Somewhere between the soup and the sorbet, O’Brien asked, “So… what are you going to do with the trophy?”
“I’m sending it to Stanford,” Conner answered, as he poured her another glass of champagne. “They’re going to put it in a display case with all of John’s trophies. They’re going to call me John’s prodigy. Part of his living legacy.” He smiled. “I think John might like that. He always wanted an Oklahoma boy to make good at the Masters. He just didn’t know exactly how it would happen.”
O’Brien nodded. “By the way-thanks.”
“For what?”
“You know perfectly well for what. For saving my ass. And the rest of me, too.”
“My pleasure,” Conner replied. “And may I say-it’s a very fine looking-”
“About time you noticed.”
“I noticed a long time ago. It’s just that the badge and the gun kept blocking my access.”
“Why, Conner,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes. “Are you making a pass at me?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “Are you going to arrest me again and haul me back to the police station?”
Nikki peered back at him. Their eyes met across the table. She placed a hand delicately on his arm. “Actually… I’d rather haul you back to your cabin.”
Conner’s eyes glowed like light bulbs. Maybe he could learn to like the Masters tournament after all.
Epilogue
After his term of office ended, Eisenhower visited Augusta eleven times, returning again and again to the home away from home that gave him so much pleasure during his presidency. In May, 1961, at a gala party, Eisenhower thanked each of the forty members who had contributed funds to pay for Ike’s Cabin on the club grounds. In October of 1965, he and Mamie celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and were given by the Augusta National members an elaborately carved, eighty-four-ounce gold bowl. Bobby Jones himself drove in from Atlanta to serve as toastmaster, but by that time he was suffering from a rare and severe neurological disorder, and the journey tired him so much that he had to stay in bed during the party.
On his last visit, Eisenhower is reported to have gazed out at the gorgeous greens and rolling hills and said, “This place is so beautiful. Never in my life have I been so happy as I was right here.”
He died in 1969. At his funeral, in addition to notables such as President Nixon and president of France Charles de Gaulle, were Cliff Roberts and many others from the Augusta National, Ike’s old gang, all together for the last time.
About William Bernhardt
William Bernhardt is the author of many books, including Primary Justice, Double Jeopardy, Silent Justice, Murder One, Criminal Intent, and Death Row. He has twice won the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction, and in 2000 he was presented the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award "in recognition of an outstanding body of work in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." A former trial attorney, Bernhardt has received several awards for his public service. He lives in Tulsa with his children, Harry, Alice, and Ralph.
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Final Round Page 26