37

Killeena
Killeena gripped the steering wheel of her Acura tightly as she
weaved through Richmonds early evening traffic. She turned right on
East Franklin Street and glanced up at the elegant, imposing
headuarters of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Outside it looked
calm and clean, !ut inside reporters, photographers, and ad
salesmen were hurrying to get the ne"t days paper shipped off to the
printer. Killeena knew !ecause she had worked there as a
sportswriter several years ago. #ow, her work would once again !e
featured in the newspaper $ though not with her !yline% she would
simply !e credited as an unnamed source. She was going to meet
the reporter at a near!y park now.
Sweet revenge, Killeena thought.
&hat was the same thought she had had nearly fifteen years ago
when she learned that 'elene $ the woman whom &imothy &edesco
had chosen to marry over her $ had contracted cancer. (f course,
she knew it was wrong to feel even remotely happy a!out someone
elses misfortune. )hen she had known &imothy, he had !een a
romantic, and she couldnt help !ut imagine how seeing his wife
slowly taken away from him would tear at his heart. That liar! she had
thought. Serves him right.
Killeena had convinced herself that *od had allowed 'elenes
sickness as punishment for &imothy spurning her those many years
ago. +t should have !een a sure way to devastate him. ,ut in the end,
it wasnt enough. &imothys profile continued to rise- First, he !ought
out his competitors and challenged .ockheed /artin as the num!er
one supplier for the 0.S. military. &hen, he used the money from his
!usiness to fund his campaign for the Senate $ and won% and then
the governorship $ and won that too. All the while, his wife lay dying
from cancer. +t seemed like &imothy couldnt !e stopped $ and *od
couldnt !e trusted to make matters right either.
Killeena sighed as she navigated a wide avenue, mostly
deserted, that led to the park. &his time would !e different. She had
taken matters into her own hands, and she would ensure that
&imothy &edesco got what he deserved. &aking her eyes off the road,
she reached under the passenger seat and gra!!ed the folder that
contained the te"t messages &imothy and Elise had sent to each
other. +t had !een easy enough to o!tain them. After her hus!and,
1eon, mentioned that &imothy asked him to deliver a series of
packages to the /asons house while (liver was gone, it didnt take
Killeena long to figure out that something more than 2ust an
acuaintanceship was going on !etween her hus!ands !oss and the
wife of the lieutenant governor. )hen (liver died, Killeena had
wanted to !egin spying on the governor. Seeing that that was nearly
impossi!le due to security measures, she did the ne"t !est thing and
staked out Elise /asons house in 3harlottesville. (ne evening, when
Elise was teaching at the 0niversity of 4irginia School of /edicine,
Killeena snuck in through an unlocked window determined to find
evidence of the affair.
After searching all over the house for anything incriminating and
coming up empty, Killeena had followed a hunch and sat down at
Elises /ac,ook which had !een left open on the desk in the master
!edroom. &here, she discovered that Elises phone was synced to
her i3loud account which !acked up all of the te"t messages, photos,
and videos that Elise had sent and received over the past few
months. Killeena didnt waste anytime pulling out her own i5hone,
wiping the storage clean, and downloading the entire !ackup of
Elises content to her device. #ow, she had all the evidence she
needed.
(f course, Elise had come home at that point and Killeena had
nearly slipped up in her effort to escape without revealing her own
identity. ,ut she had done it. And, now all of her work was a!out to
pay off.
3huckling softly, Killeena set the folder containing printouts of the
te"t messages and photos in the passengers seat and flipped it
open. She was almost to the park where she had agreed to meet the
dispatch reporters, and she wanted the handover of the material to
!e uick and hassle6free.
She was so caught up in the euphoria of victory near6at6hand that
she didnt notice she had !egun to drift out of her lane. #or did she
notice the !lack compact car that had gained on her in the last few
seconds. Suddenly reali7ing the danger she was in, Killeena returned
!oth hands to the steering wheel and wrenched it to the right.
,ut it wasnt enough.
&ires suealed and the smell of ru!!er !urning against asphalt
reached her nose. She felt the horri!le crunch as the !lack vehicle
smashed into the drivers side pushing her off the road. &he cars,
wrenched together in a deadly spin, skidded across the grass until a
crushing 2olt sent searing pain through Killeenas !ody. She struggled
to cling to consciousness.
What just happened? Where was going?! had a meeting
with!who?
Killeena faded in and out of reality. &he smell of smoke filled her
nose. 'er head was thro!!ing. A sticky su!stance ran across her
head.
t would "e so eas# to give in to the "lac$ness % to just give
up!and sleep. &o! was doing something. What was !!doing?
&he more Killeena thought, the more tangled her thoughts
!ecame. She felt someone or something moving around her so she
tried to open her eyes. A dark, ha7y shape filled her vision. She
couldnt see clearly% something was wrong with her eyes. &he ha7y
shape looked like a man $ a tall, dark man standing against the !lue
sky.
'erhaps this is (eaven % men )loating in the s$#.
&he man was reaching to her, touching her, !ut every place he
touched sent shockwaves of pain through her !ody. Killeenas head
lolled !ack against the seat.
&o, this can*t "e (eaven. (eaven wouldn*t hurt so "ad. +a#"e
this is (ell.
#ow, the man was talking $ saying something.
That voice!sounds )amiliar.
Killeena pushed through the fog clouding her mind once more in
a desperate effort to place the voice. She lifted her head again and
suinted at the ha7y thing shaped like a man. +t hurt to try to see.
1eon,8 Killeena said, and then the darkness overtook her.

38
Timothy
.eaning !ack in the swivel chair at the head of the conference
ta!le, *overnor &edesco listened to his assistant go over his
schedule for the ne"t week. 'e had a meeting with the ,udget (ffice,
a conference call with Repu!lican Senators, and $ the event he was
most e"cited a!out $ his keynote speech at the Repu!lican
*overnors Association, where he planned to let it slip that he had
signed the papers to !egin an e"ploratory committee for his
campaign for president.
'is phone !u77ed in his pocket. &uning out his assistants
monologue, he tapped the screen to read the message. +t was from
1eon- t*s done. have the papers.
&imothy smiled as he te"ted !ack. ,ood, and than$ #ou. -ou
$now what to do ne.t.
What? came 1eons reply.
Destro# them, &imothy typed. 1eon didnt respond immediately,
so he added, /et me $now when it is done. 0nd ma$e sure #ou ta$e
care o) #our wi)e.
$now what have to do, 1eon typed !ack. &imothy could sense
the anger in his message.
Again, there was a lull in the message conversation, !ut &imothy
kept an eye on the screen. 'e had dou!ted that 1eon would go
through with what he had asked him to do. ,ut, he had delivered
once again, and &imothy felt a tinge of sorrow for having ever
dou!ted him. &he man had given him his complete and unuestioning
loyalty.
At first, &imothy had !een surprised that Killeena had held her
grudge for so long. 'e was shocked when she had shown up at his
and Elises wedding. 'e had pretended not to notice her throughout
the evening, and she didnt say a word to him, !ut ever since that
day, he had felt uneasy a!out her presence. 'e could tell she was up
to something, and he desperately wanted to know what kind of game
she was playing. A few times, he had even picked up the phone to
dial her num!er and ask her point6!lank, !ut decided that would !e
playing into her hands. So, he had waited9and hired a private
investigator to trail her.
)hen he found out what she was planning, he knew she had to
!e eliminated $ and uickly.
&he phone vi!rated in his palm, indicating another message from
1eon. $ept m# end o) the deal. -ou "etter $eep #ours.
O) course, &imothy replied. 1ut have something )ar "etter in
mind. 2ust a little more time. -ou will "e richl# rewarded.
1eon had stated in unam!iguous terms that he wanted to !e
appointed the ne"t lieutenant governor of 4irginia. &imothy was all for
it. 1eon had !een with him from the inception of &edesco +ndustries,
as a mem!er of his Senate office, and was now one of the most
trusted advisers in his ca!inet. &he only pro!lem was that, somehow,
Killeena had wheedled her way into 1eons affection. &hey had fallen
in love :at least 1eon had; and had gotten married. &imothy was
hesitant to appoint 1eon to a position that would also place Killeena,
who seemed to !e incapa!le of forgiving and forgetting, in pro"imity
to himself. So, he had diplomatically held off $ and held the reward
of the lieutenant6generals office over 1eons head while telling the
4irginia *eneral Assem!ly that he still hadnt decided whether to
appoint someone outright or call a special election.
Sir< Sir<8
&imothy snapped !ack to reality as his assistant called him. =>es,8
he said.
+ was asking if youd already reviewed the outline from ?amie for
the speech at the R*A,8 said the assistant clearly peeved that
&imothy had 7oned out.
#o, not yet, +ll get it done today,8 &imothy answered hastily. 'is
phone vi!rated again.
>ou do that. )e can move on now,8 said the assistant.
'old a minute,8 said &imothy as he glanced down at his phone
e"pecting another message from 1eon. ,ut, it wasnt. +t was from his
sister6in6law, /allory.
Tim, 3lise has gone to the hospital. 1a"# is coming soon.
+ll have to cut this meeting short,8 &imothy said standing up.
=Something 2ust came up. + have to go.8
(kay, when can we finish<8 the assistant grum!led. She
muttered something a!out getting off track.
+ll let you know,8 said &imothy as he replied to /allorys te"t
asking for the hospital information. =Right now, + need you to get
3ale! and tell him to !ring the car around.8
&he assistant left the conference room to go and find the
*overnors driver.
&imothy waited for /allorys reply te"t. )ith Killeena finally :and
hopefully, permanently; out of the way, &imothy felt like he was on the
cusp of a new !eginning. A new wife, a new !a!y, and a presidential
campaign in the works. >es, things were definitely looking up for
&imothy &edesco.

39
Lynda
)ere almost there, sweetheart,8 .ynda said to Elise as they sat
in the !ack of .yndas rental car on the way to 'enrico 1octors
'ospital. (ne of the workers at the *overnors /ansion, a young
man with spiked, !rown hair who tended the garden, had volunteered
to drive.
>ou dont have to keep saying that. )e 2ust pulled out,8 Elise
said !reathing heavily. ?ust the walk from the portico to the car had
!een e"erting. Elise rested her head against the !ack of the seat, a
thin sheen of sweat pulsing on her forehead.
&he driver weaved in and out of traffic on the highway, glancing
nervously in the rear6view mirror every now and then. 'e honked his
horn to switch lanes and pumped the gas pedal when he had room in
front of him.
&ake it easy,8 .ynda called. =*etting in a car wreck is not going
to help us get to the hospital any faster.8
&he only reason why + volunteered to drive is !ecause + was
under the impression you had to go very fast to get a pregnant
woman to the hospital,8 the man said, !ut he settled into a steady
speed.

Shortly after they arrived at 'enrico 'ospital, Elise was set up in
a patients room in the maternity ward. She signed the admission and
treatment forms and named #athaniel Scott as the !a!ys doctor.
Soon after Elise had gotten settled in, two 4irginia 3apitol 5olice
officers arrived. 3lad in their !lue6grey uniforms, one officer uietly
took up a position at the entrance to Elises room while the other
paced !ack and forth in the area where the hallway 2oined onto the
waiting area. .ynda figured that &imothy $ her new son6in6law $
had sent them. She wondered if he would show up himself.
&he nurses asked Elise a steady stream of uestions a!out her
pregnancy and suggested she have an ultrasound. &hey drew her
!lood and then let her rest !efore the ultrasound technician, a short,
!lond woman, came in.
.ynda sat in the soft chair in the corner thinking of the four times
she had !een through this herself. She was glad that she could !e
there for her daughter. She called #athaniel Scott, whom she had
!een communicating with over the past few weeks, and informed him
of what was going on. 'e said he would get to the hospital as soon
as he finished his work for the day at the 'ealth and 'uman Services
1epartment.
&he ultrasound technician cheerfully informed .ynda and Elise
that the !a!y would !e a !oy. After the ultrasound technician left,
Elise fell off to sleep, and .ynda went out to the waiting room to pray
and wait for /allory to arrive. She still wasnt sure if &imothy would
take the time to come to the hospital, and she was 2ust a!out to call
him and apply a little gentle pressure when /allory came hurrying in.
&he women em!raced and /allory made herself comforta!le in
the empty seat !eside .ynda.
+ was thinking a!out calling &imothy,8 .ynda said. ='ave you
heard from him<8
1ont worry a!out it. + already told him whats up. 'e said he
would make it,8 /allorys voice trailed off as she picked at the fraying
edges of her denim 2acket. =,ut if history is any teacher, hell call !ack
soon with some e"cuse as to why he cant come.8
.ynda could sense the hurt in /allorys voice and she could tell
she was thinking a!out her sister, 'elene.
'e wasnt even with 'elene for the !irth of &immy ?r.,8 /allory
said wistfully.
.ynda patted her shoulder. =)ell, were here. 'e pro!a!ly
wouldnt !e of any help anyway.8
>eah,8 /allory sniffed and checked her watch. =Anyway, + cant
stay long. + have to go and pick up &amika and &im from school in
a!out half an hour since &amikas car !roke down this morning.8
?ust then a doctor in a white la! coat approached them. 'e
carried a clip!oard in his hand and had a perple"ed e"pression on his
!rown6skinned face. 'is name tag read, =1r. (keke.8 &he ultrasound
technician was right !ehind him.
1r. (keke cleared his throat, =E"cuse me, /rs. /ason.8
>es,8 said .ynda.
+ dont know how to tell you this, !ut +m afraid the ultrasound
revealed some complications with your daughters pregnancy.8
3omplications<8 .ynda said, glancing at the technician who
averted her eyes. .ynda could feel /allory tensing !eside her.
)hat seems to !e the pro!lem<8 /allory said standing up so
she could look at the doctors clip!oard.
)ell, if you look at these images, it is pretty clear that there
appears to !e parts of the !a!ys !rain missing. See, here and here.8
1r. (keke pointed to the places on the !a!ys head that looked
darker than the rest of the ultrasound.
)hat does it mean<8 said .ynda, her voice tight with worry. #ot
wanting to !elieve what she was hearing, she shook her head
repeatedly and stared at the doors to the maternity ward. As she
!linked away the tears that had !egun forming in her eyes, the doors
opened and &imothy &edesco walked in flanked !y three 3apitol
5olice officers and two staffers. 'e spotted .ynda and /allory
standing with the doctor and started over toward them immediately. A
hu!!u! of chatter !roke out in the waiting area as hospital workers
and those waiting recogni7ed him. &imothy paused !riefly and hastily
signed an autograph for a man.
1r. (keke didnt seem to notice. =+t means that the !a!y has
Edwards syndrome also known as trisomy eighteen,8 he said. =)e
dont know all the details yet. Although it is impractical !ecause she is
so close to delivery, we will have to do @6rays to know fully what is
going on, !ut this condition freuently results in heart a!normalities,
kidney malformations, and other internal organ disorders. +t has a
very low survival rate. ,asically, the !a!y could die shortly after he is
!orn.8