Kate and I walked into the Wednesday afternoon session of the Transitions workshop. While we kept our same positions, the other participants changed their seats.
Cheryl stood up. “Are there any questions about what happened this morning?”
Tammy put her hand up. “I want to thank all of you for helping me this morning. Especially Lois.” She sat down and clasped Lois’ hand.
Cheryl looked around the group. “Does anyone else have a comment or question? Does anyone else wish to work with a family tableau?”
No one in the group responded.
“Okay. David and I thought this might happen. so I have a suggestion on what to do next. During the women’s circle, there was an interesting discussion about how to feel safe with men. Not surprisingly, a lot of our women have had experiences where they did not feel safe with men. I thought it might be useful for the women to return to this topic and the men to listen. That is, the women would come to the center of the room and sit in a circle. The men would sit outside them and listen.”
David said, “I want to reinforce what Cheryl said, men. We want you to listen only. This is necessary to establish a safe environment.” He looked at the men. “Do you agree?”
The men nodded.
The women moved into a tight circle. We men moved into a looser circle around them. I sat behind Kate.
“Okay, women, who wants to begin?”
Julie inched forward. “This discussion began when I mentioned my experience working as a waitress at a bar in Missoula. I quit because I got tired of being groped. On Saturday night, especially after a big football game, all the guys would get drunk and then it was open season on the waitresses. They seemed to think it was a big joke to grab my ass or touch my breasts. I even had a couple of cowboys follow me into the ladies’ room.”
“And no one protected you?” Cheryl asked.
“No. The bartenders were too busy. The bouncers always had their hands full, and the boss didn’t seem to give a shit. In fact, he hit on a couple of the younger waitresses.”
“So, you quit?”
“I quit and, fortunately, got a job working at the hospital.”
“Did you get hit on there?”
“Of course. But no one grabbed my tits or my ass.” Julie sighed. “I’ve been hit on since I was fourteen. I’m sort of used to it.”
“And you haven’t given up on men?” Lois asked.
“No. Not yet,” Julie laughed. “And meeting the men here has encouraged me, especially seeing Tom form a relationship with Kate.”
“You told the women about your plans; perhaps share them with the men,” Cheryl said.
“Okay.” Julie stood up. “In the fall I’m going to reenter veterinary school, this time at UC Davis. With Kate’s help, I’m going to find a Taekwondo dojo and begin training.” She bumped fists with Kate.
“Taekwondo seemed to be a theme in the women’s group,” Cheryl said. “Aoife, Julie, and Lucy expressed an interest in learning Taekwondo with Kate.”
“Me, too,” Norma said, “If I end up moving to Northern California.”
Julie sat down.
Cheryl turned to Kate. “Do you mind telling your story, Kate. The men might find it interesting.”
“Sure.” Kate slid forward on her pillow. “I grew up in Fresno. I went to Fresno schools and Fresno State University. My dad was a detective in the Fresno PD. We had a great relationship and I naturally gravitated to police work.” She looked around at the men. “I was always athletic, a bit of a tomboy. When I was a teenager, my dad got me involved in martial arts. By the time I entered State I was working on a judo black belt. Then a Taekwondo dojo opened in Fresno, and I shifted my allegiance. During my senior year I played soccer and taught Taekwondo.” Kate turned to look for her thermos. I handed it to her, and she winked at me.
Kate sipped water. “After I graduated from State, I applied to the Fresno PD and was accepted. There were women in the department, and I was Vern Swift’s daughter; there wasn’t a lot of sexism. Once in a while something would happen at a party, but nothing awful. After five years, I became a detective. Then I went to a regional peace officers meeting and learned that the San Francisco Marshal’s office was looking for women. So, I applied and was accepted. I was thrilled.” Kate shook her head. “I was so naïve. I showed up the first day and realized that there were no women in the office, other than a receptionist. They had recruited me as part of a settlement on discrimination in the Marshal’s service. It wasn’t just a sexist environment, it was hostile. I loved San Francisco and my apartment, but I hated my job. I had virtually no social life; when I had time off I either went home to Fresno or worked out at the Zanshin Dojo. The guys at the Marshal’s office gave me every shit job they could, but I kept my head down and did the work. After a year, things got better.”
Kate sipped water. “Then I made a mistake, I agreed to go out for drinks with the guys at their favorite bar in the Mission District. I only had one beer, but they got loaded and then the sex talk started.” Kate flashed me a look with raised eyebrows that seemed to signify Are you sure you want to hear this. “One big guy, Elmer, went on and on about how I must be a lesbian because I never fucked any of them. I could have left but after a year I was so sick of that shit that I said, ‘I’ll make you a little bet, Elmer. You and I will have a wrestling match. If you go down first, then all this crap will stop. If I go down first, then I’ll blow you.’ Of course, they lapped it up. I never did tell them I was a Taekwondo black belt – which was unethical. We went outside the bar, took off our Marshal’s jackets and shirts. Elmer outweighed me by over 100 pounds. I think he figured he would grab my undershirt and fall on me. When he moved forward, I used tool sul and flipped him over my head. Elmer landed on his back on the pavement and was out cold. Unfortunately, it turned out that he dislocated his shoulder because of an old football injury.”
Kate sighed. “What saved my ass was the female staff at the bar: the bartender and the waitress. They were willing to testify to what happened. So rather than fire me, the Marshal’s Office gave me a promotion so long as I agreed not to press charges. Elmer was transferred to Huntsville, Alabama. A month later, two women joined as US Marshals. Once that happened, I called a meeting of my staff and said, ‘We’ve had some sexism problems here. Today that’s stopped. If I hear of any complaints, I’m not going through HR, I’m going to handle them personally. Does anyone have any questions?” Kate sipped water. “You know how it is with guys, they may be thinking, ‘fuck you,” but they won’t say anything. So, I called out each of the men and said, ‘Joe, if you don’t agree with this new policy, I can arrange for you to transfer. Do you agree?’ They all backed down. And that was that.”
“And your job is okay now?” Cheryl asked.
“Yes. Except for Earle but he’s moving to Chicago.” Kate lowered her voice. “And the dead bodies. But I don’t want to talk about that now.”
Kate sat down. Julie and Lucy hugged her.
“Before I let you off, Kate,” Cheryl said. “Tell the men what you said to the women.”
“I said, I haven’t given up on men. My father was a good man, so I know there are good men. What I’ve learned is that if a woman is going to make her way in a man’s world, she has to be able to take care of herself. That’s what I’m teaching Julie, Lucy, and Aoife; and Norma if she wants.”
“She scares me,” Rory whispered.
“You’ll be fine, as long as you follow my lead.”
Cheryl called out. “Tom and Rory, I hear you talking. Do you want to share with the whole group what was said?”
“We’re both scared to death.”
Everyone laughed. Kate reached back and punched me on the leg. “I’d sue,” I said, “but I’m too frightened.”
The Transitions group broke up at four and many participants headed for the baths. Kate and I headed back to our rooms to prepare for our first “date.”
At five, I knocked on her door. Kate was dressed in the same white linen jump-suit she’d worn the first night of the workshop, but it was highlighted by a red belt and a bright scarf. She wore gold hoop earrings and, for the first time, mascara that complimented her green eyes. “Wow,” I said. “You look gorgeous.”
Kate blushed. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“Perhaps, but no one is going to hit on me at the reception; I’m going to have to spend all evening beating away the wolves.”
Kate kissed me on the cheek, locked the door, and took my hand. “We’re off.”
We walked down the stairs and headed north on the main Institute path. “I’m a little embarrassed about telling the whole group the Elmer story.” Kate stopped and gripped my hand. “I don’t want you to think badly of me; I don’t want you to think I’m a slut.”
“I would never think that of you. I think you are a courageous, honorable woman trying to make her way in a man’s world.”
“Thank you,” Kate said. “You’re sure you’re not saying that because you want to get into my pants.”
I laughed. “I do want to get into your pants.” I squeezed her hand. “I’m saying that because I have a high opinion of you. I think you are smart and energetic and honorable.”
“I think the same of you.” Kate stopped. “Perhaps we can just skip the reception and go to your room and -- what was your expression? – ah yes, consummate our relationship.”
I chuckled. “I can’t wait to consummate with you, but I think it is a good idea for us to go to the reception.” I held up three fingers. “First, I like the idea of us going on a real date before we fall into bed. Call me old-fashioned, call me romantic, call me whatever but I think it’s the right thing to do.”
“I like romantic. What are the other two reasons?”
“Two, it gives you a little insight into the world I move in.” We started walking up the path. “I’ve been thinking about our relationship, trying to explain to myself what is happening and where it’s going. I was reminded of a couple’s book I read a long time ago that said all relationship are determined by the balance among money, sex, and power.” Kate squeezed my hand. “The sex dimension is to be determined for us.”
Kate kissed my hand.
“We are both powerful, in our own ways.”
Kate shrugged.
“The last dimension is money. I’ve been fortunate and now, by most people’s standards, I’m well off. I’m privileged. That could create problems for us. I don’t know. But it occurred to me that going to the fundraiser would expose you to a slice of my world and you could see how you like it.”
“Just so you know, I’m not indigent.” Kate chuckled. “My grandfather owned a big ranch in the foothills east of Fresno. When he passed, it went to my father and his brother, Ben. My Uncle has been the working partner, but my father has stayed involved and they have a good relationship. When they die, God forbid, the ranch will be left to me and my cousin Sheila.”
“What do you plan to do with your inheritance?”
“Sheila and I have talked this over and we plan to sell the ranch,” Kate said.
“So, I was wrong. You’re more familiar with the monied class than I expected.”
“You’ve really thought about this haven’t you?” Kate asked.
“Yes. I’m strongly attracted to you and have been asking myself, ‘what is this all about?’”
“And did you get an answer to your question?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
I blushed. “Now I’m embarrassed.” I cleared my throat. “I told myself that I am in the process of falling in love with you.”
“That’s so sweet.” Kate stopped walking. “You’re so brave, Tom. So clear.” Her eyes misted. “I’m not sure if what I feel for you is love or lust or longing or something else that begins with ‘l’, perhaps losing my mind. Whenever I see you, I have this overwhelming desire to touch you.” She blushed. “To place my hand on your bare skin.” She lowered her voice. “I feel like I’m fifteen years old.”
“That is so nice to hear.” I pulled her closer. “Maybe we should skip the reception.”
Kate took a deep breath. “I think we should do the reception but not linger.”
“Okay. We’ll duck in and out.”
Kate started walking. “What do you expect?”
“At the least, the fundraising staff is going to ask me to renew my donation to Satori. Probably, given the mess it’s in, they’re going to ask me to be on the board.”
“Do you want to do that?”
“No.”
“Then why are you going?”
“For one thing, I’ve gone to these events for years and the people are zany but fun. For another thing, Satori is a customer of our business. Finally, we might get a clue as to who killed Malcolm.”
“You think somebody on the Satori staff killed Malcolm?”
“It could have been a mafia-style hit, someone sent here to off Malcom because he stole their money. But a lot of people on the staff didn’t like Malcolm. It could be something simpler, like a jilted lover.”
“Someone who got pissed off when Malcolm started sleeping with Penny?”
“Exactly.”
We walked a little further, holding hands, until we came to a broad wooden bridge that forded Pfeiffer Creek. We walked across it, hearing the faint echo of our footsteps, and then turned west to the Old Conference Center.
We came to the steps of the old conference center, a rambling three-story wood building with a composition roof; a structure that looked as if it might have, at one time, been a hotel. “Here we are,” I said. “Tonight, if anything seems strange to you, come and talk to me about it.”
In the shadows at the corner of the building, I saw Cheryl Taylor smoking a cigarette. She was talking to two men in suits, who were also smoking. I remembered Fiona saying the only visible way Cheryl expressed anxiety was her cigarette addiction.
Kate and I walked onto the wood porch and were met by Marcia Ball. “Tom and Marshal Swift. So nice that you could join us. Most of the board is already in the main room.” Marcia handed us each a name card and I was relieved that Kate’s merely said “Kate Swift.”
I helped Kate attach her name card and then took her hand as I walked into the spacious rectangular room.
Moments later, Cheryl greeted us. I almost didn’t recognize her because she was dressed for the occasion. Of course, I thought, now that Malcolm’s gone, Cheryl must represent the Satori tradition. In the workshop, Cheryl typically wore wire-rim glasses, no makeup, hair pulled back in a tight bun, and a loose, olive-brown pantsuit. Tonight, Cheryl had ditched her glasses; she wore glamorous makeup, diamond earrings, and a black strapless cocktail dress.
“You look wonderful,” Kate said, at almost the same moment Cheryl told her she looked great. They both clasped hands and beamed.
“Watch out for the Hollywood guys, Kate,” Cheryl whispered. “They can be very obnoxious.”
“Tom promised to protect me.” Kate said, tightening her grip on my arm.
Cheryl glanced at me and lifted her eyebrows, as if to say, Kate doesn’t need your protection, but it’s the thought that counts.
“I’m nervous,” Kate said. “I’m not used to hobnobbing with the rich and famous.”
“They’re just like us,” Cheryl said. “Only not as well adjusted.”
The three of us laughed.
“Are you ready for your new role?” I asked Cheryl.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Cheryl glanced around the room. “I view it as an operational necessity.”
We excused ourselves and walked further into the room. “Does Cheryl have a boyfriend?” Kate asked.
“I’m not sure. Fiona used to keep track of that. She tried to fix Cheryl up with people we know in the city, but with no success. A while back, Cheryl dated a military guy but I’m not sure what became of him.”
Thirty people had already arrived at the reception. I recognized most of them, although I hadn’t been to a Satori fundraiser for three years, since before Fiona suffered her final illness.
A waiter arrived with a tray containing flutes of champagne. I handed one to Kate, took another for myself, and touched the rim of her glass. “Here’s to my beautiful friend.”
Kate blushed. “Here’s to our first date.”
Over the next few minutes, we made our way among the participants, some staff, but mostly members of the board and donors. Several had not heard about Fiona, and were surprised to see me with a date, but it didn’t feel awkward, as I explained what had happened and that Kate and I had just met at David and Cheryl’s workshop.
Eventually we worked our way across the room, walked out of the room, and walked onto the deck overlooking a steep cliff. “So, this is where Malcolm died?” Kate said, looking down onto the waves crashing on the rocks below.
“Yes. Probably over there.” I pointed to the corner of the deck that was the closest to the edge.
Kate walked to the corner, grabbed my hand, and looked down. “Malcolm might have fallen but it seems most probably that he was pushed.”
I looked down at the rocks and then turned to look at the crowd in the main room. I wonder if anyone here did it?
Bruce James, the Institute executive director, walked up. “Tom and Marshal Swift, nice that you could join us. Even if this is a sad occasion.” James briefly cast his eyes down. “Tom, has Jean Little talked to you, yet?”
“No. I haven’t seen her.”
“Well, when she does talk to you, don’t mention I already talked to you. She wants to broach an idea we had.”
I bet it’s an idea involving my money, I thought.
A man whose name I did not remember walked up to us. He was a little younger than me with thinning bleached blonde hair arranged in an elaborate combover. His name tag read: Jerry Kermit. The movie producer, I realized. He was accompanied by a faintly attractive young woman with a weak chin and very large breasts. Those have to be fake. I glanced at Kate and she raised her eyebrows. The young woman’s nametag read: Gwyneth Jones.
Jerry reached out with his hand, “Tom, I was very sorry to hear about Fiona’s passing. She was quite a woman.”
“Yes, she was.” And she was always trying to ward off your advances.
“It must be tough living without her. She left big shoes to fill.” Jerry glanced at Kate.
What a prick, I thought. “Fiona was unique. But so is my new partner, Kate Swift.” I turned to Kate, and she stuck out her hand. I need to develop a signal to tell Kate to flip guys like Jerry over her head.
Jerry held Kate’s hand a little too long. “Jerry Kermit. I’m a movie producer.” He made no attempt to introduce his date.
I extended my hand to her. “Tom Scott.”
“I’m Gwyneth. I’m an actress.”
Of course, I thought.
“Are you in the entertainment business?” Gwyneth asked.
“I have an event-management company.”
Bruce James broke away. “See you later, Tom. Marshal.”
“Marshal?” Jerry said to Kate. “You’re a US Marshal?”
“I am,” Kate smiled and poked me in the ribs. “This is my assistant, Chester.”
“Are you here to arrest anyone?” Jerry asked as his companion stood there with her mouth open.
“Possibly,” Kate said with a straight face. “Would you mind if I search you for illegal substances?”
“With pleasure,” Jerry smiled, as Gwyneth turned and walked inside.
I saw Marcia Ball waving to me. “I’m going to get the handcuffs,” I said to Kate. “Remember to read Jerry his rights.”
Kate thumped me on the shoulder. “Don’t take too long, Chester.”
I walked across the deck and onto the green carpet of the main room. Before I could reach Marcia, I was intercepted by a woman in a low-cut dress that appeared to have been attached to her tan body by super glue. Oh, oh. I thought. Monique.
She hugged me and tried to kiss me on the lips, but I turned my mouth away. “I’m so sorry to hear about Fiona,” Monique said with her phony French accent. “When are you going to come visit me in Santa Monica?”
She never relents, I thought. Monique had been hitting on me for years. It had become a standing joke between Fiona and me. “My business is booming,” I said. “I seldom get to Los Angeles.”
Monique leaned forward so I had a clear view of her bosom. “You should visit. I could make it worth your while.” Monique is the Hollywood version of Tammy, I thought.
Just then Marcia Ball interrupted us. “Jean Little wants to see you,” she said. “She’s over there with Dr. Badger.” Marcia pointed across the room to the fireplace.
“Let me collect Kate,” I said. “Then I’ll talk to Marcia.”
“Who is Kate?” Monique asked.
“My new partner,” I replied and stuck out my hand. “Nice to see you, Monique.”
She tried to pull me close, but I resisted, turned around and walked back to where Jerry was talking in an animated manner to Kate.
“Earle thinks I will be perfect for his new movie,” Kate said. “He wants me to fly to Hollywood for a screen test.”
“As your partner, I advise that you sign nothing until Jerry wires a signing bonus to our account.”
Jerry’s smile died.
“I’ll let you work out the details, Chester. I’m going to find the ladies’ room.” Kate turned and walked off, giving her hips an enticing wiggle.
“Quite a woman,” Jerry said.
“Yes. But dangerous.”
“In what way?” The color drained out of his artificially tanned face.
“She’s a Taekwondo expert. Her previous boyfriend got drunk and tried to force her into sex; she flipped him and broke his back.”
Jerry’s mouth dropped open.
“I’m very careful how I handle her.”
“She has a gun?”
“Yes. And handcuffs.” I leaned closer to Jerry. “I have an idea for you to consider. Make a remake of ‘Dirty Harry,’ call it ‘Dirty Mary’ and cast Kate as the lead.”
“Good idea,” Jerry stammered and backed up. “I should find Gwyneth.” He walked back into the main room.
I waited on the deck until Kate came back. “Can we leave now? I think I’ve done my duty.” She wrapped her left arm around me and bit me on the ear lobe.
“Yes. But on the way out, I promised Marcia Ball I would talk to Jean Little, who wants to ask for money.”
“Okay. As long as it doesn’t take too long.” Kate ran her tongue over her lips. “I’m getting impatient.”
“Believe me, I’m impatient, too.”
“How did you get rid of my new best friend Jerry?”
I recounted what I’d shared.
“That explains Chester’s limp,” Kate chortled.
I wrapped my arm around her as we walked into the main room. “Did Jerry ever actually make a movie?” Kate asked.
“A couple, I think.”
“Would I have seen one?”
“I doubt it. The most famous is titled, ‘Space Pussy.’”
Kate laughed loudly, attracting the attention of several couples close to us. “You’re making that up.” She belted me on the shoulder.
“You can’t make stuff like that up.”
We found Jean Little. “Marcia said you wanted to talk to me. This is my partner, Kate Swift.”
Kate stuck out her hand and Jean shook it.
“Is it okay if we talk about money in front of Ms. Swift?”
“We have no secrets.”
Kate tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows.
“All right.” Jean shuffled her feet and lowered her voice. “The unfortunate death of Malcolm leaves us at loose ends. The board and I were wondering if you would consider making a significant contribution?”
“What amount were you and the board thinking about?”
“At least one hundred thousand dollars,” Jean said. “More if you can see your way clear.”
Poor ask, I thought. “Fiona and I always treasured Satori,” I said, pausing for emphasis. “Kate and I are in the process of reallocating our assets. I’m sure we can help in some fashion.”
“Are you going to be in San Francisco, next week? Perhaps we could discuss this over lunch?”
“We won’t be in the city next week. Kate and I are taking a little trip. I’ll call you when we return.” I reached out and shook her hand.
Kate followed my lead and shook Jean’s hand.
We left the conference center and started the walk back to south campus.
When we were alone, Kate said, “You are a smooth talker, Chester.” She punched me in the arm. “Am I your partner?”
“If you want to be. I wasn’t sure what to call you. ‘My guest’ doesn’t say enough. ‘My girlfriend’ sounds like high school. Technically you’re not yet ‘my lover,’ and I would never call you that anyway. ‘My significant other’ sounds like a fucked-up contractual relationship. So, I settled on ‘my partner.’”
Kate pulled me closer with her left arm. “I accept. I’ll be your partner.”
We continued walking. “My favorite line was ‘Kate and I are in the process of reallocating our assets.’” Kate chortled.
“In about five minutes I plan to begin reallocating your assets,” I laughed.
Kate snorted. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I have many ideas.”
“I bet you do.” She slugged me in the upper arm. “And what was that about our ‘taking a little trip?’”
We reached the path intersection and turned right towards my cottage. “I’ll tell you later.”
“When I was in the line for the bathroom, I was looking at the historical Satori pictures on the wall. I found what I think was a picture of you, Fiona, Malcolm Eastwick, and Bruce Springsteen.”
“Yeah. I’d forgotten about that picture. Bruce did a benefit for Satori, and we managed the event.”
“Fiona and I don’t look alike.” Kate stopped walking. “I mean, I like the way she looked, she was very beautiful; but she and I have different colored hair and different body types.”
“Does this surprise you?”
Kate sighed and clasped my hand. “I’m relieved. There’s a part of me that is searching for proof that this won’t work and, I guess, I had this voice telling me, ‘Tom is trying to recreate Fiona.’ And another voice saying, ‘You’ll never measure up to Fiona; she was Wonder Woman.’”
I pulled Kate closer. “Fiona was Fiona. You are Kate.”
We reached the south campus. I could see my cottage across the lawn.
“I have a terrible confession to make,” Kate said. “I haven’t done anything about birth control. I stopped taking the pill and after Earle, I cut my diaphragm into shreds and flushed it down the toilet. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. We don’t need to worry; I’ve had a vasectomy.”
Kate tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “Really, why?’
“After Fiona died, I did it as a symbolic act. Fiona had always wanted children and I told myself that I could never have a child without her.” I sighed. “Fortunately, I planned ahead, the vasectomy can be reversed. And I made a ‘deposit’ in a sperm bank.” I took both her hands. “So, if you are determined to have children, it’s not out of the question.”
“Wow,” Kate said. “All the relationship stuff is coming at us fast and furious.” She sighed. “I’d sort of given up the idea of having kids but...” she blushed, “last night I had a dream where we had kids.” Kate pulled me closer. “However, to tell you the truth, I’m relieved. I want you all to myself and I don’t want to worry about all the contraception crap.” She laughed a throaty laugh. “Am I too awful? I just want you whenever I want you.”
“No. That is not awful,” I said. My heart was pounding so hard that I felt sure Kate could hear it.
We held hands and walked to my cottage, which was the northernmost of a set of three luxury suites. I unlocked the door and swung it open.
Kate moved close and I wrapped both arms around her. She tilted her head up and we kissed. I felt a surge of energy so strong that it almost knocked me off my feet. We staggered into the front room and collapsed on the floor. I kicked the door closed.