‘Only slightly.’
‘I see.’ And she did see. All too clearly. ‘Where did this happen?’
‘At the cabin.’
‘Our family’s cabin?’ She emphasized the word ‘family.’ ‘Where Maddy and I always ride our bikes? Where Maddy had her birthday parties when she was a little girl?’
I nodded.
‘I have the feeling, Dev, that you’re not telling me everything.’
‘I’ve told you everything I know, Elise.’ I spoke softly because I could sense the agitation growing within her.
‘If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were protecting Robert.’
‘I’m not, Elise. I don’t believe he had anything to do with the murder, if that’s what you mean.’
‘You know damned well what I mean.’
‘Mom, please—’
‘Be quiet, Maddy.’ Elise did not take her eyes from mine. ‘Was my husband having an affair with this woman?’
‘No.’ I wasn’t about to go into the finer details.
‘Did you ask him that?’
‘Yes. That was the first thing I asked him.’
‘And he said he wasn’t having an affair with her?’
‘Yes. And I believe him the same as I believe he didn’t have anything to do with her death. I don’t blame you for being angry and hurt, Elise, but our main concern is keeping him from being charged with murder.’
‘In other words, you’re worried about the election.’
‘Yes. No point in lying, I’m worried about the election. That’s my job in this. But we’re friends, Elise. You and I and Maddy. I hope you understand how much I care about you.’
‘And we care about you, Dev, you know that,’ Maddy said.
But Elise was having none of our Oprah hug. ‘Who was the woman?’
‘Her name was Tracy Cabot. Somebody hit her on the head with something heavy and killed her.’
‘She probably deserved it.’
‘Mother!’
Elise brought her slight hand to her face and touched fingers to her forehead. ‘Oh, God, forgive me for ever saying such a thing. I apologize to both of you.’ Then, as if she’d already forgotten the tone of her apology, the anger was back in her voice. ‘Dev, I don’t believe what Robert told you and this time everybody will know he cheated on me. It will be all over the news.’
Maddy angled herself so that she could see her mother straight on. ‘Mom, there’s no point in going through all this. There was a woman involved and she’s dead and the police think Dad did it.’
‘He was the one who found the body. Before the police got there I called Ben Zuckerman. He’s probably on a plane coming up here right now.’
‘I have a right to know if my husband was sleeping with another woman.’
‘He wasn’t.’
I was back to Bill Clinton word parsing. He would have if he’d been able to get it up but since he couldn’t he didn’t.
‘He told you that?’ It didn’t matter that we’d gone through this a minute or two before. She wanted to convince herself that he hadn’t so she could find some relief from the turbulent emotions that were suffocating her; but her history with men in general and her father and husband suggested otherwise.
Maddy flung herself back against the couch and folded her arms across her chest. Her mother’s persistence was obviously starting to grate on her.
‘Elise, listen to me. That’s exactly what he told me.’
‘He said to you, “I didn’t sleep with her.”’
‘Yes, he did. They weren’t, of course. But things were bad enough already.’
‘But he was going to meet her at the cabin.’
‘He was going to set her straight. That’s why they were meeting there.’
‘And now the police think he murdered her.’ Was there the faintest note of satisfaction in her voice?
This time when she leaned forward she put her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. Maddy took her in her arms but Elise stayed hidden. She probably wanted to crunch herself into the smallest configuration possible. And maybe just disappear.
I remembered the dry bar in the far corner straight behind the grand piano. I walked over there and filled a small glass with bourbon and water. When I got back Elise was sitting up again, but from the gaze I wondered if she was in shock. The dullness of her eyes suggested it.
She took the glass with both hands. Like a child. She began drinking right away.
Maddy thanked me sotto voce.
‘That’s all I need. To become an alcoholic.’
‘Oh, yes, Mom. You drink so much. What’re you up to now — two drinks a month or something like that?’
‘Honey, you know how many alcoholics are in my family.’
‘Yes, but you’re not one of them.’
Elise had drunk most of the small glass. She set it carefully on the coffee table and then sat back and closed her eyes.
‘Are you tired, Mom?’
‘Uh-huh. Very.’ Eyes still closed. Willing the world away and I didn’t blame her.
‘How about if I take you upstairs and tuck you in for a while?’
‘It’s funny, Dev.’ Her eyes suddenly opened and she was staring at me. ‘I knew there’d be a woman. My father was like that. He’d make promises to my poor mother but he’d always go back to whoring around. And then one day he announced he’d fallen in love with some girl at his office. I’d actually met her several times before that and liked her. Very pretty and smart. I felt so guilty that I’d had those thoughts when my father told my mother about her. As if I’d betrayed my mother somehow.’
‘I’m sorry, Elise.’
She stood up abruptly. But she was uncertain, almost falling over, which she would have done if Maddy hadn’t bolted up and grabbed her around the waist.
‘Just lean on me, Mom. We’ll take it easy and get you tucked in.’
Mother and child, roles reversed.
As if I’d already gone, and as Maddy began slowly walking her out of the room, Elise said, ‘Tell Dev I’m sorry if I was a bitch.’
‘You weren’t a bitch, Mom. And Dev is our friend. He wouldn’t think anything like that.’ She accompanied this with a glance over her shoulder. Another sotto voce thank you.
Suddenly Mrs Weiderman came into the room and Elise broke from Maddy and rushed to the much larger woman, embracing her and putting her head to Mrs Weiderman’s chest. Elise began sobbing and the woman started stroking her small, fine head the way she would a child’s. Maddy stood in place watching them, a fond smile in her eyes and on her mouth. After two or three minutes Mrs Weiderman gently eased herself back from Elise and nodded to Maddy. Then Maddy took charge of her mother again.
I watched them leave. I felt bolted to my chair. I was getting like Elise. I didn’t want to stand up and meet the world again. The world I knew was always a harsh and deceitful one, but this new situation was a treachery I’d never faced before. My footing was anything but sure.
Mrs Weiderman came into the room and said, ‘I heard some of it, Dev, but I didn’t hear all of it. The police think that the senator killed a woman?’
‘Well, since she was found in his so-called cabin, they’re certainly interested in talking to him.’
She sat down with prim dignity on the edge of the couch, facing me. She lowered her voice respectfully. ‘Was he seeing her, Dev?’
‘I’m afraid so. But he told me that they had never slept together.’
‘Oh, Lord. Poor Elise. Her father and then her husband — and now her husband again. I feel so sorry for her.’
‘I don’t think he had anything to do with her death — that’s what I have to focus on now. I like Elise very much but I can’t worry about his marriage. Within a few hours the press will be out here en masse and the way they’ll cover it will help to hand the other side the election.’