It was Thursday evening, August 8, 1974. Phil and Judy had silently eaten a light dinner and drank one bottle of beer each while sitting at a table in the Laughing Loon. When it was time to shove off in their canoe for Dollar Island, the rest of the many patrons turned to watch President Nixon address the nation on the TV above the bar.
“Good evening. This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.
In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.
In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.
But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.
I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America. I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the nation.”
The stunned audience in the Laughing Loon sat in silence trying to absorb the history-making speech they had just heard. At the same time, Phil and Judy silently paddled their canoe across Fourth Lake in the foreboding blackness of the night, unaware of Nixon’s pronouncement. They were more concerned with other matters that more directly affected their lives.
Judy believed she was the odd person out in this love triangle since Phil knew who and what was waiting for them on Dollar Island. He had refused to say anything, insisting that all would soon be explained. Judy knew she had the courage to deal with anything that lay ahead of her. She patiently waited for the unknown.
After about fifteen minutes, Phil and Judy arrived on Dollar Island. It was almost surreal, a place of apprehension, but one which had a strong attraction to her. They tied their canoe to the dock on the far side of the island, away from the peering eyes of Inlet. Phil led the way to the rear entrance of the mansion. It was if he had been there before. Once inside the unlocked door, Judy started paying more attention to this fantasy come true than to whom she was about to confront. First, there was a very large ceramic-tiled kitchen with what appeared to be a brand new refrigerator, a large countertop, and a table with seating for six people.
Almost immediately after Phil and Judy left the kitchen and entered the living room, but before she could study how it was decorated, Judy was confronted by him, the man she thought she had seen in the restaurant in Old Forge and in the car in Eagle Bay. It was the man she had not seen for many years, but a face she could never completely forget. It was the face of the man she had first met at the Christmas party of Phil’s firm, back when he wasn’t as yet a partner. It was Malcolm Fitzhugh, Jr. What was he doing here in the mansion on Dollar Island and what the hell was going on?
“Good evening, Judy. It’s nice to see you again, It’s been a long time,” he said.
Judy turned to Phil. “So this is the fat, old, balding man you prefer over me.”
Phil responded. “It’s not so simple. We, you and I wanted a good life style and he could give it to us. In those days, he could control who got to be partner and who wouldn’t. I made a compromise, for us.”
“He’s lying, Judy. He’s really the sort of man who enjoys both worlds, men and women. Sure, I could give him what he wanted, a partnership with a prestigious firm, but he also wanted what I could give him, in bed and elsewhere.”
“That’s not true, Judy. After one time, a sort of fling, he threatened to blackmail me. He forced me to keep coming back.”
Judy threw up her arms. “You guys are making me sick. Phil, if you want me, and the kids, you’ve got to give up this cock-sucker, now, or I’m walking out that door and there’s no tomorrow.”
“Judy, let’s all be reasonable,” said Malcolm. “It doesn’t have to be so all or nothing. We can compromise.”
“Look, Mr. Fitzhugh, I’ve nothing to say to you. Only to my husband, if he still wants to be my husband.”
Phil looked stunned, not knowing what to do or say. Then he turned to Malcolm.
“Malcolm, I love you, but I love Judy and my kids more.” He turned toward Judy perhaps looking for reassurance. Then, Malcolm pulled a revolver out the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pointed it in the general direction of Judy.
“You’re so stupid, Phil. You can have me and the kids. All we have to do is eliminate Judy. I know you want me more.”
Judy was never so frightened in her life, but she kept her cool.
“We never talked about eliminating anybody, Malcolm,” said Phil. “That gun is only supposed to scare you, Judy. Don’t worry. He’s not going to shoot you.”
“Phil,” said Malcolm, “you are more than stupid. I guess it’s just your body I love. Your mind leaves much to be desired.”
Phil responded, “OK, Judy. Let’s the two of us get out of here now.”
“Nobody’s leaving me,” responded Malcolm. “I’ve invested too much time in our relationship, Phil. You both know too much which I can’t afford to become public. You two are going to behave exactly as I want or you’ll suffer for it. Things will continue exactly as they have before, only now Judy knows the score and accepts it. Right, Phil? Right, Judy?”
“Let’s go, Judy. I’ll never see Malcolm again. We can make a go of it.”
A shot rang out from the gun Malcolm was holding and Phil’s lifeless body immediately slumped to the floor. Judy shreiked.
“I didn’t mean to do that, Judy, but I was holding the gun so tight. It seemed to go off on its own. I’m truly sorry. I loved him.”
Judy knew she had to get away from Malcolm as fast as she could. As he was blocking the way to the door she and Phil had entered, she turned and flew in the opposite direction through a hallway she hoped would lead to another exit.
“Stop, Judy. Please! I don’t want to hurt you.”
Judy quickly found a large door that she hoped was the front entrance to the mansion. She heard footsteps behind her, not moving as fast as hers. Judy opened the unlocked door and saw the lake in front of her, lit by the moon. Her first instinct was to run around to the other side where their canoe was tied. Judy heard a gunshot ring out. A miss. Then she decided she better make herself disappear as a target. She ran straight across the deck in front of the entrance she had just left and dove into the dark water.
Judy believed her only avenue to survival was to swim back to the other side of the lake. After a short time, she took a chance and treaded water in order to quickly discard her boots, her top, and her shorts. With only her bra and panties, it would be easier for her to swim the long distance she had to travel to save her life.
Unbeknownst to Judy, Malcolm had arrived at Dollar Island having hired a boat taxi from Eagle Bay. He had no immediate way of following Judy other than using the canoe she and Phil had come by. Therefore, he ran to where they had tied it, got in, and started to paddle to the other side of the island. He had never before done this. The only lights that could help him find Judy were the lights from inside the mansion, the distant lights from Inlet, and of course the moon.
The chase was on, Judy in the water and Malcolm in the canoe. As it was a calm night, Malcolm could see Judy’s splashing up ahead. He could now focus in on a target. Judy was swimming as best she could, stroke after stroke after stroke. She was conflicted by not wanting to overtire herself on such a very long swim, longer than she had ever swum before, versus trying to swim as fast as she could in order to escape from a murderer hot on her trail.
Slowly, Malcolm was gaining on Judy. He was getting closer and closer. He decided he would do nothing until he was close enough to where he couldn’t miss. Judy kept swimming realizing the consequences of stopping. She couldn’t give up. She focused on seeing her daughters again. On the other hand, she had no idea where Malcolm was, but was not about to stop and look back.
Finally, Malcolm was close enough, he thought. He said nothing, but stopped paddling so he could shoot straight. The rocking of the canoe prevented him from getting a good bead on his target. He decided it would be better to do it from a standing position. A fatal mistake! The canoe flipped over and into the water went Malcolm. He went one direction, while his gun another. Unfortunately for Malcolm, he was a non-swimmer without a life jacket. He screamed for help. Only Judy heard him, but she kept on swimming.
Judy was more tired than she had ever been in her life. She was desperate to get to the beach at the other end of Fourth Lake. She was near exhaustion, but kept swimming. Judy didn’t want to die. Judy wanted to live and see her daughters again. Her energy level was nearly gone. She started choking on water. She slowed down appreciably. Finally, she kind of sank into the water, but quickly realized it was very shallow. Judy could now stand up and walk the last few yards to the beach. And then she collapsed. She was utterly exhausted as she lay there motionless, except for her breathing. All she heard was some children singing in the distance.
“We welcome you to Eagle Cove. We’re mighty glad you’re here. We’ll set the air reverberating with a mighty cheer. We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out. And we will raise a mighty shout. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here. We welcome you to Eagle Cove.”
THE END
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