BAD WINE CRAPPY CHOCOLATE

CHAPTER ELEVEN-3

"I don't think you'll be in any position to pay his fee. But it doesn't matter anyway. He'll do it for me pro bono."

"I'm glad to hear that he's a pro, but I thought you said his name was Gooden, not Bono," Max said with a laugh. "Could you ask the lawyer to give Gino a message for me?"

"What's that?"

"Tell Gino to meet Hoochie at the place where we caught all those fish last summer."

Cybil looked at him suspiciously.

"I will," she said after a long pause.

"You shouldn't be doing anything for someone of his ilk," Chris objected. "I can't believe Brandon turned to this creature instead of me. He did it just for spite!"

"He did because you've been acting like a judge instead of a father," Cybil countered.

"Oh, come on, senator," Bardy said with a grin. "You've helped me, too. If it wasn't for your support of Vitala, I wouldn't be in business. You created me."

"That was your parents' mistake, not mine!" Chris retorted.

"What are these crunchy things?" Cori asked, sampling the food on her plate.

"They're toenail clippings," Max told her. "They're very nutritious."

Cybil and Cori initially winced at his remark, and then began laughing.

"You are a vulgar miscreant," Senator Cane said, before hastily leaving the room.

"They're roasted nuts," Cybil told her.

They finished their meal, and the senator-elect joined Chris in his office.

"You have to meet with the Chicago business committee, as well as the citizens' and business committees, for the other six cities in the territory," he reminded her. "The people on those committees can make or break your administration. Remember, all government is local."

"Maybe I'll have my assistants handle some of those meetings," Cybil said with a grin.

  "You should use them to ease your burden. Choose ones with ability, but not ambition. But just remember that the voters elected you, not your helpers. By the way, there'll be a very onerous issue to discuss when you see the business people."

"And what might that be?"

"The farmers on the business committee have been assured by a group of scientists that they can raise cattle without putting environmentally dangerous gasses in the air. They've developed genetically engineered organisms that transform human waste into food for livestock. The animals don't produce methane gas when they eat it. So the farmers want to get into the beef business again. And as with the citizen's committee, they can make life miserable for you if their demands aren't met, even though they're only advisors. The farmers wouldn't be above creating a shortage just to have their way.  That will be a real problem for you, because if the supply of food to the cities suddenly diminishes, the people will become very hungry.  And angry."

"But what about the health issues it will create? Didn't the scientists consider that? I think Foster is behind this. If the people develop health problems, Allisours will probably be able to convince them that more Vitala is the answer. Foster and his friends will make a fortune on top of the one they've already made."

"I think you're paranoid," Chris responded in a dismissive tone.

Cybil didn't appreciate his response. 

"I'll just have to handle it the way you would have done," Cybil said coldly. "I'll lie."

Cybil went upstairs and found Cori Fitzgerald in the bedroom she had been using since her arrival at the Cane home. The time traveler was lying on the bed, holding the tattered clothes from the past in her arms. Cori could not comprehend how she had come to be here. The young woman felt like an actor cast in the wrong play. Yet despite being in a situation that eluded her understanding, she realized that the final resolution of the conflicts going on around her could have dire consequences.  Cybil interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you comfortable?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you. I'm just trying to figure out what's happened to me. I went to the pub like any Irish person would to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and the next thing I know I'm in another time. If everyone lives longer now, am I still alive somewhere in this Chicago? Could I actually meet myself?"

Cybil's heart went out to her mother. She wanted to relieve her anxiety, yet was afraid to unwittingly reveal something that would change Cori's life, and possibly end hers and Brandon's.

"When I was a girl, I spent a lot of time in this room trying to sort out the things that had happened to me," Cybil said sympathetically. "This was my bedroom."

"When I was young, my mom would come in and help me put things in perspective. I wish she was here now."

Cybil smiled at her.

"I missed out on that experience, unfortunately," she said, looking at Cori intently. "Chris did the best he could, but a father just isn't enough sometimes. Fortunately, I also had Clarice."

Cybil pointed to a large stuffed bear that was sitting in a corner of the room.

"The senator doesn't think very much of Max," Cori observed.

"No, he doesn't like him at all. In fact, he made Bardy's capture the centerpiece of his last campaign. Chris has been very frustrated because he could never seem to get the security people to go after him. And then to have the man show up in his house, well, that's just too much for him to bear. I sometimes wonder if Brandon went to Bardy for help just to aggravate him."

"Brandon thinks Vitala is a fraud. Is that what they disagree about?"

"It's one of the things," said Cybil.

"What do you think?"

"I find it hard to believe that Chris would have been so supportive of Vitala if the drug had no benefits. But I'm anxious to read the Anderson Report so I can make my own judgment."

"What's that?" Cori asked.

.  "It's a scientific study that claims Vitala doesn't work as advertised," Cybil answered in a tone meant to be casual.  

Her apprehension about the document's implications was still very apparent to her guest, however.

"Where's Brandon?" Cori asked her.

"He's probably visiting a friend," the senator-elect replied with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night."

Cori once again sensed that Cybil was masking her concern.

I wish there was a way for me to help her, Cori mused. I feel so protective toward Cybil, even though I just met her. I wonder why. And Brandon was just a friend from work, but I left everyone I love to come here with him. What the hell am I doing?

Cybil walked into the living room where she found Bardy watching the entertainment wall. The huge screen displayed vibrant colors and a wealth of detail. The picture was so real it seemed as though one could walk into the scenes it displayed.

"I love this movie," he told her. "You have all these tough guys walking around like they own the world, and a woman who seems like she's no smarter than a hamster outsmarts them all. That's what life is really all about—how many steps ahead of the competition a person can get."

"I thought you'd be glum. I heard that the Security Bureau raided your place."

"I'm not thrilled about it, believe me. I spent a lot of years setting that operation up. But I'm not surprised, either. I knew this day would come eventually. That's why I found a place where we can start over long before it did. I just hope that Lupe makes it there."

"Who's that?"

"She's my woman.  You look surprised.  I guess you thought that no one could feel that way about me. But you have to remember that most relationships in the adult world are a matter of convenience.  How else can you explain Max Bardy being a guest in the senator's house?"

He smiled at her.

"I don't have time to think about that," Cybil answered in a tense tone. "I'm worried about Brandon. I can't contact him. Something must have happened."

"He's probably with Jesse. They probably turned their Mibils off."

"That's what I keep telling myself," she said. "Good night."

I just wish I could believe it, Cybil thought as she left the room.