The Cost of Commitment - KJ2 (24 page)

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 decision 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.”

“What acknowledgment do you get officially?”

“Officially, sir?”

“Yes. For instance, can Jay put you on her insurance policy?”

“Are you trying to save the state money on my health insurance coverage, sir?”

“Very funny, Kate. I mean it. Can she?”

“No, sir,
Time
is not that progressive. Nor, might I add, is almost any other public or private entity.”

“My point exactly. I think that’s wrong, and I want to change it.”

“Sir, you realize you’re running for president, right?”

He laughed heartily. “That’s the rumor.”

“Are you sure you’d want to be out front on what will surely be viewed as a liberal issue?”

“Kate, I have no intention of hiding away and sidestepping controversial issues just because I’m running for president. I happen to think a good section of the populace respects a man who stands up for what he believes in, whether or not they agree with his stance.”

“I would look at it a bit differently, sir. You are already virtually assured of capturing the liberal vote. It’s the moderate and conservative Democratic ballots you should be courting. Creating an environment that encourages domestic partnership benefits is not high on their agenda.”

“No, but it should be. They’re Democrats, gosh darn it. Our party used to stand for things like that, until we started to behave more like middle-of-the-road vagabonds who couldn’t make up our minds whether we wanted to pursue the Democratic agenda or kowtow to the Republicans. That’s the problem all across the country, Kate. Democrats everywhere, and particularly in our party’s leadership, are scared silly of making policy decisions that might not play in Peoria.”

“And you, sir, single-handedly, are going to change that?”

“No, Kate, of course not. But if people like me don’t stand up and reassert the principles on which our party is based, who will?” He looked at her oddly. “Kate, are you actually arguing
against
me protecting you?”

She laughed at the almost comical expression on his face. “Heaven forbid, sir. I just want to make sure we examine the issue thoroughly. It certainly wouldn’t be in my best interests, or the interests of gays and lesbians everywhere, to have you defeated because you took a strong stand on our behalf as governor.”

“Are you convinced that instituting an executive order barring discrimination against you in housing and allowing your partners to be on your insurance policies will lose me the election?”

“I’m convinced that it could.”

The Cost of Commitment

“I recognize the wisdom of your advice, Kate, as always.”

“But you’re going to ignore it.”

He smiled broadly. “Absolutely. Tomorrow I am going to introduce an executive order allowing gay and lesbian couples who can prove a financial interdependence to have access to each other’s health benefits if they work for the state.”

She shook her head at him. “You’re a troublemaker.”

“I prefer to think of myself as a crusader.”

“That, too. The DNC might not be too pleased.”

“Screw ’em. Pardon my French.”

“I’m fairly certain that was English, sir.” She winked at him.

“Vendetti, what happened? I thought you were going to see to it that the dyke bitch didn’t have access to our boy?” Bob Hawthorne’s voice boomed over the telephone line. “Next thing I know he’s out there waving a goddamned rainbow flag!”