Political Science 101

Chapter Twenty-Three

LENORE HATED the odor of cheap menthol cigarette smoke, but as she rode in the passenger's seat of the black Ford Explorer, she held her comments. The man driving never glanced at her as they spoke, which is something she'd grown used to throughout the several years of their surreptitious business dealings.

"Just so you know," Lenore said, breaking the silence and talking through the haze of menthol, "it may come to that." She paused after replying to his previous question. "This situation is getting more and more contentious every day," she continued, "and this is one contract I can't lose." She looked at him as he drove. The late afternoon sun gleamed off his dark sunglasses, but he, of course, did not offer so much as a momentary glance in her direction.

"This isn't like before," he said in his deep raspy voice. "This is different."

"And that's why we're paying you more, obviously." Lenore's sardonic tone annoyed the man, though he didn't show it. In fact, he showed no emotion at all considering the task he'd just agreed to perform.

"Does it need to look like—" the man began.

"I don't care what it looks like," Lenore said quickly, interrupting the man. His annoyance with her grew, but without external indication. "Just," Lenore said, more subtly this time, "make it happen." She paused. "All I care about is results. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," the man replied, taking another deep inhale of his cigarette, filling the air again with the cheap menthol stench as he exhaled.

The two rode in silence for several minutes before Lenore spoke again. "Am I finally going too far?" she muttered audibly to herself as she cast a subtle look of apprehension into the rapidly passing traffic.

"Ma'am," the man said, "if I'm going to be your personal therapist as well, my price will increase."

Lenore looked at him to see if he was joking, but his facial expression remained unchanged. "Go to Hell," she said in her customary sardonic tone. She returned her despondent gaze to the outside world as the skies grayed and the sun tucked behind a tall stack of darkening clouds. As they passed a post office, Lenore took notice of the American flag, whipping violently in the turbulent wind gusts. In the distance, the clouds flashed with lightning. A storm was moving in.

A storm, indeed.