one who just exposed some nasty mess concerning Kane Lombard?" the man asked.

"The same."

"Well, well. Now isn't this interesting?"

"What is?"

There was a low chuckle. "I'll tell you all about it in a few weeks. Haralson got careless. That's all you need to know right now."

"This...carelessness. Is it to my advantage?"

"Yes, indeed. And as you say, that message is on the QT. I'll be in touch." The receiver went dead with a gentle click.

That sounded as if Haralson could find himself in water over his head very soon. As he'd said about the Lombards, if pressure was put on a man he was less likely to find time to smear anyone else. The best defense, in other words, was a good offense. Try that on for size, Haralson, he mused. Mosby put down his winegla.s.s, relief draining away the fear. He slid the robe away from his body and walked, smiling, back to bed.

The wheels of justice were slow, but relentless. Kane Lombard spent a lot of time with his attorneys and his production people and managers, trying to sort out the nightmarish complications of his own negligence. Both Will Jurkins and Ed Nelson came back to work. Nelson was feeble, but involved himself in the defense of his company. Jurkins provided the paperwork that showed CWC's lack of efficiency and showed a reason for firing them. However, Kane couldn't help notice that Jurkins had dark circles under his eyes and asked if the man wasn't sleeping well. Jurkins had mentioned something about a sick child and had gone back to his office, looking haggard. Like the rest of the staff, Kane decided, Jurkins was feeling the pressure of public animosity. All of them had to pa.s.s through the picket lines daily, and only the security force kept them safe at all.

The day of the primary came, and Nikki went with Clay to their local precinct to vote. Crowds were already standing in line at eight in the morning, and Nikki's heart lifted. It did look as if he had the Republican seat firmly in hand.

She had collaborated with one of Washington's leading hostesses to concoct some sort of party that people would be talking about years from now. a.s.suming that Clay won the primary, there were other parties planned for Charleston, fund-raisers and banquets and social evenings to garner more support. Nikki expected to be worn to a frazzle, but it would be worth it. If only he would win the primary!

"This looks encouraging," she said.

Clayton didn't agree. The turnout frightened him. He'd made a major blunder by supporting the timber bill, and he prayed that people were going to remember that he'd helped nab a local industrial polluter. Usually when so many people went to vote, it was because they were angry and wanted to get someone out of office. He'd actually known some old-timers who only ever voted against-not for-candidates.

"Don't look so nervous," she chided.

An African American lady next to them grinned. "That's right, it's not against the law to vote for the candidate of your choice."

Clay grinned. "Picked the best man, have you?" he teased.

"Oh, yes, sir," she said. "Going to have a new president this fall, so I figure we may as well get those other rascals out of there and put in some people who can get something done. I have no insurance. I can't make my house payment this month. I can't even afford to buy a new pair of shoes."

The woman looked down at them, worn on both sides and scuffed. "The plant I worked for moved down into the Caribbean so it could get cheap labor and make more money. It don't bother the government that I wouldn't have a job," she added. "What a pity that we pay those people so much to represent us and they just forget how hard life is outside the capitol."