An Almost Perfect Murder by Gary C. King Read Free Book Online Page A

was also chosen for the Flemming Fellows Leadership Institute’s Class of 1996. In 1999, she attended the Governors Center at Duke University Strategic Leadership for State Executives, and she graduated in 2000 from the Greater Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program. In 2001, she completed the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.
    Among her other accomplishments, Kathy was also a recipient of the American Legion Achievement Medallion, the Community Partners Family Resource Center 1998 Community Service Award of Excellence, the 1998 National Republican Legislators Association, Legislator of the Year, and Nevada Opera Theatre’s International Friendship Award, in 2003.
    Kathy Augustine formerly had served as chair of the Electrical Industry Restructuring Committee for the Council of State Governments–West (CSG-WEST) and was the past chairperson of the Trade and Transportation Task Force Subcommittee for the American Legislative Exchange Council. She also served on the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Women’s NETWORK Board of Directors as representative of the group’s western region, from 1996 through 1998, and served as the Nevada State director for Women in Government, from 1997 to 1998.
    At the time of her death, Kathy was serving on the Family and Child Treatment Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Government Finance Officers Association. She was also on the State Board of Finance, the Department of Transportation Board of Directors, the Executive Branch Audit Committee, and was the former chair of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) International Committee. She was also serving as a trustee for the Center for Governmental Financial Management and was the NASACT representative for the Electronic Benefits and Services Council, where she chaired the Strategic Expansion and Advanced Technology Committee.
    With all of her activities, as admirable as they were, it was little wonder that she had marital problems and found it difficult to keep a husband.
    Despite her remarkable achievements and awards, depending upon who was asked, Kathy was characterized as either a brilliant politician or a cold-blooded opportunist who would stop at nothing to get ahead. Because of her penchant for hitting below the belt, many people despised her for the tactics she used in her campaigns. She would do almost anything to win. If she had been a man, she likely would have won praise for being one of the brightest, most adept politicians to have ever held political office. But because she was a woman, she was a “bitch,” among other things. But she didn’t care—nothing was going to stop her. She wasn’t about to let “the turkeys get her down.”
    It was no secret that Kathy was not well-liked by her employees, who would come and go over the years, sometimes over personality conflicts with her. During an interview, Kathy once admitted to a Reno television reporter at KRNV-TV that she was “tough.”
    “Yes, I am a tough boss,” Kathy had said. “I pride myself in the work that we’ve been able to accomplish.”
    As her political aspirations continued to widen, the tension felt at home with Charles continued to grow. He made it clear to her that he did not wish to be a part of her political limelight, and by 2003, after several years of already leading separate lives while sharing the same address, they both realized that their marriage was over. It was time for each of them to move on with their lives.
    Before Kathy and Charles could come to terms and finalize their divorce agreement, Charles suffered a major stroke and was hospitalized. Kathy stayed at his bedside at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, in Las Vegas, waiting for signs of improvement. She was known to call relatives, crying and sad, and would describe how Charles seemed aware that she was there with him, yet