Olympia offered her coffee or tea, which Alix declined, and Jennifer left them a moment later with a severe expression, and disappeared reluctantly. Olympia saw no need to keep her there. Having seen Alix so often on TV gave her a false sense that they knew each other, and she was friendly and warm as she sat down in a chair facing her. They chatted for a few minutes about nothing in particular, and Alix admired their surroundings, and said the portrait was a wonderful likeness of him. She noticed from the date under the signature that it had been painted after he died, obviously commissioned by his wife.
Alix understood now why Olympia had stayed out of public sight. She was steeped in her memories, and continuing to mourn her husband as though he had died yesterday. Her eyes were sad and serious, and you could see the immensity of her loss in them. She had aged slightly in the past six years, but hadn’t changed significantly. At forty-seven, she was still beautiful, and looked younger than her age. And Alix suspected she would have looked even more youthful if her eyes weren’t two deep pools of pain.
She was wearing a simple black sweater and black skirt with black stockings. Eventually, Alix began to carefully approach the reason she’d come. She claimed to be interested in Olympia’s latest book about her husband, and felt like a liar for it. Finally she brought up Tony Clark. “The Vice President and your husband were very close,” she waited to hear what Olympia would say.
“Yes, they were,” Olympia said gently, as Alix watched her dark blue eyes. She had dark hair she wore to her shoulders, and porcelain white skin, which was flawless and almost translucent. She looked as though she hadn’t left the house in years, which Alix hoped wasn’t true. Everything about her seemed delicate and sad.
“Tony and Bill grew up together in a suburb of Chicago, Lake Forest,” Olympia explained. “They went to school together, and Harvard, and they always stayed close. Bill was always more involved in the political scene because of his father, but Tony wanted to get into politics since he was a boy. He moved to New York after Harvard to pursue his political ambitions there.” And Clark had, in fact, been one of New York’s senators before becoming Vice President. “He’s been incredibly kind to me and my children since…ever since Bill…” Her voice drifted off for an instant, and Alix nodded that she understood, so she didn’t have to finish the painful sentence referring to when he’d been killed. “He’s my son’s godfather, and has always been like an uncle to my children, especially now.”
“How are they, by the way?” Alix asked politely, curious about the children and how they had fared. They were in their twenties now, Alix knew.
“They’re leading interesting lives,” Olympia said with a smile. “Josh is twenty-four, has a degree in agriculture, and is working on an organic farm in Iowa. He’s a real Midwesterner, like his dad, and he loves living close to his father’s roots. And Darcy is twenty-two, in Zimbabwe, working with an organization to assist the locals in the village where she works. They’re planting crops and bringing water and building plumbing in the village. They’re both doing what they always wanted to do. We encouraged them to do that.”
“Do you think either of them will want to go into politics one day?” Alix asked, and Olympia shook her head.
“I don’t think there’s any chance of that. Neither of them is attracted to public life, and they learned the high price you pay for that. They’ve chosen other paths.” Alix wanted to ask her what she was doing, other than writing about her husband six years after his death, but didn’t dare.
“And very noble ones,” Alix added. “I have a daughter who’s a sophomore at Duke. She wants to go to law school after she graduates. She’s very interested in women’s rights, and she talks about doing work in the Middle East at some point. They all seem determined to make the world a better place nowadays. I don’t think I was that altruistic at that age.”
“Neither was I.” Olympia laughed. “I went to law school too, but I was interested in more prosaic subjects, like antitrust and tax and business law.” Alix knew she had also championed women’s causes while her husband was a senator. But she hadn’t been active in any of that in recent years, and had retired from her legal practice when her kids were young and her husband got busy in politics. She had been a devoted wife and mother and had given up her own career.
“I have to admit,” Alix said cautiously, leading her back to the subject that had brought her here, although it sounded unrelated, “I’m intrigued as to why the Vice President seems to be appearing at so many fundraisers supported by lobbies and why he seems to be engaging with well-known lobbyists. I wondered if you could shed some light on that, since you know him so well.” Olympia looked surprised by the question, and hesitated before she answered.
“I’m sure it’s more of a social involvement than anything more meaningful,” Olympia Foster said easily. “The Vice President has friends in every sector, and is greatly admired by everyone in Washington.” That was not entirely true, he was known to be an abrasive guy, although very smooth. But Alix didn’t argue with her. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to offend anyone. The lobbies serve a useful purpose, and he’s a great help to the President, reaching out to everyone. He was a tremendous help to Bill, with all the people he knows. They were a wonderful team, just as he is with the President now.” She proceeded to extol his virtues then, and it was clear to Alix that she wasn’t going to get anything useful from Olympia. She was his biggest fan, and a devoted friend. She was almost as dedicated to him as she was to Bill. “I really don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about in his being on amicable terms with some of the lobbyists. I suspect it’s more coincidental than anything else.”
“Do you think he’s going to run for President?” Alix asked her.
“I have no idea,” she answered, smiling at Alix. She had been charming and gracious throughout, and when she stood up, Alix took it as her cue to leave, and thanked her for her time and openness with her.
“It was a huge honor to meet you and spend time with you,” Alix said warmly, glancing at the portrait again on the way out and noticing that the eyes followed her, as the artist had intended. It was an artistic technique Alix had never liked and in this case had an eerie quality to it. “I was one of your husband’s biggest fans. He would have made a wonderful President.”
“Yes, he would,” Olympia said sadly, as Jennifer materialized and led Alix down the stairs after she and Olympia shook hands, and Olympia said she had enjoyed speaking to her too.
Alix hailed a cab to go back to the office when she left the house, and she had gotten nothing from the interview. She wasn’t sure if Olympia was protecting Tony Clark, was unaware of his activities, or was telling the truth. According to Olympia, he was an extroverted person with a lot of friends in every sector. But Alix didn’t buy it. It was too seamless and too pat and sounded more like a party line. She was almost beginning to wonder if what Felix thought was true. No one could be as innocent as Olympia claimed Clark was. She had said several times that he was beyond reproach, although she felt sure that many people were jealous of him. He was an easy target for it.
She was still in the cab on her way back to the office when Olympia picked up the phone in her study and called the Vice President. She got through to him immediately, as she always did. His instructions to his staff were clear. Any time Mrs. Foster called, whatever he was doing, except if he was with the President, she was to be put through to him immediately. He was permanently on call to her, in case she had a problem of any kind. He had spoken to her the night before, and was surprised to hear from her again so soon.
“Hello, Olympia. Something wrong?”
“No, not at all. I had a visitor this morning I thought you might be interested in. Alix Phillips. She just left a few minutes ago.”
“From the news? What did she want?” He sounded suspicious, and wished Olympia hadn’t let her come to the house. There was no reason for her to do so, no good could come of it, and he didn’t like the idea of the press
preying on her, and in her home.
“She actually came to talk about my book, but she mentioned you at the end. She was curious about your being seen socially with some of the lobbyists recently, and if you’re going to run for President. I told her I didn’t know about your future plans. And I assured her you have a million friends, and it means absolutely nothing if you’re seen with some of the lobbyists socially.”
“Perfect answer,” he said, sounding somewhat relieved, but he wasn’t happy that Phillips had asked the question, even if Olympia had given her the right answer. “As it so happens, I play golf with several of them. There’s nothing more to it than that.” He sounded jovial as he said it, and faintly amused. “Are you sure she came over to talk about your book?” he asked, more practiced than she was at fending off the press, and suspicious of the reasons for Alix’s visit. “It sounds like she was much too interested in me.” He wasn’t pleased but didn’t want to sound critical of Olympia. He knew how sensitive she was.
“You came up in the conversation, but it’s not why she came here. And she didn’t mention you again after that. She loved the first book.” Olympia sounded pleased.
“No, she wouldn’t mention me again. She’s too smart for that. Just be careful of her if she calls again. These reporters are insidious, and she’s very good at what she does. You need to be careful. There are wolves out there, waiting to pounce on you. And after what you’ve been through, they’re too much for you.” He reinforced her vulnerability and not her strength. “I don’t want you hurt by them.”
“She wouldn’t do that. She seems like an honorable person. I’ve always admired her interviews,” she said in defense of Alix.
“She’s a reporter,” he reminded her. “There’s nothing honorable about that. She’d eat you alive if it served her purposes for a story. The press are no one’s friends. I’ll call you tomorrow, and I’ll try to come up for dinner sometime next week. Stay away from the press in the meantime. You don’t need that headache, and neither do I. Bill would expect me to protect you from them,” he assured her.
“I think it was fine,” Olympia said calmly, and he didn’t argue with her about it, but he wasn’t as sure. There had been inquiries in Washington too. He’d been warned about them. He had even decided to cancel his golf game with one of the major players on the lobby scene that week as a result. He didn’t want the press putting their spotlights on him, even for a game of golf, or misrepresenting it in some way. He realized now that he would have to be more careful. And it had never occurred to him that they might try to see Olympia to seduce information about him from her. The press were a clever lot, especially the Phillips woman. She was too smart for her own good. He wondered who had put her up to it, her producers, or if it had been her own idea to visit Olympia. But one thing he was sure of, it had not been to talk about her book. That had been a ploy that had worked, he just hoped not too well. As long as Olympia had said what she’d reported to him, he wasn’t too concerned. But he didn’t like Alix snooping around. He had a profound hatred and distrust of the media. Olympia should have, but she didn’t, she was sheltered and naïve. And the relationship they shared was a private matter between them.
Olympia had been shattered when Bill was killed, and Tony had stepped in. She was closer to Tony than to her own brother, whom she’d never gotten along with and who had a tedious, jealous wife Olympia liked even less. Olympia had been vulnerable and lost as never before after Bill died. Everything had happened so suddenly, and she was so traumatized initially, and Tony had been there for her. He and his wife had separated and divorced right before Bill died. Tony Clark could easily envision a future with Olympia once she recovered, which would serve both of them. She would be the ideal political wife, and his ambitions for the White House hadn’t died with Bill. He had laid the groundwork for it for a year, and broached the subject with her when he thought the time was right. He had no children of his own, and he made time for her whenever he could. Tony visited her in New York at least once a week, sometimes even if only for a short time. And he spent hours on the phone with her every night.
A year after Bill’s death seemed like the propitious moment to ask her to marry him, and he told her he thought it would be a wise decision for both of them, and would even benefit her kids. He was divorced, she was widowed, and she needed his help with her life and the kids. There were countless issues to handle over Bill’s estate. Their being together made sense in every way.
She had promised to think about it, and he told her that he thought Bill would have been pleased to know she was in good hands. And there was no question in his mind, she had been an important part of Bill’s campaigns. She had a luminous quality that people were drawn to, and a goodness that shone from within. Bill had always jokingly called her his secret weapon and said he couldn’t lose an election married to her. Tony had big plans and the presidency in his sights, and he wanted Olympia at his side as his wife, not just as a friend. Her children loved him, and becoming the stepfather to his best friend’s children showed him as a compassionate, responsible, loving man to the voters. He couldn’t lose. He was sure Olympia would see the value of a shared future too.
He had been certain she’d accept, and was stunned and devastated when she turned him down. She told him regretfully that it felt like a betrayal of Bill, and she wasn’t ready to move on yet, and maybe never would. But more important, the one thing she ardently didn’t want was to be a political wife again. What had happened to Bill had convinced her that she never wanted to be a target for that kind of insanity again. She wanted no part of a political life, or the spotlight on her family and marriage. She said that was over for her, she couldn’t survive another tragedy like what had happened to Bill. And she knew how much Tony’s political aspirations meant to him, he had pursued them all his life, and she couldn’t rob him of that. But for herself and her children, she wanted to be out of the political arena and the public eye forever. She had been adamant about it, and wanted to remain friends, but nothing else. Tony was in no way prepared for that, and stepped up his efforts with subtle pressure, convincing her that she couldn’t manage without him, and that venturing out on her own was fraught with risk. She became more and more isolated and reclusive, as he became her only friend, but it still didn’t push her into marriage with him.
He had spent a year trying to convince her that a joint future was the right idea, to no avail. Olympia remained firm that she wouldn’t marry again. And Tony knew he had to remarry, to ensure success in a campaign. So he married Megan after a brief courtship, and she got pregnant on their honeymoon. She wasn’t Olympia, but she was very young, very rich, and had the right image for his political career. She was a beautiful girl, and their babies were evidence of his being a family man, which would get him votes. Everything Tony did was carefully calculated.
Olympia was the woman he had wanted to marry and could never have. She remained tantalizingly out of reach, and yet agonizingly close to him, and he spent all the time with her he could, without drawing attention to how close he was to her. Megan understood and didn’t object. She felt sorry for Olympia after what had happened to her, and thought her a tragic figure and not a threat. And Tony wanted to keep it that way. The press meddling in their close relationship could only create problems for him, which he wanted to avoid at all cost, and had so far. He saw Olympia now as the holy woman who would bless his campaign one day. She had become totally dependent on him, and Tony had full control over her and advised her to remain in seclusion, which gave him more influence over her.
Alix Phillips spending time with Olympia was everything he didn’t want. He looked worried and displeased when he got off the phone. He wasn’t angry at Olympia for seeing Alix, but he was furious with Alix for manipulating her into a meeting, which was very definitely not about her books, no matter what Olympia thought.
—
“How’d it go?” Felix asked Alix when she got back to the office after seeing Olympia, as h
e popped two antacids into his mouth. He’d had a stressful morning, and his stomach had been a casualty of his career for years. Alix had given him five hundred rolls of Tums for Christmas as a joke, and he said it was his best gift.
“It was nothing. She’s a lovely woman, and loyal to the core, to Bill Foster and to Tony Clark, to both of them. She claims that the Vice President is just a friendly guy and nice to a lot of people, but he has no involvement with the lobbies and never did. I think she believes that, but I don’t. I asked her if Clark was going to run for President and she told me she had no idea. I think she might know but even if she did, she wouldn’t tell me anyway. And she’s not in touch with the real world. She’s living in a tomb, and hasn’t been to Washington since her husband died. She’s writing a second book about him, and she acts like he was killed yesterday. I honestly think she doesn’t really know what’s going on, with Tony Clark or anyone else. Tony Clark is her closest friend. She sees him as some kind of saint, right after Saint Bill. I’m following up on some other leads in Washington, but other than the sheer pleasure of meeting her, she’s a wonderful person, but she’s a waste of time as a source of information about the Vice President.”
“I figured that might be the case, but it was worth a shot,” he said, looking dour.
“Yes, it was. I think he has bullshitted her into believing anything he says. He’s a very convincing guy, and I get the sense that he’s the only close friend she has. Her kids have both left home, so he’s all she’s got for company and emotional support.”
Dangerous Games Page 5
