Tracie Peterson Page 14

  “Just what did she mean by setting her own agenda? ‘Justice for those who can’t seek it for themselves’?” His voice revealed barely controlled rage.

  “I told her not to step out of line. I specifically told her to defer to you on any personal opinion item. Frankly, Bob, I think you’re going to have your hands full with Cara Kessler.”

  Kerns caught the expression on his wife’s face. The slightest smirk lined her lips. “I’ll bring her under control,” Kerns promised aloud. “No one is going to ruin this for me—certainly not a do-gooder with a private agenda.”

  Debra crossed her legs in a slow deliberate manner and smiled. “This should be more fun than I’d imagined. I’m going to enjoy watching Cara make a monkey out of you.”

  Kerns flashed her a warning with the narrowing of his eyes, but it was Owens who spoke. “Cara will do what she’s told to do, or she’ll pay the price. Since there’s only one thing she possesses that really and truly matters to her, I think she’ll be happy to fall into line.”

  “And just what is it you think will make Cara Kessler dance to your tune?” Debra asked sarcastically.

  Owens and Kerns exchanged a smile.

  “She has a daughter,” Kerns stated matter-of-factly.

  With the look of an animal about to corner its prey, Owens nodded. “Her name is Brianna.”

  Twenty-Five

  “I saw you on TV, Mommy!” Brianna declared, crashing into Cara’s bedroom. “That party looked like a lot of fun. Tell me all about it!”

  With a moan, Cara rolled over and saw that it was only eight o’clock. She’d barely had five hours of sleep. “Oh, Brianna, it’s too early. Let me rest a little longer.”

  The ten-year-old giggled and jumped on top of the bed. “You looked beautiful, and now you’re going to be the governor.”

  “Lieutenant governor,” Cara corrected and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

  “What’s the difference?”

  “A great many things, Bri. For one, I won’t have all those responsibilities, and for another, we won’t have to move to Cedar Crest.”

  “What’s that?” questioned her daughter.

  “That’s where the Kansas governor and his family live. It’s the beautiful house out west of town. Remember the one that sits way back off the interstate on the way to the museum?”

  “Oh, wow!” Brianna exclaimed. “I want to live there!”

  “Well, you can forget about that,” Cara said, easing herself into a sitting position. “We’ll no doubt visit there on many occasions, so you should get your fill that way.”

  “What else is different about your job?” By now, Brianna was bouncing up and down on her knees.

  “My job is to support the governor’s office and to help wherever he needs me most. I have some things I can do on my own, but not many. Most of the time I guess I’ll just be working at the Capitol building, and it will be like most any other job.”

  “Can I call you at work?” Bri had stopped bouncing and was now scooting off the bed.

  “Sure. In fact, I’ll probably even take you to work with me a few times and let you see what I have to do.”

  Brianna’s face brightened at this prospect. “I’m going to call my friends!” She hurried from the room, leaving Cara to stare after her.

  She is so young and naive, thought Cara. Like any mother, Cara wanted to protect her child from the evils of the world. But unlike other mothers, Cara felt she was walking right into the middle of a battle. A battle that could well cost them the peaceful world they’d known.

  Slipping into a satin robe, Cara was surprised when the telephone rang. Brianna must have gotten herself sidetracked.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi there, lieutenant governor. Need a pilot to fly you around the state?”

  Cara smiled. “Good morning, Harry.”

  “You actually looked like you were enjoying yourself last night. Have you given in to the position and decided to accept your lot in life?”

  “Hardly.” Cara sat down on the edge of her bed. “I’m just trying to figure out what my role in this entire situation is going to be.”

  “Well, how about if I pick up you and Brianna, and we go out for a celebration breakfast? We can discuss your role over eggs and bacon.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I suppose being the lieutenant governor-elect has its perks.”

  “Maybe I’ll bribe you and be able to keep my job.”

  “Hmmm, better make it a good bribe.”

  Harry laughed, and the sound warmed her. She could get used to that laugh.

  “So, how about if I pick you up in ten minutes?”

  “Ten minutes! There’s absolutely no way I can be ready in ten minutes. Give me at least half an hour,” Cara demanded.

  “I’ll be there in ten. If you aren’t ready, Brianna and I will go by ourselves.”

  “Okay, but you asked for it. I can’t vouch for what I’ll look like.”

  “You’ll look perfect,” Harry said with a sudden seriousness to his voice. “You always do.”

  Cara hung up the phone, looking forward to the date. “Brianna!” she called, hurrying to her closet. “Harry’s coming to take us to breakfast. He said he’d be here in ten minutes and we’d better be ready!” Cara was pulling out jeans and a white cable knit sweater.

  Brianna came running in, clapping her hands. “Harry’s coming!”

  The declaration was so positively filled with delight that Cara paused to consider her daughter for a moment.

  “You really like Harry, don’t you?” she finally asked.

  “Don’t you?” Brianna threw back the question with such matter-of-fact ease that Cara had to laugh.

  “Of course. He’s a good friend.”

  Brianna was already dancing out the door. “He’d make a good daddy, too. I can tell, ’cause when he laughs his eyes crinkle up.”

  Cara was stunned by this revelation. She’d not anticipated Brianna’s astute contemplation of Harry, nor her daughter’s dreams for him.

  Ten minutes later to the second, Harry rang the doorbell.

  “Well, I must say, you are a man of your word.” Cara offered a beaming smile and stepped back from the door.

  Harry was dressed in a heavy denim jacket, plaid flannel shirt, and blue jeans. In what little time they’d actually managed to spend together, Cara couldn’t remember him wearing anything but jeans or his patrolman uniform.

  “What?” Harry questioned, looking down at his shirt. “Did I spill something on me? Did my buttons pop off?”

  Brianna’s laughter filled the air. “She looks at me like that before she lets me go to school or church.”

  Cara blushed, feeling her cheeks grow red-hot.

  “I like it when she looks at me that way,” Harry confided conspiratorially to Brianna.

  “I don’t,” the girl admitted. “It usually means I have to go wash my face again.”

  “Well?” he asked Cara, lifting his chin in first one direction and then the other. “Should I go wash my face?”

  Cara couldn’t contain the laughter that rose up in her throat. “I give up. Didn’t someone promise me breakfast? I believe I’ve kept my end of the deal. I’ve never dressed so fast in my life.”

  “I guess we’d better head over to Cracker Barrel then,” Harry agreed. “I wouldn’t want to go back on my word.” He smiled, and when he did, Cara couldn’t help but notice the laugh lines around his eyes.

  As if reading her mother’s mind, Brianna reached out and took hold of Harry’s hand. “I told you his eyes crinkled.”

  “So you did,” Cara replied, noticing that Harry’s expression had changed to one of confusion. “Don’t worry about it,” she told him. “I’ll explain it later.”

  When they walked into the restaurant, Cara was immediately recognized, and two people even came forward with their newspapers and asked for her autograph.

  “People around here are starved for celebrities,” she muttered as th
ey were led to a table in the corner. “I’d better sit on the inside. Maybe that will discourage interruptions.”

  “Don’t bet on it,” Harry said. “I’ve worked at this for four years, remember? But I tell you what. This will be my chance to prove what a great asset I could be to the new administration. I’ll play bodyguard and keep the crowd away.”

  “Are you really a celebrity now, Mom?”

  Cara shook her head. “I don’t think so, Brianna.”

  “Hey, congratulations,” a petite redheaded waitress said. She put down three glasses of water as she introduced herself. “I voted for you and that Kerns fellow. I figured it was time to get more women in government.”

  Cara smiled politely, while Harry took control. “We’ll have coffee and orange juice.” He looked to Cara for confirmation.

  Nodding her head, she felt herself relax a bit. Harry seemed quite capable of taking charge, but his way was so much more desirable than Kerns’.

  “I’ll give you a chance to look over the menus and bring your drinks right out.”

  After the waitress had disappeared, Harry turned to Cara. “How’d I do? Did I keep the crowds back?”

  “Okay, you’re hired,” Cara said in mock exasperation. “But only on a trial basis.”

  “Can I go look in the store?” Brianna interrupted. Cracker Barrel was divided into two parts, a store filled with craft items and a restaurant with old-fashioned meals.

  “Sure, honey, but don’t be surprised if someone asks you for your autograph.”

  “Cool! I’ll sign, Brianna Rachelle Kessler.” She pretended to write the letters in the air.

  “That’ll keep ’em happy,” Harry joined in.

  Brianna suddenly stopped writing and stared at Harry intensely. “What’s your last name?”

  Harry looked at her seriously, as if he was considering whether her question merited an answer. Then without warning, he whipped out a leather billfold and flashed his badge in Brianna’s face. “What’s it say on my identification?”

  “Harold T. Oberlin,” Brianna read. “What’s the T stand for?”

  “Thomas.”

  “Like the guy in the Bible? The one who doubted Jesus was alive?”

  “Guilty as charged. Only I believe Jesus is very much alive.”

  Brianna smiled. “Me too.” She leaned closer to Harry. “I like the name Oberlin. I think it would make a great last name. Don’t you, Mom?” She grinned at her mother and hurried off to the store.

  “What was that all about?” Harry asked, putting his wallet away and opening the menu.

  “Oh, just Brianna being a funny little girl.”

  The waitress reappeared with the beverages, and Cara allowed Harry to order for all of them. Once the waitress had gone her way, Harry surprised her by asking about Teri Davis. “Have you been coping all right with the news of her death?”

  “I think the business of the campaign has kept my mind from being too consumed. But I do plan to get to the bottom of it.”

  Cara paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting to the young woman. “I hardly knew her at all, but I keep reminding myself her situation could be the same for a hundred other girls. It could even happen to Brianna.”

  “No.” Harry shook his head. “Brianna has a stable home and a mother who loves her very much. As I recall from the paper’s article, Teri was an orphan and had been in no less than ten different foster homes.”

  “I know,” Cara replied. The subject caused her to grow quite thoughtful. “I can’t help but believe there are other kids out there just like her. There’s a lot I want to do with my newfound power.” She laughed a bit. “Well, whatever power there really is playing second fiddle to Kerns. Anyway, I want to help as many people as possible, and I think I’ll need strong people like you to help me out.”

  “Your wish is my command,” Harry whispered.

  Cara sighed. “If only that were true.”

  “What would you wish for first?” questioned Harry. His eyes seemed to search the depths of hers for answers she couldn’t give.

  “I’d wish for all this to go away.”

  Twenty-Six

  The months of November and December passed quickly, and before Cara knew it the new year had begun. She’d tried to give Brianna as much of her free time as possible, while in the back of her mind were visions of the handsome patrolman who had shared Christmas with them.

  The transitional period of changing one governor for another was running more smoothly than anyone had expected. For Cara, there was very little to do. Kerns kept her busy with insignificant tasks while he appointed his staff and ordered changes for his office. The big surprise came when Kerns announced that he was buying a palatial new home in Clarion Estates. It would be this home, and not Cedar Crest, in which he and his family would reside. Cedar Crest would be used as a public house, with meetings, tours, and special events allowed to take place there.

  “It’s an ancient monstrosity,” Kerns told Cara when she’d questioned his decision. “I have no desire to spend the next eight years sitting in that Victorian dump.”

  “It’s hardly a dump,” she protested, trying to ignore his reference to eight years. “It’s a very elegant and graceful home. Plus, the people of Kansas might take offense at you rejecting the governor’s mansion. You might be limited to the four years you were lucky enough to get.”

  Kerns hadn’t cared for her attitude, and Cara hadn’t concerned herself with his. However, as punishment for her outburst, Kerns put her in charge of issuing pink slips to most of the former governor’s staff. This was a job Cara didn’t relish at all.

  Government employees, at least those appointed by new administrations, knew that their jobs were temporary. They weren’t protected by civil service rules and regulations. Even so, it didn’t make Cara’s job any easier. She felt a personal responsibility to these people.

  “Hey, got time for lunch?” Melissa Jordon stood in the doorway still decked out in her navy wool coat.

  Cara looked around at the disheveled mess her office had become. “I think lunch sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  “Good. I’ve got a few things I want to discuss with you.”

  “Regarding?”

  Melissa glanced around before mouthing, “Teri.”

  Cara nodded and went to the coatrack where her khaki trench coat awaited duty. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?” Melissa asked as Cara grabbed her purse and joined her.

  “Well, they’ll never miss me here, so why don’t we go all out and head for someplace nice. Say Paisano’s? I have a craving for Italian.”

  “That does sound good.”

  “Janey, I’m going to lunch,” Cara told a gray-haired woman who had just come into the outer office. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I have my beeper, so if you need me just call.”

  The woman flashed a smile. “Running out on us, eh?”

  “As far away as possible,” Cara said with a laugh. She liked the older woman and was sorry to see her go. Fortunately, Janey was retiring and would not face one of the ominous pink slips.

  “So you have a beeper now?” Melissa questioned. They took the stairs to avoid the long wait at the archaic main elevator.

  “Kerns insisted, and the next thing I knew Russell was handing them out like candy.”

  Melissa laughed and led the way. A brisk January wind blew steadily against their faces and Cara shivered. “It feels like snow,” she murmured and happily jumped into Melissa’s compact car. “Brrr!”

  “The weatherman didn’t say snow, but he did promise cold and lots of it. I hope you have clear weather for the inauguration. They do it on the south steps of the Capitol building, you know.” It was more a statement than a question.

  “Yes, I’ve been apprised of that very thing. I was told to dress warm but not too flashy. I should appear poised and refined, but not overly elegant.”

  “I’m surprised they don’t show up with a rack of costumes and let Russe
ll Owens pick out your dress,” Melissa said dryly.

  “Oh, he does give final approval,” Cara replied, and Melissa rolled her eyes. “But enough of Russell and this nightmare. What have you found out about Teri and Jamie?”

  “Not much. I managed to get back into her house,” Melissa said with a coy smile. “I have a friend in the sheriff’s department. Anyway, I scoured that house from one end to the other and didn’t find so much as a pacifier. I’ve researched hospital and clinic records, at least those I could bribe someone to let me see, and I went through The Capital-Journal notices of birth for the last year.”

  “But?” Cara questioned, knowing the answer before Melissa gave it.

  “But there is no record of Teri giving birth to Jamie.”

  “Did you look under her assumed name?”

  “Sure, but again, there was nothing. My guess is Teri had the baby at home or in the care of a midwife who kept her mouth shut.”

  “But the baby would have to have a birth certificate.”

  Melissa shrugged and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. “Apparently, this baby didn’t. I have an appointment to talk privately with the coroner. He’s been on vacation for three weeks, and before that he was tied up in some kind of criminal trial and wouldn’t grant interviews to anyone.”

  “What do you hope to find out from him?” Cara asked. “I mean, he’s already established the cause of death as a drug overdose.”

  Melissa shut off the engine and turned to explain. “He didn’t say what condition the body was in. He can tell me whether there were multiple track marks on Teri’s body. That would show us if she was a regular drug user. He could also say whether there were signs of foul play—strange bruising or broken bones. He can probably even establish whether or not Teri had ever given birth.”

  “I never thought of that! Melissa, that’s great thinking. I wish I had someone like you around on a full-time basis.” As soon as the words were out of Cara’s mouth she formed a plan. “Why not?”

  Melissa stared at her. “Why not what?”