“For example.” he continued. “In some parts of the country people will say soda when asking for a carbonated beverage. In other regions they order pop. Both terms mean the same thing, but they’re demographic specific. It’s our job to make sure you ask for a pop in the right places and a soda elsewhere.”

“We sure are paying you two a hell of a lot of money to tell me how to ask for a Coke,” Warner said.

They all laughed.

“Warner’s already a master of sustained eye contact while speaking to a crowd,” Nick commented. “He doesn’t need much practice with that.”

His gaze was like the Pied Piper’s flute, Carolyn thought wryly, drawing women to him in droves.

“Our secret weapon, however, is Warner’s memory. He remembers names and details of people he’s met by the thousands, and he’s able to make these people feel they’re of critical importance to him. I’ve watched you do it. Warner. Very impressive.” Matt slapped him on the back.

Warner preened.

“Our other secret weapon is Carolyn. She’s a woman of our times, and the voters like her willingness to support her husband’s goals, even though she’s successful in her own career.”

Carolyn smiled. A lot of political savvy had gotten them to this point, she thought. But political favors aside, she and Warner had the social expertise to cajole supporters out of buckets of money at fund-raisers.

She waited for a lull in the conversation. When it finally came. Carolyn got to her feet. “I think we need to confront a potentially difficult issue – Richard Young.” She looked at Warner. “I know he’s your friend, but we can’t afford to ignore the threat he poses to your nomination.”

“I’ll handle Richard. You just concentrate on how to make me a better candidate.” Warner said, his tone so harsh that everyone in the room glanced at him.

“We can’t afford to be naive.” she said. “Young will demolish us in the primaries. We need to neutralize him, or we can kiss the nomination good-bye.”

She saw the muscles in Warner’s jaw flex in anger, but she continued to challenge his gaze. She wouldn’t let him sabotage himself out of some misplaced sense of loyalty to a colleague.

“You heard what I said. I’ll handle it.”

“Warner, he might be your friend, but he’s also an adversary.”

“End of discussion.” Warner rose from his seat.

Carolyn shrugged to conceal her dismay and began to gather up the files she’d brought to the strategy session. Somehow, she had to protect Warner from himself “I guess we’re adjourned, gentlemen.”

The next morning, Carolyn left early for the courthouse, aware that she needed to catch Mark before he became too invoked with his caseload.

His face brightened when he saw her. “This is a pleasant way to start the day,” he said, setting his newspaper on his desk.

Carolyn took the chair across the desk from him. She continued to take the moral high road where Mark was concerned, in spite of his frustration with her aloof behavior and her own need for companionship.

“Don’t look so bleak,” she said.

“Why not?” he asked, sounding unexpectedly terse. “I’m used to seeing you at least twice a week. Now, I’m lucky to get a glimpse of you on television.”

“You aren’t being fair, Mark.”

He hesitated, the pause long and lonely. “I’m sorry, I just miss you.”

Sadness draped her, soaking into her bones like a cold winter rain. Although it hadn’t been her intention, she’d hurt Mark. She cared deeply for him, and she valued his friendship. And she believed he loved her. But she couldn’t knowingly contribute to the destruction of his family.

“Me, too.” she said. “It’s just that things are crazy right now, trying to get the staff and organization in place for the primaries.”

“I know, I know. Can’t you take a few hours off for an old friend?”

“You know I can’t.” She reached across the desk, placing her hand on his. “I need your help.”

“Sure, what can I do?”

“It’s time to collect the last payment from Mort. I want to make sure that he’s sorry he pulled his support.” She shook her head in disgust. “Once we have that money, we don’t need him anymore. I’m going to use the funds for a special project I want you to set up. If there’s a way to delay paying taxes, that’s the route we need to take. Pull strings if you have to.”

“What’s this project about? Is it for the campaign?” Mark sat back in his chair, tapping one finger on the barrel of the pen in his hand.

“Of course it’s for the campaign. Remember the firm we used for Rudly and Fields?”

“Sure.” His lips drew back into tight line.

“It’s time to set up a permanent staff to investigate possible candidates for the nomination.” Carolyn stood and began pacing. “After that’s accomplished, the investigative staff will come in handy for the big campaign, in order to gather ammunition against President Washman and any of his advocates. I want you to set it up.”

“You need to be careful about this.” Mark warned. “It could ruin Warner if anyone found out.”

Concern nibbled at her. She understood that she was bending the law. “Which is why I trust you to handle everything for us. I want the best. Contact Winston Cain again, and tell him we only want ex-FBI and ex-CIA agents. We’ll need a lot of money to pay for that kind of talent, but I want them on retainer for us, and strictly us. And tell Cain that his people are never to know who they’re working for. Can I count on you to do this for me?” she asked quietly.

“Of course, but…”

“I don’t have time for buts.” She straightened. “Start right away. Call me if you have any problems. By the way, I’ve set up a private meeting room on the Internet. Here’s the address.” Carolyn handed him a piece of paper with Cleopatral600.com written on it. “The password is Caesar. Make sure Winston Cain has it, but no one else. Either of you can leave me a message anytime, I check it frequently.”

“Since when did you start using the Internet?”

“Since I discovered that my assistant. Katherine Seals, is a computer whiz. The girl’s absolutely brilliant. She can access anything. Which reminds me – I had her pull up Warner’s accounts.” She started pacing again. “What’s left of his investment portfolio won’t carry us far, but it’s a place to start. We’ll use my money when it becomes necessary, but until then we can tap into campaign funds. I have some overdue political favors that should generate funding, and I intend to call in those markers now.”

Carolyn paused and faced him. “Mort Fields may have pulled his support, but I know we can count on the Poultry Foods people for a steady supply of cash. We saved them tens of millions by pushing through some regulations that would have taken years to enact without our support.”

“You can’t risk misappropriating campaign funds. We’ve talked about this before.”

“I don’t intend to do anything improper, and I know you’ll use sound judgment every step of the way. We’re just creatively using campaign funds.”

Mark frowned as he got up from his chair and approached Carolyn.

“Please do this for me,” she said.

He nodded.

“Is anyone using my old office now?”

“Of course not. You’re supposed to be coming back from your leave of absence, remember?”

Carolyn smiled. “I’ll need to extend it indefinitely, I’m afraid. I’d understand if you gave my office away.”

“I’ll save it for you as long as I can. Right now, it’s still yours.”

Carolyn brushed his cheek with a platonic kiss. “Good. Then, I’m going to try office to put together some notes on the possible candidates. Let me know who Cain has on line already, so we can get these investigations underway. I want to start with a thorough report on Richard Young.”