Death in the Secret Garden by Richard; Forrest Page B

attention to the books that filled the cases along three walls. Lyon’s Wobbly books were there, along with hundreds of other volumes written by Connecticut authors. Writers were a breed that seemed to sprout throughout the Nutmeg State. She was never certain if this was due to pleasant rural areas or proximity to the publishers of New York City.
    â€˜Forgive me, Beatrice,’ the governor said as she stuffed her hanky into a skirt pocket. ‘It hurts. Oh, God, his going hurts. I remember years ago, when we served together in the legislature, that you and your husband suffered a terrible loss. You lost your little girl, didn’t you?’
    â€˜Yes, on her birthday,’ Bea answered.
    â€˜How did you stand it? How did you find the strength to go on?’
    â€˜I don’t really know, Margaret,’ Bea said. ‘You just go on because … Because you have to.’
    â€˜Perhaps it’s like the old saying that time heals all wounds.’
    â€˜It never gets better. You just don’t think of it quite so often.’
    â€˜You heard where he died, didn’t you?’ All traces of prior tears disappeared as the governor leaned toward Bea conspiratorially. ‘The Millrace Inn. The owner told the paramedics that Bill drove his car into their parking lot and said he didn’t feel well. They escorted him upstairs to one of their rooms. He went before a doctor could arrive.’
    â€˜I think I did hear that on the news,’ Bea answered, thinking that the statement was not a complete lie.
    â€˜I wonder what he was doing in that part of the state? It’s not even near his own district. The inn is near your home, isn’t it?’
    â€˜It’s directly across the river from Nutmeg Hill,’ Bea answered.
    â€˜Interesting. We go back a long way together, don’t we, Bea?’
    â€˜A long way, Margaret.’
    â€˜You were one of my first supporters when I ran for statewide office.’
    â€˜I’ve always had faith in you.’
    â€˜I’m the first Jewish woman governor, Bea.’
    â€˜You were a logical choice after we had our first Jewish governor and our first woman governor.’
    â€˜I’m the first Jewish woman governor, Bea. I didn’t get this far by being dumb. You don’t win elections in a state like Connecticut without being a pragmatic politician with a ton of survival savvy.’
    â€˜You’ve always been a survivor, Margaret,’ Bea said. ‘That’s why you’ll eventually get over Bill.’
    â€˜Oh, I expect I will. Of course, I’ll always miss the rat,’ the governor said. ‘Did you know he lived in the Watergate while Congress was in session? He ate in a restaurant near there called Blinkers. You know the kind of place. Young flirty waitresses who wear short-shorts real tight. His regular waitress was a nubile twenty-year-old called Bambi. Evidently Bambi was personally responsible for delivering Blinkers’ venison to Bill’s apartment. When I investigated, I found out that Blinkers doesn’t even have takeout. It would seem that Bambi was his appetizer, entrée, and dessert.’
    â€˜Margaret, you’ll only make yourself more upset.’
    â€˜Of course, I’m even more unhappy when I consider that when Bill died he was—as they would say down in the pool hall—in the saddle. Which is rather fitting since that’s the way he would have wanted to go.’
    â€˜Drop it, Margaret.’
    â€˜Oh, I’ve known about his sex games for years. For several reasons I chose to ignore them. There are certain things I needed from my marriage and discretion was one of them. For the most part he tried to be discreet. However, there is a major question that is troublesome. Who was Bill with when he so rapidly departed us? Now, the Bambis of this world don’t bother me. They are non-threatening fluff. They aren’t my competition. A woman of