They were sitting at a booth in the bar at the Mayflower before the president’s fund-raiser.

“One negative campaign after the next,” she was saying. “People are tired of it, Frank. They hate it. And I hate it, too.”

Helen had won the first Virginia seat two years ago and would not face reelection for another four years. She was a young sixty. Her eyes were bright and brown, her hair a mix of blond and gray. She was a handsome woman, Frank had always thought, her tanned face distinctively lined by a life of hard work.

The waiter finally arrived with their drinks.

“The whisky’s the senator’s,” Frank said. “Thanks.”

When the waiter left, they clicked glasses. Frank watched Helen savoring the whisky, then sipped his vodka and lowered the glass.

“What I did to Ozzie Olson got you elected, Helen. We went with what we had at the time. When we learned it was false, we pulled the spot. It got ugly. I admit that. But you don’t need to feel guilty about what happened to Ozzie Olson. You’ve proven yourself ten times over on the Hill. The best candidate won.”

“I don’t feel guilty about it.”

He read her face and laughed. “Yes, you do. I can see you do.”

Her eyes moved to the door and her smile faded. Frank turned and saw Stewart Brown entering, his beady eyes darting between them. Brown was forty-five and heavy, with slicked back hair. His tuxedo looked two sizes too small and he appeared to be sweating. Every time Frank had ever seen him, he appeared to be sweating.

Brown said hello with an awkward smile as he passed their table. Frank nodded back, keeping his eyes on the overstuffed man until he finally reached the bar.

“He’s doing Lou Kay’s campaign, isn’t he?” Helen said in a quieter voice.

Frank nodded. “Stewart Brown is a bottom feeder, Helen. The king of sleaze.”

“What about Merdock?”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s spending his own money, Frank.”

“He’s got a lot of it. So what?”

“By the time most of us can raise real money, we’re pretty well tested. People know who we are and what we think.”

Frank smiled, feeling the vodka and beginning to relax. “But a candidate who can bankroll his own campaign turns it all upside down. Is that what you’re saying?”

“He’s just an image.”

“Pure media.