Flash

direct look. "Let's go to the bottom line, as you business types like to say. Uncle Rollie always treated her as his second-in-command. My sister has been known to go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to what she feels are her responsibilities to the family."
    "I'm aware of that."
    "Is there any possibility that she may have put the idea of marriage into your head because she's convinced that she can protect Glow and Chantry family interests by marrying you?"
    "No."
    Todd blinked owlishly. "You're, uh, sure of that?"
    "Positive."
    Todd cleared his throat. "What makes you so certain?"
    "A couple of reasons. First, I asked her if she was marrying me in hopes of controlling Glow through me."
    Todd looked flabbergasted. "You
asked
her that straight out?"
    "Well, she raised the issue first. I could tell that it was worrying her that everyone would think Glow was the reason she had agreed to marry me. So we discussed it." And when she had stopped laughing, he had made love to her until all she could say was his name over and over again as she convulsed in his arms.
    "I see. What's the second reason you're so sure she didn't agree to marry you on account of Glow?"
    "Olivia and I have a working arrangement. She knows that, whenever possible, I will consult with her before I carry out crucial decisions at Glow. But she understands that as long as I own fifty-one percent of the company, I will make the decisions that affect it."
    "Huh," Todd muttered again. He unclasped his hands and began to massage the back of his neck. "There's probably something more I should say here, but I can't seem to think of it."
    "Maybe it will come to you later."
    "Where is Olivia, anyway? At Light Fantastic?"
    "No. She's on her way down to the waterfront pier warehouse where the Lancaster fund-raiser was going to be held. She told Bolivar and a couple of her staff to meet her there so that they can start taking apart the stage and the decorations."
    Todd nodded wearily. "She probably wants to get that big lighted flag and the sound system equipment out of there as quickly as possible."
    "I think she has visions of trying to sell one of the other candidates on the idea of using them for a rally."
    "That's my sister." Todd smiled slightly. "Always got an eye on the bottom line."
    "Yes. Mind if I ask some questions about Dixon Haggard?"
    "What?" Todd scowled. "Oh, sure. What about him?"
    Jasper glanced at the calendar on the wall. "I'd like to know where he was on the twenty-sixth of last month."
    Todd followed his gaze to the calendar and frowned. "Why?"
    "Because I'm trying to tie up a few loose ends. Olivia can tell you that I tend to be a little obsessive about details."
    "I'm not sure where he was." Todd squinted slightly, concentrating. "As I recall, he was out of town on campaign business for a couple of days around that time."
    "Do you know where he went?"
    "No. I just remember him saying something about accepting a check from a big out-of-state donor. Some VIP he had to deal with personally." Todd sighed. "A lot of important people had their eye on Eleanor as a future candidate for Congress or even the White House."
    "Any way of finding out exactly where he went?"
    Todd thought about it. "I guess we could check the travel records."
    "I'd appreciate it."
    "This is important?"
    "Yes," Jasper said.
    "Hell, why not. It isn't as if I've got anything else to do today except deal with the bank, the media, and a bunch of sobbing campaign volunteers."
    Todd got to his feet and went to a tall black file cabinet that stood against the wall. He opened a drawer and started rummaging through the files.
    Jasper rose and crossed the room to join him. "How's Eleanor handling things?"
    "She's in seclusion." Todd did not look up from the files. "Won't talk to the press. Won't even answer the phone."
    "You don't sound too empathetic."
    "I'm pretty disgusted, if you want to know the truth. The least she could have done was come down here to say thanks to her faithful troops." He nodded toward the small group in the other room. "They worked their tails off for her, and she just walked out on them the minute things got rough."
    "You really think she could have overcome the setback caused by Haggard's arrest?"
    "I don't know. What makes me angry is that she didn't even try. I always thought she was a fighter, but I guess I was wrong." Todd removed a folder from the drawer. "Here's the travel file. The campaign booked all flights and hotel reservations