slightly arched eyebrows. A beautiful smile. She even managed to maintain poise while she admitted cruelty.
“That was Doyle’s idea.”
“And you let him?”
Anger rose in her eyes. “Okay, Kelly. Truth of the matter is that Buzz Campbell raped me. Not once. Not twice, but four times before I was able to break his hold. After I saw your son I was convinced he’d done the same to you. We couldn’t declare rape on television because we had no proof, but a child who is the spitting image of his rapist, except for having your eyes? Well, we might not be able to accuse Campbell of raping you, but we certainly could get your attention suggesting an affair that produced a love child. If we were wrong, you’d step forward to defend yourself.”
Kelly sucked in a breath. “That’s disgusting.”
Helen sighed. “I know. For that, I apologize.”
“Why didn’t you come to me first?”
Helen frowned. “Jay Doyle did.”
“He’s a reporter. Why didn’t you come to me?”
She wouldn’t take her eyes from Kelly’s. “In a word? Shame. I still struggle with my guilt as a rape victim. So, I let Jay contact you. Besides, while I believe I know what happened to you, what if I’m wrong? What if your entanglement with Buzz had been an affair that produced a child? If you had been Buzz’s lover, how would I know if you still support him?” She opened her hands in resignation. “Look how blind Madeline is. I’d be standing there alone pointing the finger at a rapist with no proof except my word against a man who threatened to ruin my life if I ever spoke about what he’d done.”
A shiver ran up her spine. Kelly understood all too well how convincing Buzz was in making a woman feel like she was to blame for his assault.
“Yet you haven’t accused him of rape. Why go halfway?”
“I hate to admit this.”
“What?”
“It’s a strategy to blacken Campbell’s name so he’ll be forced to drop from the presidential candidacy.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Think of a snowball running downhill. We’re starting with a small stone and a little snow hoping it will grow larger as it rolls. My accusation will go from harassment to assault as we gain momentum.”
“With me joining the fray.”
“We think Campbell left a trail of women. I’m here to ask you to step forward and tell what really happened. You haven’t said a word publicly.”
“And it’s going to stay that way, Helen. I’ve carved a good life here. I want to be left alone.”
Helen reached a hand across the table as if reaching out for help. “What happened to your moral compass, Kelly?”
Swallowing the reflex to ask the woman the same question, she rephrased her thought. “Let me ask you. Did you seek out Doyle on this issue?”
“No. He contacted me.”
“So you signed on for this crusade with the opposing political party to ruin Buzz? Is that an act of moral certitude or revenge on your part?”
Helen sat back in her seat, the wind taken from her sails. “I suppose I deserve that.”
Kelly crossed her arms. “Do you care to answer?”
Helen studied her for a moment. “Kelly, I lost my need for revenge years ago. What I do know is that Buzz Campbell is a liar and violent toward women. I don’t want a man like him running my country. I welcome the chance to bring Buzz down. I hope we are successful because I’ve put my personal life on the line. I hope to God Buzz falls and he falls hard.”
A rush of guilt swamped Kelly for not taking the morally correct action and speaking out against Campbell’s crime, but she’d learned early on. Personal outrage was all well and good when it wouldn’t hurt anyone else. Silence was her ally in this instance. She’d convinced herself that dredging up the past would create more ill will and pain for innocent people than do good. Her hands were tied. She strongly suspected that Buzz Campbell knew this as well, which was why he made her the architect of her own demise in Dean’s interview.
“Helen, you have my full personal support but I will not go public. My life is my business. I ask that you respect my privacy.”
Helen pointed to the wedding band. “I see you are married.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
Kelly chafed. She didn’t want to answer. “Newly married.”
“After fifteen years, my husband left me when I told him about Buzz. He wouldn’t believe that I could possibly let a man rape me four times. He even