Balance of Power

    "Not exactly. But if the SSA gets out of the way, I can make Chad an offer he knows I intend to be meaningless, and let him try to outwit me."

    Gage's eyes became narrow and tight. "And what would that be?"

    Fasano's own stare was hard. "What you would never give him, Mac. The thing he wants most, besides for his daughter to be alive. Not just a law, but a place in American history. I know you'll want to help me."

NINE

On that same evening, Chad and Allie Palmer were at th e White House.

    For their first effort to resume a social life, neither Kerry nor Lara felt up to a formal dinner. Instead, they invited a smallish group for a casual meal and an advance screening of a new romantic comedy with Kate Beckinsale and Hugh Grant—who, Lara had assured her husband, was a greatly inferior version of Kerry himself. Their guests were an eclectic collection of political and social friends—two of Lara's former colleagues from NBC; Clayton and Carlie Slade; Jimmy Laughlin, Kerry's former office mate from the D.A.'s office in Newark, now an official in the Justice Department; Kit Pace, his press secretary, and her partner Beth Wilson; and, after some thought on Kerry's part, the Palmers. Only at the last minute had he invited Chuck and Elise Hampton; though the Senate Minority Leader had never been an intimate, or even a supporter, Kerry concluded that now was the time to work on this. And so at dinner Kerry sat between Elise Hampton and Allie Palmer, and Lara next to Chuck.

    This worked out better than either of the Kilcannons had hoped. Lara knew Chuck Hampton from covering the Hill. They had stories in common—the drama and comedy of clashing egos and the sometimes foolish behavior of self-serious men—and after a time Lara's laughter flowed as easily as Hampton's story of the buffoonish senator from North Dakota who, inebriated, had tried to exit a closed-door meeting and entered a closet instead. "We were speechless," Hampton concluded. "He just stayed in there—as though if he didn't come out, we wouldn't notice."

    "What did the rest of you do?" Lara inquired.

    Hampton grinned. "Waited him out, of course. The closet had no bathroom."

    In the general laughter that followed, Kerry murmured to Allie Palmer, "The most remarkable thing about that story is that it's true. I was in the meeting."

    Still smiling, Allie asked, "What did the poor man do when he did come out?"

    "It was really quite astonishing. He sat down again, as though he'd just returned from the men's room, and launched into a monologue on farm subsidies. A true example of grace under pressure."

    Envisioning the moment, Allie shook her head in amusement. After that, their own exchanges deepened. By the end of dinner, she had told him in detail about her volunteer work in an inner-city school, a conversation which Kerry sensed helped Allie put flesh on her new life. As for Elise Hampton, Kerry had always liked her. A Ph.D. in English, Elise had a jaundiced sense of humor and a perspective on politics which, Kerry sensed, had made her more sympathetic than her husband to Kerry's internecine battle with Dick Mason.

    This proved to be true. As they walked from dinner to the screening room, Elise said wryly, "I have an admission to make. A convenient one."

    Kerry smiled. "What's that?"

    "I'm glad you're here, and not Dick Mason. Every time I tried to probe his smooth veneer, I discovered the veneer beneath." Serious now, she touched Kerry's arm. "I'm so sorry about all that's happened, to Lara and to you. But what you're doing needs to be done."

    This was the only mention of guns until the evening—a great success—was over, and the guests began slowly to peel off. Next to last were the Palmers. Leaving, Chad said with a smile, "What this country needs is more free movies," and went into the night, his arm around Allie's waist.

    That left the Hamptons. Standing near the East Entrance with the President and First Lady, Hampton informed Kerry, "I've been counting votes on your bill, Mr. President. I think there's a fair chance that we can get to fifty-one.

    "The problem is getting to sixty, and shutting down a filibuster. Also dealing with whatever sham bill Fasano puts together."

    Kerry nodded. "Something else has occurred to me," he told the Hamptons. "Is there any sign that tort reform is on Fasano's agenda?"

    Elise glanced at her husband, who raised his eyebrows—his curiosity seemingly aroused both by the question and by the fact that Kerry had asked it. "Not that I know about. If Fasano passes a bill with teeth, he has to know you'd veto it."

    "True," Kerry allowed. "But do me a favor, if you will. If some Republican suddenly drops a tort reform bill, I want my legislative people to see it right away."

    Hampton considered him. "Is this about the SSA? At the state level, they've been pushing bills to immunize gun manufacturers."

    "The thought's occurred to me. But Fasano wouldn't be that blatant—not in this environment. That was what brought tort reform to mind."