Copyright 1995(c)

                             DYED GERMAN ROOTS
                             By Dana Anderson

     She had the perfect hiding place. No one would ever find it,
and maybe she'd never find it again, either. She thought she could,
but who knew? 
     And it was dynamite. With it, she could destroy, really
destroy the entire Presidential administration. She had the power
to thrust America into chaos. She still couldn't believe her luck
in getting her hands on a copy of the top secret information.
     It didn't matter if she never found it again, she told
herself, as she affixed dangly diamond earrings to her pierced
ears. The point wasn't that she would use it, but that she had it
and no one could get it away from her. That alone would protect
her.
     She checked the seams of her black stockings, snugged the
figure-hugging, obligatory, little black dress to her hips, and
lifted first one black-suede spike heel and then the other,
examining the soles. That was part of what made her a class act.
She thought carefully and meticulously about presentation.
     As she moved through her sitting room, an old movie played on
the television as background. She lifted the remote, automatically
extending a finger to change to the MTV station she normally used
as background, when the black and white couple on the screen began
to speak.
     "This thing is older than Ted Kennedy," she told herself,
listening to the corny exchange of dialogue between the bad girl
and the good man. She listened to a few moments of conversation and
punched the button forcefully. "It should be so easy," she
muttered.
     She entered the living room of the suite, noting preparations
were in place. A bowl of caviar rested in a crystal bowl which was
well-iced in a large silver bowl. Toast points and crackers sat to
one side with a selection of exotic cheese and olives; several iced
bottles of Dom Perignon glistened with sweat in a large tureen on
the other side. A number of young, beautiful women sat around
chatting, and sipping white wine. A wet bar with attendant had been
set up in one corner and bluesy jazz played over the built-in sound
system.
     The doorbell rang, and a butler moved to open it.
     "Good evening, Senator," she greeted the first of her guests.
     "And I sure hope it'll be one, sugar," he replied, moving to
get a drink and a girl, in that order.
     As the room filled up, couples paired off in small, intimate
conversations. A pianist changed the backdrop to Cole Porter. Hot
hors-d-oevres and cold glasses of champagne were passed among the
guests. The door burst open, and several three-piece-suits,
accompanied by police officers in uniform, announced a raid.
                                    ***
     It was a joke, and she laughed about it. Right in the faces of
the cameras. Everybody couldn't be just one of the girls, she
thought. Somebody *had* to be the madam. It was like a primitive
band of chimpanzees. Somebody had to be the first to climb a tree,
for God's sake.
     And she had her protection well hidden. Somebody just wanted
to niggle her a little -- see if she would break. Well, she
wouldn't. 
     The I.R.S. came down on her, taunting that even if she beat
the criminal charges they would nail her on income tax fraud. She
was impressed with their tenacity, but no cigar.
     The worms began to turn. A former partner sold secrets to
Inside Edition. Her boyfriend began to back away, fearing the
smear. Former co-workers talked. 
     She found a legitimate business, borrowed some money to start
it up, and felt better. She opined to Inside Edition that things
were going well.
     Then, they trumped up that drug charge just because she smoked
a little marijuana, and she was back in jail, with the trial for
her other crimes just days away.
     She'd had enough of jail and she didn't intend to continue to
suffer so she could own some information she wasn't willing to use,
anyway. She told them where it was.
     They kept divers working in the area for weeks after her
criminal trial began, but they never found it.
     And Heidi went to prison.
     Her German grandfather was horrified.
                                    END
     