Mirror Image

Eddy was mollified after having to decline the Rotary Club’s invitation. Even that had turned out well. The civic club had extended Tate an invitation to speak at one of their meetings later in the month.
    “Eddy went nuts over all the television coverage you got today,” Avery said, reflecting on it.
    “They gave us twenty seconds during the six o’clock broadcast. Doesn’t sound like much, but I’m told that’s good.”
    “It is. So I’m told,” she hastily added.
    She’d been stunned to see Van Lovejoy and a political reporter from KTEX at the longshoremen’s breakfast. All day, they’d stayed hot on Tate’s trail. “Why did they come all the way from San Antonio?” she had asked Eddy.
    “Don’t knock the free publicity. Smile into the camera every chance you get.”
    Instead, she tried to avoid Van’s camera. But he seemed bent on getting her image on tape. The cat-and-mouse game she played with him all day, coupled with the shock Dr. Webster had dealt her, had chafed her nerves raw. She had been so nervous that, later, when she couldn’t find a pair of earrings, she had overreacted.
    “I know they were in here the day before I left,” she cried to Tate.
    “Look again.”
    She did better than that. She upended the satin pouch and raked through the contents. “They’re not here.”
    “What do they look like?”
    They were due to leave for a fund-raising barbecue dinner being hosted by a wealthy rancher outside the city. Tate had been dressed and waiting for half an hour. She was running late.
    “Big silver loops.” Tate gave the room a cursory once-over. “You won’t find them lying on the surface,” she had told him with exasperation. “I haven’t worn them yet. I brought them specifically for this outfit.”
    “Can’t you substitute something else?”
    “I guess I’ll have to.” She made a selection from the pile of jewelry she’d spilled onto the dresser. By then she was so flustered, she had had difficulty fitting the post into the back. Three attempts proved to be misses. “Shit!”
    “Carole, for heaven’s sake, calm down,” Tate said, raising his voice. Up till then he’d been infuriatingly calm. “You forgot a pair of earrings. It’s not the end of the world.”
    “I didn’t forget them.” Drawing a deep breath, she faced him. “This isn’t the first time something has mysteriously disappeared.”
    “You should have told me. I’ll call hotel security right away.”
    She caught his arm before he could reach for the telephone. “Not just here. At home, too. Somebody’s been sneaking into my room and going through my things.”
    His reaction was what she had expected. “That’s ridiculous. Are you crazy?”
    “No. And I’m not imagining it, either. I’m missing several things—small, insignificant things. Like this pair of earrings that I know damn good and well I packed. I checked and double-checked my accessories before I put them in the suitcases.”
    Sensitive to any criticism of his family, he folded his arms across his chest. “Who are you accusing of stealing?”
    “I don’t mind the missing objects so much as the violation of my privacy.”
    Just then a knock had sounded on their door—the perfect culmination for a frazzling day. “Case in point,” she had said irritably. “Why can’t we ever finish a private conversation before we’re interrupted?”
    “Keep your voice down. Eddy’ll hear you.”
    “To hell with Eddy,” she had said, meaning it.
    Tate pulled the door open and Eddy came striding in. “Ready, guys?”
    By way of explanation for their being late, Tate said, “Carole lost her earrings.”
    She shot him a look that clearly stated she had not lost them.
    “Well, wear some others or go without, but we’ve got to get downstairs.” Eddy held the door open. “Jack’s waiting with the car. It’s an hour’s drive.”
    They rushed for the elevator. Thankfully, another hotel guest saw them coming and politely held it for them. Jack was pacing the length of the limo parked in the porte cochere.
    For the duration of the drive they discussed polls and campaign strategy. She could have been invisible, for all the attention she was given. Once, when she offered an unsolicited opinion, it was met with three impassive stares, then summarily ignored.
    Surprisingly, the party had been fun. No press was allowed. Since she didn’t have to concentrate on dodging Van’s camera, she relaxed and enjoyed herself. There was a