Ties That Bind Read Free Page A

defeated.
    Northwood stood up. “Twenty years is a long time to be in politics, Senator. Maybe this would be a good time to retire so you can spend more time with your family. And you can do something for mankind as well by making certain that the anti-cloning bill doesn’t make it out of your committee. There are some very fine companies trying to develop cures for disease through the use of cloning technology. When you think about how many sick people those companies can help I’m sure you’ll see that your previous position on the bill was a mistake.”
    Northwood pocketed the photographs. “Do we understand each other, Senator?”
    Whipple stared at the top of the coffee table. After a moment he nodded.
    “I’m glad,” Northwood said, sounding genuinely pleased. “Good evening.”
    Whipple listened to the clack of Northwood’s shoes as he crossed the parquet floor of the foyer, undid the latch, and stepped outside. He heard the front door swing shut—a sound that signaled the end of a lifelong dream.

two
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    Amanda Jaffe stroked hard and felt her body rise as she cut through the water in the YMCA pool. This was the final fifty of a two hundred-meter workout leg, and she was going as hard as she could. For a moment, she felt like she was flying instead of swimming, then the far wall appeared and she jackknifed her body into a flip turn. Amanda came out of it perfectly and dug in for the final twenty-five meters. She was a tall woman with broad shoulders and well-muscled arms that moved her forward with grace and speed. Seconds later, she crashed against the wall and came up gasping for air.
    “Not bad.”
    Amanda looked up, startled. A man crouched on the edge of the pool with a stopwatch in his hand. He had messy auburn hair and looked to be in his early thirties—somewhere around her age. His build marked him as a competitive swimmer. Despite his cheery grin and pleasant features, Amanda backed away from the wall to put space between them.
    “Want to know your time?”
    Amanda tried to ignore the sliver of fear that cut through her gut. She was still too winded to speak, so she nodded warily. When the man told her the time, Amanda couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t swum that fast in years.
    “I’m Toby Brooks.” He motioned toward the first two lanes where several men and women of various ages were churning the water. “I’m with the Masters swim team.”
    “Amanda Jaffe,” she managed, fighting to tamp down her fear.
    “Nice to meet you.” Suddenly Brooks looked puzzled. Then he snapped his fingers. “Jaffe. Right!” Amanda was certain he was going to mention one of her cases. “UC Berkeley about 1993?”
    Amanda’s eyes widened from surprise, relieved that Brooks was not going to make her relive the recent past. “’92, but that’s pretty good. How’d you know?”
    “I swam for UCLA. You won the two hundred free at the Pac-10s, right?”
    Amanda smiled despite herself. “You have some memory.”
    “My girlfriend at the time was one of the women you beat. She was really upset. You sure ruined my plans for the evening.”
    “Sorry,” Amanda said. She felt uncomfortable with Brooks so close.
    Brooks grinned. “No need to be. We weren’t getting on that well, anyway. So, what happened after the Pac-10s?”
    “Nationals. Then I quit. I was pretty burned out by my senior year. I stayed away from pools for about five years after I graduated.”
    “Me, too. I ran for a while until my joints started to ache. I just got back into competitive swimming.”
    Brooks stopped talking and Amanda knew he was waiting for her to continue the conversation.
    “So, do you work at the Y?” she asked for something to say.
    “No. I’m an investment banker.”
    “Oh,” Amanda said, embarrassed. “I thought you were coaching the team.”
    “I swim on the team and help out. Our coach is out sick today. Which reminds me. I put the clock on you for a reason. Ever thought about competing again? The