66

AT FIRST CYRIL BERMAN gave Fiore three days to rest up after the primary. He intended to revise their schedule, he said, and indicated that they would plunge into the general election campaign on Saturday. But when Cardella succumbed and his funeral mass was scheduled to take place the following Monday, Berman called on the telephone and informed Fiore that they wouldn’t get started until Cardella was laid to rest.

It was the first time they spoke to each other since Doug left Cyril’s suite at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, after shaking hundreds of hands in the Biltmore ballroom.

“We’ll have exactly six weeks to go to the election. Expect to work very hard, and don’t do anything you might regret afterwards.”

Fiore laughed. “Didn’t I hear that once before in a big black limousine?” he asked.

“I have a tendency to repeat myself,” Berman answered. “I’ll try and avoid that when I write my ‘How to Run for Governor and Win’ book. Meanwhile, Doug, you’re going to be a pallbearer at the funeral and I’d like you to spend as much time as you can at the wake both days. A lot of important people are going to be passing through that funeral parlor. We want Cardella’s supporters to be there for you in November, not sitting on the sidelines again. Remember, they feel cheated because they’re sure he’d have won if nothing happened to him. It’s going to be harder than usual to get them interested in coming over to your side, as much as they might hate Singer. So shake as many hands as you can, but be diplomatic. Don’t say anything about the election unless they bring it up.”

“I’ll do whatever you say, Cyril. In case it hasn’t hit you yet, I want to win this thing. As of Tuesday night, Bruce Singer became the biggest sonofabitch in the world.” A moment later he asked, “Will you be there Monday?”

“Probably not. I’m not too comfortable in a church.”

“Then maybe you ought to make sure ahead of time that I get to hold the casket up front, preferably with my left hand. The photographers usually start shooting as soon as the pallbearers come out the front door. That way, everyone who reads about it will know I was there.”

“Good thought,” Berman said. “I’ll make a call.” He waited a few seconds, giving Fiore a chance to remember to thank him for the ideas that won the primary for them. But there was nothing more said. He hung up and smiled. At least his ungrateful student was beginning to understand the course.

* * *

Despite Berman’s warning, Fiore used some of the time off to socialize.

On Friday night, after spending almost two hours alone in his office working on a speech, he drove to the Hilton near Green Airport to meet Carol. He parked at the rear of the building, entered by the side door and walked up the stairs to the third floor. Carol reserved the room under a false name, paid for it in cash when she checked in, and informed him earlier where she would be. When he hung up his jacket in the closet, Doug took four 20-dollar bills out of his wallet and slipped them into the pocket of her raincoat.

He learned during the course of their affair that her mood was usually unpredictable. “How do you feel?” he asked. It struck him that the question was beginning to sound like a broken record.

“Like maybe killing myself,” Carol said. But her words weren’t followed by the burst of tears normally expected after an answer of that kind. In fact, seeing that she was in complete control of herself, he tested the waters to see whether her disposition was unalterably gloomy and sex was out of the question. “I think that if you’ve made up your mind to stop seeing me, it would be a shame not to make love one last time.”

Doug was sitting on the side of the bed, Carol in the chair farthest from him. Her answer came as a welcome relief. “I didn’t say anything about not having sex. But I’ve been asking myself all week how I could possibly be in this stupid predicament. I’m married to one man running for governor and having an affair with his opponent. It’s ridiculous, Doug. It’s like something you’d read in a trashy romance novel and never believe. But here it is happening to me. I just don’t know if I can cope with it. Maybe I ought to take a leave of absence from the firm and go live on the Cape until the election’s over.”

Carol turned toward the window as she finished speaking. Fiore waited for her to look back at him. “How are things going at home?” he asked.

“A little worse every day,” she said. “Sometimes it’s his fault, usually it’s mine. Bruce thinks everything will get back to normal between us after the election, whether he wins or loses. He’s convinced that he can keep our marriage from going on the rocks. He never thinks about holding my hand, only shaking every other one in Rhode Island. I’m sure he doesn’t even let himself consider the idea of a divorce. Do you think he’d believe me if I told him I was sleeping with someone else?”

If the mood were lighter he would have said, “Only if you don’t shower before you go home.” But Fiore had thought about what would happen to their relationship if he became governor, and knew that this part of it would be over. He hoped that in that case she’d be able to straighten things out with Bruce.

“This is Bruce’s mountain, Carol,” he said. “You can’t just turn him around and point him in another direction.”

She understood the analogy. “I know I can’t, but I don’t have to stay with a man who’s ready to risk my happiness every time he feels he has to go climbing. If he ever gets to the top, he can stay there alone as far as I’m concerned. I can’t breathe the air up there.”

It was getting late. “I have an important question to ask you,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Come over here first.”

Carol sat down next to him on the bed. “Well?”

“You’ll have to kiss me,” Doug said, keeping a serious face. “I need strength to come out with it.”

Carol leaned her head toward his and started to kiss his lips softly. But he pushed hard against hers, and in seconds their arms were around each other. They kissed for a long time until she pulled away from him. “You don’t have anything to ask me, do you?”

“Of course I do. I just needed that kiss.”

She had no idea what to expect. It even scared her a little. “Then ask,” she said softly.

“Okay,” he said, but took a deep breath first and let it out loudly through his mouth. “Have you decided which of us you’re going to vote for?”

She smiled slowly, watching his eyes. Then he smiled and they laughed at the same time. For several minutes their laughter was uncontrollable. When it finally came to a stop, they were both ready to get started with what they came for.