that his eyes seemed brighter than she had seen them in a while. Nothinglike a political campaign to get the old war horse up and running, she thought.
“Nell, I just learned that a couple more guys are about to throw their hats in the ring for my old seat. Tim Cross and Salvatore Bruno.”
“Tim Cross has been nothing but a wimp on the council, and Sal Bruno has missed more Senate votes in Albany than the mother of ten kids has missed periods,” Nell snapped.
“That’s my girl. You could have won that seat.”
“Could have won? What are you talking about, Mac? I am going to go for it. I have to.”
“You may not get the chance.”
“I repeat: what are talking about, Mac?”
“There’s no easy way to say it, Nell, but Robert Walters and Len Arsdale came to see me this morning. A dozen building contractors have signed statements saying they paid bribes in the millions of dollars to the Walters and Arsdale firm in order to land the big jobs. Robert and Len are two fine men. I’ve known them all my life. They never pulled that stuff. They never took any bribes.”
“What are you trying to tell me, Mac?”
“Nell, I’m telling you that Adam was probably on the take.”
She looked at her grandfather for a moment, then shook her head. “No, Mac, I don’t believe that. He wouldn’t do it. It’s also much too easy to lay blame on a dead man, not to mention convenient. Did anyone say they actually handed Adam the money?”
“Winifred was the go-between.”
“Winifred! For heaven’s sake, Mac, that woman didn’t have the gumption of a sunflower. What makesyou think she’d be capable of putting together a bribery scheme?”
“That’s exactly it. While Robert and Len agree that Winifred knew the business inside out and would have known how to do a scam, they also agree that she’d never try to do something like that on her own.”
“Mac,” Nell protested, “listen to what you’re saying. You’re taking the word of your old buddies that they’re pure as the driven snow and that my husband was a thief. Isn’t it entirely possible that by dying, he has provided them the perfect scapegoat for their own misdeeds?”
“Well, let me ask you this: where did Adam get the money to buy that property on Twenty-eighth Street?”
“He got it from me.”
Cornelius MacDermott stared at her. “Don’t tell me you invaded your trust fund.”
“It was mine to invade, wasn’t it? I lent Adam the money to buy that loft property and to open his own firm. If he’d actually been taking money as you imply, would he have needed to borrow from me?”
“He would if he didn’t want to leave a paper trail. Nell, get this straight—If it comes out that your husband was involved in a bribery scandal, you can kiss your chance of being a congresswoman good-bye.”
“Mac, at the moment I’m much more interested in protecting Adam’s memory than I am in worrying about my own political future.” This isn’t real, Nell thought, putting her hands over her face for a moment. In a few minutes I’ll wake up from a bad dream and Adam will be here and none of this will have happened.
Nell stood suddenly and crossed to the window. Winifred, she thought. Quiet, timid Winifred. I saw herstep off that elevator and immediately I knew she was going to die. Could I have prevented it? she wondered. Could I have warned her?
From what Mac says, Walters and Arsdale are sure she was cheating. I can’t believe Adam would have taken her with him into his company if he had thought she was dishonest.
It’s obvious, she decided. If there was bribery going on, Adam didn’t know anything about it.
“Nell, you realize that this throws a whole new light on the explosion,” Mac said, intruding upon her thoughts. “It couldn’t have been accidental, and almost certainly it was intended to make sure that someone on that boat wouldn’t talk to the district attorney’s office.”
It’s like the riptide, Nell thought, turning
“Nell, I just learned that a couple more guys are about to throw their hats in the ring for my old seat. Tim Cross and Salvatore Bruno.”
“Tim Cross has been nothing but a wimp on the council, and Sal Bruno has missed more Senate votes in Albany than the mother of ten kids has missed periods,” Nell snapped.
“That’s my girl. You could have won that seat.”
“Could have won? What are you talking about, Mac? I am going to go for it. I have to.”
“You may not get the chance.”
“I repeat: what are talking about, Mac?”
“There’s no easy way to say it, Nell, but Robert Walters and Len Arsdale came to see me this morning. A dozen building contractors have signed statements saying they paid bribes in the millions of dollars to the Walters and Arsdale firm in order to land the big jobs. Robert and Len are two fine men. I’ve known them all my life. They never pulled that stuff. They never took any bribes.”
“What are you trying to tell me, Mac?”
“Nell, I’m telling you that Adam was probably on the take.”
She looked at her grandfather for a moment, then shook her head. “No, Mac, I don’t believe that. He wouldn’t do it. It’s also much too easy to lay blame on a dead man, not to mention convenient. Did anyone say they actually handed Adam the money?”
“Winifred was the go-between.”
“Winifred! For heaven’s sake, Mac, that woman didn’t have the gumption of a sunflower. What makesyou think she’d be capable of putting together a bribery scheme?”
“That’s exactly it. While Robert and Len agree that Winifred knew the business inside out and would have known how to do a scam, they also agree that she’d never try to do something like that on her own.”
“Mac,” Nell protested, “listen to what you’re saying. You’re taking the word of your old buddies that they’re pure as the driven snow and that my husband was a thief. Isn’t it entirely possible that by dying, he has provided them the perfect scapegoat for their own misdeeds?”
“Well, let me ask you this: where did Adam get the money to buy that property on Twenty-eighth Street?”
“He got it from me.”
Cornelius MacDermott stared at her. “Don’t tell me you invaded your trust fund.”
“It was mine to invade, wasn’t it? I lent Adam the money to buy that loft property and to open his own firm. If he’d actually been taking money as you imply, would he have needed to borrow from me?”
“He would if he didn’t want to leave a paper trail. Nell, get this straight—If it comes out that your husband was involved in a bribery scandal, you can kiss your chance of being a congresswoman good-bye.”
“Mac, at the moment I’m much more interested in protecting Adam’s memory than I am in worrying about my own political future.” This isn’t real, Nell thought, putting her hands over her face for a moment. In a few minutes I’ll wake up from a bad dream and Adam will be here and none of this will have happened.
Nell stood suddenly and crossed to the window. Winifred, she thought. Quiet, timid Winifred. I saw herstep off that elevator and immediately I knew she was going to die. Could I have prevented it? she wondered. Could I have warned her?
From what Mac says, Walters and Arsdale are sure she was cheating. I can’t believe Adam would have taken her with him into his company if he had thought she was dishonest.
It’s obvious, she decided. If there was bribery going on, Adam didn’t know anything about it.
“Nell, you realize that this throws a whole new light on the explosion,” Mac said, intruding upon her thoughts. “It couldn’t have been accidental, and almost certainly it was intended to make sure that someone on that boat wouldn’t talk to the district attorney’s office.”
It’s like the riptide, Nell thought, turning
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