The Prodigal Daughter (Kane & Abel 2)

“No one’s going to love you for it. But that has never stopped you in the past.”

When Defense Subcommittee Chairman Thomas Lee gaveled the hearing to order, Florentyna had already been in her seat for several minutes making notes. The radar satellite contract was the sixth item on the agenda and she did not speak on the first five items. When she looked toward the press table and the seats occupied by the public she could not avoid the smiling Don Short.

“Item number six,” said the chairman, stifling a slight yawn—each subject on the agenda was taking much too long in his opinion. “We must discuss today the three companies that have bid on the Navy’s missile project. The Defense Department’s Office of Procurement will make the final decision, but they are still waiting our considered opinion. Who would like to open the discussion?”

Florentyna raised her hand.

“Congresswoman Kane.”

“I have no particular preference, Mr. Chairman, between Boeing and Grumman, but under no circumstances could I support the Aerospace Plan bid.” Don Short’s face turned ashen with disbelief.

“Can you tell the committee why you feel so strongly against Aerospace Plan, Mrs. Kane?”

“Certainly, Mr. Chairman. My reasons arise from a personal experience. Some weeks ago an employee of Aerospace Plan came to visit me in my offices in order to go over the reasons why his company should be awarded this contract. Later he attempted to bribe me with a check for twenty-four thousand three hundred dollars in exchange for my vote today. That man is now in this room and will no doubt have to answer to the courts for his actions later.”

When the chairman of the committee had finally brought the meeting back to order, Florentyna explained how the testimonial dinner had worked and she named Don Short as the man who had given her the money. She turned to look at him, but he had vanished. Florentyna continued her statement but avoided making any reference to Bill Pearson. She still considered that to be a party matter, but when she finished her story she couldn’t help noticing that two other members of the committee were as white as Don Short had been.

“In view of this serious allegation made by my colleague, I intend to delay any decision on this item until a full inquiry has been carried out,” Chairman Lee announced.

Florentyna thanked him and left for her office immediately. She walked down the corridor, surrounded by reporters, but made no reply to any of their insistent questions.

She talked to Richard on the phone that night and he warned her that the next few days were not going to be pleasant.

“Why, Richard? I’ve only told the truth.”

“I know. But now there are a group of people fighting for their lives on that committee and they only see you as the enemy, so you can forget the Marquis of Queensberry rules.”

When she read the papers the next morning, she found out exactly what Richard had meant.

“Congresswoman Kane Accuses Aerospace Plan of Bribery,” ran one headline, while another read, “Company Lobbyist Claims Member of Congress Took Money as Campaign Contribution.” Once Florentyna had seen that most of the papers were running roughly the same story, she jumped out of bed, dressed quickly, went without breakfast and drove straight to the Capitol. When she reached her office she studied all the papers in detail, and without exception they all wanted to know where the $24,300 had disappeared. “And so do I,” said Florentyna out loud. The headline in the Chicago Sun-Times was the most unfortunate: “Representative Kane Accuses Space Company of Bribery after Check Cashed.” True, but misleading.

Richard called to say that Edward was already on his way down from New York and not to talk to the press until she had spoken with him. She would not have been able to in any case, because the FBI sent two senior agents to interview her at ten o’clock that morning.

In the presence of Edward and the Majority Leader, Florentyna made a complete statement. The FBI men asked her not to inform the press of Bill Pearson’s involvement until they had completed their own investigation. Once again, she reluctantly agreed.

During the day some members of the House went out of their way to congratulate her. Others conspicuously avoided her.

In the lead story in the Chicago Tribune that afternoon the paper wanted to know where the $24,300 had gone. They said it was their unfortunate duty to remind the public that Congresswoman Kane’s father had been tried and found guilty of bribery of a public official in the Chicago courts in 1962. Florentyna could almost hear Ralph Brooks calling from the State’s Attorney’s office to let them have all the salient details.

Edward helped Florentyna to keep her temper, and Richard flew down from New York every night to be with her. Three days and three nights passed while the papers kept the story running and Ralph Brooks made a statement from the State’s Attorney’s office saying: “Much as I admire Mrs. Kane and believe in her innocence, I feel it might be wise in the circumstances for her to step down from Congress until the FBI investigation is completed.” It made Florentyna even more determined to stay put, especially when Mark Chadwick phoned to tell her not to give up. It could only be a matter of time before the guilty man was brought to justice.

On the fourth day with no more news from the FBI, Florentyna was at her lowest point when a reporter from the Washington Post phoned.

“Mrs. Kane, may I ask how you feel about Congressman Buchanan’s statement on Aerogate?”

“Has he turned against me as well?” she asked quietly.

“Hardly,” said the voice from the other end of the line. “I’ll read what he said. I quote: ‘I have known Representative Kane for nearly five years as a bitter adversary and she is many things that drive me to despair, but as we say in Tennessee, you’ll have to swim to the end of the river to find anyone more honest. If Mrs. Kane is not to be trusted, then I do not know one honest person in either chamber of Congress.”

Florentyna phoned Bob Buchanan a few minutes later.

“Now don’t you go thinking I’m getting soft in my old age,” he barked. “You put a foot wrong in that chamber and I’ll cut it off.” Florentyna laughed for the first time in days.

It was a cold December wind that whistled across the east front of the Capitol as Florentyna walked back alone to the Longworth Building after the last vote that day. The newsboy on the corner was shouting out the evening headlines. She couldn’t catch what he was saying—something, someone, arrested. She hurried toward the boy, fumbling in her pocket for a coin, but all she could find was a twenty-dollar bill.

“I can’t change that,” the boy said.

“Don’t bother,” said Florentyna as she grabbed the paper and read the lead story first quickly and then slowly. “Former Congressman Bill Pearson,” she read aloud as if she wanted to be sure the newsboy could hear, “has been arrested by the FBI in Fresno, California, in connection with the Aerogate scandal. Over seventeen thousand dollars in cash was found hidden in the rear fender of his new Ford. He was taken to the nearest police station, questioned and later charged with grand larceny and three other misdemeanors. The young woman who was with him at the time was also charged, as an accomplice.”

Florentyna leaped up and down in the snow as the newsboy quickly pocketed the twenty dollars and ran to sell his papers on another corner. He had always been warned about those Hill types.

“My congratulations on the news, Mrs. Kane.” The maitre d’hotel of the Jockey Club was the first of several people to comme

nt that evening. Richard had flown down from New York to take Florentyna to a celebration dinner. On her way into the oak-paneled room, other politicians and members of Washington society came over to say how pleased they were that the truth was at last out. Florentyna smiled at each one of them, a Washington smile that she had learned to develop after nearly five years in politics.

The next day the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times came out with glowing tributes to their representative’s ability to stay calm in a crisis. Florentyna gave a wry smile, determined to back her own judgment in the future. Any comment from Ralph Brooks’s office was conspicuously absent. Edward sent a large bunch of freesias, and William sent a telegram from Harvard: “SEE YOU TONIGHT IF YOU’RE NOT THE WOMAN IN FRESNO STILL BEING HELD FOR FURTHER QUESTIONING.” Annabel arrived home seemingly unaware of her mother’s recent problems to announce she had been accepted at Radcliffe. Her headmistress at the Madeira School later confided to Florentyna that her daughter’s acceptance had turned out to be a very close thing, although it couldn’t have hurt that Mr. Kane had been at Harvard and that she herself was a Radcliffe graduate. Florentyna was surprised that her reputation was such that she could influence her daughter’s future without lifting a finger and confessed to Richard later what a relief it was that Annabel’s life was more settled.

Richard asked his daughter in what subject she planned to major.

“Psychology and social relations,” Annabel replied without hesitation.

“Psychology and social relations are not real subjects but merely an excuse to talk about yourself for three years,” Richard declared.

William, now a sophomore at Harvard, nodded in sage agreement with his father and later asked the old man if he could up his allowance to five hundred dollars a term.

When an amendment to the health bill, prohibiting abortions after six weeks, came up on the calendar, Florentyna spoke for the first time since the Aerogate scandal. As she rose from her place, she was greeted with friendly smiles and a ripple of applause from both sides of the aisle. Florentyna made a powerful plea for the life of the mother before the unborn child, reminding Congress that there were only eighteen other members who could even experience pregnancy. Bob Buchanan rose from his place and referred to the distinguished lady from Chicago as the worst sort of simpleton who would be claiming next that you could not discuss a future space program unless you had circled the moon, and he pointed out there was only one member in either house who had managed that.