It was Friday night. Arthur had come back from Washington for the weekend. He was hosting a dinner party in the main dining room downstairs. There were twelve guests. They were all politicians, campaign donors, and local business owners. Elena had to stand next to Arthur and smile at them for an hour before they sat down.
She shook hands with people she did not know. She said the right things about the weather and the house and the food. She wore a black dress that hugged her body and black heels that made her legs look long. She touched the earpiece in her right ear. She had put it in before she came downstairs. Nobody could see it.
At eight o'clock, the guests sat down to eat. Arthur was at the head of the table. He was telling a long story about a committee meeting that had gone badly
