Carnal Vengeance

by Marilyn Campbell

  "Philip took care of all but these two," Evelyn replied, handing her the message slips. "One's from Time magazine and the other is a reporter for a newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. Sounded like they just had a question or two about the new EPA bill. As usual, the boss left the press to you. How did your appointment go?" she asked before Holly could slip into her office.

  Holly shrugged, recalling the explanation she had given. "They were a very small small interest group; nothing we could work with. On the way back I stopped in at that new dress shop you told me about." As expected, Evelyn's eyes lit up with hope. "I think I found a gown for Saturday night but I can't make up my mind."

  "Is it black and slinky?"

  Holly laughed. "Yes. In fact, it was so slinky, I decided I'd better keep looking."

  Evelyn clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "I swear, sometimes I think you act more matronly than I do. How about if I call the store right now and have them set it aside for you?"

  "No," Holly replied quickly. "I mean, there's no need to call. I asked them to hold it until I can stop by again after work." She was certain the store must have something black and slinky that would meet with Evelyn's approval. She just had to remember where Evelyn had said the store was and go by there before going home. Nodding at the closed door to Philip's office, she asked, "Is someone with him?"

  "The barracuda," Evelyn whispered behind her hand.

  Holly knew she was referring to the woman from the Environmental Protection Agency who kept coming up with reasons to meet with Philip. She whispered back, "Who closed the door?"

  Evelyn smiled. "I did."

  Shaking her head, Holly went into her office. After years of failing to get Philip and Holly married to each other, Evelyn had started pushing both of them toward other eligible people. She simply couldn't accept the idea that the two of them might be content with the way things were.

  Twenty minutes later, Holly had returned the two calls and moved all the papers on her desk around without actually accomplishing anything. There were several other calls she needed to make that afternoon, but each time she lifted the receiver, she realized her conversation with Evelyn had used up her reserve of false confidence.

  Her mind kept drifting back to the folder in her briefcase, even though the office was not the place to look at it. If she decided to read the contents, it would have to be at home, in private, when there was no possibility of Evelyn or Philip walking in on her.

  As if thinking his name conjured up the man, Philip's trim figure appeared in the doorway. Threading his fingers through his neatly styled, ash-blond hair, he asked, "Have you got a minute?"

  She forced a smile. "Considering how you probably spent the last hour, I can give you all the time you need. What excuse did she have this time?"

  Philip's fair cheeks flushed as he sat down across the desk from her. "She wanted to know if we'd heard anything about a new laser incineration plant the Chinese are designing. She asked me—as an independent lobbyist—to put some feelers out so that it wouldn't sound like the EPA was playing catch-up again. I promised to get back to her. So, how did your meeting go?"

  She shrugged. "They talked, I listened, smiled and politely put them off."

  "What was it again? Otters?"

  "Beavers," she corrected, recalling the fabricated reason she had given him before she left for lunch. "But it turned out to be two of them in a small creek on someone's private property."

  Philip arched one light eyebrow. "And they talked about that for three hours?"

  Holly thought it was probably her guilty conscience that made her hear the note of suspicion in his voice. "I also stopped at a dress shop Evelyn recommended. Which reminds me, how long did it take your friend to switch from incinerators to Saturday night's benefit dinner?"

  That got her a chuckle. "Is that a good guess or was Evelyn eavesdropping at my door?"

  "Now, Philip, you know Evelyn never eavesdrops. That would be unladylike. She was probably just passing by. At any rate, are we still on or should I step aside to make way for true love?"

  He leaned forward and crooked a finger at her to come within whispering range. "The only true love you're standing in the way of is ours."

  "Philip..." she warned with a glance at the open door, then eased back in her chair.

  "You know what Saturday is, don't you?"

  Her glance at the calendar was unnecessary but it gave her a valid excuse to look away from the solemn expression in his gray eyes.

  "All I ask is that you consider it, Holly." He reached out his hand, but stopped short of touching hers until she met his gaze. As soon as she gave him a soft smile, he enclosed her hand in his and whispered, "I love you."

  She raised his hand and brushed her cheek against his knuckles. "I'll consider it, but—"

  Swiftly, he touched her lips to silence her. "No buts until Saturday night and this time, I'll have an answer for every but you can come up with." He rose with a closed-mouth grin that didn't quite reach his eyes and left her office before she could object further.

  At least she hadn't had to tell another lie about where she had been for the last three hours.

  Holly had hoped August 15 would pass this year without Philip realizing it. Of course, she had known that wasn't going to happen any more than he had let the last seven "anniversaries" pass.

  Though she had formally met Philip when she was in high school, she hadn't really gotten to know him or his wife, Cora, until she left Dominion and moved back to Butler, Pennsylvania.

  The memory of that time still had the power to knot her stomach. Angry, hurt, and numb with shock, she had shown up at her parents' door with all her belongings in her car and the simple statement that she would not be returning to college.

  As the only survivor of three children, Holly had always been treated like a princess and, in return, had never given her parents a moment of difficulty. They had been willing to give her time to adjust to whatever had happened to her. They never insisted she tell them what had happened to drive her into the solitude of her bedroom, although they concluded a broken heart was involved. Instead, they stood by her, even when she inflicted on them her depression, crying bouts, and temper tantrums.

  When months of patience failed, however, her father demanded she either return to school or go to work in the family's German-style restaurant. She chose to put on a waitress uniform.

  Philip and Cora Sinkiewicz started out as customers of the Kaufman Haus restaurant but quickly graduated to being personal friends of Bernie and Vivian Kaufman. At that time, Holly had thought Philip was much younger than her father, but she realized later that Philip worked at that appearance.

  Where Bernie's waistline showed the results of too much of his own good cooking, Philip maintained a slim physique perfectly proportioned to his medium height through diet and exercise. Where Bernie's hair was now all but gone, Philip had been blessed with a natural thickness and kept it light blond with the help of an over-the-counter product for women. Overall, Philip looked very good for a man who'd passed his sixtieth birthday some years ago.

  It was Philip who had given Holly the final shove back into the real world one evening at the restaurant by drawing her into a conversation about his work. He had finally secured the funding he had been seeking to establish Earth Guard, and delighted in telling Holly his plans to help save the environment. For the first time in months, she had found herself really interested in something.

  Philip had informed her that the fledgling lobbying organization would be needing all the help it could get from intelligent, young people, and that they would have a place for her if she would like to move to Washington, D.C. Within a week she had decided to take him up on his offer.

  They spent a great deal of time together setting up Earth Guard. His zealousness about saving Earth's resources was contagious, and she was soon caught up in his interests as well as the fast-paced life of the capital. He encouraged her to develop her untapped talents and convinced
her to finish college in order to gain every advantage in the competitive city. She chose Georgetown University, as it was in the D.C. area and allowed her to continue working with him.

  It wasn't long before she sensed his feelings for her went beyond that of a close friend and employer, but he never acted upon his obvious attraction. He was a man who took his wedding vows seriously, regardless of how difficult that marriage was for him—and Holly had been around him and Cora enough to know that they had a multitude of problems.

  Even if he had not been married, however, Holly never wanted another man in her bed.

  The change in their relationship began when Philip's wife was diagnosed with cancer of the brain. For five years he suffered along with her as she underwent surgery and treatments, unspeakable pain and forgetfulness. As his closest friend, Holly was always there for him and shared his every frustration.

  When Cora finally died eight years ago, Holly cared too much to deny him the comfort he sought in her arms. Setting aside her vow of celibacy, she spent the night with him, but learned that compassion and friendship were not sufficient motivation for physical lovemaking. Either that or her ability to enjoy the experience had been forever crippled before it had had the chance to fully develop.

  She had allowed Philip into her bed twice more after that, mainly because she felt he deserved a fair chance to arouse her passion. Unlike other men, his touch did not repulse her; she just felt nothing at all. To her surprise and relief, he didn't seem to mind when she turned down his gentle hints to continue the intimacy.

  They settled into an easy companionship, except for each August 15, the anniversary of their first, and only, full night together. Saturday would mark the eighth time he asked her to marry him, and the eighth time she would decline.

  Always respectful and attentive, he was devoted to her and no other woman and she was clearly uninterested in any other man. He could never understand her refusal to formalize their relationship, but he knew better than to push more than once a year.

  Holly repeatedly explained her need for independence and privacy, though she admitted he filled other needs for her. In him, she had a good friend, an escort when she needed one, as well as a buffer between her and all others.

  For a while, Holly had felt guilty about using Philip, but he convinced her that he would take whatever she could give him rather than nothing at all. He swore he was satisfied knowing he was the only man that received attention from her, limited as it was.

  She had no problem stroking his ego. He was attractive for his age, intelligent, mature, focused, kind, generous and faithful, characteristics that might cause any normal woman to fall madly in love with him or at least be happy to have such a good man as a life partner. But Holly had never been able to say the words he wanted to hear. The phrase "I love you" had been stricken from her vocabulary twenty-one years ago, and she couldn't bring it to her lips, regardless of how much it would please Philip. Besides, he deserved more from her than a lie.

  Perhaps this time, when he asks why I won't marry him, I should tell him the truth.

  Holly had already decided that if she was going to tell anyone about that night it would have to be her parents first, then, depending on how that went, Philip next.

  Part of the reason she had avoided speaking of it was she wanted to block it out. The other part, however, was the fear of tarnishing the perfect image those three people had of her.

  Logically, of course, she had always known the blame belonged solely on the shoulders of Jerry Frampton and Tim Ziegler. But no amount of logic had done quite as much for her self-assurance as listening to the confidences of the women of the Little Sister Society that day and discovering that she wasn't the only one. She couldn't help but wonder how much further she could progress by following their advice to talk about what had happened to her.

  Why, it could even make a difference in how she responded to Philip on Saturday.

  For the second time that week, she made an impulsive phone call. As it was Wednesday afternoon, she knew exactly where she could find both her parents.

  "Kaufman Haus," her mother's cheery voice answered after the second ring.

  "I'd like to make reservations for three for midnight tonight."

  "Holly? What's the matter? Why are you calling in the middle of the week?"

  Holly laughed lightly. "Nothing's the matter, Mom. I swear. There's just something I wanted to talk to you and Pop about, and I figured the best time was after you close up on a slow night. Correction, slower night. Everyone knows Kaufman Haus doesn't have slow nights."

  The old line made her mother laugh, but she quickly became serious again. "If it's really important, we could take the night off—"

  "No, no. It'll be late by the time I get to the house anyway."

  "Will you be staying?" Vivian asked hopefully.

  "Only tonight. I have to be back here first thing in the morning."

  "Oh, I see. At least give me a hint so that I know whether to worry or be excited."

  "Neither one. I just need to explain something, that's all. I'll see you tonight."

  It took several more reassurances before Holly could hang up and get Evelyn working on reservations. She figured it was a good omen when she was able to book a flight out of Dulles at nine, which left her plenty of time to pick up a change of clothes at her apartment and have dinner. Evelyn confirmed that a rental car was reserved for her at the Pittsburgh airport. Even with the one-hour drive to Butler added to the hour-long flight, she would still be home before her parents.

  When Philip heard what she was up to, he offered to accompany her. "I haven't seen Bernie and Viv in months."

  "I know, and I'm sure they'd be happy to see you too, but this time I need to see them alone." His hurt expression prompted her to add, "But I could use a lift to the airport later, if you wouldn't mind. I'd rather not leave my car there overnight." Guilt made her continue. "In fact, why don't you follow me to my apartment while I pick up an overnight bag and then we can go to dinner." Her extra effort earned her a grateful smile.

  * * *

  David's network of informants was not limited to hotel employees. In a transient city of power like Washington, there was an abundance of people in seemingly unimportant positions who were privy to interesting tidbits, and David had spent years cultivating friendships with a great number of those people. The fact that most of them were women was just as intentional.

  Once he was back at his desk in the paper's newsroom, he needed to make only one call to the dispatcher at the cab company to learn that the driver of the taxi he'd observed in front of the hotel dropped the mouse off at the Internal Revenue Service building. He had no idea why employees of two branches of government would be meeting with Erica Donner, but he bet his next paycheck there was some sort of story behind it. Again, his nose told him it could have something to do with Tim Ziegler's call. What he needed were some names to attach to the faces.

  He didn't have a contact inside the FBI but he had a companionable relationship with a city police detective. It seemed reasonable that the man would know at least one agent that might be able to identify Red. If memory served, the detective was a major football fan. An invitation to an upcoming game would probably net him a name and maybe a bit more.

  Identifying the other three women was going to be more of a challenge, but he determined to describe them to everyone he knew until he got some answers.

  Before he began that, however, he needed to ask Valerie for another favor—a roster of the students enrolled in the freshman class at Dominion the year Cheryl Wallace and Erica Donner were there.

  "Is that it?" Valerie asked with a laugh. "You sure you don't want the upperclassmen as well? I've already been asked to come up with the names of all of Senator Ziegler's fraternity brothers. Don't you want a copy of that too?"

  "That would be terrific," David replied. "If it's not too much trouble." He wasn't surprised that another reporter was working on that angle. Cheryl Wall
ace's list of alleged attackers had caused a lot of speculation all over the country.

  "Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the other reporter. I've got a stack of rush requests that could get me fired if I don't do them first. But I already did a quick check of their website and came up with nothing. That was a long time ago, before everything was computerized, and although the university should have retained the records, they've probably been buried in some storage vault. I also placed a call to the school but so far no call back. They probably aren't anxious to talk to any media right now. It may not be so easy to get the information. What you need is a yearbook."

  Or an alumnus, like Cheryl Wallace. "Well, if anybody can do it, I know you can," David said with complete sincerity.

  He made several more calls then headed back to the Kessler Hotel in hopes that Mrs. Donner might be planning to go out to dinner.

  * * *

  Holly and Philip arrived at her apartment in Georgetown with plenty of time to spare, but Holly was too anxious to be on her way to sit and relax. Philip poured himself a club soda while she went into her bedroom to throw a few things in a bag.

  Thirty minutes later, she started to walk into the living room and froze in the doorway. Philip was seated on the couch with his back to her—and was closing the lid on her briefcase. "Philip? Were you looking for something?"

  "Yes. Or rather I was about to." He latched the case and set it back down on the floor where she had left it. Standing up and turning to her with a sheepish grin, he said, "I didn't want to admit to Evelyn that I misplaced the last report from the House Ways and Means Committee. I had the sudden thought that it had somehow gotten mixed up with your folders and ended up in your briefcase. I apologize. Without thinking, I opened it to check. I should never have done that without asking. I swear I didn't rearrange a single sheet of paper."

  He appeared to be appropriately embarrassed at having been caught, but it left Holly feeling a little uneasy. Certain he was telling the truth, however, she could see no reason to make an issue of it. "Did you find the report?"