Chapter Thirty-Six
Now
Judith stared at me with the cool gaze I remembered so well. She strode several feet into the room, her black sling-back heels clicking quietly against the carpeted floor. Her navy pantsuit was pristine — not a single wrinkle marred the elegant outfit, as though she’d just stepped off the runway at a fashion show.
“Lux.” Her tone was cordial and disapproving all at once. “I thought you’d learned your lesson seven years ago about what happens when you stick your nose places it doesn’t belong.”
I blinked at her, stunned. “You’re the Boss.” I couldn’t quite keep the note of incredulity from creeping into my tone.
She laughed, a brittle sound ringing out in the small room, and walked over to the white settee. She sat and crossed her legs in a polished gesture. “You say that with such surprise. Why is that, I wonder?”
“You’re exploiting innocent girls. It was bad enough when I thought it was your husband, doing this. But for a woman to be the leader of this kind of organization…. To do this to other women…” I trailed off, staring at her as disgust twisted my features into a grimace. “It’s the worst kind of evil there is.”
Judith’s eyes went arctic. “My husband doesn’t have the brains to run an organization likeLabyrinth. He was far too busy with his whores and his mistresses to do his own job in the capital, let alone take the helm of a multi-tiered institution.”
“How could you do this?” I asked, my eyes narrowing on the woman seated across from me. “Whywould you do this?”
“It’s so very short sighted of you to ask me that question.Why? Why would I do this?” She leaned forward, her voice intent and her eyes suddenly gleaming. “I’m the wife of a U.S. Senator. The arm candy. The Stepford Wife with a great complexion, good breeding, and no brains in her head. Right?” She laughed again, and I flinched at the harsh sound, my fingers clenching against something metallic. Abruptly, I realized I’d been so stupefied by Judith’s appearance, I’d forgotten I still held the scissors in my hand.
“That was my role. Sit still, stay quiet, look pretty.” Judith’s eyes narrowed. “It didn’t matter that I had twice the brains of my senator husband. I’d never have been elected. Do you know why, Lux?”
I shook my head as my fingers worked silently, angling the scissors to saw at the bonds holding my wrists. Progress was painfully slow — I knew I had to keep my arm muscles as immobile as possible to avoid detection.
“Let’s play a game,” Judith suggested, uncrossing her legs and folding her hands delicately in her lap. “For every answer you get correct, I’ll let you stay in here a little longer. Too many wrong answers, and I’ll have you taken outside. And, believe me, Lux, you don’t want to go out there until it’s absolutely necessary. Understand?”
Seeing no other options, I nodded. My right hand began to grow tired and I feared the small blade was growing duller with each stroke, but I kept sawing anyway.
“How many U.S. Senators are there?”
A third grader could’ve answered that one. “One hundred.”
Judith nodded. “Good. And when was the Senate founded?”
That was a little harder. I thought back to the history classes I’d taken in college, racking my brain for the answer. “1789?” I guessed, holding my breath until I saw Judith smile coolly.
“Someone knows her history. Very good,” she praised. “And today, more than two full centuries later, how many women have served in the Senate? Any idea?”
I swallowed roughly. I had no clue — not even the shadow of an inkling.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, finally feeling one of the bindings on my wrist begin to split.
“Well, that’s unfortunate.” Judith rose from her seat and walked to the curtained window. Pulling the velvet drapes aside, she stood before the pane. I craned my neck, but could see almost nothing in the black night outside the window. A few industrial lights, some metal fencing — nothing I could properly make out.
“It’s getting late. We’ll be leaving soon.” She turned back to face me. “The answer to my question is forty-four.”
I stared at her in silence.
“Forty-four women have served on the Senate.” She walked closer. “Not this year.Ever. In the history of our country. In two and a quarter centuries.”
“I didn’t know that,” I whispered, feeling one of the cords holding my wrists sever completely.
“There are twenty female senators serving this term. Twenty, out of a hundred. It’s considered a banner year for women.” She sat on the sofa again, glancing at her watch with a sigh. “And yet, you ask mewhyI would run an organization like this.”
I bunched the loosened bindings in my hands so they wouldn’t fall to the floor and give me away, sighing lightly as I felt circulation begin to return to my freed fingers. “I’m sorry, Judith, I still don’t understand how the underrepresentation of women in our government could possibly justify the things you’ve done to young, defenseless girls.”
“I’ll spell it out for you, since you’re clearly not intelligent enough to put it together yourself,” she said, her eyes coldly excited — as much emotion as I’d ever seen from her. “The answer is simple.Power.”
As she spoke, I was beginning to realize she wasn’t just a shrewd, unfeeling businesswoman — she was totally unhinged. Now that I was free from my bonds, I could make my escape at any time. But I knew the element of surprise was the only thing I had working in my favor. Plus, if I wanted to hear her motives, I needed to bide my time.