It was a daily battle and today was no different. The Asher campaign spy had reported the connection between the candidate and two members of the organizing committee, namely Charlie Henry and Anna Radinski. She had found it troubling that these two would be directly involved in a campaign. The report was also troubling to some of the higher ups at Insight Resources, but they had no power to do anything. The experimenters wouldn’t allow any kind of intervention because that would defeat the purpose of the experiment. On the other hand, no one in Washington was listening anymore.
Bao wanted to walk into Patton’s office, close the door, and spill everything he knew about David Asher and those behind his campaign. However, he was afraid he would lose his job. He had no doubt that Patton would do something with the information and when he did so, it would become obvious how Patton Larsen had come by the information in the first place.
No, Bao decided, he would sit back and let things play out… unless things got really bad.
CHAPTER 14
Soft piano music played as Jennifer started slowly down the curved stairway. The music was from the Pride and Prejudice film starring Keira Knightley. It was Jennifer’s favorite music and it seemed to perfectly match the mood of the day. When Patton first saw Jennifer standing at the top step he had to catch his breath. Her wedding dress had been a secret and Patton was suddenly glad. The strapless gown showed off Jennifer’s tanned and toned shoulders and arms. Lace gloves covered her skin past her elbows. The gown itself was mostly simple, but Jennifer looked gorgeous. When their eyes met, tears stung at her eyes and she fought the urge to wipe at them.
It was a crisp, but beautiful October evening. A few soft clouds dotted the darkening blue sky, which could be seen through the gigantic, ornate windows. The sun was beginning to descend, sending its array of colors through the sky. There wasn’t a place classy enough in Blue Creek to hold a wedding so Jennifer found this venue. It used to be a privately owned home, but new owners converted it to a wedding chapel and reception hall. It offered a breathtaking view of the Great Salt Lake and the mountains to the West. However, while many of the guests were enjoying the panoramic views, Patton only had eyes for his bride.
Patton’s mind began to drift. The music, the room, Jennifer’s dress made him think of his first wedding. It wasn’t like he was yearning for those times—those years with his first wife. Instead, it was a chance to dwell with her, with his departed children. His old life and his new life were one again. No longer would he need to keep them separated with some imaginary wall. Without noticing, tears began to stream down Patton’s face.
Jennifer was off the stairs now, making her way down a cream-colored carpet. Patton stood alongside a Mormon bishop who had been recruited to perform the ceremony. She held her bouquet close to her chest and Patton could see that her knuckles were going white from the grip. As she reached the dais, Patton reached out and took her hand, helping her up the two steps. The bishop greeted them and then they took each other by both hands and stared into one another’s eyes as if no one else in the world existed.
Jennifer laughed and the movement revealed the muscles in her back. Patton traced the line of them with his forefinger, then down her scapula to the middle of her back where her well defined back muscles created a little ridge. He reversed the path and she almost started purring. They were both naked with only a flat, white sheet covering them. Jennifer marveled because this was the first time she’d ever seen Patton, now her husband, completely relaxed and at ease. He seemed to always be carrying some sort of burden. That’s how type-A people are, she thought. He was now actually, and visibly, content. No worries looked good on him. She could definitely get used to it.
“Are you happy?” she asked him, her back turned to him, but welcoming his touch.
He made a quizzical look that she couldn’t see and asked, “Is that a rhetorical question?”
She giggled and said, “I guess so. You seem pretty relaxed right now.”
Patton chuckled. “Weren’t you here just a few minutes ago?” He sighed and rolled over onto his back, putting his hands behind his head. She rolled over and snuggled close to him. She loved hearing his heartbeat and feeling the air go in and out of his lungs.
Not wanting to ruin his good mood, she asked, “What do you want to do tomorrow?”
He leaned up and looked down at her.
“This,” he said, kissing her softly and passionately.
When the kiss was over she pushed him away and laughed.
“No, silly. Of course we’ll do that, but we can’t do that all day,” she said.
He had a pretend hurt look on his face and asked, “why not?”
A devilish grin crossed her face and she said, “Honey, it’s not like you’re thirty anymore.”
He rolled his eyes and he dropped down onto his pillow, laughing loudly. Once he recovered he said, “Touché.”
They bandied about different ideas and didn’t come up with anything. They decided to look for things to do on the Internet in the morning. In the meantime, Patton tried his best to show his wife, that although he wasn’t thirty anymore, he was far from being an old man.
The next day they drove to Salt Lake City. They ate at a Japanese steakhouse and saw a movie. They enjoyed being away from their lives in Blue Creek. It was a strange feeling for Patton—being away was like having a weight off his shoulders. All of his concerns about the impending government and the elections had vanished, at least temporarily. He just wanted to enjoy his new wife and be away from everyone they knew. They flew to San Francisco the next morning to start their honeymoon. They would spend a week touring northern California, including the Napa Valley.
Patton then took Jennifer to meet his mother. As expected, the two women, whose mutual love for Patton gave them something in common, felt an instant affection for one another. Patton drove Jennifer around his hometown. Seeing the places Patton had played with his friends and had gone to school made Jennifer feel like she was beginning to know him—the way a wife should know her husband.
They returned to Blue Creek during the first week of November. By the time they got home, the weather had cooled drastically. Cold rain fell almost every day and leaves had already changed colors. In contrast to the cooler weather, Patton’s attitude about life was warming. It amazed Jennifer to watch him. He was almost a completely different man now. He no longer saw a conspiracy around every corner. He just went to work and then came home to spend time with her.
Soon, though, Patton returned to the realities of his new life. He had a business and a political campaign to run. Mike had also spent some time away from Blue Creek, but had returned before Patton. He was antsy to get his campaign started in earnest. David Asher’s campaign was already in full bloom. Early polls, as unscientific as they were, showed Asher with a near majority, which would guarantee him the victory and avoid a runoff with any of the other candidates. It was time for Patton to get into the game again.
Asher‘s face was grim, his face pale. What Travis just told him disturbed him deeply. His demeanor wasn’t merely a reaction to Charlie and Anna’s plans to keep him under their thumb—Travis’s suggestion on how he could avoid that scenario was also was nagging at him. He drained a whiskey glass and winced as it burned. He spent a long moment thinking, trying to add up all of the costs and benefits on some sort of mental ledger. Finally he looked at Travis, trying to read his face as if they were playing a hand of poker.