Truth Be Told

by Victoria Christopher Murray

  “Should we talk to her now?” Grace asked as they followed her.

  “I don’t know.”

  Grace sighed. “Teenagers should come with a manual.”

  “This isn’t about teenagers. This is about me.” He paused. “Let’s talk to her.”

  Jayde was waiting, sitting on the edge of her bed. “All I want to know is—what is my punishment?” she demanded.

  Just minutes before, Grace had been glad to see her daughter. Now she could have wrapped her fingers around Jayde’s neck.

  Neither Grace nor Conner responded. Grace sat in the chair at the desk and Conner stood, not far from the door.

  “Don’t worry, Jayde. You’ll get your punishment,” Grace said. “I can’t wait to give it to you. But first I want to know. What did you think you were doing?”

  Jayde said nothing.

  Conner said, “Do you know how worried we were?”

  Silence was Jayde’s response.

  “I’m very disappointed in you, Jayde,” Conner said.

  She raised her eyes, filled with tears. “And I’m disappointed in you, Daddy.”

  Grace held her breath as Conner moved toward the bed. He stood, towering over his daughter. When he sat down, Grace breathed.

  “I know you’re disappointed, but this is what life is about. The good times and the bad.” He hesitated for a moment, then took her hand. “I’m sorry you feel I’ve let you down, but I can’t make Solomon disappear, and I don’t want to.

  “You can sulk. You can walk around making everyone wish you didn’t live here. But the truth is, you have to figure out how you’re going to deal with this.”

  Conner wrapped his arms around Jayde, though she sat limp. He kissed her cheek, then left the room.

  Grace waited a minute before she said, “Jayde, what happened?”

  She looked at her mother and shrugged. “When I left yesterday, I was mad. And when I got to Philip’s house, I thought about what my friends were going to say when they found out, and I got angrier.”

  Grace sat next to Jayde. “I understand, but running away didn’t make any of those concerns disappear, did it?”

  “No.”

  “And your father and I were worried.”

  “I’m really sorry about that, Mom.”

  “I know you are.” She paused. “You’ll be on punishment for two weeks: no phone calls, no movies …”

  Jayde’s mouth opened into a wide O. “Next week is Brittany’s birthday party.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “But you said you understood,” Jayde whined.

  “I do. But it doesn’t change what you did.” Grace kissed her daughter’s forehead.

  Jayde flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, dismissing Grace.

  When Grace walked into their bedroom, Conner lay across the middle of their bed. “I told her she was on punishment for two weeks.”

  “That was pretty easy.”

  “It’ll be tough. Brittany’s party is next Saturday.”

  Conner lay still.

  Grace put her arms around her husband and closed her eyes. At least Jayde’s punishment would be over in two weeks. She had no idea when theirs was going to end.

  Chapter 39

  Grace leaned over and kissed Conner just as he turned off the ignition. “This was a treat.”

  “We should do this every morning.”

  “Wouldn’t that be wonderful,” Grace said as she thought about how Conner had readied the girls for school this morning while she slept. When her eyes finally eased open, she jumped from the bed. “I overslept,” she said when Conner walked into the bedroom.

  “No problem. The girls are already gone. And I’m taking you out to breakfast.” He chuckled.

  She grinned. “What about work?”

  “I’m going to work from home today.” He lost his smile. “I have to take care of some things for Pilar, and I’d rather do it from here.”

  She nodded, wondering how the mention of Pilar’s name could still dampen their mood. “We don’t have to go to breakfast. It was a nice thought, but you’re busy, and my calendar is full too,” she said, filling the air with excuses. “I’ve got to work on my alternative educational plan.”

  “We’re going, Grace. I want to spend an hour with you.” He nudged her toward the bathroom. “Just you and me. No children, no Pilar.” His smile returned. “So get dressed, woman.”

  For the next two hours, the world consisted of just three: the two of them and the waitress who brought them the best chicken and waffles in the city.

  “It’s time to get to work, Ms. Councilwoman.”

  They held hands as he walked her to the front door of her office.

  “Have I told you I love you?” he asked as he put his arms around her.

  “Not in the last few minutes.”

  “You’ve been wonderful, Grace, with all that you have on your plate.”

  She cupped her hand against his face. “We share this plate.”

  As he kissed her, the front door opened.

  “Grace, the tabloids are going to love this story!” Zoë said, her face stretched with seriousness.

  Grace froze.

  “I can see the headlines. “Councilwoman Monroe Makes Out with Her Legal Eagle Hubby.” Zoë laughed.

  “Oh,” Grace breathed and glanced at Conner. His eyes told her that he shared her thoughts—that their secret had somehow been uncovered.

  He kissed her cheek, waved to Zoë, and trotted to his car.

  “How was your weekend?” Zoë asked when they stepped into the office.

  Grace paused. She’d found out the mother of her husband’s son was coming to L.A. sooner than expected, she’d told her children they had a brother, and she had found her runaway child. “My weekend was fine,” she said. “You know, regular stuff.”

  “Sounds as boring as mine.” Zoë sighed. “But I’ve made up for it. I’ve been finding information on the complete city budget. Here’s what I’ve printed out.”

  Grace flipped through the stapled pages as she walked behind her desk. “This is good, Zoë. Also, I want to talk about our staff …”

  The front door opened, stopping her words. Sara Spears, dressed in a navy suit complete with red tie, entered.

  “Good morning, ladies.”

  “What do you want, Ms. Spears?” Zoë asked crisply.

  Grace raised her eyebrows at her chief of staff ’s tone. “Zoë, I don’t think we should speak to guests that way.”

  Sara smirked.

  “What do you want, Ms. Spears?” Grace asked, matching Zoë’s tone.

  Sara half-smiled and sat in one of the chairs in front of Grace’s desk. “May I sit down?”

  Grace chuckled and motioned for Zoë to sit next to Sara, but before she did, Sara said, “Grace, we need to talk alone.”

  Zoë planted her feet and crossed her arms.

  Grace almost laughed out loud. Her five-foot-two, onehundred ten pound chief of staff had lost all signs of political decorum. Zoë stared at Sara with a glare that would have made Evander Holyfield proud.

  “Zoë, would you mind leaving me alone with … Ms. Spears?”

  She nodded, though her boxer’s stare remained as she swaggered toward the door.

  Sara shook her head. “My goodness, Grace. I would think you would surround yourself with Christian workers. You’d better tell that girl to read her Bible.”

  I should tell her to beat you down, Grace thought. The image made her smile. “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s really about what I can do for you.” Sara leaned back. “You got turned down for the Education Committee.”

  “Sara, don’t you have anything else to do? Like shopping for a new broom to whip around town on?”

  Sara laughed. “I’ll chalk that up to your disappointment with not getting on the Education Committee.” She paused. “I know how much you wanted that, Grace, so I have a proposition for you.”

&nbs
p; “What can you possibly do for me?”

  Sara leaned forward, resting her hands on Grace’s desk. “I can get you on that committee.”

  Grace stiffened and pressed the tips of her fingers together. Her silence permitted Sara to continue.

  “We think you could have a positive impact on the Education Committee …”

  Who’s we? Grace wanted to ask.

  “… with the experience that you bring.”

  This is politics, Grace thought.

  “But there are certain things we cannot tolerate.”

  There was that we again. Grace shuddered as she wondered who was behind Sara’s coalition.

  “Here’s the deal. You drop your crusade for prayer in the schools, help us to block the public hearings on school prayer, and we’ll let you have your campaign against drugs because, after all, that is good for everyone.” She paused. “So agree to our terms, and you’ll get a call from the mayor.”

  Grace blinked rapidly. “Would you mind repeating that?”

  She could almost see Sara’s tonsils with her wide smile. “You heard me.”

  Slowly, Grace’s lips spread, matching Sara’s smile. “You can leave now.”

  Sara lifted her purse from the floor. “I’ll take that as a, you’ll think about it.”

  “You can take it whatever way you want and do with it whatever you wish.”

  Sara laughed as she stood. “We’ll give you a few days.” She put her hand on the door knob, but before she opened it, she turned back. “Grace, you should reconsider that interview I requested.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Let me give you a scenario. Suppose there’s a story floating around that within the next few days will break.”

  Outside, Grace was cool. Inside, every organ in her body was on fire.

  “Now, many entertainers, athletes, and even politicians find themselves in this position,” Sara continued in a singsong tone, sounding like she was reciting a fairy tale. “What the smart ones do is bring the story forth themselves so they can spin it their way.”

  Grace licked her suddenly dry lips. “What are you talking about?”

  “Just the story I want to do about you, Grace. What do you think I’m talking about?”

  Grace’s heart pounded. There was no way that Sara could know about Solomon. There were no records she could have found, no hospital personnel she could have bribed. Still, her heart hammered to a beat that was well beyond normal.

  “Have a good day, Grace.”

  Sara opened the door, and Zoë stood as if she’d been waiting the entire time. Sara slithered past Zoë, then out the front door.

  “What did she want?”

  Grace motioned for Zoë to sit down. She didn’t think she’d believe it until she said the words herself. “I’ve just been propositioned, and I’m not sure what to do.”

  Conner and Grace whispered in the darkness of their bedroom, having turned out the lights long ago.

  “I don’t know which is worse—the conspiracy to keep me off the Education Committee or Sara knowing something that she can use against me.”

  Conner’s arms tightened around her. “There’s no way she could know about Solomon.” His statement didn’t carry much confidence.

  “I agree, but …” Her hands roamed over his bare chest. “Now that the girls know, I need to make this public before someone else does.”

  “Do you think our personal business will really matter to anyone?”

  “Conner, there is a string of politicians whose personal business is lying in the streets because journalists believe that private means public if more than three people know your name.”

  “But you’re a local politician, sweetheart.”

  “And Sara’s a local sleazebag who’s looking to put her name on the local news. Think about the number of people in L.A., the number of council people who’ve had their personal situations exposed on KCAL’s breaking news.”

  He blew a puff of air through his lips.

  “I don’t want to do this.” She combed her fingers through the hairs on his chest. “But you’re the one who said that we had to move toward the truth.”

  She didn’t think that he could hold her any tighter. But he did. “I support whatever you want to do.” He paused, and she could almost hear his thoughts. “Maybe we should get together with our team. If we strike, we want to be in the best position.”

  She nodded and tried to lean deeper into him. They tried to sleep. But rest eluded them, and they waited, holding each other until the night gave birth to morning.

  Chapter 40

  Jayde followed her mother into the living room and laid the platter with glazed prawns and spring rolls on the table next to the tomato cheese tart. “Are you finished with me?” she asked.

  Completely, Grace thought. Jayde was the one on punishment, but it had been a tough time for them all. From the moment Jayde awakened to when she lay on her pillow at night, everyone was aware that she was an unfairly punished prisoner.

  Grace had endured an endless stream of comments: “I’ll probably be kicked off the tennis team,” and “My grades will drop from all of this stress,” and every complaint that Jayde could muster in between.

  “You can go upstairs now, Jayde.”

  Jayde breathed as if she’d been held under water.

  “I want you to come down when everyone gets here.”

  Jayde moaned as if that act was too painful to think about. As she passed her father on the stairs, Grace watched Jayde slip pass without a word.

  “How’s everything?” Conner asked as he picked up a spring roll.

  She slapped his hand playfully. “I’m ready.” Then she lowered her voice. “Jayde’s still not speaking?”

  “Not for two days.”

  Grace waved her hand in the air, dismissing Jayde’s actions. “Where’s Amber?”

  “In her room watching TV.”

  The doorbell rang, and Grace glanced at her watch. Seven exactly. “Showtime.”

  Together, Conner and Grace greeted their guests. This was more than family; this was their team of confidants and advisers. Grace’s own Christian coalition.

  Chandler and Devry were first, and before Conner could close the door, Zoë drove up. As they began moving to the living room, Lily used her key to come inside.

  Grace lingered behind while her mother took off her sweater. Then Lily wrapped her arm through her daughter’s. “So how’ve you been?” she whispered.

  Grace patted her mother’s hand. “Really good, Mom.” She led her mother into the living room with the rest, and she smiled, watching the group as they stood conversing and laughing, as if they were celebrating. Even though Grace was surrounded by people she loved, her nerves were porcupine quills poking through her skin.

  Conner cleared his throat. “Guys, let’s sit down.”

  It was as if a breeze flowed through the room, changing the atmosphere from festive to somber in seconds. Grace sat in front of the wide window, and Conner stood beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

  He cleared his throat once again, and Grace suspected that his words were stuck inside. Finally, he said, “Thank you for coming. I don’t want to draw this out, so I’ll begin. Grace had a run-in with Sara Spears.” The somber air became filled with groans. “I’ll let Grace take it from here.”

  Grace stayed in her chair as she repeated her conversation with Sara—about the Education Committee and breaking story.

  Zoë’s frown deepened as she realized she hadn’t been told all that had happened in that meeting. “What story is Sara talking about?” Zoë asked. “What is she threatening?”

  This time it was Lily who cleared her throat. When Grace looked at her mother, Lily lowered her eyes.

  Conner said, “That’s what this meeting is about, Zoë.” He took a breath. “A few weeks ago, we found out that I have a son. A child I didn’t know about.”

  Zoë’s expression was as if Conner had just given a weath
er forecast. The practiced stare of a politician’s assistant. She said, “Sara knows about this?”

  Conner said, “I don’t think Sara knows. She’s a professional leech who knows how to coax information from people. And she does it through innuendoes and threats.”

  “I agree,” Grace said. “But if Sara is snooping, it’s not going to take her long to find out. Especially since Pilar and Solomon will be here the day after tomorrow.”

  A collective gasp was the response to the news Conner was supposed to tell. But the words had slipped out.

  “Well, we know what this is about,” Devry said, as if she was stating the obvious. When no one responded, she continued. “You’re being attacked because of your beliefs. You weren’t supposed to be elected, and you’re a threat. Sara is just a front, but whoever she’s working for fears what you might do.” Devry sat back as if she had made her case.

  Zoë said, “So what’s our plan? How badly do we want the Education Committee, and what do we do about Conner’s son?”

  It was strange hearing those words—Conner’s son—spoken from outside the family. Soon the world would be saying that.

  “Well, I won’t cower,” Grace said, her mind set. “I’m staying with my agenda.”

  Lily said, “But if you give up the fight for prayer in the schools, you can get some of your other programs implemented.”

  Grace stood and paced in front of where’d she’d been sitting. “But if I give in, I won’t be standing for anything.”

  “Make sure you’re not being stubborn,” Lily said, leaving Grace feeling as if she were being scolded. “Decide if it’s better to be on the committee and accomplish a little.”

  Grace was silent. Was it better to compromise, get on the committee, and make changes from the inside?

  She glanced at Conner, then Chandler, looking for some indication of their thoughts. But the twins remained stolid, informing her with their expressions that she was supported, but the decision was hers.

  “Let me think about it.”