Four Friends

by Robyn Carr

  “Oh. Sure,” Cathy said.

  Gerri pushed open the door and entered an austere but elegant outer office. Kelly was facing her computer screen and glanced up at Gerri. She actually jumped in surprise. Then she quickly collected herself. “Gerri,” she said cheerfully. “What a surprise. Phil’s in court this morning...”

  “I know,” Gerri said. “I thought maybe you and I could have a minute. Or ten,” she amended. Then she shrugged, smiled. “Maybe fifteen?”

  “Sure,” Kelly said a little nervously. “Of course. How have you been?”

  “Separated,” Gerri said. “And angry! Oh, you have no idea how angry I was with Phil. But I think I’ve moved past most of that now.”

  “Gerri, I...”

  “You and I—we might have one or two little shit piles to clean up. But let me start by saying you didn’t do anything wrong so I won’t accept your guilt or remorse. Are we clear on that?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kelly nearly whimpered, dropping her gaze.

  “Ma’am? Oh, Jesus, this might take longer than fifteen minutes if you’re going to play the subordinate here,” Gerri said. Kelly looked up and saw that Gerri had a smile on her face and looked at her with kind eyes.

  “So,” Kelly said. “You’ve been angry, huh?”

  “It’s been a rocky ride, Kelly. But we’re getting back together.”

  Gerri watched as Kelly let out her breath in obvious relief. “I wanted to call you,” Kelly said. “I wanted to call you so badly to apologize. I feel like I did this to you! But Phil said it would be a mistake.”

  “It would’ve been a mistake,” Gerri agreed with a nod. “There was a lot of information to process, and before you get all paranoid—it wasn’t information about your role. In fact, your part in all of it was minor and not even relevant in the big picture.”

  “Still...I’m so sorry. I got all the wrong signals.”

  “I can see how that could happen. I’m so flip sometimes. I make smart-ass comments, shoot for humor and miss, try to seem like one of the girls, a regular person with all the typical marital stuff going on—because I am. But you had no way to know what I really meant. You weren’t in a good spot to understand.”

  “That’s really generous of you to say.”

  “Kelly, are you and John okay? Did you get anything resolved?”

  “Yes, ma—” She stopped herself. “Yes. He thought he was going to get laid off, but didn’t want to tell me. He was busy putting out feelers for jobs, thus the dressing up for work. When I pushed him to go to counseling, he told me everything. The layoff didn’t come—it was an unfortunate number of other people.”

  “Phew,” Gerri said. “I’m sorry about the other people, glad John’s okay. Things are better now?”

  “Well, it’s been stressful during the downsizing, but he’s talking to me again and relying on me like he used to. I’m not worried anymore, just sorry for him that he has to go through it. But—we have my job, my benefits. We sat down and figured out how things would be all right even in the worst case. And we don’t have to deal with the worst-case scenario right now, so we’re better than we were.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “So, you and Phil?” she asked.

  “It’s been a revelation,” Gerri said. “Things have been coming out that we put on the back burner for years, thinking they were unimportant concerns or we’d figure them out later. We both had our issues. But there’s one thing that seems to supersede all the crap—we’re a very good team. In all ways. That’s very nice to know. Comforting.”

  Kelly smiled. “You are a great team.”

  “He’s going to move home this weekend. Has he said anything to you?”

  She shook her head. “He’s very private. I didn’t know you were separated for about a month.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Gerri laughed. “Well, are we okay? You and me? Because I don’t want you worrying about it. And for God’s sake, I can’t have you calling me ma’am! I feel old enough!”

  “You’re not old,” Kelly said. “You’re perfect. I think everyone wants to be like you.”

  “Please,” Gerri said. “No sucking up. You’re completely free and clear.”

  “I’m not sucking up! I’m telling the truth! You’re one of the most admired women I know!”

  “Okay,” Gerri said, waving her off. “Thanks for that. But there’s one thing I need your help with. The future of my marriage depends on it. I’m counting on you, Kelly. As my friend, as a woman, as my husband’s closest confidant.”

  Kelly leaned toward her. “What?” she asked with a posture and expression that said she’d do anything.

  “I need to know who she is and where she is.”

  Kelly sat back looking paralyzed with terror. It took her a long time to find her voice. Then she shook her head. “You realize that he never told anyone? That people suspected because they got along so well, but no one knew for sure? Even I didn’t know! I guessed!”

  “Yes, you did know,” Gerri said with a smile. “Maybe you didn’t know because of Phil—but you knew because of her.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because I’m a genius.” Gerri laughed. “Because I read Cosmopolitan in the bathroom. She would need an ally. Who else would she choose? You take care of his professional life and she was a professional acquaintance. Oh, God,” Gerri said, feigning shock. “She wasn’t a hooker was she?”

  “No!” Kelly shot back, coming out of her chair a little.

  Gerri sat back and smiled. “Kelly, help me. I’m not going to do anything bad. I won’t be visiting my wrath on her—it’s Phil who pissed me off, not her. I just can’t move on until I know the woman my husband would choose over me.”

  “But are you so sure he did that? I mean, maybe it wasn’t a choice at all, but just some stupid...man thing! Because it was there!”

  “I have to see her. You know her name, I know you do. You know where she is, I bet. You take care of things Phil wouldn’t even think to ask you to take care of—because you’re the best thing that ever happened to him. After me, of course,” she added, grinning. Then the grin faded. “Tell me what you know, please. Woman to woman. I swear to God, he will never know. This isn’t about Phil, not really. It’s about protecting my family.”

  “I can’t,” she said, shaking her head miserably. “It would be such a breach....”

  “Well, weigh this in your decision—the election committee is going to get the name so they can interview her and check her out to make sure she isn’t going to disrupt his campaign. Now, does that seem fair? I just want to know who I was up against before something like that goes public.”

  Kelly’s eyes flashed for a second. “I really can’t see what good—”

  “Oh, yes, you can,” Gerri said. “I’m going to campaign with Phil, for him. I’m going to be standing in front of political support groups, probably women, and someone is going to ask me about her. You wouldn’t want me to explain his affair is in the past when the Madam X being referred to is his dry cleaner. Or—maybe when I say I don’t know who they’re talking about, they’ll tell me. Publicly. And then the newspapers will get it...”

  “No,” Kelly said, shaking her head. “No one knows anything. There was conjecture, but no one—”

  “What do you think campaigns work on besides conjecture? Besides, someone knows, Kelly. I’ll tell you why—she loved him, that’s why. And he didn’t love her back enough to make a life with her. It was two years, did you know that? It was on and off for two years—an eternity in a single woman’s life. She cried to someone—an old college girlfriend, a sister, a neighbor. She cried about how much he meant to her, about the times they were together...”

  “I can’t imagine that Phil would mislead anyone, Gerri.”

  “You’re right,” she agreed. “He wouldn’t. He’s honest and he’s decent and because of that he needs to be the new D.A. But he’s also kind and tender, and even if he didn’t
make promises, I’m sure he would have treated her with care, dignity and chivalry so that she felt she just couldn’t live without him. It’s the way he is, Kelly. He’s a gentleman. And a thinking woman would risk almost anything to have a man like him.”

  A funny, irreverent, brilliant gentleman, Gerri thought. A powerful lover, even at fifty-three. What woman wouldn’t want him? She shook her head and laughed to herself. “And that’s why he won’t tell me who she is. In a way he’s still taking care of her in the only way he can.”

  “Listen,” Kelly said pleadingly. “I never knew anything, all right? I liked her—she’s a nice person, but I don’t think I was an ally. She was friendly to me—but they all are. I have the boss’s ear; only a fool would be distant or rude. But with her—they got along, they worked well together. I heard some gossip and I blew it off as ridiculous because of the way you two are, the way he was about his marriage, his family. It wasn’t until about six months before she left the prosecutor’s office that I began to wonder because...” She took a breath. “Because he seemed to suddenly not notice she was around. He avoided her. As though they’d had a falling out of some kind, and you can’t have a falling out unless...”

  “Unless you were lovers,” Gerri finished for her.

  “She never confided in me. Never. And of course, Phil wouldn’t say anything. But she left and then...”

  “Then what, Kelly?” Gerri pushed.

  “She tried to reach him. Okay—you have to believe this because it’s true. I have to clean up after Phil a lot—he’s too busy to keep track of every detail. Important papers get overlooked, emails get deleted by accident, stuff goes out that isn’t ready. I screen his mail, I proof, I shred, I file and sort.”

  Just lay it on me, Gerri thought. Hurry up and give it to me.

  “She sent him cards. They were thrown away unopened. I was looking through deleted emails and there were several from her, deleted unread. I finally braved asking him if that was a mistake and he barked at me that if he put it in the trash or deleted it, it was something he didn’t want—so I never asked again. A few years ago she got in touch with me and said she wanted the office to know her current address and phone number. The office, she said—not Phil. I passed that along to Phil—just as an aside to regular business—and he very pleasantly said he had a detective unit assigned to this office and if there was ever anyone he wanted to find, he couldn’t foresee a problem.” Kelly’s expression was pleading. “She sent a few emails to me, asking about the office and staff, never mentioning Phil—but I suspected it was meant to keep a connection alive, at least for a while. I responded that everyone was well, also without mentioning Phil.”

  He couldn’t let a woman get that close and then dismiss her cruelly. Gerri knew her husband too well, she’d seen him in action—when he was pestered or pursued, he made polite excuses, avoided with finesse. It took a lot for him to lose patience, to harden up, to say, ‘Stop bothering me!’ The cards and emails suggested he’d had to say it’s over more than once. Finally, he simply stopped responding.

  “I’ll need that last updated address and phone number,” Gerri said firmly.

  “I don’t know if I can let myself do it, Gerri,” Kelly said, shaking her head.

  “It won’t be better for her to have her first confrontation with the election committee—they’re brutal. Half the time I suspect they so anger and terrorize the subject, she’s pushed into making a stir. No, it would be better to come from me.”

  “What are you planning to tell her?” she asked nervously.

  Gerri shrugged. “That I know about her. That he’s running for office. Beyond that, I’m not really sure. But I’m not angry with her, Kelly.”

  “I don’t think she’s the enemy,” Kelly said. “And I’m pretty sure Phil is going to fire me for this.”

  Gerri shook her head. “I’m certainly not going to tell anyone how I found her. And if he’s not opening mail from her or taking her calls, he’ll never know even if she wants to tell him. I can get what I want, Kelly. I can hold the election committee’s feet to the fire—one little threat and they’ll tell me anything. But we shouldn’t do it that way. The fewer people brought into this, the better. I just want the facts. Not for the election. For my relationship with Phil, which is more important. And before the mystery woman is revealed publicly and my children are hurt. I have to protect Phil, my marriage and my family. Honey, I have to get this fixed. Trust me. Please.”

  Kelly sat stone still for a long moment. Then she turned to her computer, pulled up a file, scrolled through it until she highlighted a name. She pressed print and a page came out of the printer. She handed it to Gerri. It held the name of a law firm with address, phone number and a woman’s name. Elizabeth Hensley.

  Gerri didn’t recognize the name, but that didn’t surprise her. “What does she do?” Gerri asked.

  “I’m done talking about her,” Kelly said. “Please don’t do anything that will...” Her sentence trailed off, unfinished.

  “That will hurt her? Hurt Phil?” Gerri asked.

  “Hurt anyone,” Kelly said. “It was too bad, that anything happened. Nothing more should happen.”

  Gerri nodded. “Nothing more will. If you feel some kind of bond with her, you can warn her—I really don’t care.”

  “I feel the bond with you and Phil,” Kelly said. “If I’d treated it more carefully, we’d still have it.”

  “We still have it, Kelly. It’s all over now. You can consider this matter closed.”

  * * *

  Gerri stood in the foyer of the government building, staring at the piece of paper that bore the woman’s name and a San Francisco business address. Right here in the city. The very first thing she wondered was whether they ever ran into each other. This woman would know where employees from the prosecutor’s office liked to take lunch, meet for a drink after work. All connected groups in big cities had their favorite haunts.

  She took the trolley to the other side of the city and once she was in the general vicinity, hailed a cab to find the exact address. She ended up in front of a rather run-down office building and her immediate thought was, that brute! It was easy for Gerri to identify with the psyche of a woman wronged—a mistress, run out of the prosecutor’s office, left to find a job anywhere she could.

  But she knew Phil would never, under any circumstances, run off an innocent woman. He’d liked her. He became involved.

  Gerri asked the cabdriver to wait. If Elizabeth Hensley wasn’t there, she’d leave the area and contact her by phone, try to persuade her to meet. Gerri went into the building and studied a wall-mounted marquee, finding the name of the law firm. She walked up the stairs to the second floor, let herself into a crowded waiting room and the recognition was instant. A woman in her forties stood behind the glass-enclosed receptionist’s area reading from a large sheaf of papers. Gerri looked at her just as she lifted her head and looked at Gerri.

  Gerri remembered her, though vaguely. She’d seen her around the prosecutor’s office, but couldn’t remember ever being introduced, and she had no idea in what capacity the woman had worked.

  The expression on Elizabeth’s face was one of pure shock. Gerri watched as she slowly closed her mouth. Gerri tried out a smile she wasn’t quite feeling, then stepped toward the reception window just as Elizabeth came forward to meet her there. Elizabeth slid the glass open.

  “I hope you can take a break,” Gerri said. “I really want to talk to you.”

  “I have a full schedule,” she said somewhat nervously. “Can I ask what this is about?”

  “It’s about Phil, and it’s very important. I can see you’re busy. Cancel for an emergency. This one time only.”

  After only a brief consideration, Elizabeth gave a nod and slid the window closed. While she turned and spoke to some people, passing off paperwork, Gerri stepped out of the waiting room into the hall outside the office.

  Gerri had been completely unprepared for this. Where was t
he fluffy, big-breasted blonde she had envisioned? Elizabeth Hensley was attractive in an unremarkable way. Tall, slender, somewhere around Gerri’s age. Her short dark hair was threaded with some very flattering silver. She was dressed conservatively, wearing stylish glasses that gave her arched brows and dark eyes prominence. Gerri’s first impression was that she looked smart and poised.

  Gerri realized she wasn’t quite prepared to deal with a real human being. She had expected a much younger woman, no more than thirty-five. In her original rage, she’d assumed she was twenty-five and an idiot. Perhaps a lawyer, but still an airhead. Someone who had the total effect of setting Phil’s hormones on fire, leaving him helpless because of testosterone poisoning. After all, men were only men. And everyone knew where their brains were stored.

  The office door opened and Elizabeth stepped into the hall. “Is Phil all right?” she asked.

  “He’s fine,” Gerri said. Then she stuck out her hand. “Gerri Gilbert.”

  Elizabeth shook her hand. “Actually, we met. Quite a long time ago.”

  “I wondered. I recognized you, but not the name. Listen, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not some crazy woman. Well, I am crazy most of the time, but today I’m feeling very stable and in control. There’s a lot going on with Phil’s career right now and you’re eventually going to become a part of it all. Let’s you and I sit down and talk. Please?”

  “I saw the paper. It says he’s running.”

  “So it says. I have a cab waiting. Let me buy you lunch.”

  Elizabeth laughed nervously. “Under the circumstances, shouldn’t I pay for lunch and the cab?”

  Gerri smiled. This isn’t going to be easy, she thought. I already like her! “It’s my pleasure,” Gerri said. “I think I’m going to regret we’ll only do this once.”

  Elizabeth laughed again, cutting the tension. “I would have expected something like that from you,” she said. “You’ve already out-classed me.”

  “Let’s take the stairs,” Gerri said, moving in that direction. “You have me at a disadvantage, I see. I know nothing about you. Absolutely nothing.”