Campaign Trail

by J. A. Armstrong

  “Is it?” Candace asked. “My brother has released all The Stratton Foundation’s financial records for the last thirty years. If there is something to find—anything to find—I am certain someone will uncover it,” she said.

  “You’re not concerned.”

  “No.”

  “Governor Reid, we all respect you. You have to know that innuendo can sink a campaign—even one as formidable as yours.”

  “Yes, it can,” she agreed.

  “What’s your plan to combat this?”

  “Which this are you referring to?” Candace challenged the table. She took a deep breath before continuing. “You want me to strike back, make denials, hit Wolfe’s surrogates below the belt.”

  “That’s part of the game.”

  Candace nodded. “You think this is a game?”

  “Candace,” Governor Brandt decided to enter the conversation. “You know that everyone here supports you.”

  “Is that so?” she asked. She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You all want to support a winner, and you want that winner to support your interests. That’s the playbook.” Candace sipped her wine again. “I’ve been at this longer than some of you have been able to vote,” she said. “I’ve seen people climb the ladder only to be knocked off the last rung. I have no intention of letting that happen.”

  “So, you do have a plan.”

  “The plan is to campaign as I always have.”

  “Some of the dirt is going to stick,” one of the older men said. “If there is something that might be damaging, we might be able to help quell it.”

  “Perhaps. Anything can be damaging, gentleman. My wife and I adopted a little boy who had lost his mother. He happens to be the light of our lives. Somehow, that became a weapon for the other side. My grandfather established a foundation to give back to the community that had always supported him. That is now under a microscope. That’s how some people play this game. No good deed goes unpunished,” she said. “I expected that when I chose to launch this campaign. I also know that the people out there supporting me expect certain things of me. Win or lose, there are people looking to me. I have more at stake than riding on Air Force One. I’m not going to compromise myself to win any election, and I am not going to betray the reasons I started in this life in the first place. That doesn’t mean I won’t fight.”

  “You know, if the establishment gets behind Wolfe, he could become a formidable opponent.”

  “If he wins the nomination, they will. They’ll have no choice,” Candace surmised.

  “People like an outsider. Not to be… You know that being a woman and…”

  Candace smiled. “And being a lesbian puts me at a disadvantage. That’s what you were going to say. Maybe. I may not be an outsider,” she admitted. “I’m hardly the status quo.” She let her eyes meet with each person at the table. “You each have to decide what horse you want to back in this race. Look around you,” she instructed them. She smiled. “No one looks quite like me; do they? That’s never lost on me, gentlemen.”

  “We all understand that you have a legacy you want to create. You have to get elected to do that.”

  Candace shook her head. “That’s where we part company.” She pushed out her chair and stood. “Winning elections or losing elections is not what creates someone’s legacy. The money you invest in my campaign or in my opponent’s—that won’t guarantee your legacy either. It might not even secure your interests. What I can promise you is that what you see is what you are buying. Period. I will listen to your concerns and ideas on policies that matter to your legacy. That’s what I can guarantee.” Candace smiled at the group. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have an early morning tomorrow. There is still that thing we call governing that requires my attention.”

  The table’s occupants all stood as Candace took her leave.

  “Why do I feel like we were just dismissed?”

  Governor Brandt chuckled. “We were.”

  ***

  Candace closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the seat behind her.

  “Mom?”

  “I don’t want to know,” Candace replied without opening her eyes.

  “I thought you handled it well,” Michelle said.

  Candace pried one eye open.

  Michelle laughed. “I’ll bet you’ll see an uptick in donations.”

  “Were we at the same dinner?” Candace sighed. “Why is it that I don’t think you asked for my attention to comment on my bullshit meter?”

  “Jonah called.”

  “Why do I think I am not going to like this?”

  Michelle groaned. “Klein called Mary.”

  “What?”

  “Apparently, he told her that she and Laura could come home. He thought now might be a good time—before things got ugly.”

  Candace rolled her eyes.

  “Jonah’s pissed, Mom. I’m not sure I have ever heard him sound that mad.”

  “I don’t blame him.”

  “What are you going to do?” Michelle asked.

  “There’s not much I can do, Shell. There’s not much Jonah can do either except support Laura.”

  “Isn’t there something we can do to shut him up?”

  Candace sighed. “I’m not sure anything will do that.”

  “There has to be something on him.”

  “There’s plenty on him,” Candace said. “People like Lawson Klein don’t back down. That’s why they’re called zealots.”

  “So, we just ignore him?”

  “There is nothing someone like Lawson Klein hates more than being ignored.”

  “Won’t that just make him more vocal?”

  Candace smiled. “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  “You want him to go after you?”

  “I want his loose lips to sink his ship.”

  Michelle remained confused.

  “I’ll call Laura tomorrow,” Candace promised. “Trust me on this one, Shell.”

  “I do trust you. I just think there is something you’re not telling me.”

  Candace smiled, closed her eyes and let her head fall back again.

  What aren’t you telling me, Mom?

  ***

  Jameson heard the door to the hotel suite open. She leaned down into Cooper’s ear. “Mommy’s back.”

  Cooper looked up at her and Jameson gestured for him to meet Candace. Cooper flew off the bed and ran into the other room. “Mommy!”

  Candace jumped slightly at the sight that greeted her. “Cooper? What are you doing here?” she asked as she bent down to accept his hug.

  “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too. Where’s your momma?”

  “Hi,” Jameson greeted her wife. Candace looked up gratefully. Jameson immediately noted the fatigue in Candace’s eyes. “We missed you.”

  Candace let Cooper lead her to the sofa. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Cooper climbed up beside her and cuddled up against her. “Tired?” she asked him. He nodded. Candace kissed his head and closed her eyes in contentment.

  “He made me promise that he could wait up for you,” Jameson explained. She looked at Cooper and chuckled. “Now that you’re here, I guess he figured he could give in.”

  Candace jostled Cooper so that his head fell onto her lap.

  “Bad day?” Jameson asked.

  “Long day.”

  “I hope it’s okay that we came.”

  “I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am that you did.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  Jameson smiled. “Let me go put him down so you can get comfortable.”

  “No,” Candace protested. “Leave him for a bit. Come sit with me.”

  Jameson complied. She leaned in and kissed Candace tenderly. “Are you okay?”

  “Just tired.”

  Jameson placed Cooper’s legs over hers. Candace’s head fell onto her shoulder, and Jameson kissed her temple. “I can put hi
m down.”

  “No,” Candace said. “I just want to sit here for a while.”

  Jameson made no reply. Candace’s breathing deepened immediately, and Jameson was certain that sleep would claim her wife in an instant. She managed to get an arm around Candace and hold her closer. “I wonder if I can carry them both,” she chuckled softly.

  “Don’t even try,” Candace’s groggy reply came.

  Jameson laughed. “The sofa it is.”

  ***

  Candace watched as Jameson climbed into the bed. “I can’t believe you came. Why didn’t you call?”

  “I called Shell. You had a full plate.”

  “Is that what you call it?”

  “It was a bad day,” Jameson surmised.

  Candace nestled into Jameson’s arms. “No,” she said. “It was just a day.”

  “I know that we agreed that Cooper needs to adjust to your travel, but I…”

  Candace silenced Jameson with a kiss.

  “What was that for?”

  “Honestly, Jameson? I know he needs to learn to cope with my absences. I just don’t have the desire to keep him from traveling with me when it’s possible.”

  Candace had told Jameson that when Shell and Jonah were little, she had made a point of getting them acquainted with her travel schedule. Jameson sensed that when it came to Cooper, Candace’s intentions differed. “Rethinking keeping Cooper home?”

  Candace shifted so that she could look at Jameson. “Maybe it’s selfish,” she admitted. “I know that it’s inevitable—separation for longer periods than I would like. Whenever possible, I’d like him close.”

  “I don’t think it’s selfish.”

  “It is. I don’t want it to be harder for him than it has to be when I’m away. Common sense tells me I need to stick to my guns and let him get used to short separations.”

  “But?”

  “I don’t know. It’s different with Cooper than it was with the other kids.”

  “How so?”

  “For one thing, they had each other,” Candace said. “And, for another? I’m different. My life is different, and I don’t just mean this campaign or my career.”

  Jameson listened without comment.

  “Pearl’s not a young woman anymore.”

  “Don’t tell her that,” Jameson quipped.

  Candace giggled. “I won’t. You know what I mean. And, the kids? They are all dealing with their families. It’s not fair to ask them to take on Cooper too.”

  “They don’t feel that way.”

  “No, but that doesn’t make it less true.”

  “And?” Jameson asked, sensing there was more.

  “Jonathan is a good man, Jameson. He wasn’t what I would call an enthusiastic father. He was content to take the kids to the movies once in a while or sit at a holiday dinner. If it hadn’t been for Pearl, I’m not sure what I would have done.”

  “And now?”

  “I miss being with you and Cooper. Don’t misunderstand me; I missed my kids when I had to travel. Three kids on the road with me all by myself? There was no way I could make that work for them or for me. I wish I could have. With Cooper…”

  “I get it.”

  “I know what I missed out on,” Candace explained. “I hate that I missed so much. I want to be there for as much as I can be with Cooper. God knows, if I win this election that will become more challenging.”

  “So, you don’t mind us meeting you when we can?”

  Candace smiled. “I hope that you will.”

  “Do you want to tell me about your day now?”

  Candace sighed. “There’s not much to tell.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “The serial killer case is still prominent in the news. My donors want to know what I am going to do to fight Wolfe’s cronies. There’s flooding in Plattsburg that is threatening multiple communities. The budget needs to pass without any major dissension. I need to be in five places at once,” Candace said. “And this is the only place I have any desire to be.”

  “In a hotel?” Jameson teased.

  Candace laughed. “With you, you lunatic.”

  Jameson stroked Candace’s back. “Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.”

  “This,” Candace replied. “This is what I need.”

  “Tell me again why people say you are demanding?”

  Candace laughed again. “Because I am.”

  “You’ll figure it out.”

  “I’m glad you are so confident.”

  “You will,” Jameson said. “It’s what you do.”

  “Not according to some people. I wish I had the answers.”

  Jameson reached over to the bedside table and handed Candace a fortune cookie. Candace lifted her eyebrow. “Well? Open it. See what it says.”

  Candace cracked open the cookie and rolled her eyes.

  “What does it say?” Jameson asked. Candace handed Jameson the slip of paper. Jameson read it aloud. “Some days you are pigeon, some days you are statue. Today, bring umbrella—in bed.” She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Kinky.”

  Candace’s laughter filled the room. “You are certifiable.”

  Jameson winked. “Beats the one I got.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, mine said You have no luck—in bed.”

  Candace chuckled. She climbed on top of Jameson and grinned. “Defective cookie.” She kissed Jameson soundly.

  “Should I get the umbrella now?”

  Candace shook her head. She kissed Jameson again. “Do you have one?”

  Jameson lost all hope of remaining serious and burst out laughing. “I love you,” she said.

  Candace winked. “I think your luck just changed.”

  Jameson closed her eyes as Candace’s lips tasted hers. Thank God for fortune cookies.

  Chapter Seven

  Candace looked at the name of the caller on her phone and groaned inwardly. She had received a call from FBI Assistant Director Bower late the previous evening advising her that the task force had concerns for her safety. It was not in Candace’s nature to overreact. The call had startled her more than she had let on to her staff.

  “Alex,” she accepted the call.

  “I’m sure you are thrilled to hear my voice.”

  Candace laughed. “That depends on whether it’s to tell me I need to head to a bunker or not.”

  Alex smiled. There was little doubt in her mind that Bower’s call would have unsettled the governor. But, Alex had known Candace for many years. She was a seasoned politician who was often in the spotlight. Threats were a reality someone of Candace’s notoriety had to deal with. “If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re safe.”

  “But?” Candace questioned.

  “I’m not one to take chances. You know that.”

  “I suppose, I do.”

  “Have there been any unusual threats lately?” Alex asked.

  “Not that have been brought to my attention,” Candace said. “Which means, if there have been, they were not deemed credible.”

  “No letters or anything?”

  “There are always letters, Alex. I get thousands of letters,” Candace replied. “It takes time for staff to pour through them.”

  “I’d like our team to take a look,” Alex said. “Just to be certain.”

  “Out of an abundance of caution?” Candace asked.

  “Something like that.”

  Candace laughed. “We both know this is a courtesy request.”

  Alex sighed. It was true. The FBI wouldn’t meet with resistance if they asked to see Candace’s fan mail. “It is,” she admitted. “As an FBI agent, I want you to know that him coming after you does not fit the profile.”

  “And, as my friend?”

  “I won’t take any chances.”

  “Whatever you need, Alex. I told you that at the beginning.”

  “Candace, if you see anyone new around that doesn’t fit, I want you to call me.”


  “Alex, there are new faces around me hourly.”

  “Everyday contractors, press, new security guards at the Capitol, volunteers at the campaign—those kinds of people.”

  “That’s a daily occurrence.”

  “I know. You make a living reading people, just like I do. If someone doesn’t fit, I want to know—me, not Bower, not anyone else—call me.”

  Candace closed her eyes and nodded—one more thing on her plate to deal with.

  “Candace?”

  “I’ll keep my eyes open.”

  Alex debated with herself for less than a second before clarifying her reasons. “I don’t think he’s coming for you. I think he might want us to think that. He’s delighting in the spotlight. Someone close, a campaign or staff member—that might be enough for him. Don’t over think it, just pay attention.”

  Candace sighed. “You’ll be the first to know.”

  “Good.”

  “Do me a favor?” Candace asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “Catch this son of a bitch?”

  “Working on it.”

  Candace hung up the call, tossed the phone on her desk, and massaged her brow. “What the hell else can happen?” The phone on her desk beeped. “Really?” Candace looked at it. She pressed the intercom. “Yes, Susan?”

  “Dan is here to review the flooding in Plattsburg.”

  “Give me two minutes,” Candace requested.

  “You’ve got it.”

  Candace let her face fall into her hands. She sucked in a deep breath, let it go forcefully and straightened her posture. She stretched her back, took another breath and readied herself for the next meeting. Here we go.

  ***

  “All due respect, it’s not true,” Deena Davis said.

  Lawson Klein grinned. “According to?”

  “According to everyone.”

  “We must have a different understanding of who everyone is.”

  Deena nodded. She was widely considered a fair-minded and even-handed TV journalist. While people understood that her personal leanings were more liberal, Deena Davis had made a name for herself as someone willing to take anyone to task when warranted. That made her show a hotbed for anyone hoping to validate a story.

  “A different understanding?” she asked. “The sealed adoption records were released. Grant Hill has made a public statement. I’m not sure that I understand how you can maintain that Governor Reid is his biological mother.”