The Minnesota Candidate (4 page)

“That sounds great,” said Tom, knowing that
wasn’t exactly true. He still owed his mother a great deal. As mean
as she could be, she had still raised him in a good home, had still
insisted he go to college; she had gone without so he could have a
better life. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t still angry with her
for how she had acted the previous day. And while there was no way
he wanted her living under the same roof, he did want to share some
of his good fortune with her. He just didn’t know how to bring that
up to Shari. She was still stinging after what his mom had said to
her and he knew this would be a bad time to bring the subject
up.

They ate a delicious dinner and had drinks at
the Bayside Grille on Lake Minnetonka. This was Shari’s favorite
restaurant on the lake and it seemed as if everyone knew her. Tom
found himself the center of attention and could see that her
friends were sizing him up. He couldn’t remember the last time he
had felt so uncomfortable. These weren’t his kind of people, and
they would never be his kind of people, he was sure of it. While
they were friendly, there were plenty of backhanded compliments and
some outright jabs, especially when it came to Shari’s wedding
ring.

They arrived at their table in twos and threes,
the beautiful people, tanned and trim with snow white teeth,
dressed casually to the nines. Tom thought they were smug and
arrogant, vulgar, plastic people, with overinflated opinions of
themselves. Many brought their political opinions and religious
beliefs into the conversation, and Tom had to bite his lip to keep
from getting into an argument. One man, a fifty-something George
Hamilton clone, even offered to buy Shari’s property, lock, stock,
and barrel. “I’ll give you top dollar for that property,” he
boasted. “And you know that’s the truth,” he added,
confidently.

“Daddy would roll over in his grave,” said
Shari, not missing a beat, and not bothering to further explain
herself.

“He was a good man,” said George Hamilton, “the
best. We really miss him at the Yacht Club. He was a helluva tennis
player.”

“Yes,” agreed Shari, “he was. Now, if you’ll
excuse us, I need to get Tom back home. We’ve had a long day.”

Tom stood and George offered him his hand and
the two shook. George clamped down on Tom’s hand by the fingers and
he gave them a hard squeeze. George smiled and Tom could tell that
he had practiced the move, many times. Tom smiled through the pain
and didn’t say anything until they were back inside the SUV. “That
last guy was really a creep,” he said. “I think he was trying to
break my fingers.”

Shari shook her head and groaned. “That was
Bernie Lehman, and he’s a total asshole. He’s been after me to sell
him the lake place since Daddy passed away. I can’t stand him. I’m
sorry about putting you on display like that. You were a real
trooper. I just wanted the word to get out there that I’ve
remarried. I’m sure the news has already spread halfway around the
lake. One thing about rich people, they love their gossip almost as
much as they love their money. Do you know who lives in the house
next door to us? Senator Levitz. He and my dad were best
friends.”

“No kidding? Wow, that’s pretty cool. I hear
he’s lucky to be alive after that car accident.”

Shari nodded. “I know, but my dad always said
that Merle had a horseshoe stuck up his ass. They used to play
cards.”

Tom started up the Mercedes and laughed. He then
pulled out of the parking lot. He had felt out of his element and
was happy to leave the place in his rearview mirror.

With Shari navigating, they talked about the
people Tom had met. They were the movers and shakers of the Twin
Cities. Like Shari, many had been bluebloods, born into their place
in the world. Still, there were others who had earned their money
the old-fashioned way. Shari explained that while the bluebloods
accepted these newcomers into their fold, they still looked down on
these people with new money. Tom laughed at this, wondering out
loud where those people got such a high opinion of themselves. They
continued talking as Tom pulled into the driveway. The day had
quickly slipped away from them and the sun was already beginning to
set over the lake. Tom snaked the Mercedes around the S-curves,
enjoying how the SUV sucked up the pavement, feeling good about the
day.

And that was when he spotted someone lying down
by the gate.

“Dear God,” said Shari. “Who could that be?”

“I don’t know,” gasped Tom. “I just hope they’re
alive,” he pressed down on the accelerator and the Mercedes shot
forward. The person was lying in the grass, just to the right of
the pavement. There was a brown paper shopping bag next to the
body, rumpled and half filled with something. Tom breathed a sigh
of relief when the person, whoever it was, began to stir. Tom
pulled up and slammed on the brakes. “Oh my God,” he exclaimed,
“it’s my mom!”

“Well, is she okay?”

“How would I know?” he replied, shifting the SUV
into park and practically leaping out before the Mercedes had
stopped.

Doris Picacello’s cheeks were blackened. Fallen
tears created tiny clear streaks that ran to her jawline. She was
sobbing and trembling. “Tommy,” she groaned, “Tommy, where have you
been? I’ve been out in the hot sun all afternoon.”

“Ma, what are you doing out here? Are you
okay?”

“Let me help you up,” said Shari. “We need to
get you into the house. Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“How do you think I got here?” asked Doris. “Oh
Tommy, it’s terrible. Our house has burned down to the ground. I
should be dead right now.”

“Burned down?” Tom asked, incredulously. “What
do you mean it burned down? How did this happen?”

Doris rubbed her cheeks, smearing black soot all
over her hands and face. She didn’t seem to notice. “I don’t really
know what happened. I was frying up a couple hamburgers and only
sat down for a minute… I must have dozed off in my chair and the
next thing I knew, the kitchen was going up in flames… I tried to
put it out, really I did. Why weren’t you there to look after me?
You know how sleepy I get after I take my pills. It’s just a
miracle that I woke up. The Lord was watching out for me, Tommy.
That’s what that was.”

Tom pointed to the rumpled grocery sack. “Let me
get this straight,” he said. “Are you telling me that all you were
able to salvage from the house is inside this shopping bag?” Doris
picked up the bag and clutched it to her chest. Slowly, her head
began to bob up and down. Tom also nodded his head. The realization
hit him like a brick to the teeth. He wanted to sit down next to
his mother and cry, but Picacello men didn’t do such things. He ran
his hand through his hair and fought to remain calm. They might not
have had much in this world, but what they did have was
irreplaceable.

Shari must have sensed what he was feeling. She
wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “We’ll get through this.”

The first night was difficult. Tom and Shari
coaxed Doris up off of the ground and into the Mercedes. That had
taken nearly fifteen minutes. Once they were inside the house,
Doris sank into a recliner and resumed her crying. This went on for
about an hour. Finally, after trying to pull her new mother in-law
out of her misery, Shari excused herself and she went up to
bed.

She walked inside the master bath and silently,
she began to pace; Shari’s face was contorted with rage and she
flailed her arms in the air. The fire had been no accident, she was
sure of it. Doris had burned her own house down, sacrificing every
last memento from Tom’s past, just so she could have an excuse to
move in with them. The thought of living under the same roof as
Doris Picacello caused Shari to shake her head so violently that
she actually strained muscles.

Shari screamed and cursed under her breath,
pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. This went on for quite
some time, but slowly, Shari’s mind quit slipping gears and began
to function normally. She had an idea, followed by another. She
stopped pacing. Another idea slapped her upside the head and she
raised her hands high into the air, as if she had just kicked the
game-winning point. That was when she began to laugh. She had found
a solution to their problem and she was so giddy that she began to
dance. She was about to beat Doris Picacello at her own game and
for some odd reason, nothing could have made her happier.

She didn’t know how long Tom had been standing
there, but there he was. He stood with his arms hanging limp at his
sides, watching her, a horrified expression on his face. And as if
Tom had pulled her power cord from the outlet, Shari stopped
dancing and quit laughing. “Hi,” she said. “Um, how long have you
been standing there?”

“Long enough,” replied Tom, narrowing his eyes
at her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How are you?”

“I don’t know. I was great until we got back
home. That was when things started getting weird. Is there
something you’d like to tell me? Did you just win the lottery or
something?”

Shari turned to face the mirror, gathering her
thoughts, hating herself for not locking the bathroom door.

“Shari?”

She turned to face him and desperately tried to
put everything in perspective. “Honey,” she began, “I’m so sorry
about what’s happened. I’m sorry you and your mom lost your house.
I can’t imagine how you must feel, but you need to think logically
about this.”

“Oh, you know me; I’m all about the logic. Live
long and prosper.”

“Stop it. What I’m trying to say is that we
can’t have your mom living with us. She doesn’t like me.”

“That isn’t true, Shari,” said Tom, flatly. “She
has never said that.”

“She called me a cradle robber, Tom.”

Tom scratched his head and sighed. “Is this
going somewhere?” he asked. “Because my mom is downstairs and she’s
talking about committing suicide.”

“I want to rebuild her house. I want to get
started on it, first thing tomorrow morning.”

Tom covered his face with his hands. “That’s
fine,” he said, “but do you know how long these things take? A
buddy of mine lost his house in a fire. I think it took almost a
year for it to get rebuilt. Besides, there will have to be an
investigation and then there is all the red tape from the insurance
company. Houses don’t get built overnight.”

“Oh, yes they do.”

“No, baby, they don’t. That kind of stuff only
happens in the movies.”

“I have a friend who is good friends with Ty
Pendleton.”

“Oh my God, are you kidding me?”

“His show was cancelled, but maybe he still does
that kind of thing? And even if he doesn’t, I’m sure he could put
me in touch with people who can.”

“Shari,” said Tom, stepping into the bathroom
and taking Shari by the hips, “I appreciate what you’re trying to
do, but do you have any idea how much something like that would
cost?”

“We can afford it. You know we can.”

Tom studied Shari’s face and she met his gaze,
locking her eyes on his. A smile curled the corners of Tom’s mouth.
He didn’t want his mother living with them, not for a month, not
for even a week. He loved his mom, but he knew his wife was right,
she didn’t like Shari and she would end up making them both
miserable. Tom began to laugh and he did a little jig. Shari began
to shimmy and she pumped her fists into the air.

“Jesus, take me now!” bellowed Doris, who was
now standing at the foot of the bed. “What in the hell is going on
up here?”

Tom, knowing how hurt his mother would have been
by knowing the truth, quickly came up with a story about a mythical
friend who had made a miraculous recovery. Doris seemed to buy the
story, but for the rest of the night, she looked at her son from
out of the corner of her eye.

They were up early the next morning and Tom and
Doris were on the road by 8:00. There were statements to give and
things to pick up and Doris wanted to stop by the cemetery and
visit Tom’s father. Shari couldn’t usher them out the door fast
enough. She gave Tom her credit card and PIN number and sent them
off in the Mercedes. What she didn’t hear was her mother in-law’s
comment about the big house, as she and Tom drove past it. “That
house is you,” Doris had said. “I think you and Shari will be happy
there.”

Tom had not replied to the comment. But he did
wonder about what was inside the brick mansion. In fact, he found
himself thinking about that more with each passing day.

Shari waited until the security system told her
that the gate was closed. She then sat down with her laptop and put
her reporter skills to work. She didn’t actually know that she
shared a friend with Ty Pendleton, but she did know an awful lot of
people, so technically, it hadn’t been a lie. She began by looking
him up and she discovered that his real name was actually
Tygert
. “That’s an odd name,” she whispered to herself. “No
wonder he goes by Ty.”

She dug and dug and dug, finding nothing but
dead-ends when it came to finding a contact number. She began
placing phone calls to her friends on the West Coast at 10:00, but
once again, she came up with nothing. Finally, with nothing else to
lose, she resorted to calling an old friend of her father’s. Kip
Muller and her dad had gone to school together. Muller was an
attorney who represented B-list actors, but had made the mistake of
coming on to Shari the day after her parent’s funeral. Shari hadn’t
spoken to him since.

“Shari,” purred the attorney from his home in
Burbank, “it’s so good to hear your voice. How the hell are you,
kiddo?”

Shari made a disgusted face, but plowed ahead.
“Yours too,” she lied. “Actually, Kip, I was wondering if you could
help me locate someone.”

An hour later, Kip called back to tell Shari
that he had hit pay-dirt; adding that since this was business, he
would have to bill Shari for his time. Shari had expected as much.
She thanked Kip and after jotting down the telephone number, she
terminated the call. She rubbed her hands on her blue jeans,
feeling like she needed a shower after to talking to the slime-ball
lawyer. She then began writing down questions to ask Pendleton.
This wasn’t her first rodeo and Shari knew that she would only have
one shot at this. For the next hour and a half, Shari racked her
brain and her fingers danced across the keypad. She felt as if her
marriage was riding on the phone call and she wasn’t about to screw
it up. Finally, she was satisfied at her list and she picked up the
telephone.