The Cost of Commitment - KJ2

by Lynn Ames

  “Okay, Mr. Rogers. Let’s go.”

  They spent the better part of the morning peeking into all manner of enclaves—watching the big cats being fed, observing the polar bears at play, and petting the giraffes, who obligingly licked them with their long, black tongues.

  When they were done, Jay turned to their hostess. “Deb, I can’t thank you enough for this. It’s like a little girl’s dream come true. I’ve always been fascinated by all kinds of animals, but I never thought I’d be able to get so close. This was very special.”

  The Cost of Commitment

  “The pleasure was all mine, believe me. Seeing Kate happy is a treat, and it’s easy to understand why now, having met you. You are both very lucky ladies, and I am insanely jealous.”

  “Eat your heart out, doll.” Kate winked at her, giving her a fierce hug and a kiss on the cheek. In her ear, she murmured, “Thanks, friend. I owe you. That was just what the doctor ordered.”

  “Happy to help, gorgeous. Take good care of that one. She’s a keeper.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “Hey, are you going to unhand my girlfriend sometime today?” Jay tapped her toe in mock impatience.

  The two friends laughed and disentangled themselves. Then Deb swept Jay up in a hug as well.

  “Oof.”

  “Didn’t want you to feel left out,” Deb said. More softly she added,

  “Be good to my friend. She’s one of a kind and I’m rather fond of her.”

  “I’m a little partial to her myself, so don’t worry about that.”

  Kate broke in. “Hey, are you going to unhand my girlfriend sometime today?”

  They all laughed.

  When they were in the car, Jay took Kate’s hand. “I can’t believe you pulled that off—an intimate look inside the Bronx Zoo.”

  “Yep.” Kate was inordinately proud of herself.

  Jay narrowed her eyes. “On our first date you finagled a private dinner inside a historic landmark, then you get a reporter to redirect the questioning in a press conference where I’m about to get shish kebabed, now it’s a private tour of a famous zoo. All as a result of women who can’t say no to you. How many other people are lusting after you that I don’t know about yet, falling all over themselves to do favors for you?”

  “You have nothing to worry about, Jamison.”

  “I know.” Jay leaned her head on Kate’s shoulder. “After all, I was the beneficiary in each case.”

  “Sweetheart?” Kate turned to face Jay, a quick look of concern causing her brow to furrow, “You don’t still worry about...” She flashed back to the terrible phone conversation six months earlier during which Jay, believing a fabricated tabloid report accusing Kate of being a philanderer, had angrily told Kate she never wanted to see her again.

  Jay stopped her by putting fingers to her lips. “Shh. No, love, I feel very secure in our relationship. I’m working on feeling equally secure about myself. I look at these other women and I still find myself asking every now and again why it is you chose me.”

  “That’s easy, Jay. You are everything I could ever want in a partner.

  You’re kind, caring, compassionate, warm, fun, passionate, insightful, Lynn Ames

  interested, interesting, highly intelligent—and it’s all wrapped up in an incredibly sexy, beautiful package.”

  Jay laughed. “Is that all?”

  “No, but I didn’t want you to get a swelled head.”

  “No danger there, love.”

  “I know. That’s one of the other things that makes you the right one.”

  Jay twined their fingers together. “I’m so glad you think so. I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you, too, Jay.”

  “What’s the word, Spinmeister?”

  Kate and Peter had just sat down to lunch at one of Peter’s favorite out-of-the-way haunts. She liked to tease him about his penchant for cloak-and-dagger. It was as if, she had told him on more than one occasion, he wanted to go through life as a shadow.

  “Hard to say. If Redfield feels the slightest bit of sadness over Sampson’s departure, he’s certainly not showing it.”

  “No. Bill tolerated Brian, but I always got the feeling he thought he could do a better job. He was just biding his time.”

  “And now his time has come.”

  “Exactly. Is he making any changes?” Peter speared a french fry off Kate’s plate, earning him a fork to the back of the hand.

  “You know the fries are sacred, Technowiz.”

  “I know. That’s why I want them.”

  “Try that again and I’ll cut off a finger.”

  “Nothing like the punishment fitting the crime. I’m beginning to think you’ve been spending too much time with our ‘lock ’em up and throw away the key’ legislators. What happened to compassion, rehabilitation?”

  “I’m all for that when it’s deserved. In your case, however, you clearly know you’re doing something wrong and your actions are quite deliberate. In such a case, I’m all for sending a message that willful disregard of the laws will be frowned upon and perpetrators will be dealt with harshly.”

  Peter held up his hands. “Ye gods. You even sound like one of them.

  You’re scaring me.”

  “Yeah? Good, that was my intent. Now keep your filthy paws off of my plate.”

  Eyes gleaming, Peter reached across and snagged another fry, studiously ignoring Kate’s growl. “That’s just to show you that I’m not the least bit afraid of you. Now, can we get back to the topic at hand?”

  The Cost of Commitment

  “Yes, but only if you get your own damn fries,” she muttered.

  “Anyway, Redfield’s not doing anything terribly bold, but he is clearly sending the message that he’s in charge and it’s a new day.”

  “How’s he treating you?”

  “You know, it’s funny. He’s pretty much left me alone. I’ve seen him come down pretty hard on some other folks, but it’s almost as if he’s ignoring me. Like I’m a necessary evil.”

  “From his perspective that’s true. The governor made your employment a condition of his promotion, didn’t he?”

  “I guess you could look at it that way.”

  “So he knows that, even if he wants to, he can’t do anything about you. He doesn’t want to antagonize you too much because you clearly have friends in high places. It’s too early for him to defy a direct order.

  He has to build up a track record first.”

  “Speaking of my friends in high places, something pretty bizarre happened the other day. I was scheduled to have dinner with the governor. At around 4:00 I got a phone call from his private appointments secretary, who sounded really nervous. She told me that something had come up and the governor regretted that he was going to have to cancel our dinner.”

  Peter shrugged. “Happens all the time, I’m sure.”

  Kate nodded. “You’re right, except that this time seemed different somehow. I don’t know...it was almost as if she was unsure of herself.

  I’ve been trying to put my finger on it, and I can’t.” She paused in thought. “It was like the same feeling you get when you know a kid is telling a white lie.”

  “Okay. Why would she do that?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s never happened before. When the governor’s had to cancel in the past, this woman has been very matter-of-fact, very efficient and self-assured. She’s simply rescheduled for him or told me that she’ll get back to me when his schedule clears, and then she has.

  There was none of that this time—just a simple ‘dinner is cancelled.’”

  “Any theories?”

  “Not yet. I’m trying not to be too paranoid about it. I keep telling myself that not everything that happens has to have a deeper meaning.”

  “No, but too many coincidences give me a hive.”

  “Okay then, Technowiz, what’s your theory?”

  “I don’t have one, but I’m going to give it some serious
thought.

  Kate, it’s just one more thing. By itself, it wouldn’t mean anything. But when you piece it together with everything else that’s been going on, I have to ask myself if it isn’t significant.” He looked at her meaningfully.

  “In any event, I don’t think we should just dismiss things out of hand at this point.”

  Lynn Ames

  “I agree with you there.”

  “Let’s add it to the list, and we’ll see if it starts to fit with any of the other things that we know, or that have happened.” He smiled thinly. “I do love a good jigsaw puzzle every now and again.”

  “Me too,” Kate patted his face as she rose to leave, “but not when the subject is my life.”

  “I’ll be over for dinner tomorrow night. Tell Jay I’m looking forward to some home cooking.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass the message along. After all,” she said drolly,

  “she does live to serve you.”

  “As all women should,” he shot back.

  “On that note...” She waved as she walked out the back door to the restaurant, leaving Peter to pay the check.

  “Damn her. She did it again,” he said when he realized what she had done.

  “Did you say something, sir?” the waiter asked as he passed the table.

  “Um, check, please.”

  “Yes, sir, right away.”

  As he waited, Peter spent more time mulling over the governor’s scheduler canceling a dinner. Normally, he wouldn’t think it odd in the least. But in this case, he was inclined to wonder if it wasn’t somehow connected to what was happening with Breathwaite. He wasn’t sure what the link could be, but his gut was tingling. When that happened, it almost always meant something fishy was going on. In his line of work, he couldn’t afford to ignore his instincts, and he didn’t intend to in this case.

  Tapping his fingers on the just-arrived check, he glanced down at it, threw some bills on the table, cursed his friend one more time for sticking him with the tab, and made his way thoughtfully out onto the street.

  “Katherine Kyle,” she answered the phone absently. She was busy plowing through the thick binder in front of her, trying to decipher the latest statistics on violent crime and average length of prison sentence.

  “Kate?”

  She was instantly alert. “Governor?”

  Charles Hyland laughed. “Only some of the time.”

  “What can I do for you, sir?”

  “I want to apologize.”

  Kate was puzzled. “For what, sir?”

  “It seems our dinner last week got cancelled without any input on my part.”

  “That’s all right, sir.”

  The Cost of Commitment

  “It’s not all right with me. Can you make it this evening? I know it’s short notice.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Good. I’ll see you at 8:00, then.”

  “I’ll be there, sir.”

  “I’m glad you could come.”

  “Thanks for the invitation.”

  The governor looked relaxed in a turtleneck and khakis, sitting behind his desk in his “home” office in the mansion on Eagle Street, his strawberry blonde hair slightly mussed. He was a good-looking man; at forty-eight and 6’2” tall, he still had a boyishness about him, an image underlined by the freckles sprinkled across his fair skin.

  “Thank you, James.” The governor dismissed the state trooper who had escorted Kate from the parking area.

  The trooper saluted, turned sharply on his heel, and left the room.

  “I want to explain what happened.”

  “There’s no need, sir.”

  “Kate, how long have you known me?”

  “Six years, sir.”

  “Would you say I was someone who worried excessively about appearances?”

  “Sir? I’m afraid I’m not following you.”

  He laughed. “Well, that would be a first.” He sat back in his leather chair and regarded her, a pen twirling in his fingers. “It seems that my social secretary was concerned that, with all the recent publicity you’ve been receiving, it might not be in my best interests to associate with you right now.”

  He forestalled her before she could weigh in.

  “First of all, I don’t give a rat’s ass what people say.”

  “Perhaps you should, sir,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Bullshit,” he shot back angrily, shoving himself forward in his seat, all evidence of nonchalance gone. “I will not bow to narrow-minded, jelly-spined party bigwigs. I didn’t get where I am by being stupid or politically naïve.”

  Kate was nonplussed. This was a level of intensity she had heard about, but never seen personally.

  “Second of all, I have no patience for staff members trying to coddle me. It makes me wonder what else I don’t know. I want to be able to trust my people, not have to second-guess them.”

  “Sir, it seems to me your staff was just trying to protect you. That indicates a strong level of loyalty.”

  Lynn Ames

  “No, Kate, you’re wrong. Loyalty is about following instructions and orders, questioning things, perhaps, bringing troublesome issues to my attention, but not making unilateral decisions on my behalf. I deeply resent that.”

  There was nothing to say to that, so Kate wisely chose to keep her mouth shut.

  “In any event, I merely wanted the opportunity to explain to you that I don’t care what rumor and innuendo might be swirling around you at the moment. I have full confidence in you, I value your counsel and your company, and I will not be dictated to by outside parties as to with whom I might spend my time. Period.”

  “I appreciate that, sir.”

  “Shall we?” He gestured with a sweep of his arm that she should accompany him. “I believe we’re having prime rib, potatoes au gratin, salad, and cheesecake for dessert.”

  “My mouth is watering just listening to the menu.”

  “Then let’s see what we can do about feeding you.”

  The dining room was stately, with ornate dark cherry china cabinets, matching chairs and table, a very expensive Oriental rug, and a solid gold chandelier from Tiffany’s. The walls were decorated with original pieces from New York–bred artists.

  “This is delicious,” Kate said around a mouthful of potatoes.

  “Yes, Sandy has really outdone herself tonight.” The governor seemed to be having an internal debate. “Kate?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  He looked her squarely in the eye. “Brian Sampson is a good man. He was a great commissioner. I will miss him.”

  Unsure where he was going with the conversation, Kate merely nodded agreement.

  “I know what he did was inexcusable, and I won’t try to justify his behavior. I can’t fathom what he could have been thinking in keeping something like that from his wife all this time.” He shook his head sadly.

  “Those things always have a way of coming to the surface, sir.”

  “Yes, they do. With the relentlessness of the media these days and the resources available to them, it makes it even less likely that someone can keep secrets of that nature.” He paused in thought. “I want to preface the rest of this discussion by saying that you and I have a unique relationship, Kate. As a matter of course, I wouldn’t have this conversation about a superior with an employee. But our relationship is such that I rely on you to provide perspective and wise counsel. What we talk about must stay in this room.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  The Cost of Commitment

  “Beyond that, I want to be clear that my remarks and questions tonight are in no way designed put you in an awkward situation. Bill Redfield is your boss. You report to him.”

  “Naturally, sir.”

  He paused another moment before going on. “Brian was, and is, a friend, Kate. He’s someone whose advice I trust implicitly. The fact that he thought Bill Redfield should succeed him is the major reason for the rapidity with which I made the de
cision to promote him. I was more inclined to do a nationwide search.”

  “Sir, in a situation where there is such upheaval and uncertainty, a drawn-out process might not be the best thing. DOCS is a paramilitary organization. Its employees are used to a sort of regimentation, as are the inmates. A prolonged period of indecision could cause a morale issue among the correction officers and a boldness on the part of inmates.”

  “Funny, that’s exactly what Brian said. Still—I wish I had more time to consider my options.” He tapped his temple with his forefinger.

  “You could have named an interim commissioner.”

  “Mm, and I almost did, except that Brian thought it would indicate a lack of confidence in my final selection if I hired Redfield in the end.”

  “As if he wasn’t your first choice,” Kate said.

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  “I’m sure Commissioner Redfield will do a fine job, sir.”

  He was pensive. “You may be right, Kate, but I just don’t feel like I know the man at all. Every conversation I’ve had with him, I can’t seem to get a fix on him.”

  “He’s very different in personality from Commissioner Sampson, that’s for sure.”

  “I wish I knew what makes him tick. Do you have a sense for him yet, Kate?”

  “I haven’t really spent much time with him, sir.” Kate had no intention of sharing her concerns about her new boss with the governor.

  “Mm. Well, he certainly has the background for the position. He worked his way up from correction officer to sergeant, superintendent, assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner, executive deputy commissioner, and now commissioner. There’s no doubt that he knows the agency inside and out.”

  “Yes, sir, he knows every inch of the organization.”

  The governor nodded and sighed. “On to a different topic. How do you feel about domestic partner benefits?”

  “Sir?” Kate was having a hard time keeping up with the abrupt subject change.

  “I’ve been thinking about your situation. Certainly you and Jay are not unique in having to fight bigotry and ignorance.”

  Lynn Ames

  “No. We may be a bit more high profile at the moment,” she winked,

  “but there are thousands of couples in New York state just like us.”