She had done thirty such laps non-stop. Her arms ached with a leaden heaviness and her breath came in ragged gasps but the grueling exercise had purged her of the anxiety that had built up since this morning in the office with Morgan. She sat on the steps in the shallow end of the pool with her eyes closed, methodically going through the series of breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that had kept her sane and in control for the last ten years. The pool was deserted. The steady rain continued to fall outside. Gray light from the floor-to-ceiling windows matched Virginia's somber mood. Everything was ready for her escape. The plan finalized, a bag packed and in the back of her closet, the funding secured and hidden away, the ace-in-the-hole safe at the Hempstead. Now came the waiting. For the plane ticket from Andrew Hayden, for Morgan to leave for Washington. She had to hang together for only one more day. Her wet bare feet padded softly on the white pool deck. She reached for the terry robe and her breath caught in her throat.
