Mirror Image

“Mr. Dekker suggests that counseling is the answer. Toward reaching a final solution, yes, I agree. But I submit that police action is a necessary first step. Legal separation from the source and guaranteed safety for the victims—most frequently women and children—is mandatory. Then and only then should counseling and reconciliation be addressed.”

When the applause subsided, he moved into the final fervent paragraphs of his speech. As soon as this meeting concluded, they were scheduled to go to a General Motors assembly plant in neighboring Arlington, to mingle with the workers as they changed shifts.

After that they would return to the hotel, watch the evening news, peruse the newspapers, and dress for the formal dinner being held in his honor at Southfork. And late tonight, they would return to the king-size bed.

“I’ll be expecting your support in November. Thank you very much.”

He received an enthusiastic standing ovation. He signaled for Carole to join him at the podium. She took her place beside him. He slid his arm around her waist, as expected. What wasn’t expected was the thrill he got from having her that close, feeling small and feminine against his side. She tilted her head back and smiled up at him with what appeared to be admiration and love.

She could put on a hell of an act.

It was almost half an hour later before Eddy was able to separate them from the adoring crowd that was reluctant to let them go. The September heat struck them like a blast furnace as they exited the meeting hall.

“Jack is holding a call for me back there,” Eddy explained as he herded them toward a car parked at the curb. “Some glitch about tonight. Nothing serious. We’ll follow you out to the assembly plant. If you don’t leave right now you won’t make it in time. Know where it is?”

“Off I-30, right?” Tate shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it into the backseat of the rented car.

“Right.” Eddy detailed the directions. “You can’t miss it. It’ll be on your right.” He glanced at Carole. “I’ll call you a cab back to the hotel.”

“I’m going with Tate.” She slid beneath his arm into the passenger seat.

“I think—”

“It’s okay, Eddy,” Tate said. “She can come with me.”

“She’ll stick out like a sore thumb. That’s no ladies’ club out there.”

“Tate wants me there and I want to go,” she argued.

“All right,” he conceded, but Tate could tell he was none too pleased. “We’ll catch up with you shortly.” He closed Carole’s passenger door and they sped off.

“He never passes up an opportunity to make me feel like a useless appendage, does he?” she said. “I’m surprised he approved of you marrying me.”

“He didn’t have a chance. We couldn’t track him down, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” she said crossly. “I only meant… oh, never mind. I don’t want to talk about Eddy.”

“I know he’s not one of your favorite people. Sometimes his nagging can be a real pain in the ass. But his instincts are rarely wrong.”

“I trust his instincts,” she said. “I’m not so sure I trust him.”

“What’s he ever done to make you mistrust him?”

She averted her head and gazed out the windshield. “Nothing, I guess. Lord, it’s hot.”

Leaning as far forward as the seat belt would allow, she pulled off her suit jacket. Beneath it was a matching silk blouse. Beneath that, her breasts filled up the lacy yellow brassiere he’d seen while peeping through the bathroom door.

“You were brilliant, Tate,” she remarked. “Not condescending or patronizing. They wouldn’t have condoned that. As it was, they were eating out of your hand.” She glanced at him sideways. “Especially the one in the bright blue dress on the front row. What color were her panties?”

“She wasn’t wearing any.”

The blunt retort knocked the props out from under her. She hadn’t been expecting it. Her teasing smile evaporated. Again, she turned her head forward and stared through the windshield.

He could tell she was wounded. Well, that was fair, wasn’t it? He’d been nursing this ache in his groin for days. Why should

he be the only one to suffer? An imp was sitting on his shoulder goading him to make her as miserable as he was.

“I avoided the abortion issue. Did you notice?”