The Invitation(12)
“I don’t know, not if you don’t want me to.”
“It’s completely up to you, Carol. I’m tired of living with this secret. Now that I’ve let it go, maybe,”
“Maybe what?” Carol asks.
“Maybe it will let go of me.”
Attempting to change the subject, Kathryn reminds Carol, “You know I’m coming for dinner on Sunday.”
“That’s right. I hope you can still make it.”
“I’ll be there. I may like my privacy, but an invitation to dinner at the White House is not something you turn down.”
“Especially when your son is the President,” says Carol.
“That’s true. I look forward to it.”
“Well, I guess I need to get back to the fish bowl.”
“I understand. I’m so glad you came.”
“It’s always good to see you Kathryn,” Carol says, as the two women embrace.
“I hope I haven’t frightened you with what I’ve told you today.”
“Not at all, thank you for sharing it with me. And thank you for lunch. It was delicious.”
“You’re more than welcome, Carol.”
“Then I’ll see you on Sunday for dinner.”
“I’ll be there. Take care.”
“Bye-bye.”
As the First Lady makes her way to the waiting car, she is understandably preoccupied with making sense of what she just heard. The drive back to Pennsylvania Avenue affords her a brief time of quiet, to gather her thoughts. She reasons that only one of two possible explanations can account for her mother-in-law’s strange story: either she had an extremely vivid dream that she’s mistaken for reality, or , Carol thinks, remembering the nightgown with its unusual burn mark, what Kathryn described actually happened, something that all reasonable people would regard as inconceivable. How likely could that be? Logic and common experience call it into serious question. Slowly and reluctantly, Carol’s mind begins to turn. Uncomfortable considerations begin to seep into the current of her thoughts. Perhaps Kathryn has been alone for too long. It’s not healthy being by yourself too much, Carol thinks. In another moment Carol’s mind blinks, and a consideration more crass than kind begins to take hold. If Kathryn ever tells someone else about this, there could be a political spectacle. The tabloids would paint the sky with it. Added to that, would be the personal ridicule heaped on the President’s mother. That alone would be unbearable. The more she thinks about it, the more problematic it seems. The election is only months away. She will keep her thoughts silent, and hold closely this secret. She regrets not telling Kathryn to keep her story confidential, for what might be called “practical reasons.” Dinner on Sunday should secure that assurance.
Not wanting to needlessly distract her husband from his important work, Carol resolves to keep this knowledge to herself, at least for now.
Chapter Five
At FBI headquarters, Frank Slaughter is expecting his first in-depth briefing from his subordinate Tim Colby regarding the Phillip Garrett case. Having been told of the recording that Phillip Garrett provided to Agent Colby, he’s curious as to what it might reveal. As Director Slaughter peruses the file on Mr. Garrett the familiar voice of his secretary is heard.
“Sir, Mr. Colby, and Mr. Pennington are here.”
“Send them in, Connie.”
Mr. Slaughter rises to greet his colleagues as the door opens, and agents Tim Colby and Sid Pennington enter. Mr. Pennington carries with him a copy of The Yale Shakespeare.
“Hi, Tim.”
“Hello, Sir. This is Sid Pennington. He’s going to guide us through what we’ll be seeing today.”
“Hi, Sid.”
“Hello, Sir, good to be with you.”
As Sid Pennington places the book on the desk, Agent Colby takes from his pocket two DVD’s and places them beside the tome.
“So that’s the surreptitious recording that Phillip Garrett made of Ken Myers.”
“That’s it, Sir.”
“What did our technical people say about its authenticity?”
“They found no evidence that the recording was altered in any way.”
Pointing to one of the DVD’s, Tim Colby says, “This one is the original, and with this one we enhanced the viewing angle, and magnified the image to get the clearest possible view. Other than that, the original recording is unchanged.’’
“Hmm. Before we watch this, let me ask you: how much time did you personally spend with Mr. Garrett?”
“Oh, I’d say we talked for nearly six hours.”
“That’s enough time to get a feel for someone. What’s your intuition tell you?”