Tomorrow Never Knows Part Three

By Ayesha Haqqiqa

The next few days were a nightmare for Nora. Jack was gone, and he had given no indication where he would be. The attacks in the press continued. Somehow or other they had found out about the Law Review days, and now they had quotations from pop psychologists saying that the Love Slave syndrome had tremendous staying power.

“Never mind that I married Dan Lewin, and remained happily married to him for over twenty-five years!” Nora said bitterly. Stacey just shook her head in sympathy. “Wright has made my reputation the key issue in this campaign. How do I get the focus back on the issues?”

Stacey shrugged. “Adam always went to the press with the big cases. He focused on the case, and not side issues. If anything was controversial, he stuck to his guns. Once, there was a trial involving anti-Semitism. Adam was accused of having bias in the case, and unduly influencing the EADA involved.” Stacey thought for a moment. “Funny, it was Jack. He always seemed to get the tough cases.” She looked at Nora’s stricken face and went on quickly. “As I recall, Adam said something to the effect that the office of the District Attorney is not a place for personal prejudice. That the DA must treat everyone fairly, and, in turn, be fairly treated by the media. If they have evidence of bias on his part, report it. Otherwise, he told them to leave him alone.”

Nora smiled. “Good old Adam. I wish he were here right now.” She sighed. “Thanks for the advice, Stacey.”

The Garbage Scandal hearings were moving right along. Simon had got a conviction, and Roland was close to a plea bargain agreement with Eric Johnson.

“We have the names,” he said, striding into Nora’s office in triumph. “I think it was the conviction of his contractor buddy that made him cave. He realized that he was going to take all the heat unless he made a deal.” He sat down on the couch with a self-satisfied grin.

“How many more people are involved?” Nora asked.

“Only two more,” Roland fished a notepad from his pocket. “Willard Reynolds and Michael Stewart.”

“Oh dear,” Nora said. “Stewart is the Mayor’s liaison to the Sanitary Commission. I’ll need to go see Guilani to let him know what might happen.”

Roland perked up his ears. “What do you mean, might? We have got Johnson’s testimony!”

“And you know and I know that will not be enough. It takes more than the testimony of a convicted felon who made a deal with the DA to put people away—especially these people. Reynolds is another Sanitary Commissioner, isn’t he?”

“Yes. And he has ties to one Jacob P. Morgan,” Roland said. “They have been involved in some joint development ventures on the East Side.”

“Another reason to make sure we dot all the ‘i’s and cross all the ‘t’s,” Nora sighed. “Have you started the police on their investigation?”

“Yes,” Roland said. “And I scheduled a press conference for two o’clock.”

“What?” Nora’s voice was sharp. “Who authorized you to do such a thing?”

“I knew you’d want to let the press know about the latest development in the case,” Roland explained. “When I was confronted with Nelson Burgoff this morning—“

“Where did you see him?” Nora asked.

“Oh, he met me on the steps of the courthouse,” Roland said. “He stuck a microphone in my face and asked about developments in the Johnson case. He must have a mole at Riker’s. Anyway, I told him no comment. He kept pressuring me, and so I said I’d make a statement at two.”

“Correction,” Nora said. “I will make a statement at two. You will be too busy supervising the investigation of Reynolds and Stewart.” She stood up. “I believe you’d better start supervising that investigation right now, because the Mayor will want a report on his desk tomorrow—and I’ll want my copy tonight!”

Roland stood. “I was just trying to help,” he said as he strode out of the room.

“Stacey,” Nora called wearily. “Get the Mayor on the phone. I have some unpleasant news for him. Then make sure that Channel 5 and all the other networks are called about the press conference I’ll hold outside Hogan Place at two. Make sure Channel 11 is informed that they are to submit all requests for information on the Garbage Scandal to me from now on.” She sighed, then picked up the phone. “Rudy!” she said in her most jovial voice.

The press conference was short. “We have uncovered new leads in the case involving bribery and the Sanitary Commission,” she said. “There is a possibility that more government officials will be indicted. The investigation is ongoing. It will be thorough and fair.”

“Ms Lewin, where is Mr. McCoy?” Nelson Burgoff asked. “We’re so used to having him around, we miss him when he is gone.”

Nora looked at him. “Mr. McCoy has nothing to do with the investigation of the Sanitary Commission.”

“But isn’t he usually at your side in times of crisis?” Burgoff continued.

Nora shook her head. “Mr. Burgoff,” she said, “I am here to answer questions about the bribery trials. If you have a question about them, I will be glad to tell you what I can.”

“But Mr. McCoy—“

“Mr. Burgoff, for the last time, this is a press conference about the bribery trials. I am trying to make sure the office of the DA conducts these trials in a fair manner. My private life has nothing to do with it. Can’t you, as a member of the press, be fair to the DA? Let me do my job!”

She went on to answer questions of the other news people. They kept on the topic and pressed her to name the people most likely to be indicted. She tried to appear wise, as if the conference were part of an elaborate strategy to make suspects more willing to cooperate. She hoped that the press never found out that the conference came about because of Roland Lincoln’s blunder.

She went back to her office, prepared to spend the night if she had to. The police were going to have to do some fast work to find the evidence that could lead to indictments of Stewart and Reynolds. With their money and their connections, they could hide or destroy evidence and never be brought to trial.

The phone call came at six. “Nora, we found something rather interesting,” Roland Lincoln couldn’t keep the gloat out of his voice. “It would make a good photo op.”

“You let me handle the press,” Nora said. “What is it?”

“A little buried treasure,” Roland said, “out on Long Island, at Michael Stewart’s estate.”

It was dark by the time Ron drove Nora out to Suffolk County, but he had no trouble finding the place. Lights were set up on the lawn of the Stewart estate.

“I hope you got all this cleared with the Suffolk County folks,” Nora said as she walked past piles of dirt.

“We had their full cooperation,” Roland assured her. “In fact, it was one of their deputies that found it.” He pointed to a small metal box. “It’s stuffed with money.”

“Which any attorney will say could have come from anywhere,” Nora said disdainfully.

“We’ll dust it for fingerprints,” Roland said. “All we have to do is find one thumbprint of Stewart’s, one of Johnson’s—“

Nora turned away in disgust. She hoped that Roland had more than a box of money to back up his claim that Stewart was involved in the bribery. A movement in the darkness attracted her attention. She looked, and there was a man, slowly walking away. Impulsively, she ran after him. He must have heard her, because he quickened his pace.

“Wait!” she called.

He turned and looked at her. Nora was shocked. It was Jack.

Not the Jack she knew. This Jack was dressed in dirty jeans and wore a beard. His hair was in a wilder state than usual, and he appeared pale and wan.

“You don’t need to see me here, Nora,” he said. “In fact, you don’t need to see me at all.” He turned and walked to his Yamaha, put on his helmet, and drove off.

Nora was shaken as she walked back to the scene of the digging.

“You see somebody over there?” Roland asked.

“No,” she replied quietly. “No one at all.”

She managed to give Roland a few orders about getting his chain of evidence together by tomorrow. Then she sank into the back seat of the car. All the way back to Manhattan she wondered. What was Jack doing here? How was he mixed up in all this? And why had he said what he did?

It was Jack’s parting words that worried Nora most of all. As soon as she got home, she dialed his number, but there was no answer. Why had Jack chosen to shut her out of his life? Was he mixed up in the scandal? Nora went to bed with a headache.

The next day, Simon Feldman came into her office. “My dear Ms Lewin, you look like something my dog drug in from the alley,” he said as he sat down in the chair. “Don’t tell me Roland kept you up all night on that wild goose chase to Long Island.”

“Was it a wild goose chase?” Nora asked wearily.

Simon nodded. “I told him to do his homework and not go running off because of an anonymous tip,” he said. “Stewart’s lawyers have got the cover story all ready. Seems it was money won in a poker game. Johnson, of course, was at the game, which accounts for any fingerprints found.” He looked at Nora. “I’ll ride herd on him if you ask,” he said gently. “Nothing Roland can do is going to get me mad. I have a low enough opinion of human nature to take his antics in stride.”

“I may take you up on that,” Nora said. “I have a meeting with him at ten. He’s to bring me up to speed on the investigation then.” Simon nodded and left.

When Roland Lincoln came in at ten, he looked sullen. He threw the report on Nora’s desk and then sat down in the chair. “There it is, for what it’s worth,” he said. “Frankly, I wouldn’t give you more than a nickel for the lot.”

“Then you didn’t find anything linking Stewart to the bribes besides the Long Island evidence?” Nora asked.

“No,” Roland said. “And that evidence is out. Apparently it was planted by someone.” He looked hard at Nora. “All we got is Johnson’s testimony.”

“Which will not indict anyone,” Nora got up from behind her desk. “Frankly, Roland, you’ve disappointed me. By calling that press conference prematurely, you have caused expectations to be raised. Now you tell me you can’t back up your statements. This is going to go over great, politically. And it won’t help your case at all. I’m assigning Simon to help you out.”

“Simon!” Roland cried.

“Not as a supervisor, but as co-prosecutor,” Nora explained. “You have two men to go after, so it makes sense to have two of you on the cases.”

“I don’t need any overseer,” Roland muttered.

Nora arched her brows. “And you don’t have one,” she said. “I’m lightening your load, that’s all. If it’s too much for you, though, I’ll be glad to reassign your case to Abbie Carmichael.”

Roland looked at her, enraged. He turned on his heel and walked out.

Nora phoned Simon. “I think you need to be brought in on the case,” she said.

“All right,” Simon said. “But do you mind coming down here? I’m a bit swamped, but I have something for you to see.”

“Be right there,” Nora said, mystified. She was not the one who usually went to her assistant’s offices. She was not used to being summoned.

Simon shook her hand and led her into his office, which was smaller and more cluttered than Jack McCoy’s. “I know it’s a mess, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said, taking some papers from the visitor’s chair and putting them on his desk. “I have a system, you see. Controlled chaos. No one could come in and spy on me. They wouldn’t have an idea where to begin finding anything.” He looked at Nora meaningfully. “But sometimes neat people have the advantage. It’s so much easier to find bugs, for example.”

Nora’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are we talking—“

“In generalities,” Simon said. “About the pros and cons of neat offices. Now, if they planted a bug in here, no one would ever find it because there are too many places to look. But in a neat place—but you came to see what I have found. And here is what I’ve found.” He got out a notebook and handed it to Nora. “You have to keep accounts somewhere. And Willard Reynolds kept them here. It’s got numbers and names. The names are in code, but Johnson has rolled on the code. So we can read this like it was a grade school primer. And oh, it is a pretty story!”

Nora took the notebook in hand. Simon explained the code, and she read down the list of dates and amounts received. She looked up. “This is more than enough on an indictment. But I haven’t assigned you to the Reynolds’ case yet!”

Simon smiled. “But you’re going to. Let’s just say I took the liberty of doing a little ground work beforehand.”

Nora looked at the notebook. “Is this genuine, or something you made up for your own amusement?”

“Oh, it’s real, all right. And legally obtained through a search warrant. It was just a matter of finding the place to look.”

Nora eyed him suspiciously. “And you don’t find out where to look in a matter of hours! Have you been working on this behind Roland’s back?”

Simon’s face was a mask as he said mildly, “Let’s just say that I am working in your best interests. And there are some good men assigned to the case. They’ve been working on this day and night.”

“They must have.” Nora got up to go. “How do I know to trust you?”

“I have no political agenda,” Simon reminded her. “I am three years from retirement and I don’t want to rock the boat. I like you just fine as DA.”

“I don’t know,” Nora paced the floor. “There’s another EADA I thought I trusted—thought I—well, that’s all gone now. Since you’re on this, you need to know what happened last night.”

“The treasure hunt on Long Island? Know all about it.”

“No you don’t. As I was walking away from the scene, I saw Jack. His jeans were dirty, as if he’d been digging. He told me I didn’t need to see him there—or anywhere, and then he rode off on his motorcycle. I think he’s involved, but I don’t know how.”

Simon nodded. “Thanks for putting me in your confidence,” he said. “I’ll check up on Jack.”

“If you find out where he is, let me know,” Nora said. “I need to find out—I need to know things for myself.”

“Sure,” Simon said. He went over to Nora. “And, boss, watch what you say in your office. And don’t look around too much, if you know what I mean. Bugs are pesky creatures, but they do have some advantage.”

Nora went for a walk after lunch. She was not certain whom to trust anymore. She’d gone back to her office after her talk with Simon and had found the bug right away, hidden on the leg of the couch. She’d left it where it was, but she couldn’t help but wonder who had placed it and how long it had been there. She didn’t feel right about this, not at all. She was not “the little woman” who had to be protected from the big bad men of the world. She was the DA; if there was corruption in her office, she needed to be informed about it. She needed to direct the investigation and prosecution personally.

She took her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the office. “Stacey? Which precinct is handling the Reynolds’ investigation? Yes, I’ll hold. Oh, the 2-7? Thanks.” She pocketed her phone and flagged a cab.

“District Attorney Lewin, this is an honor,” Anita Van Buren rose as Nora walked into her office. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“The Reynolds’ case,” Nora said. She remained standing, and looked out into the main room. “Which of your detectives are doing the investigation?”

“Green and Briscoe,” Van Buren said. “They’re in an interrogation room right now—“

“I need to see them,” Nora said. “Could you get them for me?”

“Sure,” Van Buren said. She stepped around Nora and walked down a hall. Moments later, Nora saw a shaggy haired man, head bowed, being led from the room. Then Lennie Briscoe entered the office.

“Ms Lewin, nice to see you,” he said. “My partner is escorting an informant out the back way. It’s not a good idea to let him go out the front door.”

“Of course not,” Nora said. “I assume it was an informant on the Reynolds’ case.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Lennie folded his arms.

“Or was he the one who gave the false tip about Long Island?” Nora continued.

“No, his main job has been to keep an eye on Reynolds. The two cases are more closely connected than you think.”

“That’s what I want to know, Detective. How are the cases linked?”

Lennie grinned. “Politics, pure old-fashioned politics. Here’s Ed. What say we take you over to Flannigan’s where we can sit back shoot the breeze a bit?”

Nora looked at him. “Shoot the breeze. Think the air’s a little polluted in here?”

Ed shrugged. “We don’t think so, but you never can tell.”

“You know about the electronic listening device,” Lennie said as they sat down at a table and ordered drinks.

“Simon Feldman told me, in so many words,” Nora said. “I located the device after our conversation. Then I decided to track you down. I appreciate all the security, but, as DA, I have to be kept in the loop.”

Lennie sighed. “I know, but it’s political, like I said before. We’re not ready to put anyone’s name on an indictment. We don’t have enough evidence to make a charge stick.”

“We’re afraid if you get fully involved, the whole investigation could be branded a witch-hunt,” Ed explained. “Especially if you’re seen hanging around us too much.” He shrugged. “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful—“

“You weren’t, Detective, you were just telling me the facts. And you’re right. After I found that bug, my paranoia soared to new heights. I’ll talk to Simon from now on. But you need to know that I expect a thorough, unbiased investigation that finds solid evidence of guilt. When this all comes out, I want to be able to say that when I discovered irregularities in the DA’s office I assigned a special independent task force to investigate. I don’t want to know names until you have the arrest warrants in your hands.”

“Good,” Lennie said, sipping his club soda. “I’m glad you know now, and I’m glad you are giving us a free hand to go on checking up on everyone.”

“I assume Simon is all right,” Nora said, “After all, he brought this to my attention. But my paranoia—“

“We checked him, and he’s clean,” Ed assured her. “That was the first thing we did when this started. He insisted on it, in fact. Said you’d ask us.”

Nora smiled. “That sounds like Simon. Now, tell me please—why was the bug planted? The Garbage Scandal?”

“No, it was political, but we think the scandal is related,” Lennie said. “Stewart and Reynolds both have political connections, though they are on opposite sides. We think it is most interesting that Stewart, Mayor Guilani’s friend, had that money planted on his estate the very day Roland Lincoln told you he was a suspect.”

“Then you know the money was planted,” Nora said, thinking of Jack and his dirty jeans.

“Yeah, we know that. Him we’ve got nailed,” Lennie said casually. “We’re watching him, hoping he’ll give us the political link we need. The EADA says we should have that in a day or so. He’s working at it around the clock.”

“I don’t want to know any more about that,” Nora said, feeling slightly sick.

“We understand.” Ed finished his iced tea. “We’ll keep going on the investigation until we’ve nailed all of the bastards. Hopefully, that won’t be too long from now.”

“Good,” Nora said. “Continue the operation, then. I’ll check in with Simon if I need to know anything.” She got up from the table, her drink untouched.

It didn’t make sense, it just didn’t make sense. Why would Jack have gotten involved in planting evidence? Had he hidden the box as a sick joke to make his fellow EADA look like a fool, or was the reason more sinister? ‘Him we’ve got nailed.’ Lennie’s words haunted her.

She flagged a taxi and sat in the back, brooding. Did she really want the job of DA? As an interim appointee, she could bow out gracefully and go back to academia. No, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t allow the Judge Wrights of the world to win, especially by unfair means. She’d sacrifice a lot to keep that from happening. With a shock, she realized she already had. Jack. She let the tears flow as she wondered where he was and what would happen to him.

The rest of the workweek was a tense one. Nora was self-conscious when she opened her mouth in the office, and said little to anybody. And nothing much got done. Roland was stymied on the Stewart investigation, and Simon was playing his cards close to the chest. Nora was glad when Friday night rolled around. She went home and was fixing herself a nightcap when the phone rang. It was Simon.

“Nora, can you come down to the 2-7? Things are starting to happen.”

“I told Lennie and Ed I’d stay out of the loop until there are names on an indictment,” Nora said.

“We need you here,” Simon said. “Your presence will add the pressure we need to make him crack. You can put the name on the indictment yourself.”

“So you’re saying it will break the case if I come.” Nora sat down her glass.

“Wide open,” Simon assured her.

She got to the 2-7 in record time. Lt. Van Buren walked her to Interrogation Room One. Nora looked through the one-way glass. Jack, in shirtsleeves and no tie, was seated at the table, flanked by Roland Lincoln and Simon Feldman. McCoy looked a mess. His hair was matted and uncombed, and his beard had grown darker since Nora last saw him on Long Island. He turned bloodshot eyes toward her as she entered the room.

Simon nodded to her silently, then turned to Jack. “She’ll want to hear this from the beginning, of course.”

“Of course.” Jack cleared his throat. “It all started when you read in the paper about that remark I’d made about falling on my sword. We were the only ones in the office when I said it, so I knew someone had planted a listening device. I also knew that, sooner or later, you’d realize it, too. That’s why I got out of there and took vacation time. I had to find out who was doing this before you did, and ruined your political career.”

Nora realized she had been holding her breath. “What evidence did you find?” she asked.

“A lot,” Jack said, clearing his throat again. It wasn’t helping to expel the exhaustion from his voice. “I called Detective Briscoe, and we went into the office that weekend and found the device. We were able to lift a print from the bug.” He turned to Roland. “You couldn’t very well come into the office wearing gloves, could you?”

Roland looked at Jack warily. “You had no search warrant,” he said. “Your discovery of the bug and my fingerprint will never be admitted into evidence in a court of law.”

“That’s a crock, and you know it. And anyway, do we need to go to a court of law?” Jack asked. “Nora can fire you on the spot for what you did.”

Roland leaned back in his chair. “What of it?” he asked. “I’ll get my job back as soon as the election is over.”

“Maybe so, if that were all of it,” Jack looked at him. “Dirty tricks go hand in hand with politics. But that listening device just didn’t transmit private conversations that could be twisted by partisan newspapers. It also transmitted vital information about an ongoing investigation, which directly resulted in the planting of evidence on Michael Stewart’s Long Island estate. How clever of you to invent the anonymous tipster.”

Roland looked up. “Hey, I had nothing to do with that. I really did get a tip. And why would I go to all the trouble of making myself look like a fool?”

“To divert suspicion,” Simon said. “As soon as I learned you’d gotten Reynolds and Stewart’s names, I contacted Jack. He’s been watching people, including a couple of men who went from Jacob Morgan’s to Stewart’s place on Long Island. Then he stuck around, and watched you. Didn’t take you very long to find the cash, did it?”

“I had nothing to do with planting evidence!” Roland pounded his fist on the table.

“Oh, sure,” Ed remarked sarcastically as he moved closer to Roland. “We believe you. How hard was it to keep the cops from looking in the spot right away?”

“I didn’t do it!” Roland shouted. He started to get up, but Lennie put a hand on his shoulder.

“Sit down, Counselor, we’re not done yet. Your career is toast. But political pranks are one thing, felonies another. Tampering with evidence, impeding an investigation—those will cost you your license and get you a free trip upstate. Ms. Lewin, is it mandatory that convicted former prosecutors serve their time segregated from the general population?”

“I think it is at the discretion of the District Attorney,” Nora said.

Roland’s eyes were wide as he looked at each person in the room. “I told you, I didn’t do it!”

“Then prove it!” Jack rasped. “Tell us who you planted the bug for and why you did it.”

Roland Lincoln seemed to shrink. “I don’t want to tell,” he said. “There are people involved—“

“Fine,” Simon said. He took a paper from his briefcase. “You want to take the fall, we’ve got the arrest warrant right here.”

“No, no—“ Roland held up his hands in defeat. “I won’t go down for them, but I’m afraid of retaliation. You’ve got to give me some protection.”

“We’ll see,” Simon replied coolly. He kept the warrant out on the table. “Talk—now.”

Roland bowed his head. “It was jealousy, pure and simple,” he said in a low voice. “Jack was teacher’s pet, and I knew I couldn’t compete. I’d met Bill Wright socially, and we got to be friends. He asked me if I could do him a little favor. I said sure. I thought anything they used would take Jack down a peg and assure Bill the election. Wright promised me the position as Chief if he were elected.”

“Whom did you get the bug from?” Simon asked.

“A man named Anderson, a security man for Jake Morgan. Jack knows him; Anderson testified at Morgan’s trial.”

“Glad to find out that little prosecution wasn’t for naught,” Jack said in a low voice. “Do you believe him, Simon?”

Simon considered. “Yes, he’s telling the truth.” He turned to Nora. “Ok boss, what do we do?”

“We don’t prosecute,” Nora said firmly. “And we let him keep his job—if he agrees to go with us for a little chat with William Wright.” The men looked at her, stunned at the announcement.

“You’d—do this for me?” Roland finally managed.

“Yes,” Nora said. “As long as you convince Wright to drop out of the race.” Nora waited a moment for her words to sink in. “Roland, you’re ambitious, but you’re a good prosecutor. I need you in the office. I’m giving you another chance, but you’ve got to do things my way.”

Roland looked at the table, then at Nora. “Ok,” he said. “Get Wright here—or anywhere—and I’ll talk with him.”

Nora stood up. “Get me a phone,” she said. “And dial Wright’s home number. He should be on his second glass of scotch about now.” She waited as the connection was made, then took the phone herself. “Judge Wright? Nora Lewin here. Yes, I’m sure this is a surprise. I’ve made some decisions and I feel I need to discuss them with you, as a courtesy. No, I’d like to do it as soon as possible, so that a press release can be put out. Where? My home in, say, an hour? You’ll be there? Thank you.” She handed the phone to Van Buren. “Have we enough unmarked cars to get us all to my brownstone?”

She sat in the back seat of Lennie’s car, between Jack and Simon. Simon was animated, but Jack was very quiet.

“Why, Nora, why?” Simon remonstrated. “That SOB doesn’t deserve his job back!”

Nora smiled. “I know it, and he knows I know it. He realizes that, sooner or later, word of what he did will be all over Hogan Place. He’ll have to work very hard to regain the trust and respect of his colleagues. That’s a lot worse punishment for a man with his ego than resigning.”

“Why do it, then?” Simon asked. “Why will he stay?”

“After tonight, he’ll have burned his bridges politically. No one in the opposition will want him around. All he can hope for is to work his way back into my good graces. With Wright gone, I’ll be elected with no problem.”

“If Wright goes,” Jack said softly. He cleared his throat. “I’ve been watching him since my vacation started. He’s stubborn.”

Nora led the part up the steps to her brownstone. Ed, who brought Van Buren and Roland Lincoln, moved his car down the street, while Lennie parked his in front of the brownstone.

“I think it will be best if he believes we’re alone,” Nora said, leading the party through the living room. She opened the dining room door. “There are plenty of chairs here, and I’ll leave the door open a crack. Simon, have everyone come in when you sense the time is right.”

William Wright came ten minutes later. He came into the house beaming, and let Nora take his coat and hat while he made pleasant remarks about the weather. He’s already gloating over the demise of Nora Lewin, DA, she thought. He followed her to the living room, and sat down on the couch, leaning back and crossing his legs.

“You’ve come to a wise decision, Nora,” he said, triumph in his voice.

“I think so,” Nora replied. “I could charge you with obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence, but I’ll be content with calling it dirty tricks if you withdraw from the race.”

Wright sat up on the couch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said guardedly.

“Oh, I think you do,” Nora said. “Your platform on morality and fairness isn’t going to look so good when the press finds out you had a bug planted in my office.”

“Nora!” Wright’s laugh was hollow. “If you’ve found listening devises in your office, you can’t blame it on me! I don’t know anything about it.”

“Oh really? Well, I have another guest here who might be able to refresh your memory.”

As Nora finished speaking, Roland Lincoln, followed by the others, came into the living room. Wright looked in Roland’s face, and shrank in his seat.

“It’s all over, man,” Roland said.

Nora insisted on a celebration after Wright had gone. She opened her bar, though she and Simon were the only ones who drank liquor.

Lennie grinned as he sipped his club soda. “Did you notice how when his face went white his ears stayed bright red as he signed the notice of withdrawal?”

“I’m not political, but I couldn’t help but savor the irony of him phoning Channel 11 with the news!” Simon sipped his scotch.

“With his sworn statement, you should find it easy to prosecute Anderson and Morgan,” Ed remarked as he finished his Coke.

“Speaking of whom, I think we’d better go call on those two gentlemen tonight,” Van Buren said as she put down her empty glass. “They’ve surely heard of Wright’s withdrawal, and may be deciding to take a powder.”

“You mean withdraw?” Simon laughed. “I’ll go with you and ride shotgun. Should be fun.”

Nora saw them out, and then returned to the living room. That’s when she realized Jack was still there. He had declined any refreshment and had gone to sit off by himself in a recliner. Nora went up to him, and realized he was sound asleep. She kissed his cheek, but he didn’t stir. Gently, she placed an afghan over him.

“I’d fall on my sword for you.” These words of Jack echoed through Nora’s mind as she sat on the couch and watched over him. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. His wrinkled shirt and stained jeans were mute testimony to the fact he hadn’t changed clothes in a while, either.

The phone rang. It was Lennie. “We collared them both,” he said, “and Anderson is singing like a canary. Looks like we’ll have a Morgan case Jack can win this time. Speaking of Jack, is he still there? I sort of lost him in the shuffle.”

“Yes, he’s in my recliner—sound asleep.”

“I’m not surprised,” Lennie said. “Now, this is between you and me. Jack will kill me if he knew I spilled the beans. He’s the one that started the whole operation. He talked with Simon, then with me. He camped out at my place, sort of. He was out most of the time, watching Wright’s house. That’s where he saw Anderson and Morgan, coming and going almost every day. When Simon told him the news about Stewart and Reynolds, he figured Morgan wouldn’t be able to keep from sticking his nose in Stewart’s business. He stayed up 48 hours straight that time, watching Anderson get the box of money and plant it among Stewart’s posies, and then riding back to Manhattan so we could change our strategy.”

“Did Jack ever eat?” Nora asked, as she looked at Jack’s pale face.

“Not enough. It was usually coffee, usually at the station house.”

“I almost caught him there that day, didn’t I?” Nora asked.

“Yeah. He didn’t want you to see him, or to know what he was doing.”

“But why?” Nora asked.

“He told me he didn’t want you worrying about him. Something about that he’d caused you enough trouble already and by doing this everything would be all right. Above all, he wants you to win this race. He said that was the most important thing to you, and he’d give the chance to do it fair and square, even if it killed him.”

“Thanks, Lennie,” Nora said. She closed the phone and looked at Jack again. The lines of exhaustion and stress had smoothed out, and he was in a deep sleep. Nora went over and kissed him once again. He didn’t stir, not even when her tear-stained face touched his cheek. She turned a lamp down low and left him there for the night.

She went to bed but she couldn’t sleep. Too many things had happened, too many things had changed. She drew on her robe and went down to the living room. Jack was still asleep; it didn’t look like he’d moved. Nora got another afghan from the hall closet and lay down on the couch and watched him.

He’d done this for her. He’d sacrificed his time, his health, just so she could win the election. Dear Jack! Nora smiled as he mumbled in his sleep and moved around. Without Wright in the picture, they could resume their friendship. Without Wright, they could go talk, go out, and just be with one another without fear of political repercussions.

The phone rang. Nora reached for it, hoping it hadn’t disturbed Jack. “Yes, yes this is Nora Lewin. I have no comment about the rumor of Judge Wright’s withdrawal from the race. I will have a statement ready for the press tomorrow. Please contact my secretary in the morning.” She turned off the phone and laid it on the arm of the couch. She watched Jack sleep until her eyes grew heavy and she, too, took her rest.

The radio alarm woke her in the morning. For a moment, she wasn’t sure where she was; then she remembered. Jack was still dead to the world, so she raced up to the bedroom to turn off the noise. She took a quick shower and dressed, and then went in to make breakfast. She was pouring cereal in a bowl when she heard a noise behind her. Jack was there, stretching and rubbing his eyes.

“The last thing I remember was the start of a celebration,” he said, and grinned. “What did I do, sleep the clock around?”

“Very nearly,” Nora said. She gave over and gave him a kiss, and then embraced him. “Jack, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you—missed seeing you. When I saw you on Long Island—“

“You know why I did it now, though,” Jack said, running his hand through her hair. “I could see what Wright was doing to you. I could see how hurt you were. That day in the office, when I realized it was bugged, I didn’t know what to do. My first thought was to get away. If I weren’t there, then the attacks would cease. But I was going to get my revenge. I staked out Wright’s house, and very quickly realized that something was going on between him and Morgan. I talked to Simon, and to Lennie, and, well, the rest just happened.”

“You did all that for me,” Nora looked at him as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

“But not to make you cry,” he said, wiping the tears away. “I did it because I love you, Nora, and I couldn’t figure another way out. You being DA means a lot, and I won’t take that away from you. It’s not too long until the election, and you’ll win, I know it. And even if the other side mounts another candidate, they’ll stay clear of personal issues. Wright burned them, and burned them bad.”

“I know,” Nora whispered as she held Jack close. “And now we can see each other again. Meet in my office, go out to eat—“

“Or have breakfast together,” Jack said, gently extricating himself from her arms. “I’m sorry, Nora, but I’m awfully hungry.”

“Of course!” Nora laughed. “I got out cereal, but I’ll make—“

“Cereal and coffee will be fine,” Jack said, sitting down at the table.

They sat and talked until nearly nine, sipping coffee and gazing into each other’s eyes. Nora was prepared to stay there the whole day, but the phone rang. It was Stacey.

“I got a call from Channel 11. Something about a statement? What do you want me to do, Nora?” she said.

“Sorry—I’m running late. A lot of things happened around here last night. Tell any news person that calls that a statement will be forthcoming at noon. I’ll be in within the hour and we’ll get started on it.” She shut off the phone and sighed. “Duty calls. But you’re welcome to stay here and rest, if you’d like. The guest bedroom is upstairs, to your right.”

“No, I’d better get back to my place,” Jack said. “I’ve got a crop of beard to harvest, and then I need to look through accumulated mail. But I might come by this afternoon and take you out to dinner, if that’s all right with you.”

“That will be fine,” Nora smiled.

All the news stations were there when Nora read her statement at noon. “I acknowledge the withdrawal of my opponent, Judge William Wright, from the DA’s race. I wish him all the best. I also wish to assure the people of New York County that I will continue to do my best to maintain and improve the office of Manhattan District Attorney.”

There had been a celebratory air after the announcement. Word had gotten around about what had happened the night before, but Simon made sure no one leaked details to the press. People kept coming in and out of Nora’s office, just to talk, shake hands, and make bad jokes.

“Heard you found a real good exterminator for that bug problem of yours,” Saul Peters had laughed. “You might want to have Roland come in once a month to do a little inspection, don’t you think?”

Nora shook her head. “Roland Lincoln has enough work to do without worrying about me or my office,” she said. “I have a feeling he’ll be so busy with cases he won’t have time for anything else.”

“Let’s hope so,” Simon said, coming in and sitting down on the sofa. He patted the cushions with his hand. “If this were mine, I’d have it sent down to his office as a little reminder the first time he decided to engage in other activities.”

“You wouldn’t be that obvious,” Nora said.

“True,” Simon replied. “Besides, I like the couch. I’d just send him the slipcover for the arm.” Saul Peters laughed and left. Simon leaned forward and looked at Nora. “Well, boss, looks like the race is a shoo-in, which is good, because we still have a mess. We’ve got indictments on Morgan and Anderson for evidence tampering and obstruction of justice. Reynolds we have dead to rights, as you know. But Stewart! All we have is Johnson’s word that the man was involved in the kickbacks. The planted evidence muddied up the waters and got us sidetracked. By now, Stewart or his lawyer has probably gotten rid of anything incriminating.”

Nora sighed. “And I want to be even-handed with this, especially after Wright’s withdrawal. I don’t want to hand the opposition any excuse to start attacking this office.” She sat back in her chair and thought. “How about putting some pressure on Reynolds? Tell him that Stewart will go free because of lack of evidence. Lay it on that Morgan and Anderson helped Stewart but didn’t help him. I bet he’ll tell all he knows about the three of them.”

Simon nodded. “You got a point,” he said, getting up. “And it just might work. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Why not this afternoon?” Nora asked.

Simon turned and smiled. “Because I think you’re going to be busy this afternoon. I saw a vacationing EADA in the hall a while ago.” He turned and left.

Nora was at the door and walking down the hall before she realized it. She went to Jack’s office and knocked on the door, and then entered. Jack was standing, looking out the window. He had gone home and changed into the charcoal gray suit Nora loved. He turned and grinned, showing her his clean-shaven face and neatly trimmed hair.

“I went home and said to hell with it,” he said. “I couldn’t stay home, couldn’t stay away from this place, knowing you were here.”

“You went to the barber,” Nora said, coming close. “He did a good job.”

“Yeah, I decided not to ruin my shaver trying to cut the beard myself. And while I was there, I thought why not let him try to tame this mop of mine.”

“I like it,” Nora put her hand on his chest. “But then I like it wild, too.”

Jack looked down at her and grinned. “And I bet you even liked the beard.”

“Oh yes,” Nora raised her face, and Jack reached down and kissed her. He wrapped his arms gently around her as the kiss deepened. They finally broke away, reluctantly.

“When can you leave?” Jack asked her.

“I just have to tell Stacey,” Nora replied.

They walked together to the elevator, not saying a word. The other people in the car congratulated Nora, and she smiled at them vaguely. Jack was standing by her, deliciously close, and it took all her willpower to keep from embracing him then and there. They got off the elevator and went outside. The wind blew Jack’s hair, and Nora noticed how gray it had become.

“I would fall on my sword for you.”

“I beg your pardon?” Jack looked at Nora.

“Oh, did I speak aloud?” Nora looked in Jack’s face, then slipped her hand in his. “I was just thinking that that was exactly what you did.”

“Nothing so dramatic,” Jack said. “I rode into battle for you, that’s all. I came out of it pretty unscathed.”

“Are you sure?” Nora turned worried eyes to him. “You didn’t get enough rest, or proper food—“

“I didn’t starve, and I can catch up on sleep.” Jack patted Nora’s arm. “Besides, I’m making up for it tonight. Dinner at the Ritz, and then dancing, if you’d like.”

“Anywhere you are is fine with me,” Nora said.

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking, holding hands, and just enjoying being together again. The dinner was fabulous; Jack went all out. Then they went to the dance floor and slow danced to romantic songs of the Swing Era. Nora could tell Jack was tiring, and suggested they go to her place.

“All right,” Jack said. “I’ve got something special for you, to end this very special day.”

They sat close together in the cab, and Jack put his arm around her. By the time they got to the brownstone, he had fallen asleep, and Nora had to wake him. He smiled sheepishly, and then paid the cabbie. He followed her up the stairs and into the living room.

“Can I get you anything?” Nora asked, heading for the bar.

“Yes.” Something in Jack’s voice made her turn around. He walked over to her, and got down on one knee. “Nora, I was a fool not to have done this thirty years ago. But maybe the time wasn’t right. But the time is right now. Will you marry me?” He held in his hand a diamond solitaire in white gold.

Nora looked at him. “Yes,” she breathed.

He put the ring on her finger, and then stood up. The kiss was sweet and tender, and Nora wished it would never end.

“I know there will be complications,” he said, “but being away from you was worse than any complication we could face. I checked on the statutes. We can work in the same office, as long as you are not directly over me.”

Nora raised her brows. “The office of Chief Executive has been vacant for some time now. I could give it to Simon, and then there would be no problem.”

Jack smiled. “That’s what I was thinking. Simon is fair, honest, and has no political agenda. He’ll make a great Chief Executive Assistant.” He yawned. “Mind if we sit down on the couch? I’m still not caught up on my rest.”

They walked over to the couch, arm and arm, and sat down. Jack just looked at her, smiling. He put his head on her shoulder, and before Nora knew it, he was asleep.

“Jack,” she said, shaking him gently, “You need to go to bed. Stay here tonight in the guest bedroom.”

He looked at her and smiled. “That’s bringing temptation awfully close,” he said, then sighed. “But you know, I’m too tired for temptation.” He stood up. “Lead the way to the bed. I just hope I can get my suit off before I crash.”

Nora led him to the bedroom door, where he stopped and kissed her once again. “You’ve made me very happy, Nora,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Very, very happy.”

Nora floated to her bedroom. She lay on the bed, looking at the ring. It symbolized more than a promise, it symbolized her future life. She was sure she’d stay awake all night, but she was asleep in less than five minutes.

The radio awoke her the next morning. She got up, showered, and dressed, and then went down to the kitchen to make coffee. She half expected Jack to make an appearance any time, but she finished her cereal and washed the dishes without seeing him. It was nearly time to go to work. Hesitantly, she walked upstairs and knocked softly on his door. There was no answer. Quietly, she opened the door.

Jack was under the covers, sound asleep. His suit and shirt were draped across a chair, so Nora knew he’d been able to undress before he crawled in bed. She walked over to him, not sure what to do. She touched his bare arm, and he stirred.

“Jack,” she said softly. “I’ve got to go to work. There’s coffee and cereal downstairs. Stay in bed as long as you want,”

“Mmm” Jack said without opening his eyes. Nora leaned over and kissed him, and then reluctantly left.

Simon Feldman was surprised when Nora summoned him to her office. “The paperwork isn’t done on the Stewart case,” he said, “though he has agreed to a plea once he realized Reynolds had spilled the beans. Morgan’s copped a plea, too. I think there are plenty more skeletons in his closet and he was afraid we’d find them if we kept up the investigation.”

“You are probably right, as usual, Simon,” Nora said, standing up and motioning to the couch. “Sit down. It should be safe, now that the exterminators have been here.”

Simon shook his head as he took a seat. “Roland is a smoldering pile of resentment right now. I thought that we’d cleared the paranoia out of this office, but frankly, I think I caught a bit of it.”

“He’s not trying to interfere with your cases, is he?” Nora asked.

“No, not exactly. But I’ve heard rumblings. Seems he wants to start taking over some of my caseload. To redeem himself, he’s telling people. I don’t buy it. He just wants a piece of my turf.”

“Well, then, maybe I can help,” Nora said. “I need you to take a new position as Chief Executive Assistant District Attorney. As chief, you would be supervising Roland, and I can think of no other person who could keep him in line. Besides, it would mean an easier caseload for you. You could prosecute only those cases that interested you.”

Simon laughed. “I do that now,” he said. He leaned back on the couch and considered. “Making me Chief could solve the Roland problem—and maybe another one.” He smiled at Nora. “I noticed you’re wearing a new ring today. How much you want to bet I know who it’s from?”

“No bets, and you’re right. Jack didn’t spend all his time checking up on Wright. He checked the statutes. We can work in the same office as long as I am not his direct supervisor.”

“Ah, and so that’s why you need me as Chief,” Simon nodded. “Who am I to stand in the way of love? It’s a rare enough quantity as it is. I’ll be delighted to take the job, Nora, as long as you let me dance with you at your wedding.”

Nora half expected to see Jack at noon, but he didn’t make an appearance. A quick call to her home got her the answering machine, and Jack’s phone rang 20 times before she hung up. She felt a bit uneasy, and cancelled a luncheon engagement with Judge Rivera. The uneasy feeling grew as Ron drove her to the brownstone. He waited at the curb as she went inside.

“Jack! Jack!” She walked through the downstairs, but no one was there. No dishes were in the sink; Jack hadn’t eaten or drunk coffee. Nora felt very uneasy now. She took the stairs quickly, going first to Jack’s bedroom. The covers were tossed back, but Jack’s suit jacket was still draped across the chair. Nora flew down the hall to the bathroom.

The door was ajar, and Nora pushed on it. It wouldn’t budge. Looking through the crack, she saw the top of Jack’s head. She didn’t know what to do. If she pushed harder on the door, she could hurt Jack. She reached with her fingers and touched Jack’s hair. She felt something warm and sticky.

“Jack, Jack, are you all right? Say something, please!”

“Oh,” Jack moaned. Nora watched as he moved slowly.

“Are you hurt?” She was near panic now. “What happened?”

Slowly, Jack got to his feet. Nora saw the blood oozing out of the scalp wound. As soon as she could, she came into the bathroom. Jack, meanwhile, sat down on the commode and put his head in his hands.

“What happened?” Nora got water on a washcloth and started dabbing at the wound.

“Not sure,” Jack said. “I slept really late, and was rushing to get ready so I could meet you at noon. I came in here to comb my hair and that’s the last I remember.”

“You fell. And, from the looks of things, your head hit the radiator as you went down.” Nora continued to dab his forehead. “Since it is now twelve fifteen, I’d say you’ve been out for quite some time.”

“Twenty minutes,” Jack said, taking the cloth from Nora’s hand. “Get a bandage and put it on. The bleeding’s stopped now.”

“I’ll put on a bandage,” Nora said, getting out her first aid kit, “but then Ron is taking us to the Emergency Room. You might have a concussion.”

“What, with this thick head?” Jack laughed weakly. “The radiator may have a concussion, but not me!”

Nora looked him in the eye. “Go. For my sake.”

The ER was busy, and they had to wait. Jack tried to tell Nora everything was fine, and that she needed to go back to work, but she wouldn’t hear of it. “I’m calling Stacey. All my appointments for this afternoon will be cancelled. I’m staying with you until I know what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” Jack bristled. “I fell and hit my head, that’s what’s wrong.”

“You know it’s more than that,” Nora said. She went over to the examining table where he was seated and held his hand. “People don’t just fall down without a reason.”

Jack tried to look in her eyes, but couldn’t. “I fainted, that’s all,” he sighed as he looked at the floor.

“I hope that’s all it is,” Nora said, giving his hand a squeeze.

A doctor breezed into the room. “Dr. Mary Johnston, here,” she said briskly as she looked over Jack’s chart. “You told the nurse you fell and you fear you have a concussion?”

“We’d also like to know why he fell,” Nora said.

Dr. Johnston got out her pen. “Have a history of light headedness?” she asked.

“No,” Jack said. “But I haven’t been eating or sleeping very much lately.”

“That could do it,” Dr. Johnston shined a light in Jack’s eyes. “Pupils reactive and normal,” she said. “Anne, order a CT on Mr. McCoy’s head. I don’t think we have a concussion, but he was out for quite a while. Draw some blood, too, so maybe we can find out why he fell.” She nodded to the nurse.

Jack lay back on the gurney when it arrived. “Sorry, but you can’t go with you husband,” the nurse said. “But we’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Nora sat down in one of the chairs in the examining room. She looked at the posters on the wall. Jack didn’t smoke, he was fit, and he exercised. Why had this happened? The only thing that it could be was the strain he put himself under—for her. Nora bowed her head.

“We’re back!” Anne said cheerily. “You can get up now, Mr. McCoy. Now, how many 8X10 glossies do you want to order?”

“None this time,” Jack smiled. “But if I need to take another gurney ride, I’m calling for you!”

“I bet you say that to all the nurses,” Anne said.

“Only the cute ones like you.” Jack grinned and got off the gurney. He went over to Nora and held her close. “They looked at the scan. There’s no concussion.”

“Well, you’ve got your sense of humor back,” Nora said. “Though I’ve never seen you flirt so outrageously before!”

“She was cute,” Jack said, going back to the examining table and sitting on the end of it. “I have a weakness for petite, dark-haired women. Now you know my biggest fault.”

“If all you do is flirt with them, I have no problems,” Nora said, holding his hand.

Jack sighed. “I’m tired, Nora.” He lay back on the table and closed his eyes. “How long do you suppose we’ll have to wait until we get the results of the blood test?”

“I don’t know.” Nora tried to keep the worry out of her voice. She stood there, holding Jack’s hand, watching him. Finally, the doctor came in.

“We have a diagnosis, Mr. McCoy,” she said. “Anemia. Low blood sugar. Apparently you haven’t been eating right for quite a while.” She wrote out a prescription. “I don’t think you’ve gone into hypoglycemia yet, but you need to check with your doctor. The script is for some iron pills. Take them, eat right, and you should be right as rain—but check with your doc just to make sure.”

Nora sighed with relief. She noticed that Jack’s face was less worried now, too. He got off the table and took her hand.

“Now it’s to the pharmacy and then to see Dr. Atkinson. Go on back to work, Nora, I’ll be fine.”

“Uh-huh,” Nora said. “Ron’s waiting for us, and he’ll drive you where you need to go. You have me for the rest of the day, like it or not.”

“Don’t get me wrong; I like it,” Jack said as they walked out the doors. “I just don’t know if your constituency will.”

But the voters of New York County had no problems when they went to the polls the next month. Nora Lewin was elected in a landslide. The opposition had never really come up with another strong candidate; the few people who ran against her ran as independents. Nora really hadn’t had her mind on the campaign anyway; her mind was on Jack.

The ER doctor’s diagnosis had proved correct; with proper diet and supplements, Jack was ready and eager to go back to work. Simon kept his workload light, not only for his health, but so he could prepare for the wedding. Nora had insisted they wait until after the election, and Jack had agreed, reluctantly.

“We’ll marry the day after the election,” he said. “Rev. LeRoy has offered to perform the ceremony.”

“That’s fine,” Nora said. “We’ll have a reception and dance at the Ritz-Carlton—I promised Simon a turn around the floor in exchange for him becoming Chief.”

“I guess that’s a fair exchange,” Jack said. “But I get all the other dances.”

“For the rest of my life,” Nora promised. Jack came close, and they kissed.

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