The Cost of Commitment - KJ2 (6 page)

I know the governor had to sign off on the new spot, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t his idea.”

The three friends finished their meal in contemplative silence, each mentally trying out scenarios that might explain the inexplicable without success. At 10:15 p.m., Peter bid Kate and Jay good night with a promise to keep in touch and an admonition for his best friend. “Katherine, you be careful. Redfield and Breathwaite don’t play nice, and they sure as shooting don’t play by the rules. If there is something going on, it looks like you’ll be right in the thick of it. I want you to keep track of everything and anything that looks suspicious. Collect any evidence if there’s any to be had, and make me copies. Don’t overlook anything. The devil may truly be in the details here.”

When he had gone, Jay took Kate in her arms. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be okay. With Peter’s help, we’ll get to the bottom of this. I have to tell you, though, my first reaction is to go down there and bash some heads.”

Kate smiled fondly at her spunky partner. “Have I told you lately just how much I love you?”

“I never tire of hearing it, babe.”

Jay ran her fingers up Kate’s abdomen, brushing gently over firm breasts before resting her hands on broad shoulders. Their kiss was equal parts passion and tenderness.

“Mm, can I interest you in a little ice cream?”

“Nope.” Jay continued to nibble on Kate’s lower lip.

“Um, how about some cheesecake?”

The Cost of Commitment

“Negatory.”

“Jamison Parker turning down dessert? I don’t believe it!”

“Who said anything about turning down dessert?” Green eyes gone black with desire captured blue in a timeless moment of understanding.

Lynn Ames

The Cost of Commitment

’m only going to say this once: either you do what I say, or I tell Iyour wife about your little girlfriend. The choice is yours, but I suggest you make it quickly. If that editorial doesn’t go to print on Sunday, you might be finding your clothes in your front yard.”

On the other end of the line, the receiver went dead.

“Heh. This is even more fun than I thought it would be.”

His gloating was cut short by the ringing of the phone.

“Breathwaite.”

“David, we have to meet. Lunchtime at the club. Be there.”

“Enright.”

“Hey, Technowiz. Hungry?”

“When and where?”

“Now, Lombardo’s.”

“See you in fifteen.”

“Right.”

“What do you think you’re doing, Breathwaite?”

“Bob wanted results, I’m getting him results, Bill. What part of that don’t you understand?”

“You’re being so heavy-handed, it’s starting to raise eyebrows. The commissioner wants to know what the hell’s going on, and so do I. What have you done?”

“Just using a little leverage. Putting a little pressure in the right places.”

Lynn Ames

William Redfield wanted nothing more at that moment than to wipe the smug expression off the little weasel’s face. “If this backfires and one of your ‘projects’ talks, you’re on your own,” he snapped.

“Bill, has anyone ever told you you worry too much?”

Redfield stormed out of the room.

“Okay, Spinmeister, what’s going on?”

They were settled into a high-backed booth at the back of Lombardo’s, a family-style Italian restaurant at the lower end of downtown Albany.

“Nothing good, my friend.” Kate pulled a blue manila file folder from the briefcase at her feet and placed it in front of Peter. Inside were a series of newspaper clippings.

After reading the first five clips, he looked up, both eyebrows hiked into his hairline. “Huh,” he whistled softly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d have to say somebody gave these folks a little help with their stories.”

“My thought exactly. But that’s not the worst. Keep reading.” Kate reached over, locating a clipping halfway down in the pile. It was dated September 21, 1987—two days earlier.

Peter uttered a string of expletives as his eyes scanned the top of the page. The editorial headline read, “The Woman Behind the Deceptions at DOCS.”

Just four months into the job, it seems that the State Department of Correctional Services’ lead spokeswoman has settled in quite nicely, thank you. In instance after instance, Katherine Kyle, the governor’s controversial choice as public information officer for the nation’s third largest prison system, has buried the truth, misleading the public and abusing her position. When an inmate was murdered last month at the Auburn Correctional Facility, Ms. Kyle told our Daniel Wenger that the incident was unrelated to a series of violent outbursts earlier that same week. Reliable sources and further investigation prove that Ms. Kyle lied: the victim and the killer belonged to rival gangs that had been involved in several scuffles over the course of a two-week period. It is our considered opinion that Ms. Kyle should either resign or be fired: she can no longer be trusted to tell the truth about anything.

When Peter’s eyes met Kate’s, they held fire. “There aren’t too many ways that ace reporter and his editors could have gotten that little tidbit, now, are there?”

The Cost of Commitment

“No. But what bothers me more is that they’re questioning my credibility in ways that are difficult to combat.” Kate’s wounded eyes met Peter’s. “In this business credibility is everything. Without it, I can’t do my job effectively.”

He put his hand over hers in sympathy.

“The sad thing is, I told the truth. That inmate wasn’t killed as a result of anything gang related, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately, the newspaper has just enough of the basic facts right: there
were
members of rival gangs planning a turf war, there
were
several violent incidents during those two weeks, and the perp and the vic
were
members of opposing gangs. Since nobody ever asked me those questions in that way, the information was never made public. But the way the editorial is worded, why should anyone believe me now?”

Peter’s jaw muscles stood out in bold relief. “None of the line staff would be stupid enough to talk to the newspaper. Hell, none of them would’ve been able to supply all of that information. No, it had to be someone much higher up. My guess would be Breathwaite. But speculation and proof are two different things.”

“Not to mention motive,” Kate added dejectedly. “What the blazes is his game, anyway?”

“I’d say it’s pretty obvious he wants to discredit you and shove you out the door. The question in my mind is the same one it was a month ago: why?”

“I’ve been puzzling over that one myself. Why would he want to take what many would consider a demotion to come back to DOCS? What’s in it for him?”

“If we can figure that out, we may be able to stop the train before it runs over you. Where are the governor and the commissioner on this?

I’m assuming you’ve heard from them, right?”

Kate thought back to her meeting earlier that morning with her boss.

“C’mon in, Kate. Have a seat.”

She sat down in one of the visitor’s chairs facing the commissioner’s
desk.

“Seems as though you’ve been taking a hell of a beating lately from
our friends in the fourth estate.”

“So it would seem, sir.”

“Look, Kate.” Sampson leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the
smooth wood surface. “You remember when I had you in here about a
month ago? We talked about the increasing scrutiny we were going to
face from those assholes at the DNC?”

She nodded.

Lynn Ames

“Well, now the bastards are all over me to fire you. They’re saying
you’ve become a liability.” He couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Sir, you do whatever it is you need to do.” Her tone was calm, her
voice clear and unwavering, even as the words tore a hole through her
insides. Kate prided herself on being the best at whatever she did.

Failure was not an option. And while she knew with certainty that she
was being set up to fail, her inability to turn the situation around was
eating at her.

“Kate, I appreciate your willingness to take one for the team, but you
and I both know that this whole thing is bullshit. Whatever’s going on, it
has nothing to do with your competence. You’ve been doing an
extraordinary job, and scathing editorials to the contrary, I have no
intention whatsoever of either asking for, or accepting, your
resignation.”

It was not what he said that surprised her so much as the vehemence
with which he said it. Defying the party bigwigs was serious business.

“And I am ever so grateful for your support, sir, but are you sure this
is the wisest course?”

“The governor and I agree, Kate. It will take more than a few lousy
editorials and some unfortunate news coverage for us to lose faith in you.

You have our full support.”

“Huh,” Peter grunted, “I’m assuming you didn’t share your suspicions with him about the root of this whole mess.”

“Right. First of all, I didn’t want to sound as if I was making excuses, and, second, I didn’t want to come off as some paranoid wacko. Not to mention the fact that we don’t really know yet what’s going on.”

“No, we don’t, but we will. I swear to you we will.”

“I know you’re right, Technowiz, I just hope it doesn’t take too long.”

Wanting nothing more than to lift his best friend’s obviously sagging spirits, Peter changed the subject. “What’s going on with you and Jay?”

He loved the way Kate’s eyes lit up at the mere mention of her fiancée’s name.

“Everything’s great, except that we don’t seem to have nearly enough time for each other. I never thought I could feel this way about someone.

The second she’s out of my sight I miss her.”

“She’s clearly just as crazy about you, you know.”

“Yeah,” Kate sighed dreamily. “I know.”

“Have you guys talked any more about when the wedding is going to be, or where, for that matter?”

“We made a date to talk about it tonight, in fact. I can’t wait.”

Her enthusiasm made Peter smile. “Well, just make sure you give me enough warning so that I can rent a tux.”

The Cost of Commitment

“A man-about-town like you doesn’t own a tux? Why, Peter Enright, I’m shocked and appalled!” She slapped him playfully as they made their way out the back door of the restaurant.

“Yeah, yeah, tell it to somebody who believes you, Kyle.” After a pause he added, “Hey, Kate, make sure you keep in close contact with me about this, okay? Don’t second-guess yourself. I want to know everything that looks even remotely suspicious.”

“I promise, you’ll be the second to know.”

“See ya.”

“Yeah, try to keep your hands off things that go boom and stay out of trouble in the meantime.”

“Right.” Peter winked as he got in his standard-issue blue Ford sedan.

“My God, Jay, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. How did I ever get so lucky?” Kate stood behind Jay with her arms around her waist. She was admiring her profile in the brilliant shaft of moonlight that shone down on them as they stood outside on the deck overlooking the backyard.

The moon was bright and full, and as they gazed up at the profusion of stars overhead, Jay sighed contentedly. “Sweetheart,” she rotated her head and kissed the corner of Kate’s mouth, “I’m the lucky one.” She turned fully to nuzzle the expanse of neck and shoulder that were within easy reach. “What happened today...” She trailed off as slender, graceful fingers covered her lips.

“I don’t want to talk about work right now, babe. I just want to be here with you, okay?” Kate replaced fingers with lips, punctuating her words with a long, slow kiss.

“Mm. You won’t get any arguments here.” Breathless, Jay pulled back in the circle of Kate’s arms and regarded her. “Shall we talk about the future, love?”

“As long as it involves you, me, and a lifetime of togetherness, I’m easy.”

“Sounds wonderful to me. Well, then, I guess there’s nothing more to say.” Jay made as if to go inside.

“Hey, wait a minute!”

“What?” Jay batted her eyes innocently.

“Get back here, you.”

“Something you want, honey?”

“Mm-hmm. You. I can’t wait to make you mine, love.”

“I
am
yours, sweetheart.”

“I know, but I really want to formalize it, sooner rather than later.”

She looked into Jay’s eyes. “Jay, you mean everything to me, and I want
Lynn Ames

something tangible to reflect how I feel about you. I want to marry you, even though it’s not legally binding.”

For several heartbeats, they both were lost in bittersweet memory.

The moment Kate had first proposed marriage and Jay had accepted had been the happiest of their lives. That was just before all hell had broken loose and the future had seemed lost.

The shadows receded just as quickly as they had come. Jay smiled up at the woman with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life, lightly brushing her fingers over chiseled cheekbones. “Darling, I would marry you right here, tonight, if you wanted.”

“This might surprise you, but I’m a pretty old-fashioned kind of gal.

No elopements here.”

Jay laughed. “No kidding.”

“I would prefer a traditional kind of ceremony.” Kate glanced down at Jay. “What do you want, love?”

“When I was a little girl and my father was abusing me,” Jay began, squeezing Kate’s hands reassuringly when she stiffened, “I would escape in my mind into fantasies. In one of them, it was my wedding day, and I was dressed in a beautiful, flowing gown with a long train. I felt like a princess in a fairy tale.”

“I want to give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of, Jay, including a fairy-tale wedding.”

“You don’t have to do that, love.”

“Babe, that’s what I want, too.”

Jay bit her lower lip in thought. “What do you think about going back where it all started? The chaplain at college was a good friend of mine. I think she might agree to perform some kind of ceremony for us.”