Smoke and Mirrors (47 page)

Nick stirred restlessly. "I've been wondering about that
so-called accident of Marshall's. Do you suppose he killed himself?"

"No, I think it's much more likely he was murdered by Philips
Laurence."

The chains squealed as Nick jumped and subsided. "Holy . . . I thought I had a lurid imagination! Or did I miss something?"

"Not really. But Laurence certainly had a strong motive for ridding himself of one of the people who knew the truth, especially if Congressman Marshall's conscience had been troubling him. I wouldn't put it past him."

"You wouldn't put it past him," Nick repeated slowly. "Is this Nancy Drew I'm hearing, or the woman I allowed to assist me in a rational, reasoned criminal investigation?"

"I've no intention of helping you investigate Marshall's death. Though I bet we could find out if we tried. Where Laurence was that day, why Marshall was cleaning his gun . . . But it isn't worth the effort. We've got more interesting things to do."

She demonstrated. After a long, breathless interval Nick said, "I'm convinced."

"No, you aren't. You're still depressed; I can tell. What's the matter?'

"You can tell by the way I kiss that I'm—"

Erin made a sound of exasperation. " 'Phlegmatic' is not exactly the word for you, Nick. Are you sulking because Rosemary didn't let you and Joe in on her little plot with Miz Marylou?"

"No. " Nick sighed. "I'm depressed because if it hadn't been for that slick trick, the voters of this enlightened democracy might have voted back into office one of the most corrupt, cheating, cynical, incompetent, treacherous—"

"Wasn't it Churchill who said that democracy is a rotten system, but it's the best there is?"

"First Nancy Drew, now Pollyanna," Nick grumbled. "I don't think those were his exact words."

"Pick your own quotation, then! There are a lot of them, mostly cynical. Politics is nothing but smoke and mirrors, deception and image; power corrupts, particularly politicians. But politics isn't an exact science, Nick; it isn't perfect, or perfectable. How can it be, when its practitioners are imperfect human beings? Life isn't perfect, either. So are you going to kill yourself in a fit of childish pique because things don't always work the way you want them to? I despise those pious hypocrites who wrinkle their fastidious noses at the dirty business of politics, and brag that they don't bother to vote—"

"Hey, I didn't say—"

"If you don't like the way the world, or the political process, functions, then do something about it! You won't make it perfect, but maybe you can make it a little better, if only for a few people. That's what Rosemary is trying to do. Her slick trick, as you term it, was a perfectly legitimate act; it exposed a mean, vicious man to the public shame he deserved, with the wholehearted cooperation of his chief victim. It isn't in the same ballpark as the smears and insinuations and lies some politicians employ to discredit an opponent. There are some things Rosemary wouldn't stoop to, in order to win. I believe that; and if I ever stop believing it, if she shows signs of turning into a female version of Buzz Bennett, then, by God, I'll fight her tooth and nail!"

She broke off, breathless and a little embarrassed at her own passion. "Don't laugh at me, Nick, " she said, in a small voice. "I guess that sounded corny and old-fashioned; but I meant every word. "

"I'm not laughing." Nick took her hand. "I'm ashamed I didn't have the guts to say something along the same lines. It's a hell of a note—a hell of a world—when a person can't voice a belief in decency, in honor, in idealism, without expecting to be laughed at. ... But, you know, it is hard to think of a quotation about politics that isn't cynical."

"Didn't someone once call politics the greatest and most honorable adventure?"

"That may be a slight exaggeration," Nick said cautiously. "But what the hell—it's something to work for. Something to occupy us when we're not canoodling."

Half amused, half reproachful, she would have replied; but before she could find the right words Nick found them for her—words she knew would endure as a commitment and a covenant between them.

"It is an adventure. Exciting, unpredictable, challenging, hazardous. But I'd rather think of it as a great and honorable endeavor. 'The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.' "