"Capital Offense" - читать интересную книгу автора (Antrim Kathleen)

THIRTEEN

Carolyn strode into her office at the courthouse after a long day of depositions, and phoned campaign headquarters. The election was only one week away.

“Has anyone seen Warner?” she asked.

“No. Mrs. Lane, we haven’t.”

Carolyn severed the connection without another word. “Damn it, where is he?”

She picked up the receiver again and phoned the troopers’ office. The whole idea of security for Warner seemed ridiculous, Carolyn thought. Very few senators required protection. In this instance, she knew the taxpayers’ money could be put to better use, but Edmund insisted on a permanent escort for his son. And when Edmund made a request, few elected officials would deny him.

“This is Carolyn Lane. I need to find Warner,” she said when the call was answered.

“Is there an emergency, ma’am?” the trooper asked. “Can I be of assistance?”

“Please, find Warner and have him call me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” Carolyn hung up. She suspected the troopers were covering for Warner, and possibly protecting her feelings. The pain of failure and embarrassment gripped her heart. Why couldn’t she be as strong and competent in her personal life as she was in her professional life?

She wondered then how many people, aside from the troopers, knew about his infidelity. How was she supposed to live with this constant humiliation? Publicly, she played the role of the loving wife. In private, she died a little bit more each day.

“Good evening, ma’am.” the trooper said. “Is the Senator there, please?”

“This better be good.” Warner cautioned a few seconds later.

“ Mrs. Lane called, sir. She’s looking for you.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Warner cursed under his breath. Carolyn knew the situation. He’d essentially been honest with her. Why couldn’t she let it go? Why did she continue to force the issue? More and more, he’d begun to resent her. She’d caused him to lose control, caused him to hit her, caused him to act like the one man he despised most in the world, Edmund. And for that he’d never forgive Carolyn.

Damn, he thought. He needed some relaxation time. The election was days away, and he’d been working his ass off. Warner grabbed his coat.

“I’ve got to go, baby. I’m sorry.” He kissed Cindy quickly.

“We aren’t done.” She stretched out on the couch, letting the cashmere blanket fall away, leaving her naked.

“I don’t have time.”

“You could make it quick.” She smiled.

“I’m sorry if I seemed distracted.”

“Even distracted you’re good.”

Warner stared down at the chessboard. “All right. But if I lose, it’s because you rushed me.”

“Oh, no, you don’t. This is just one move. I’ll concede no such thing.”

Warner laughed. He slid his bishop across the board. “Check.”

She frowned. “Well, at least I have some time to think of a response.”

He fished the keys out of his coat pocket, opened the car door, and slipped into the driver’s seat. Damn it! Carolyn and Edmund were determined to blow everything he did out of proportion. Of course, Edmund only discussed politics with him.

Since the day of his mother’s suicide, Edmund only spoke to Warner when absolutely necessary, leaving a bewildered and lost seven-year-old boy to cope. With that rejection Warner’s guilt grew. He’d spent years believing he’d caused his mother’s death. And in a way, he had.

The last time he’d heard his mother’s voice, she’d been crying. Years of pain flooded Warner when he thought of that night.

Squatting at the top of the stairs, in his pajamas, Warner had pressed his seven-year-old face between two balusters and listened to the voices of his parents. Edmund raged. His mother sobbed. Something shattered against a wall. Then he’d heard a smack. His mother fell in the doorway of the library across the hall. He’d wanted to run to her, to save her, but fear kept him frozen.

Edmund liked to hit, and Warner knew he would not be spared if he challenged his father. Besides, his mother had made him promise that he’d stay away whenever Edmund was angry.

Edmund’s voice grew louder, clearer. “You cheating bitch.” Another smack.

Warner flinched, then clenched his eyes shut. His small hands gripped the balusters.

“I know why you coddle the boy so much, and keep him from me. He’s a bastard. A bastard you’re going to pay for.”

“No, no.” His mother voice was soft and pleading.

“When were you going to tell me I’m not his father?”

Warner’s eyes flew open.

“Leave him out of this.” his mother sobbed. “It’s not his fault.”

“Yes, it is…”

Warner felt hands on his shoulders. Mary, their live-in housekeeper, pulled him from the stairs, and returned him to his bedroom. He lay awake the rest of the night, his sheets pulled up under his chin.

The next morning, Warner learned that his mother was dead. Suicide, people whispered, and he heard them.

The next week, he was shipped off to boarding school.

Warner found refuge within himself. Alone. He excelled in school. But his accomplishments, both academic and athletic, seemed only to further incense Edmund.

As a young man. Warner finally understood why his mother had died and why Edmund had rejected him. Warner was the product of an adulterous affair – his mother’s affair. He’d confirmed this by locating Mary, who’d worked for his family for years until that ugly night. The only servant in the house during the fight, she’d been dismissed the next day.

Not even Carolyn knew that Edmund wasn’t Warner’s biological father. His election to the senate hadn’t been enough to heal Warner’s wounds. And after all these years, Warner wasn’t sure why he cared or why he even tried to please Edmund Lane. He’d never know the identity of his biological father, and he’d never have the love of the man who raised him.