VirtuaScape

by Kelvin Kelley

Once they had returned to the room, Grace was still on edge. She’d had no reason in their marriage to ever question her husband’s fidelity, but what Agent Lee had told Connor was right on the mark. These payments made to the Teresa woman certainly did look shady. Thankfully Mason had calmed down while she had been gone. The two campaigns were in talks negotiating how to still hold the debate, but to do it in such a way that there was no doubt as to both candidates safety. Connor dismissed, Grace left Mason in his office, poured a tall glass of wine, and drew a hot bath. Shakily she poured a double dose of her meds, and washed them down. By the time she was ready to get in the tub, she had finished the entire glass. She went to the kitchen, and brought back the bottle with her. As she eased into the tub, and embraced the warmth of the water, and settled deep inside, she allowed the healing steam to surround her.

  She closed her eyes, and tried to forget all of the chaos that had suddenly surrounded her. Desperately she tried to push the uncertainties out of her mind, as she poured another glass of wine. Slowly she began to feel her mind relax its horridly fastidious grip as her meds kicked in. She relished the quiet internally and externally as her mind began to drift. So much had happened in the last few days that she could never have seen coming. It truly was too much for her to handle. After nearly falling asleep, she raised up and turned the hot water on to warm up the tepid water. The serene sound of the rushing water calmed her. She drained her glass, and refilled it. She turned the water off once the tub was filled again to nearly overflowing. She took a long drink of her wine, and eased back down in the tub. She closed her eyes, and in moments, consciousness slipped away from her. She slept quietly floating in the water, and slowly began to slide down into the water. As the level grew near her chin, she shifted slightly as if turning over in bed. Suddenly her nose went below the water level, and she inhaled.

  She choked, and woke up with a start, coughing savagely, the water burning her nose and throat. Her eyes were wide open, as she coughed and gagged and tried to remember where she was. She splashed water onto the floor, as she fought to get a grip on the side of the tub. Finally, her hands locked tight, she realized she was still in the tub. It was another few minutes before her coughing subsided, and she was steady enough to get out. Slowly, and cautiously she hauled herself out of the water. She braced herself against the wall to steady her shaking limbs. The cold air blowing from the vent above brought goose bumps to her skin. She shivered as she reached for the towel and clutched it shakily. She stepped out of the tub, and nearly slid down on the tiled floor. The room seemed to spin, as she wrapped the towel around her. She leaned heavily against the wall for support. Slowly the room slowed, enough that she felt she could walk. She made her way into the bedroom, and collapsed diagonally across the bed. With a single deep breath, she passed out.

  It was the morning light that awakened her. She blinked her eyes at the soft illumination slanting through the small gap in the closed curtains. Her body felt like stone, so she laid there for a while, as she gradually rose to full consciousness. She turned over to see Mason beside her. He stirred at her movement. Fear was her first reaction, as all of her concerns rushed back into her mind. She gasped. Mason, shifted again, and rolled over. He blinked sleepily.

  “Morning.” He said. She swallowed.

  “Morning.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “A little woozy.” She replied honestly. He reached out to her, and she fought not to flinch. He gently caressed her shoulder, and she tried to relax.

  “I thought so. You were out like a light when I came to bed.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It was a long day.” He said, as she recalled the issue with the debate.

  “What about the debate?” She asked.

  “We’ve solved the problem.”

  “How? I thought Bazir was dead set against it?” She asked.

  “Holographic.”

  “Holographic?”

  “Remote viewing. That way both Bazir and I can both be in a safe location. The moderator will be in the studio with the live audience.” He laughed. “And through the magic of technology the viewing audiences at home will see it just like we were all in the same place.”

  “And you agreed to this?” He nodded.

  “They’ll pipe the audio of the live audience reaction back to us. When we’re under the studio lights it’s not like you can see them anyway. I think it will work out just fine.” He smiled. She looked into his eyes. He was calm. He was kind. This was the man she had married. Not the lunatic that had been skulking around for the last few days. Maybe it had been just the stress of the campaign. And maybe it was her too. Maybe she had just been overreacting. She truly began to relax for the first time in days, if not weeks. She sighed in relief as she began to relish his touch. The warm soft caress of his strong hand felt so warm and reassuring. She closed her eyes, and moaned softly, when the thoughts of the night before flooded back into her mind. Teresa. She swallowed.

  “Mason?”

  “Yes, honey.” He said softly.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. Whatcha got?”

  “Do you remember Teresa?” His hand stopped moving at the question.

  “Teresa? Teresa who?” He asked, drawing his hand back.

  “You know. She worked on the campaign, back when we first started.” She raised up on her pillow to better watch his face.

  “No. Sorry. I don’t remember her.” He was shaking his head.

  “Sure you do, Mason. Teresa Belk? You worked pretty closely with her.” He turned away and sat up on the side of the bed.

  “What’s this about?” He asked, with enough of an edge in his voice that Grace’s heart began to race. He stared away from her. It’s now or never she thought as she gathered her courage and continued her questioning.

  “Surely you remember her, Mason. Blond. Very attractive. Wore glasses, and short skirts.”

  “I remember her...why are you asking about her?” He asked, with any semblance of gentleness erased from his voice.

  “Whatever happened to her?” She asked.

  “Happened to her? How would I know? She left the campaign a long time ago.” He turned back towards her. “What is this about?” Now his impatience was not only evident in his voice, but also in his expression. Grace swallowed again, as she decided to press on. She sat up.

  “You haven’t heard from her?” She asked. “Recently?”

  “What is this, Grace? Are you accusing me of something?”

  “Accusing? No, Mason, I’m just asking a question.”

  “This is ridiculous.” He said, and got to his feet.

  “Well have you?” She repeated.

  “I don’t believe you.” He said with disgust.

  “What? That I’m asking you a simple question? Or that you seem to not want to answer it.”

  “What? Not answer? Grace...what has this got to do with anything?”

  “Just tell me, Mason. It’s obvious that you know her, and this discussion has you all out of sorts.” She pulled the covers up around her. He stared in disbelief at her.

  “It’s nothing.” He said, reluctantly.

  “No, Mason. Whatever it is, it’s not nothing. I know about the payments” She said, as her heart pounded in her chest. She was afraid of what he might say, now that she had him in a corner. Oh, Mason, what have you done, she asked herself. He turned away from her again, and slowly sat back down, defeated. He sighed, and slowly shook his head.

  “I didn’t want you to know.” He began. Her heart skipped a beat. “I couldn’t let it get out.” She fought her tears as he spoke. She didn’t know if she could listen.

  “I had to pay her, Grace, I had to. She was going to the media.” Grace felt light headed, as he continued. “It would have ruined me. Us. Before we ever even got started. I know it was wrong, but it was only the one payment, and she swore she would keep quiet.”

  “But you’re still paying her!
” Grace exclaimed with a sob. He nodded.

  “Next month she was back for more. The only way to keep her quiet was to keep paying. I’m sorry, Grace. I should have told you.”

  “Mason, what has she got on you?” She sobbed, as she leaned over and pounded on his back. “What did you do?” He turned to face her, tears in his own eyes.

  “Do?” He asked with disbelief. “I didn’t do anything.” His expression changed to one of disappointment. “It was Jeff. Jeff Smithfield. The advertising director.” Grace tried to understand what he was saying.

  “You fired him.” She said. He nodded in agreement.

  “He sexually assaulted Teresa.”

  “What?” She shook her head in confusion. “He what?”

  “He sexually assaulted her. She came to me right after it happened. He was her direct supervisor. They were working late one night, and he cornered her is his office, and...”

  “Are you sure?” She asked.

  “He admitted it, Grace. He tried to play it off as a misunderstanding, but...but he admitted to touching her inappropriately. I had no alternative but to dismiss him immediately.” He reached over to her, but she did not pull back. “I’m sorry, Grace. I should have told you. I shouldn’t have let it get this far.” He wrapped his arms around her, and cried quietly. She accepted his embrace, and cried with him. Though this was all a horrible thing to have happened, it was not as bad as she had feared. She felt a sense of elation to know that he had not been unfaithful, which was the worse she could have imagined. Thank you Lord, she said to herself. Thank you.

  “What are you going to do about it? The payments I mean. You can’t let her keep blackmailing you.” Grace said.

  “I agree. I think we have it worked out, at least now that the campaign is this far along. One of our attorneys is working on a settlement with her, at least that way it will be all above board. We have sufficient funds to easily settle with her on a single lump sum, and in return obtain a legal agreement to keep the issue silent.” She considered this.

  “What if you told the media?” She asked. “It’s not like you didn’t take immediate action once she had reported it. You didn’t sweep it under the rug or threaten her in anyway. You did what you thought was right.”

  “We’re too close for something like this to come out, Grace. You know how close the polls are. It’s better that we keep this quiet and put it to bed.” He pulled back from her. “You don’t worry about it. I’ve got it under control.” He kissed her gently, and she kissed him back. Thankful that she had pushed and that he had told her the truth. Thankful that this was over.

  Chapter 18