Page 84 of The Senator's Wife

Rosemary had one stop to make before picking up Camille. As Anthony made the familiar turn, she opened her purse and took out her compact and refreshed her lipstick. When the car came to a stop, he opened her door and helped her out.

“Would you like me to walk you up, ma’am?” he asked.

“No, thank you. Just hand me my cane.”

She took a deep breath after she rang the bell and waited for the door to open. A uniformed woman ushered her in and showed her to a room off the hallway.

Faye was waiting for her, and despite everything, Rosemary’s first impulse was to embrace her old friend. But common sense prevailed, and she simply nodded instead.

“Thank you for coming,” Faye said, her voice shaking. She looked as though she’d aged ten years since Rosemary last saw her.

Her eyes rested on the electronic ankle bracelet around Faye’s leg.

“I didn’t do it for you. I came because I’m hoping to understand. Why?”

Faye sighed. “I lost my way. I don’t know. Maybe it was after Reggie died. You know, he was the straight arrow, the one who kept me constant. Afterward—” She stopped, lost in thought, then her hand flew to her mouth. “Where are my manners? Would you like some tea, coffee?”

Rosemary shook her head. “This isn’t a social visit, Faye. I’m not staying long. I just want to hear from your mouth how it is that you almost had me killed.”

“Never one to beat about the bush,” Faye joked weakly. “I neverwanted to hurt you. It started off innocently enough; go along on the vote and be included in the boys’ club. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon like you and Reggie, and despite his family money, his inheritance had to be split with five siblings.”

“So what are you saying? That you were poor? You had to do it? You’ve lived a privileged life yourself, Faye. If you were anyone else, you’d be sitting in jail right now awaiting trial. But you get house arrest because of your connections. I’m so disappointed that you let your greed turn you into this.” She was beginning to think that coming here had been an exercise in futility.

Faye shrugged. “Everyone in this town is greedy. It’s easy to pretend you’re not, when you have all the money you could ever want. But it’s not just the money. I liked being included. Finally being on the inside after all the years only looking in. Politics isn’t exactly kind to women. And I got used to the money. When you started looking into things, I panicked.”

“Well, I hope it was worth it. All those people died in that fire. How can you sleep at night?”

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“What about Mac? He was my friend. How could you?”

Faye’s expression remained neutral. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. From what I understand, Mac fell off the wagon. So sad.”

Rosemary shook her head. “I don’t even know who you are anymore. I’m so disappointed in you.”

Faye narrowed her eyes. “You’re disappointed in me? Who cares? Why couldn’t you just mind your own business?”

Rosemary shook her head in disgust and stood. “Goodbye, Faye. God help you.”

She turned and, not bothering to wait for any response, walked out of the house. “I’m finished here, Anthony,” she said as he shut the car door.

“Ms. Camille’s now?” he said as they drove away.

“Yes.”

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, thinking of all that had been lost in the past few years. First, Peg’s parents—her dear brother and his wife. Despite there being no proof, she still believed that Whit was responsible for their deaths. Then her darling Robert and Peg. Rosemary supposed she would never know the truth of what actually happened that day. One thing was for sure; they had coddled Peg way too much. It was the one area of disagreement between Sloane and Robert, and Rosemary used to think Sloane was being unreasonable. But now she saw that Sloane had been right. Maybe if they’d made Peg take more responsibility for herself, Robert would still be alive. It was a source of guilt the two women shared.

She wished she had known that Athena was an FBI agent. Then Rosemary wouldn’t have played amateur detective, and Mac too would still be alive.Stop,she told herself.You were only doing what you thought was right.If she’d learned one thing in her eighty-two years, it was that most things are out of our control. The best we can do is live with integrity and purpose and try our utmost to do our best. She’d devoted her life to her family, loved them with her whole heart, but in the end had been powerless to keep them safe. It wasn’t her job, after all. Her job was to love, to help, and to pray for them—and that, she knew, she had done well.

- 68 -

ATHENA

Athena closed the door of the whitewashed bungalow behind her and strolled along the pebble path to the beach, where she sat on the low stone wall, burrowing her toes in the cool sand. It was early, the sun still low in the sky, but the day promised to be a hot one. She scanned the blue-green water of the Aegean Sea and breathed in the heady mixture of salt air and fragrant wild oregano. She was home. Crete—the Greek island where her parents had been born, and the place Athena had always felt so connected to. Although she’d been born in America, this was the place that held her history and the soul of every one of her ancestors.

After Whit’s arrest, Athena took some long overdue leave from the bureau. The case had taken a greater toll than she’d expected, and at the end, the tension and stress had been almost unbearable. It was as if she’d been holding her breath for all those weeks, and only now could finally exhale.

The case ended successfully. The vice president received double the usual sentence for a public corruption charge due to the loss of lives from the faulty wiring. Even though the contractor had been charged with manslaughter, not Bishop, the judge was disgusted by his involvement and gave him the maximum of five years. After his arrest, Whit agreed to a deal in which he pled guilty to the attempted murder of Sloane and the public corruption charges in order to avoid a trial and charges regarding Mac’s murder and Rosemary’s assault. Instead of a potential life sentence, he got fifteen years. Sloane had immediately initiated divorce proceedings. His assets were gone, and his life, for all intents and purposes, was over.

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