Do You Want to Know a Secret? (30 page)

“How much do you think William’s condition had to do with it?”

“Not much. Sure, that was a big strain. But I think the old saying is true. Stress is threatening to a marriage. But a marriage with the right stuff cannot only survive it, but become stronger for the testing. No, William didn’t cause our breakup. It was a cumulative thing. Bill and I were both very strong-willed and as the years went on we saw things in increasingly different ways. Except for our son, we had very little in common anymore. And we were both young enough and honest enough that the thought of staying in what had become a hollow marriage was unbearable. We also had the economic resources to split up, an important consideration when you have kids.”

The waiter placed the check on the table, interrupting the conversation. Range looked at his watch.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave now, but I do,” he said sincerely. “You know, I really enjoyed this. Would you like to have dinner sometime soon?”

“I would. I’d like that very much.” As they got up from the table, Louise assured herself that the next time she saw Range she would be sure that she had a pedicure.

Chapter 59

Judge Quinn didn’t
like Nate Heller calling the Hackensack courthouse, but he took the call in chambers anyway. He deliberately left his office door open so his clerk wouldn’t think anything secret was going on.

“Yes, Mr. Heller. How nice of you to call. I know you must be busy with our primary. What can I do for you?”

“It’s what I can do for
you
, Judge. Why don’t you come down to Houston next month and see how much excitement half a million dollars can buy?”

Chapter 60

By ten o’clock
, two hours after the New Jersey polls had closed, the expected happened. Haines Wingard won the delegates necessary to make him his party’s candidate. Nate Heller let the word out that Wingard would make his victory statement within the half hour, ensuring that excerpts from the speech would be included in late local newscasts.

At 10:20, Win and Joy entered the Marriott ballroom by a side door and made their smiling and waving way to the podium, basking in the applause and cheers and stopping to shake hands with some of the hundreds of supporters packing the room.

At 10:30, Wingard began his victory speech. He thanked those who had worked so long and so hard for him, pledged to do his best in the months of campaigning to come, and asked for the continued support of his party and the American people. Balloons fell, supporters yelled and whistled and the band played “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Win and Joy flashed their white smiles and waved, luxuriating in the sweetness of victory.

By 10:50, the Wingards made their way off the stage and out to a car waiting to take them on the fifty-minute drive to the Waldorf Towers in Manhattan where they would spend the night.

At 11:01, news shows were leading with the Wingard victory speech.

By 11:15, the television technicians at the Marriott were breaking down their equipment and packing up.

Yelena Gregory called to say how pleased she was with the coverage. Knowing that KEY headquarters was satisfied with the editorial and technical quality of the remote, Range popped another antacid tablet and breathed a sigh of relief. As many of these things as he had done, he never sat back and coasted. Anything could, and sometimes did, happen.

But now, able to relax, his thoughts turned to his lunch with Louise. Funny, he had known her for years. While always finding her attractive, he had never acted on his feelings and called her. It was awkward to ask Bill’s ex-wife for a date. The dynamic had changed with Bill’s death. He didn’t think Bill would mind. He might even have been pleased. Bill had often said that he wished Louise a happy life and hoped that she would find love again.

Suddenly he felt the overriding urge to see her. He thought of getting into his rental car and driving over to Bears Nest. It would be fun to act impulsively for a change. But how would Louise take it if he just showed up on her doorstep at slightly before midnight? Something told him she’d probably take it just fine.

Range decided against spontaneity in favor of what he had planned before he saw Louise. He thanked everyone who had worked for him, stopped for a quick beer in the lounge and then began the drive back to Manhattan.

Chapter 61

The day after
the last primaries, Senator Wingard was scheduled to appear on all the morning news shows. After hectic stops at the other network broadcast studios around Manhattan, KEY was the last interview.

The Wingard entourage entered the
KEY to America
studio with energy, excitement and the assurance that comes from winning. His eyes were tired, but the senator was smiling broadly as he shook hands with KEY staffers who had gathered in the rear of the studio to get a look at the man who might be the next president. Joy, stunning in a magenta silk dress, not only accompanied her husband, but got plenty of attention on her own. The first lady factor was at work.

The Wingards were directed to their places in the studio “living room.” They sat themselves on the blue couch as a sound technician expertly clipped small microphones to the senator’s lapel and the neckline of Joy’s dress. Both guests were already wearing their television makeup, but the show’s hairdresser quickly did her job, efficiently brushing and smoothing. All this was quietly done while Eliza and Harry were busy on the other side of the studio, in the “kitchen,” taking a crash course in making flowers and other decorations from icing, courtesy of a pastry-chef-turned-cookbook-author. The baker was vehement in his conviction that anyone could execute the icing rosettes, thereby saving themselves money and adding a very personal touch to the graduation and wedding cakes so common at this time of year. Harry was having better luck with the flowers than his co-host. Eliza had gotten icing on the front of her yellow suit.

At the commercial break, Eliza and Harry made their way over to the “living room” after washing the sticky icing from their hands. Eliza noticed Nate Heller standing over to the side of the set. What an intense little man he was. An intense little man with an agenda he was very successful pushing.

“Five seconds.”

Eliza and Harry sat up straight in the two chairs across from the couch. Eliza started off.

“Last night, Michigan senator Haines Wingard won the final delegates necessary to secure his party’s presidential nomination. Senator and Mrs. Wingard are with us this morning. Congratulations and welcome.”

“Thank you, Eliza. It’s great to be here.”

“Well, Senator, you made it. How does it feel this morning?”

“Great! Just great! You know, Eliza, it’s been a long primary season and I must tell you that I’m glad it’s over. And I must also admit how good it feels to win the nomination. I think I’m just going to let myself enjoy that feeling this morning.”

“You know I can’t just let you sit back and enjoy the moment,” said Eliza, smiling good-naturedly. “I’ve got to ask about the future. What are you planning to do next?”

Wingard returned the smile. “Well, in the very immediate future, I will be doing some speaking and campaigning here in New York City this morning. This afternoon, I’ll be going back to Washington to attend to some Senate business. And tomorrow I’m taking a day off.” Wingard gestured offstage. “But I have a campaign manager in the wings who has plans for just about all the days after that. He’s a tough taskmaster. Seriously, though, we aren’t going to sit back and rest, waiting for the convention this summer. We’re going to use all the time we have to get out there and talk with the American people about the issues.”

The computer signaled the
KEY to America
theme music to begin playing.

“Senator, I’m sorry but we have to take a break. Can you stay with us? Harry hasn’t gotten a chance to ask you anything and we’d like to hear from Mrs. Wingard as well.”

“We’d be happy to stay.”

“
KEY to America
will continue after this.”

During the commercial, Eliza quickly walked the few feet over to the news desk. She could feel a headache coming on and wanted to keep ahead of it. She rifled through her shoulder bag until she found her bottle of Fiorinal. In her rush to open it, the bottle fell from her hands and the green capsules spilled at her feet. A stagehand scurried to clean up the pills and gave the bottle back to Eliza, as one of the broadcast producers handed her the script she would read in the news block after the commercial.