Chapter 23
Angela Powers heard the doorbell ring, and then the sound of the door opening and closing. “I’m out by the pool,” she yelled. She assumed it was Jackie, who knew it was the housekeeper’s day off.
A few moments later Jackie opened the sliding screen door and stepped out on the patio. “Nice office, Cuz.”
Angela laughed but barely looked up from her computer. “Yeah, nice view, huh. Gerry re-did everything for my birthday.”
Jackie stood with her hands on her hips taking in the scene of the small pool surrounded by a professionally designed garden. The patio was lined with lush potted plants and extravagant furniture, designed to feel like a room in the outdoors. “Not bad.” She turned back to Angela. “What are you working on?”
When Angela didn’t answer, Jackie glanced at the computer screen and leaned down for a closer look. “That’s the girl from the beach.”
Angela’s head popped up and turned around in one movement. “Wait a minute. What?”
Jackie grabbed a grape from the center of the table, and then pulled out a chair as she put it in her mouth. “The girl from the beach I was telling you about. What’s she doing in your picture?”
“Are you sure?” Angela turned the computer screen toward her so she could see.
“That’s her. Don’t tell me she traveled all the way to Afgannyland to see Rad.”
“I think she was there in connection to whatever is going on.” Angela leaned in closer. “If I can figure out what she’s doing, maybe I can break this story after all.”
“Oh, so you’re an investigative journalist now?” Jackie snorted as if she found that amusing.
Angela shot her an angry glance. “I’ll do what I have to do to break a story no one else has. Wait and see.” She sat back and took a long sip of wine. “What’d you say her name was?”
Jackie closed her eyes. “Laura, maybe? No, Lauren.”
“Lauren, what?”
“Heck if I know. I never heard anyone say her last name.” Jackie looked around. “What does a person have to do to get a drink around here anyway?”
Angela waved her hand toward the bar. “Help yourself. I don’t have wait staff.”
“Really? You have to make your own drink?” Jackie laughed as she stood and poured some of Angela’s husband’s expensive scotch into a glass. “How are you and the senator getting along these days, anyway?”
“Who?”
“Your husband, the senator.”
“Oh, fine.” Angela leaned back over her computer, her mind obviously still on the images.
With a drink in her hand, Jackie walked back over to the table and glanced again at the photos Angela was skipping through. “This for a legitimate story, or are you practicing your bitchcraft again?”
“Bitchcraft?” Angela turned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You should know what it means, since you’re the queen of it.” Jackie chuckled good-naturedly. “I figured you would take it as a compliment.”
Angela stood and poured another glass of wine at the bar. “People have the right to know what their military is doing.”
“While they’re doing it?” Jackie took a sip of scotch and grimaced. “Seems like it might be better to wait and do a story after the fact.”
“You don’t know much about the journalism profession.” Angela sat back down. “It’s all about being first.”
“I stand corrected.” Jackie gazed at her sideways. “And here I thought it was about being fair and objective.”
“Like I said, you don’t know much about the business.” Angela leaned back over her computer, focused once again on the photos. “These shots make it appear fairly businesslike to me.” She clicked through a couple of pictures, and then turned the computer toward Jackie. “Except maybe for this one.”
The photo captured the moment when the helicopter was descending and the two subjects were shaking hands. The body language was professional and detached, but the expressions on their faces were not.
“Hmmm.” Jackie continued to stare at the photo. “Rad’s looking damn good. Can’t believe you gave that up.”
Angela’s eyes narrowed angrily. “If I hadn’t given that up, you’d be drinking Bud Light from a can instead of expensive scotch from a lead crystal glass.”
Jackie rolled her eyes in such a way, she made it obvious she’d rather have Rad in her bed every night than an expensive house and a glass of scotch.
“Now that I have a name,” Angela said, rubbing her hands together, “I should be able to get somewhere. This is going to be fun.”
“Seriously, Angela.” Jackie leaned forward with a hint of concern in her eyes. “Is this a real story or are you doing it because of Rad?”
Angela’s smile disappeared. “What do you mean?”
“You’re acting like you’re jealous.”
The glass of wine Angela held hit the table with a loud clank. “Jealous? Me?”
Jackie leaned back and crossed her arms. “Okay, maybe you’re not jealous. Maybe it’s more like, you can’t have Rad anymore so you don’t want anyone else to have him.”
That elicited a loud round of laughter from Angela. “Believe me honey, if I wanted Rad, I could have him.”
“Really? You didn’t stay very long on your trip to Afghanistan, and as far as I know, you don’t have anything more for a story than you did before you left.”
Angela shot her a look of disapproval. “I didn’t stay because military people are fanatical patriots who won’t tell me anything. All my contacts are here.” She put her hand on her glass but never picked it up. “And besides, you wouldn’t believe the god-awful accommodations. No civilized person could last long there.”
“Well, it doesn’t sound like Rad was much help either.”
“Then I gave you the wrong impression.” Angela’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Sure he was busy doing whatever it is he does, but he found the time to introduce me to his commanding officer.”
“I don’t suppose you threatened him with anything—like doing a story on what’s going on over there.”
“Maybe.” She finally picked up her drink. “So?”
“So-o-o the subjects of your story are in a war zone.” Jackie leaned forward and put her arms on the table. “Someone could get hurt.”
“I can’t be a babysitter and a journalist at the same time.” Angela snorted. “Something big is getting ready to happen over there, and I need to report on it. It’s not my job to worry about things like that.”
“It’s not your job to destroy lives either,” Jackie said under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“Look, Angela.” Jackie took a deep breath as if trying to choose her words carefully. “Why don’t you pick another topic to make a name for yourself and leave Rad alone?”
“First of all, this isn’t about Rad—it’s about getting the biggest story of my career,” Angela replied, her eyes flashing with anger. “And second of all, I’m beginning to think you have something for Rad.”
Jackie laughed out loud. “I guess I’d have to be blind or dead not to. Why should you care? You’re a married woman.”
Angela merely shrugged as if she had no interest in the conversation.
“He’s unattached, isn’t he?” Jackie did not let her off the hook.
“I’m not sure.” Angela leaned forward and stared at the photo she had cropped and enlarged to just the two faces gazing into each other’s eyes. “I’m beginning to think maybe he’s not.”