"Very well, chief," Elmer said, holstering his gun. "Oh, just one thing before I go. You know that chap Rex Donaldson? Well, we had some discussion after you left. This'll probably surprise you Homer, but—hold onto your hat, as you Americans say—Donaldson thinks you ought to become El Hassan. And Bey, Kenny and I agree."
Crawford said, "We'll talk about it later, Elmer."
He knocked at her door and a moment later she came. She saw who it was, opened for him and returned to the room beyond. She had obviously been crying.
Homer Crawford said, but with no reproach in his voice, "You should have helped me, to be consistent."
"I knew you'd win."
"Nevertheless, once you'd switched sides, you should have attempted to help me. If you had, maybe Abe would still be alive."
She took a quick agonized breath, and sat down in one of the two chairs, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She said, "I ... I've known Abe since my early teens."
He said nothing.
"In college, he was the cell leader. He enlisted me into the Party."