Congressman Remington looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Oh, Mariana, these young people aren’t interested in that sort of thing.”
“Nonsense. Take her to the library and let her see it. Meanwhile, I’m going to bend Michael’s ear about my roses.” She led him toward a sofa in the other room.
John Remington was frowning and his thoughts were decidedly unhappy. He most certainly did not want to be alone with me in any capacity. My association with King troubled him, and given what I had heard him thinking about Nick, I wasn’t surprised.
The library was suffused with dim lighting. The congressman led me to a low display table and opened it carefully.
“Here it is. . for what it’s worth.” He shot me an apologetic smile. “I’m sure you’ve seen much more exciting artifacts than this one. Thank you for humoring my wife.”
“I wasn’t,” I assured him. “It really is cool.” I touched the gleaming silver reverently.
“You’re very kind.” There was an odd tone in his voice, and I glanced up, hearing and feeling the vague melancholy. I knew why I made him uncomfortable.
“Congressman.” I was not sure of the best way to broach this topic, but with his guilt growing, I felt it might be my best opportunity to finally get some real information. “I get the feeling that you don’t like me very much.”
His eyes widened and I felt the burst of panic. And then he was back in control. “Now why would you say that?”
I shrugged. “I think it might have something to do with the fact that I come from King. I think maybe that town has some bad memories for you.”
He rubbed his neck, sighing. “You’re very perceptive. Yes, my association with King was not a happy time in my life. I lost a good friend.”
“I’m sorry.” I hesitated again, wondering how far to push. He was pensive, but remorse licked at the edges of his mind. I picked up the journal that lay next to the sword and mindlessly traced the leather etchings.
“Thank you. When you reach a certain age, you begin to realize how much you miss those people who have fallen along the wayside in your life. Nick and I had been knowing each almost our whole lives.”
I would have laughed with jubilation if the mood hadn’t made that impossible. He had just given me the opening I needed.
“Would that be Nick Massler?”
He drew in a sharp breath. “How did you know?”
Partial truth was my best bet here, I decided. “I went to school with Nell Massler. I know her father is Nick, and King isn’t that big a town.”
The congressman nodded. “That’s true. A very small, very insular town. Very odd. Things happened there...” He shook his head again. “Things I can’t explain. Things I did that I can’t explain.”
“Do you see Nick nowadays? Do you have contact with him? I think he lives around here.”
Remington’s mouth twisted. “He lives less than five miles from here. But no, I don’t see him. I...hear things, of course.”
“Like that he might be thinking about running for the senate seat you want?”
He looked at me, half amused and half afraid. “You seem to know a lot about Nick.”
I raised one shoulder. “What I hear is that he has a pretty good shot at it. And that can’t make you happy.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Of course it doesn’t. No politician wants to run against a friend, not even one he hasn’t spoken to in years.”
“So I guess you would do just about anything to keep him out of the race.”
Remington narrowed his eyes. “What are you getting at?”
“Nick’s girlfriend was killed a few weeks back. Very brutally. There’s talk he could be blamed for it.”
He didn’t answer, but his mouth tightened.
I drew in a deep breath. “Did you have anything to do with Helene Gamble’s murder, Congressman?”
His shock and horror were genuine and immediate. “What? God, no! What are you talking about? Why would you think...” His voice trailed off. “You think I killed Helene to make it look like Nick did it, to set him up. Good Lord, what a low opinion you have of me!” He wheeled around and stalked to the wall of casement windows.
His denial didn’t surprise me. It was what he was thinking that interested me; it was why I had so baldly asked the question. There was not even a glimmer of guilt when I mentioned Helene’s name. He wasn’t hiding anything about her.
“Something happened, though,” I mused, just barely aware that I was speaking out loud. “Something with Nick that you regret. More than just friends growing apart because their lives went in different directions.”
Remington drummed his fingers on the windowsill. “Yes, perceptive,” he muttered. He sighed again, and then turned to face me.
“It’s not nearly what you suspected. I promise you no one was hurt—at least not physically. And I had the best intentions.”
I was silent, just listening. In his mind, he was already back in King.
“How much do you know about Nick and why he gave up his political hopes?”
I measured my words. “His wife had some sort of incident. She ended up in a mental hospital.”
“I knew Nick from the time we were boys. We went to school together. And then he met Alyse. It was odd from the beginning. Like he was just obsessed. Have you seen pictures of her?”
I shook my head. “No. But I think Nell looks like her. At least I’ve heard that.”
“Yes, there was a strong resemblance when she was a child. Alyse was striking, but not pretty. She was flamboyant, but mercurial. You never quite knew where you stood with her. But that didn’t matter to Nick. He wanted her, he had to be with her. After they met, when she went back to King, he was desperate to see her again. I’d never seen anything like it.
“We all assumed it would play out, or if they married, she would come here and be part of our society. Support Nick’s career. And they did end up getting married, but she wouldn’t leave King. We were all amazed that Nick agreed to live there.”
“Were they happy?” I really wanted to know. I thought of Nell lying alone and still in her hospital bed.
“At first, yes. They were thrilled when Nell was born, but it was not long after that Nick began to seem restless. I visited down there pretty often, because I wasn’t married yet, and I was still hoping that Nick would come back. Life as it should have been could resume. We had a plan.”
“ A plan?”
“Yes, we’d had this idea for a long time. Nick would run for office—he had the family connections—and I would run his campaign. And then once we had him set up, he’d pave the way for me. We were going to take Florida and then DC by storm.
“I started reminding Nick of the plan, talking about setting up his run for state senate. It was the first step. He was tempted, and he talked about it. But in the end, he wouldn’t leave King. He wouldn’t leave Alyse.”
I was beginning to see what had happened as it took shape in Remington’s mind. “So you thought you should help him out. Give him some sort of nudge.”
He looked at me sharply. “Yes. I had spent enough time with Alyse that I knew she too was restless. She had sensed Nick moving away from her, probably knew on some level that it was just a matter of time. But while Nick would stay out of a sense of obligation, Alyse was vengeful.”
I thought about Nell, and I shivered.
“So I introduced her to someone. I put things in place, planted seeds. I’m not sure I thought out what I expected to happen. I guess maybe I thought she would have a flirtation, maybe worst case an affair. And that would rattle Nick, make him realize he had to get out of King, get his family out. Force Alyse to move up here with him.”
I snorted. “Kind of backfired on you, didn’t it?”
The congressman dropped his head into his hands. “I helped them meet. I told Alyse that I saw how Nick was ignoring her. She was very self-centered, and it never even occurred to her that I had an ulterior motive. At least she never said.<
br />
“When it came out what she tried to do to his wife, I was aghast. Nick was devastated, and all I could see when I looked at him was my own guilt.”
“You never told him?” I kept my voice soft, no accusation.
“I didn’t. I think...Alyse might have said something. Possibly even the man she was seeing. I think Nick suspected. He came back here after all, but there was no race for him. Instead I ran. I tried to reach out to him, but he stopped returning my calls.”
He let out a long, shuddering breath. “There you have it. There’s my deep, dark secret, Ms. Vaughan. Now you tell me something. Are you working for Nick?”
Startled, I jerked back. “What? No. I work for you. It’s like you said, I’m just really perceptive.”
Remington pursed his lips, about to speak, when the door opened. Mariana poked her head into the room. “Are you all still talking history in here? John, shame on you, you’re neglecting your guests.”
I stood, realizing that I was still holding the leather journal. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Remington, I’m afraid it’s all my fault. We got chatting on history, and I just monopolized the Congressman.”
I turned to face Remington. “Thank you, sir, for sharing this with me.” I tried to telegraph a reassurance that I wasn’t going to say anything about his story, but his eyes remained bleak.
As I slipped past Mariana Remington in search of Michael, I thought that there was no good to come from including the congressman’s confession in my report. There was nothing to do about it now. And I had a strong feeling that living with the guilt was punishment enough.
Saturdays were typically my favorite day of the week. I had Michael all to myself, without work or classes to distract us.
But the day after Congressman Remington’s cocktail party, I couldn’t settle down to anything. Michael had a meeting for a group project in the middle of the day, so I spent the morning in my own dorm room, picking up one task and then another before putting them down.
I didn’t realize how much I was bothering Sophie until she fixed me with a steady reproving gaze.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just restless today, I guess.” I glanced out the window at the sun-drenched day. “Maybe I’ll go outside and read.”
“I think that is a very good idea,” Sophie agreed. I shoved a few books and a towel into my backpack and headed for the green.
I lay in the sunniest, least-crowded section, but even with a book I’d been dying to read and the warmth beating down on my back, I couldn’t concentrate. I kept hearing the Congressman’s voice, seeing his haunted face. I had to wonder what would have happened if Remington hadn’t interfered in his friend’s marriage. Would Nick have stayed in King? If Nell had never lost her mother, might she have been a different person?
“Is this sun spoken for?” The deep voice was familiar, jerking me out of my reverie. I shaded my eyes and looked up into the smiling face. It took me a moment to remember his name, but then he thought it—Seth Philips—and I remembered. Aline’s boyfriend.
“Hi, “ I said, turning over. “Um, how are you?” It was awkward; I had met him off campus, but I knew he was a professor. There had to be a certain amount of respect and formality.
“Great. It’s good to see you, Tasmyn.” Those brown eyes bore into mine, but I felt no animosity, only kindness and a sort of peace.
“Yeah, you too, Mr. Philips.”
He laughed. “Hey, please. Call me Seth. Mr. Philips is like my father or better yet, my grandfather.” He rolled his eyes and I couldn’t help smiling.
“Okay, Seth. Are you doing your Bible study out here today?”
He looked around as though I had reminded him. “Yeah, in about an hour. I just came out to scope out a spot.” He returned his eyes to mine. “But how are you, Tasmyn? You look a little unhappy. Worried, maybe.”
I smiled again. “Does having a shrink for a girlfriend give you intuition by proxy?”
He laughed, that same joy-filled sound, and I was glad I hadn’t offended him. “Nah, and Aline is really tight-lipped anyway. Neither of us talks much about our work. You don’t have to be a professional to sense when someone’s struggling with something. And you don’t have to be a shrink to lend an ear. So...you want to talk?”
I was about to say no when instead, I heard different words coming out of my mouth.
“Do you believe in fate? I mean, are there things that are destined to be a certain way, and no matter what happens, no one can change them?”
Seth leaned back on the grass, forehead wrinkled in thought. “That’s a tough one. Well, I guess, no, I don’t think any of us are locked into anything. You know? We have free will. We can choose a path, and then if we start to realize we’re going down the wrong one, we can turn back. Start over. Right?” He looked deep into my eyes again, as though he could see my soul. I was mesmerized and only nodded.
“So I think people always have a choice. And that’s what it comes down to. When you get the information, when it’s front of you, choose dark, choose light, what are you going to do?”
I cocked my head. “Isn’t that a little simplistic? Choose right or wrong?”
Seth shook his head emphatically. “No. Not usually. If it were, don’t you think a lot more people would be deciding to do the right thing? Nah, there’s usually a bunch of confusing things wrapped up in it. Like consequence. What if I think that choosing light might be harder in the short term? There could be fallout. That’s what keeps more people from making the right decision. Very few people choose darkness for its own sake.”
I pondered that. “But what if someone’s actions end up hurting a lot of other people who were completely innocent? What if they’re the ones who get the fallout?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that sucks. Happens a lot. But it still comes down to that c-word, Tas—choice. Someone might have a crappy childhood, have every right to be bitter, but she still can choose to embrace the light. Plenty of people do. People are deciding for the good every day, you know. Sometimes the ones who go the other way are just louder.”
I snorted. “People are making momentous decisions like that and no one notices? I don’t think so. You’d hear more about it.”
“Not all the choices are momentous ones. Sometimes it’s the smallest ones that matter the most. A life is made up of those small decisions for good.”
I closed my eyes, loving the sun on my face. Sitting next to Seth felt peaceful and right; not in any way that threatened my love for Michael, but in a completely different sort of love. His mind was calm and easy.
I had never been comfortable with religious people, particularly preachers or ministers. I heard too much hypocrisy in their minds to trust them. And then of course Reverence Pryce hadn’t done much to change my mind, what with trying to drown me.
But Seth was different. He wasn’t preaching at me, yet his words struck a chord and gave me more answers than I had ever really had.
“Seth,” I ventured, keeping my eyes closed, “what do you think about gifts? I mean, does God give people special talents? Or is that all...evil? From the dark?”
I felt and heard him chuckling. “You ask some really awesome questions, Tas. Sure you don’t want to join my Bible study?” Without waiting for an answer, he went on. “It comes down to the same thing. Let’s say God gives someone an ability. A special ability. And then that person uses the gift in a bad way. They’ve made their decision. But then again, if you use that talent in an amazing way that helps other people...how can anyone say it’s evil?”
Tears filled my still-closed eyes and trickled down my cheeks. It was a tremendous relief to hear Seth answer this question.
We sat there for another few moments. The silence wasn’t awkward, not even when I sniffled loudly and wiped the tears off my face. Seth’s mind almost reminded me of a meditation tape, so deliciously relaxing.
I heard him stretch and rise, and a moment later, I felt Michael nearby. Seth was waving to him.
“Hey,
Michael! I’m Seth Philips. I’m a friends of Aline’s, and I’ve gotten to know Tasmyn a little through her.” He nodded down at me. “Great girl you have here. We’ve been having an interesting discussion.” He reached down to squeeze my shoulder before he straightened and offered his hand to Michael.
“Good to meet you, man. Blessings on both of you.” He beamed down at me, across at Michael and then loped down the green, seeking his Bible study, I imagined.
“Wow.” Michael dropped next to me. “What a cool guy.”
“You got that from just a handshake?”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re rubbing off on me, and I’m getting that intuition thing.”
I reached on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Well, you nailed this one. Seth is pretty cool.” I snagged his hand and tugged at it.
“Where are we going?”
“To the grocery store. I’m going to make dinner for you and Charlie tonight, and while we shop, I’ll tell you about my talk with Seth.”
“Cathryn, I don’t understand. I heard what we needed to hear. I finished the mission. Congressman Remington did not kill Helene Gamble. Why do I have to go back there?”
We were standing out in the middle of a field on the grounds of Harper Creek. Emma hadn’t been around to make sure we weren’t overheard, so Cathryn had steered me beyond the gardens, down a small path through the woods and out into this open area, shielded between two small hills.
“Tasmyn, you don’t determine when the mission is over. We do. The client does. And Nick Massler is not satisfied that your job is done. He wants you to continue.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sitting in this campaign headquarters three days a week, pretending to have some sort of passion for getting Remington elected to the Senate. I haven’t heard anything that makes me think he had anything to do with the murder. He flat out said he didn’t, and Cathryn, you know I would have heard it in his head. Some kind of echo of guilt.”
“Probably. But what if it wasn’t the congressman who did it? Plenty of other people invested in his election who would have seen the advantage to knocking Nick out of the race before he even got into it.”
King Series Box Set Page 91
