Mrs. Hunter, who had only picked up two electoral college votes, conceded defeat and said she was withdrawing from the race and would be announcing in the near future which candidate she would be supporting.
Nat enjoyed returning to his hometown, where the people in the streets treated him as a friend. Tom knew how much effort had to be put into Hartford, not only because it was their last chance, but as the state capital it carried the most electoral votes, nineteen in all, with the prehistoric rule of winner takes all, so if Nat topped the poll, he would go into the lead, 29:27. If he lost, he could unpack his bags and stay at home.
During the campaign, the candidates were invited to attend several functions together, but whenever they did, they rarely acknowledged each other’s presence, and certainly never stopped for a chat.
With three days to go to the primary, a poll in the Hartford Courant put Nat two points ahead of his rival, and they reported that Mrs. Barbara Hunter was throwing her support behind Cartwright. This was exactly the boost Nat’s campaign needed. The following morning, he noticed that far more workers were with him on the street, and many more passersby came up to shake him by the hand.
He was in Robinson’s Mall when the message came through from Murray Goldblatz, “I need to see you urgently.” Murray was not a man to use the word urgent unless that was exactly what he meant. Nat left his team to go on canvassing, assuring them that he would return shortly. They didn’t see him again that day.
When Nat arrived at the bank, the receptionist told him that the chairman was in the boardroom with Mr. and Mrs. Russell. Nat walked in and took his usual place opposite Murray, but the expressions on the faces of his three colleagues didn’t harbor glad tidings. Murray came quickly to the point. “I understand that you have a town meeting tonight which both you and Elliot will be addressing?”
“Yes,” said Nat, “it’s the last major event before the vote tomorrow.”
“I have a spy in the Elliot camp,” said Murray, “and she tells me that they have a question planned for tonight that will derail your campaign, but she can’t find out what it is, and daren’t be too inquisitive, in case they become suspicious. Do you have any idea what it might be?”
“No, I don’t,” said Nat.
“Perhaps he’s found out about Julia,” said Tom quietly.
“Julia?” said Murray, sounding puzzled.
“No, not my wife,” said Tom. “The first Mrs. Kirkbridge.”
“I had no idea there was a first Mrs. Kirkbridge,” said Murray.
“No reason you should,” said Tom. “But I’ve always dreaded the thought that the truth might come out.” Murray listened attentively as Tom recalled how he’d met the woman who passed herself off as Julia Kirkbridge, and how she had signed the bank’s check and then removed all the money from her account.
“Where is that check now?” asked Murray.
“Somewhere in the bowels of City Hall, would be my guess.”
“Then we must assume that Elliot’s got his hands on it, but were you technically breaking the law?”
“No, but we didn’t keep to our written agreement with the council,” said Tom.
“And the Cedar Wood project went on to be a huge success, making everyone involved a handsome return,” added Nat.
“So,” said Murray, “we are left with a choice. You either make a clean breast of it and prepare a statement this afternoon, or wait until the bomb drops tonight and hope you have an answer to every question that’s thrown at you.”
“What do you recommend?” said Nat.
“I would do nothing. First, my informant could be wrong, and second, the Cedar Wood project may not be the curve ball, in which case you will have opened that can of worms unnecessarily.”
“But what else could it be?” said Nat.
“Rebecca?” said Tom.
“What do you mean?” asked Nat.
“That you made her pregnant and forced her to have an abortion.”
“That’s hardly a crime,” said Murray.
“Unless she tries to claim you raped her.”
Nat laughed. “Elliot’s never going to raise that particular subject, because he might well have been the father himself, and abortion is not part of his holier-than-thou image.”
“Have you considered going on the attack yourself?” asked Murray.