Dixie Lou rose from her chair. She wasn’t very tall, but made up for it with her aggressiveness. “You’re suggesting that I had something to do with this? BOI forces attacked the goddess circle; I narrowly escaped with my own life.”
“How utterly convenient , you’re safe.”
“Oh, and I suppose I set it all up? A BOI-outfitted helicopter, men in uniforms, the whole bit?”
“Could be done.”
“Impossible,” Dixie Lou said. “Unlike you, I’ve taken the Vow of Angkor to guarantee my loyalty.” She was referring to the sacred rite of deep hypnosis initiated by the founder of the UWW, a great grandmother of Amy Angkor-Billings—an oath that all of the organization’s personnel had to undergo. Katherine Pangalos, since she was a major contributor and not technically a member, had never been required to undergo the ritual. To Dixie Lou, this smacked of favoritism, of strings pulled at a very high level.
Obviously, Pangalos considered herself too good for such a pedestrian oath.
“What about you, Katherine?” Dixie Lou pressed. “They got Amy, but not you ?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “How utterly convenient .”
With a condescending expression Katherine gazed down her wrinkled nose at the small but muscular woman, and said, “Unlike you, I do not have a ghetto background. I would have no motive to betray my sisters. You, on the other hand, could be bought no matter the oath you purportedly took, and my guess is, it wouldn’t take much.”
Dixie Lou’s cheeks felt hot, and in a fury she lunged at the old woman. Katherine’s accusing, sneering face was all she saw. Before she knew it she was pulling Katherine’s hair and dragging her to the floor. Though small, Dixie Lou was younger and tougher, having grown up in the inner city.
Katherine cried out.
With considerable effort, several councilwomen pulled them apart.
“Explain how you got away and Amy didn’t!” Dixie Lou screeched. “You’re only accusing me to deflect attention from yourself!”
“Slut!” Katherine howled.
“All your money and you couldn’t protect Amy?”
“In the confusion of the attack I was able to escape, and . . .”
“Isn’t that nice for you ?”
The women glared at each other. Pangalos had bruises on her face, but they weren’t enough for Dixie Lou.
“Some unfortunate things are being said in the heat of the moment,” Deborah said. “I’m sure neither one of you really thinks the other is involved in these awful events. You’re both upset. All of us are.”
Unable to stand the erudite, finishing school expression on Katherine’s face, Dixie Lou seethed. All that patrician upbringing, all the money the old woman had, and she had used it to wheedle her way into Amy’s favor. If Amy didn’t return, it was a two-edged sword for Dixie Lou. While she would ascend to the position of Chairwoman, that would leave an opening on the council—one that Katherine would undoubtedly fill, since Amy had promised her the first available position. Despite Katherine’s advanced age, she looked as if she had quite a few years left in her. She would have to take the oath then—small consolation.
If natural processes were permitted to proceed. A big if , as far as Dixie Lou was concerned.
“I can’t return to my home,” Katherine said, as she watched Dixie Lou warily, with four councilwomen standing between them. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Then you’ll have to stay here where it’s safe,” Dixie Lou said, in a sarcastic tone. “We’ll do lunch.”
Fear seeped into Katherine’s face, which pleased Dixie Lou immensely.
“Don’t let her agitate you,” Deborah whispered to Dixie Lou. She patted the de facto Chairwoman’s forearm, reassuringly.
Dixie Lou took a long, deep breath. She could usually count on Deborah to take her side, at least on matters of the most importance. This ex-housewife had also come from humble beginnings in America, and that formed a bond between them, a
“How utterly convenient , you’re safe.”
“Oh, and I suppose I set it all up? A BOI-outfitted helicopter, men in uniforms, the whole bit?”
“Could be done.”
“Impossible,” Dixie Lou said. “Unlike you, I’ve taken the Vow of Angkor to guarantee my loyalty.” She was referring to the sacred rite of deep hypnosis initiated by the founder of the UWW, a great grandmother of Amy Angkor-Billings—an oath that all of the organization’s personnel had to undergo. Katherine Pangalos, since she was a major contributor and not technically a member, had never been required to undergo the ritual. To Dixie Lou, this smacked of favoritism, of strings pulled at a very high level.
Obviously, Pangalos considered herself too good for such a pedestrian oath.
“What about you, Katherine?” Dixie Lou pressed. “They got Amy, but not you ?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “How utterly convenient .”
With a condescending expression Katherine gazed down her wrinkled nose at the small but muscular woman, and said, “Unlike you, I do not have a ghetto background. I would have no motive to betray my sisters. You, on the other hand, could be bought no matter the oath you purportedly took, and my guess is, it wouldn’t take much.”
Dixie Lou’s cheeks felt hot, and in a fury she lunged at the old woman. Katherine’s accusing, sneering face was all she saw. Before she knew it she was pulling Katherine’s hair and dragging her to the floor. Though small, Dixie Lou was younger and tougher, having grown up in the inner city.
Katherine cried out.
With considerable effort, several councilwomen pulled them apart.
“Explain how you got away and Amy didn’t!” Dixie Lou screeched. “You’re only accusing me to deflect attention from yourself!”
“Slut!” Katherine howled.
“All your money and you couldn’t protect Amy?”
“In the confusion of the attack I was able to escape, and . . .”
“Isn’t that nice for you ?”
The women glared at each other. Pangalos had bruises on her face, but they weren’t enough for Dixie Lou.
“Some unfortunate things are being said in the heat of the moment,” Deborah said. “I’m sure neither one of you really thinks the other is involved in these awful events. You’re both upset. All of us are.”
Unable to stand the erudite, finishing school expression on Katherine’s face, Dixie Lou seethed. All that patrician upbringing, all the money the old woman had, and she had used it to wheedle her way into Amy’s favor. If Amy didn’t return, it was a two-edged sword for Dixie Lou. While she would ascend to the position of Chairwoman, that would leave an opening on the council—one that Katherine would undoubtedly fill, since Amy had promised her the first available position. Despite Katherine’s advanced age, she looked as if she had quite a few years left in her. She would have to take the oath then—small consolation.
If natural processes were permitted to proceed. A big if , as far as Dixie Lou was concerned.
“I can’t return to my home,” Katherine said, as she watched Dixie Lou warily, with four councilwomen standing between them. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Then you’ll have to stay here where it’s safe,” Dixie Lou said, in a sarcastic tone. “We’ll do lunch.”
Fear seeped into Katherine’s face, which pleased Dixie Lou immensely.
“Don’t let her agitate you,” Deborah whispered to Dixie Lou. She patted the de facto Chairwoman’s forearm, reassuringly.
Dixie Lou took a long, deep breath. She could usually count on Deborah to take her side, at least on matters of the most importance. This ex-housewife had also come from humble beginnings in America, and that formed a bond between them, a
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