Carolyn paused and faced him. “Mort Fields may have pulled his support, but I know we can count on the Poultry Foods people for a steady supply of cash. We saved them tens of millions by pushing through some regulations that would have taken years to enact without our support.”
“You can’t risk misappropriating campaign funds. We’ve talked about this before.”
“I don’t intend to do anything improper, and I know you’ll use sound judgment every step of the way. We’re just creatively using campaign funds.”
Mark frowned as he got up from his chair and approached Carolyn.
“Please do this for me,” she said.
He nodded.
“Is anyone using my old office now?”
“Of course not. You’re supposed to be coming back from your leave of absence, remember?”
Carolyn smiled. “I’ll need to extend it indefinitely, I’m afraid. I’d understand if you gave my office away.”
“I’ll save it for you as long as I can. Right now, it’s still yours.”
Carolyn brushed his cheek with a platonic kiss. “Good. Then, I’m going to try office to put together some notes on the possible candidates. Let me know who Cain has on line already, so we can get these investigations underway. I want to start with a thorough report on Richard Young.”
After Carolyn left his office. Mark shut off the tape recorder Edmund had built into his desk. He opened the pencil drawer and popped out the tape. He twirled it between his fingers, and sat for a moment, considering his options. He knew that Edmund would want to hear what Carolyn planned. But it wouldn’t hurt to inform Warner, to prove his allegiance to the candidate himself, and build some loyalty, Mark thought, as he dialed the phone.
Warner’s secretary put the call through
“Hi. Mark. How are you?”
“Fine. Warner, fine. But this isn’t a social call, it’s about Carolyn.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“I could have called Edmund, but I felt you had a right to know firsthand. Carolyn asked me to hire Cain to investigate your primary opponents. She’s going to focus on Richard.”
“Don’t worry. Young and I have discussed it. We’ve got Cain set up to handle her inquiries.”
“Good, but that’s not why I called. She’s had her assistant, Katherine Seals, pull up your financial accounts.”
Warner chuckled. “Edmund and I figured she might snoop around. Most of my assets have been taken out of my name, so relax. She can’t link me financially to Edmund anymore, so I doubt she found much of anything worth worrying about.”
“No, she didn’t. I just thought I’d better warn you.”
“Thanks, buddy. I won’t forget you for this. Loyalty like yours is hard to find. When I get to the White House, I’m taking you with me. In the meantime, let Carolyn do what she wants. We can take care of her.”
Mark hung up, satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. When Warner won, a Cabinet post would be his.
It bothered him that Carolyn might end up a casualty, but not enough to tell her the truth. Turnabout was fair play, he rationalized. She seemed to have no qualms about using him to forward her agenda.
She assumed he was a pushover, a docile man she could cajole and manipulate into doing her bidding. These were dangerous assumptions, Mark thought. Especially after she’d brushed him off as if nothing had ever happened between them, coldly rejecting his love. Now, her rejection and arrogance would cost her. And cost her dearly.
Carolyn stopped in the kitchenette and made herself a cup of tea before going on to her old office. The desk once occupied by her assistant, Katherine, sat vacant. Carolyn stepped past it and into her former domain. She sat down behind her desk. Although it felt good to be back, this office represented her past – a past she had no desire to revisit.
She turned her attention back to the campaign, and pulled a legal pad from her top desk drawer.
President Washman and Vice President Dexter would be dealt with later. For now, she needed to focus on the primaries.
Her biggest concern remained Senator Richard Young. What puzzled her was Warner’s relaxed attitude about the man. Young was, by far, the most serious potential presidential candidate aside from Warner.
His Boy Scout public image, however, frustrated her. She grasped the mug of steaming tea and held it between her two hands, taking tiny sips.
Other than a weakness for women, Young’s only other vulnerability was his devotion to his children. While this genuine love for his family aided him with the voters, she sensed that it might be the key to slowing down his momentum. Carolyn pondered the possibilities and concluded that, whatever it took, they would give Richard Young the fight of his political life.
She considered their other adversaries. Martin Gaston from New Hampshire and Frank Landon were both contenders. She’d heard rumors that Bradley Davis of California was on the verge of declaring, but she knew he’d be an easy target. Nebraska Senator David Taylor posed a more viable threat.
Carolyn decided to concentrate her energy on Taylor ’s personal past. He had to have ghosts, she concluded. Ghosts that the voters needed to be aware of when deciding the country’s leadership.
She had met Taylor once. He was an eloquent, charismatic speaker and his record included a Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War. He could be legitimately touted as a war hero. Compared to Taylor ’s record, Warner’s lackluster military career became a liability. She tapped the pencil against the bridge of her nose.
Her glance fell on the stack of mail in her basket that had yet to be forwarded on to her home. Carolyn set aside her pencil and flipped through the stacks of solicitations, letters and periodicals. Most of it was junk. She picked up the most recent issue of Today and began leafing through it.
“Just what we need right now.” she muttered as she read the bold-print header of the article
Allergy Claim Keeps Lane from Combat
Duty
Senator Warner Hamilton Lane, a rising star in politics, appears to have made a miraculous recovery from his severe allergies, the malady that kept him out of combat during the Vietnam War.
Carolyn skimmed the text.
Medical records, from Lane’s personal physician, claim that his condition worsened during the war, forcing him to maintain a desk post in Hawaii. Remarkably, however, the allergies seem to have disappeared. In medical records released by the Senator himself, during his last campaign, he was given a clean bill of health and no mention was made of the severe sensitivity.
Carolyn turned the page, finding the byline – by Jack Rudly.
How in the world had Rudly acquired confidential medical and military records? Carolyn wondered. This was typical of his silent, but deadly, attack style. Like a shark, he came out of nowhere, his prey clenched between his jaws.
Carolyn checked the date. No wonder, she thought, the conversation between Nick and Jack had been so intense. Nick must have known about this article. She snatched up the phone, her fingers shaking as she dialed.
“Nick, why didn’t you tell me about Rudly’s article?” She didn’t wait for his response. “Nothing, and I mean – nothing – goes on in this campaign without my knowledge. I thought you understood that. Now, please find out how Rudly got his information, then shut it down. We’ve got friends at that magazine – call them.”