THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 50

       Glen Cove, Long Island. Saturday, March 24,1990.

"I don't think there's any question Poindexter's guilty as hell," Andrea Dennis postulated, contributing to the conversation at her small but intimate dinner party. "But I'm not sure about Ollie North."

Charles Iacardi, the plump chain smoking partner in Iacardi &Sons, emptied his glass of brandy with one gulp, then turned to face Andrea. "If you listened closely to North's secretary...What the hell was her name?"

"Fawn Hall," Jerry Mara said.

Iacardi nodded. "Yah. Hall admitted she altered documents under orders from North, presumably to remove Poindexter's comments." He winked at Andrea. "Now why would an innocent man order her to do that?"

"North was acting under orders from Poindexter," Miles said.

Andrea smiled. "And maybe Poindexter was acting under orders from McFarlane."

"And Reagan sanctioned the whole scam," Visconti added, chuckling.

Sally Ricci, a twenty-eight year old blonde bimbette from Queens and Charles Iacardi's date for the evening, leaned forward and blinked. "Will somebody tell me what the hell you people are talking about? Who are all these people?"

Iacardi smiled. "Isn't she beautiful? Every time I take her out she shocks me with her knowledge of current events." He gave her a disparaging glare. "If you took time out from all those mind numbing soaps you watch every day, you might actually learn what's happening in this world."

"Don't be nasty, Charles," Visconti said, then turned to Sally. "We're talking about the Iran-Contra Affair. It's been alleged that a number of high-ranking bureaucrats in Washington have secretly diverted funds from the sale of weapons to Iran. The powers that be suspect the money was used to support the Nicaraguan Contras in their civil war with the Sandinistas."

Sally nodded, pretending to understand.

Visconti turned to face Kerri. She was sitting directly opposite him and looking incredibly beautiful in the same formfitting white knitted dress she had worn to her mother's wedding. "Kerri, Miles tells me you're living here now. How do you..."

Andrea interrupted. "Louis, how could you be so insensitive?" she scolded, frowning at him.

"It's okay," Kerri said, then turned to Visconti. "I don't think it would surprise you to know that Brian and I have split. Miles and Andrea have very generously invited me to stay with them."

"Please forgive me," Visconti pleaded. "It really was insensitive of me to mention it."

"Not at all. It's actually therapeutic to talk about it."

After a tense pause in the conversation, Miles stood in response to an overt signal from Andrea. "My wife has asked me to invite you all to join us in the den for Irish coffees." He blew a kiss to Andrea. "That was an outstanding dinner, darling."

After thanking the hostess, the guests followed Dennis toward the den.

Visconti hurried to catch up with Kerri. Before she could enter the den he grasped her arm, causing her to turn and face him. "Can you forgive me for that comment? It really was out of line," he said.

"There's nothing to forgive. What you said wasn't out of line at all. Obviously you didn't know my husband and I had split."

Relieved, he released her arm. "Do you mind waiting here for a second? I have something for you. It's in my briefcase in the hallway. I'll be back in a second."