Parties in Congress (14 page)

“No, and to be honest, it was going really well until the very end. I thought Janet related well to the audience, and she got a good amount of applause throughout.” Kristin continued to fiddle with the video player.

“Did angry liberals disrupt it? Protesters?”

Kristin grimaced and shook her head. “It was more of a…wardrobe malfunction.”

“Like her fly was down or something?”

“Here it is. Check this out.”

Kristin pressed Play and Bijal watched as Janet stood before a podium at the local fund-raising event just a few hours earlier. The crowd was clapping enthusiastically, and Janet was obviously beginning to announce her departure. “Thanks so much for taking the time to come, everyone,” she said. “I appreciate your time and your questions. But most of all, I want to thank you all for your interest in government and in your representatives. Have a great day, and God bless!”

Janet waved wildly to the attendees as she walked off the stage and into the wings, out of view of the camera and audience. “Thanks, thanks,” she said, her voice just as clear as it had been moments earlier when she had been addressing the crowd.

Bijal’s hand flew to her mouth as she realized that Janet must have still been wearing the remote microphone clipped to the lapel of her jacket. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, I know,” she was heard to say to someone. The people at the fund-raiser appeared puzzled by precisely what they were hearing booming over the PA system. “Yeah, that guy in red is a real asshole. No argument. Hey, can we stop at the ladies’ room? That Thai food from lunch is galloping through me like a freakin’ thoroughbred. Huh? Oh, sh—”

A shrill surge of feedback interrupted the final expletive, and the murmurs of the attendees grew louder before Kristin finally pressed Pause.

“Oh…my…God,” Bijal gasped.

Kristin nodded. “You see how ‘catastrophic’ might be the first word to come to mind?”

“Has it gone viral?”

“And then some. It’s already played on CNN. I expect it to be in heavy rotation by late tonight.”

“Holy shit,” Bijal said, stunned.

Kristin started loading another clip. “It gets better. The local affiliate who filmed this little gem decided to find the referenced ‘guy in red’ and get a comment from him. The news is running that video too.”

Bijal cringed as she watched the footage of a fidgety fat fellow in a red sweater beginning to speak. “I guess she had a problem with me asking her for specifics on what she’d do about unemployment,” he told the newscaster. “I thought it was a perfectly reasonable question, but I don’t see anyone else here in red. So I guess that makes me…well, the—”

The network bleeped the man’s final word.

“Why?” was all Bijal could say. “God, why?”

“Because apparently no one thought to remind Janet that her mic was both live and still attached to her.”

“It’s not because we’re cursed?”

Kristin chuckled. “Sometimes it feels that way.”

“Where’s Janet now?”

“Actually, she’s here. I think she’s hiding in her office while Donna gives interviews to the press trying to minimize the impact.”

Bijal blinked repeatedly as she let that sink in. “Because Donna is a master of reason and public relations.”

“Right,” Kristin said sarcastically. “And because Yosemite Sam was busy.”

“Maybe this is my opportunity to talk to Janet one-on-one.”

Kristin shrugged. “Just don’t take it personally if she’s not in a very good mood.”

Bijal stood up and looked at her watch. She had a little time before she needed to head over to Colleen’s rally. She started toward Janet’s office. “Nah. I’ll just assume the Thai food caused her surly disposition, not me.”

Bijal was surprised that not only was the mayor in her office alone, but that the door was open, revealing her going through her e-mail.

“Janet?”

“Hey, Bijal.” Janet smiled warmly. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Well, I’ve been busy doing the surveillance work Donna assigned me to.”

“Surveillance?”

Bijal had a sinking feeling in her gut. “Yeah, you know. I’ve been following Congresswoman O’Bannon around in the evenings. In fact, I’m headed off shortly to her event at the Sheraton.”

“Come on in and shut the door.”

Bijal did as she was asked and took a seat. This was starting to feel increasingly weird. “Didn’t Donna tell you about my assignment?”

Janet shook her head. “What is it you’re hoping to see?”

“Donna heard from someone’s brother’s cousin’s college room-mate that O’Bannon was dating someone.”

“So you’re following her around hoping to catch her in a late-night clinch with some UPS driver?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Hmm.” Janet seemed bothered.

“May I speak freely?”

“Please do, Bijal.”

She cleared her throat and sat up straight. “I want you to know that I really do support you as a candidate. I agree with your ideals, and I’d love to see you win.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t assume that all my paid employees feel that way.”

“But I have some concerns about Donna and some of the decisions she’s made regarding the campaign.”

Janet entwined her fingers and reclined in her chair. “For example?”

“Not releasing a proactive statement to the press regarding the gay-bashing. Attempting to court the right wing when the vast majority of our undecided voters are moderates. Making me waste my time focusing on O’Bannon’s personal life, instead of allowing me to research demographics, issues, and polling. Sending you to an NRA rally that you’d already declined to attend.”

“I think I’m starting to get the idea.”

Bijal worried if she’d already crossed a line. “Perhaps if you get a consensus before acting,” she proposed tactfully.

“Things aren’t going too smoothly, Bijal. I’m well aware of that. Did you see what happened this afternoon at my fund-raiser?”

“I may have heard a murmur or two.”

“And exactly how would you have me respond to this current embarrassment, if it were up to you?”

Bijal thought for a moment. “The public does appreciate accountability—it’s something they rarely see in politics or corporations. So, first, I’d have you contact the guy in red directly and apologize to him.”

“Make it a photo op, you mean?”

“No, because inviting the press immediately cheapens it and makes it seem contrived and insincere. I mean just you and him. Let him know that you’re genuinely sorry for your remark and that you don’t think he’s an asshole. If he continues to do interviews, he’ll likely share that you not only took responsibility for your comment, but that you were gracious and earnest about it.”

“That’s good.”

“And then I’d have
you
out talking to the media, not Donna. There’s nothing appealing about an employee publicly taking the heat for something her boss said or did.”

Janet was looking at Bijal through squinted eyes. “And what else would you have me do? How might we shift momentum?”

“Well…I think we’d stop ignoring the fact that you’re a moderate and talk about social issues, and we’d start painting O’Bannon as someone who is very far left of center. This is still a red state, and the people here are more conservative than not. We could easily build support among people who may not be comfortable with O’Bannon’s extreme liberal stances. Instead, we’re spending all our time doing damage control. You can’t score any points if you only play defense.”

Janet stared at Bijal intently, all the while her only visible moving body part seeming to be her thumbs.

“Have I said too much?” Bijal asked, suddenly aware of her pulse throbbing in her forehead. “Because I thought we were just sort of informally—”

“Impressive,” Janet interjected, stopping Bijal mentally in her tracks. “You clearly have a strong grasp of the issues and the way politics works in general.”

“Um, thanks.”

“And I do appreciate those things, Bijal, regardless of how things may sometimes seem.”

“I certainly don’t mean to question that.”

“I know. All your points have merit. Everything you’ve said makes sense. I’ll talk to Donna in the morning and we’ll discuss some of them. I’ll let you know what she says.”

“Okay.” Bijal wasn’t sure what Janet was telling her. Was she saying she intended to run her ideas by Donna? Who was really in charge here?

“And I’ll let her know that I think you’re far more valuable to this campaign working in the office than creeping around outside O’Bannon’s house.”

Bijal coughed nervously.

“So go on to the rally,” Janet said. “But I’ll expect you back in the office starting tomorrow.”

“I’m officially off spy detail?”

Janet scowled. “Well, not yet. Not until I can get Donna to agree. But it’s important that you’re here in the morning, especially since the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee is stopping by to see us for a strategy meeting. I’d like you to attend.”

“Charles Hammond is coming
here
?”

“Mmm-hmm, so make sure you have your game face on. I expect he’ll have some critical things to say, based on some of the setbacks we’ve encountered.”

“I’m honored, Janet. Thanks so much for this chance to prove myself.”

“You’re welcome. Just be ready to work your ass off.”

Bijal inwardly winced. If she had to work days
and
nights, she had no doubt that would be exactly the end result—no pun intended.

Bijal sat in her car and sulked, shivering from an unforeseen chill. She had left the Sheraton’s fancy banquet room when the event began to wind down, and she now waited for Colleen to come out this back entrance to her vehicle, staking her out like she was a gangster’s moll in a cheap detective novel.

It had been disheartening to see how impressive Colleen’s event was. The catering was amazing. Her speech had been exceptional. The supporters had all seemed energized and generous with their time, money, and support.

This was not at all the way Janet’s events had been trending. Why, not once all night had Colleen insulted a constituent and announced to the crowd her urgent need to defecate.

The hotel back door suddenly opened and out came Colleen, now changed from her formalwear into a pair of faded jeans and a crisp button-up shirt, hefting a garment bag over her shoulder. Walking with her was a rather tall man, one who Bijal assumed was Max, the campaign manager who gave hugs and made house calls. With them was also a shorter woman who Bijal recognized as the dumpy woman from Colleen’s website—the one she’d originally assumed was Colleen.

They looked tired, and after stopping for a moment or two to chat, the man and the woman each embraced Colleen, then headed to their respective cars. Colleen shuffled to her own sedan and began loading her clothes into the backseat.

As Max and his coworker both pulled out of the parking lot and drove off into the night, Colleen shut the back door of her car and looked over to where Bijal sat observing her. Colleen’s eyes narrowed and Bijal was certain she’d been spotted. Of course, by now, she saw no point in either hiding or feigning innocence.

Bijal waved.

With a lopsided smile, Colleen zipped up her jacket and approached Bijal’s Subaru. When she reached the driver’s door, she knocked politely on the window and Bijal rolled it down. “Hey, I thought that was you.”

“Where else would I be? You might be out somewhere doing something…lesbian.”

“Like shopping at a hardware store?” Colleen asked.

“Yes, or watching sports. Absolutely scandalous.”

An awkward pause settled between them, punctuated by lingering eye contact.

Colleen propped herself casually on the fender. “You were inside, right?”

“I was. It was quite the little shindig. Very impressive.”

“Thanks. Did you get enough to eat?”

“Yeah, I have to admit you Democrats definitely have superior catering.”

“Hmm, you think so?”

Bijal nodded. “The stuffed mushrooms were delicious, and the bacon-wrapped shrimp were so good they compelled me to stuff three in my mouth at one time.”

“That’s quite a resounding endorsement, despite coming from a woman who’s been subsisting entirely on cold drive-thru food.”

“Well, at Janet’s rallies we serve chips, dip, and Bagel Bites.”

Colleen grimaced. “Yum.”

“Our events have more of a…mid-city soup-kitchen feel.”

“Look at the bright side. You’ll never be accused of being elitist. Hey, I’m starving, so I need to stop somewhere.”

“You didn’t eat any of that amazing food?” Bijal asked.

“When you’re the hostess, it’s hard to stop talking long enough to chew anything. You want to join me for a quick bite?”

“Are you asking me to dinner?”

“Well, technically I figure you’ll be there either way. It’d just be more enjoyable if you actually came indoors where I could talk to you, instead of staring at me through the window like I’m some prize Christmas goose.”