Page 34 of The Senator's Wife

He looked at her with interest. “Do you have a moment like that?”

She considered the best way to answer. “Doesn’t everyone? But then new people and new opportunities come into our lives. You know the old saying: When a door closes, a window opens.”

“Very true.”

Athena gave him a sympathetic smile. “You’ve been through a lot, but it’s time to look forward. I’m here to support both of you. People are always worried about the sick one, but it’s equally tough on the caregiver. Sloane is very lucky to have you. I’m sureshe must tell you how much she appreciates the way you look after her.”

“That’s very kind of you to say, Athena. I know I can never replace Robert, but I try my best to take care of her the way he would want me to. It was hard to convince her that it was okay for us to be together. I’ll admit it was a bit awkward initially, since I’d been married to Robert’s cousin. But when Sloane realized that my marriage had essentially been over for years, I think that made our union easier. The one thing I didn’t really count on, though, is how much she still misses Robert.” Whit gave her a sad look. “When I proposed, she said no at first. I think she felt guilty for wanting to be happy. I know I’ll always be second best in Sloane’s eyes, that she’ll never love me the way she loved Robert, but I’ve tried to make peace with that.” Whit looked up and stopped talking as a young woman in uniform brought in their dinner—baked salmon, baby white potatoes in a butter sauce, and cooked spinach. Athena thought how nice it must be to have someone serve you your dinner each night and take care of all the cleanup when you were finished.

Once they were alone again, he tasted the fish, nodded in approval, and then continued. “I hope I can take care of both Sloane and Emmy in a way that Robert would approve.”

“I’m sure you will. It seems obvious to me that you care very much about them both. They’re lucky to have you.” She thought about the emptiness of her own life and took a large sip of wine, forcing her thoughts back to the present.

“Sloane told me she’s always worried that one day she’ll be confined to bed. She said that she wouldn’t want to live that way,” he said.

“Yes, that would be a terrible existence. For both of you,” she added.

Whit looked past her into the distance. “You know, I grew up in a small town in Virginia. My parents were hardworking, honest people who did everything they could to see that I had a fineeducation. They weren’t alive when I was elected to Congress, and I regret that bitterly. I never dreamed I would be where I am today, and all I want is to be able to share it with someone.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s just not meant to be.”

“Some people believe that our lives are preordained. The three Fates in Greek mythology are said to assign destinies to humans at birth.” Athena’s eyes met his. “But I believe we make our own fate. You live the life you choose.”

Whit leveled his gaze at her. “I want that to be true, Athena. I want very much for that to be true.”

Things were falling into place much more quickly than she’d anticipated. Athena suppressed a smile.

- 26 -

ROSEMARY

Rosemary was looking forward to Faye’s visit, and she hoped that her old friend would help her figure out the wisest course of action. Faye had known Robert well and, as a longtime congresswoman, had worked with both him and Whit. She should be able to shed some light on what Mac had found concerning Whit’s meetings with Horner and Peterson, since she had been in attendance at one of the meetings.

She still had a couple of hours before Faye was due to arrive and she opened her laptop to see if Mac’s final report was there. Scanning her email, she spotted it and clicked it open. She read through it twice. No new information on anything related to the shooting of Peg and Robert. Mac had been able to interview some of Peg’s former neighbors, but they had nothing but good things to say about Whit. It was the last paragraph of the report that had her on high alert. Mac had turned up new information on Athena Karras. Her LinkedIn page showed her history of home healthcare work and told one story. But using facial recognition software, he’d found a picture on someone’s Facebook page that she’d been tagged in, but the tag had a different name and didn’t connect to her current Facebook page. His email asked if she wanted him to investigate further. She composed a reply asking him to keep digging.

Rosemary picked up the house phone and dialed Sloane. It went straight to voicemail.

“Sloane, darling, it’s Rosemary. I need to talk to you. It’s a long story, but I came across some information that indicates your Ms. Karras isn’t who she claims to be. Please call me as soon as you get this message.” She put the phone down, frustrated, then thoughtof something Emmy had told her: No one listens to voicemail anymore. She stood and went to her desk, where she kept the cellphone that Camille had insisted she take with her when driving. It was a basic model, not a complicated smartphone, which Rosemary had no use for. She was not going to allow herself to become like all the zombielike people glued to their phones at every idle moment. She powered it up and sent a text to Sloane.

I have info on Athena Karras— She isn’t who she claims to be. I don’t think Athena Karras is her real name. Please call me as soon as you see this!

She put the phone down and went into the kitchen to prepare a tray and put on a pot of coffee. Earlier that morning, she’d had Matilda prepare some homemade pumpkin muffins—Faye’s favorite. The doorbell chimed, and she went to the hallway to greet her friend.

Faye embraced her tightly. “Rosemary! So good to see you. It’s been far too long.”

As they took their seats next to each other in the living room, Rosemary picked up the folder in which she’d put Mac’s report. “I’ve put a pot of coffee on. In the meantime, take a look at this.” Handing the folder to Faye, she pointed to the part about the meetings at the St. Regis.

“Why would they be having secret meetings? And doesn’t it seem strange that they always coincide with when the vice president happens to be having dinner there? Is it possible he’s involved with them in something?” Rosemary asked.

Faye shrugged. “It could just be a coincidence.”

“What about the fact that the three of them met with the VP on at least three occasions that were recorded on the public visitor logs. On the occasion that you met with them, what was the purpose of the meeting?”

Faye hesitated. “I’m not really supposed to discuss government business, but I can assure you it was nothing untoward.”

Rosemary was getting frustrated. “Okay, well, what about the fact that they were at all those HUD ribbon cuttings with Dominic Peterson? He’s in charge of one of the largest lobbying firms in DC. What interest does he have in public housing? His company is public; I looked up their client list and did some more research. All his major clients do construction on private commercial properties. I’m going to have Mac compare the client list to the contractors on the three projects where they attended the ribbon cutting. See if there’s a connection.”

“You’re turning into quite the armchair detective. I really don’t think there’s anything worrisome going on. Maybe Peterson is just trying to curry favor because some of his clients want to get into the public housing game.” She reached out and patted Rosemary’s hand. “Listen, I know how hard it’s been for you to see Sloane remarried, and so soon. But do you think maybe you’re looking for shadows where there are none?”

Rosemary suppressed an annoyed sigh. “No. I know that something’s going on. Are you sure nothing seemed fishy at the meeting you attended?”

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