She returned a wry smile. “Well if you`re expecting me to be surprised by such honesty from a politician, I sure am. Pity this is off the record.”
Carlucci smiled back. “Okay, so now you know where I stand. This is about preserving my Senate seat, but I also feel for the grieving parents and want to get answers for them, justice for those boys.”
Jessica searched for some sign of emotion in Carlucci`s face but found none. Yet her instinct was that he cared. “Well I`m right there with you on that, Senator, so how do I fit into this?”
“You investigate under the radar but with my back-up, go places and make contacts that the committee won`t. All expenses paid plus twice your normal fee, triple if we win out. And of course the big one, the story you`ll have the sole rights to. Interested?”
Her impulse was to answer immediately, knowing a story of this significance could be her ticket back to the big time. But she felt the need for restraint, play it cool. “You guarantee to have my back if things cut up rough, and won`t leave me hanging out there because of political expediency? I need your word on that, Senator.”
“You have it.”
Now she held back a moment. “Why do I have the feeling you`re leaving something out.”
“I`m not. This could be something big, and when it breaks I need to have absolute trust in your loyalty to me, only me.”
“And what about exposing everything in my story, things you may not want exposed?”
The senator knew this was a make or break issue. He also knew it was time to lie. “Freedom of the Press rules, Miss Hahn. So you print whatever you find. All I need is for me to know everything before anyone else, a 24 hour window. You got that, because it’s a condition, an important one.”
Calmly staring him out, her instincts on edge and still not sure what she was signing up to, Jessica dropped her shoulders. “Okay, Senator, I`m in.”
“Then glad to have you aboard, Miss Hahn. I`ve a feeling this thing is going to be good for both of us.”
“So where do you want me to start, Senator? I`m guessing the military.”
“Yes, we start with the military, it`s the prime suspect, though I just don`t buy it. But we need some kind of lead so that`s where we go, check out every connection, no matter how tenuous.”
“Do I have a direct contact at the base, someone in authority who won`t give me the old military two-step?”
“Major Frank Greenmire, a hard-nosed sonofabitch but a decent man. He won`t give you much because the military speaks to nobody, not even congress if they can help it. But he`s a man I think you can trust and I`ll make sure he knows that it`s me that`s sending you.”
“Okay then, guess I`d better get organised. Where is this military base? The media haven`t been told.”
“Honduras!”
“Honduras! Jesus, that`s a whole different ball-game, Senator. Don`t know zip about it, but I do know it can be a real bad-ass place. Corruption everywhere, drug cartels, a justice system that`s close to non-existent. How am I supposed to operate down there? I would be vulnerable as hell.”
“Figured that would be your response, and you`re right, it would be dangerous for a woman on her own. But Honduras isn`t all bad, the people are as nice as you`ll find anywhere, and I`ve already got you a bodyguard, ex Navy Seal.”
“Hold on there, Senator, I`m not going into that jungle-assed place with a stranger, don`t care if he`s Bruce Willis on steroids.”
Reclining in the chair the senator clasped his hands then rested them on his stomach. “Okay, I can relate to that, it`ll be your call, who do you want?”
“I need to think this over. You don`t go to a place like that and just poke around a bit. As good as your guy might be, we`re going to be together for some time, and under these conditions I need someone I know I can trust, one hundred percent.”
“Then get your guy Krench. You two did one hell of a job on the Hydrax investigation. Same deal for him, double fee and triple if we win out.”
Jessica stared at him. “That`s an option I`m not sure I have, got no idea where he is. Not seen or heard from him in close to three years.”
“I heard he was that type of guy, seemed to grow up in the middle of nowhere. Bit of a loner.”
“He`s no loner, just comfortable with his own company. The type who`s big on self-reliance.”
“Smart too, had a good career going at the Justice Department. Why`d he chuck it?”
“Arnie was a wrong side of the tracks guy, but it wasn`t an issue for him. And he was intellectually strong, morally strong too. It was the politics of the place, he just wouldn`t play ball. He hated that some of his superiors sold out to the politicians.”
“Way the world works Jessica, even at Justice.”
“Don`t I know it.”
“Intriguing combo you two made, you with your wealthy east coast father and academic mother. Easy childhood I`m guessing, not like his.”
“Good but not that easy. My father was pretty strict when it came to modesty, and so my teenage years brought out the rebel in me. Had an older sister I just couldn`t get on with. Still don`t. I got pushed around a lot back then, but not anymore.”
“So I hear, going by your reputation. Anyway, you and Krench made quite a pair. So you reckon he`ll go for this, get back in the ring?”
She shrugged. “Who knows, but he said he`d always come running if I needed him.”
“Well let`s see if he still feels that way, shall we?”
“Easier said than done, Senator. Like I said, I`ve no idea where he is or how to find him.”
“Did you ever try?”
“Bunch of times. But if he doesn`t want to be found he won`t be.”
“Well it`s not a problem. If there`s one thing government`s good at its finding people. So as long as he`s not hiding away in a rice field in Cambodia we`ll track him down. Could he still be in L.A.?”
“Doubt it. He was an urban type of guy but grew to loathe the city. After losing his wife and son to a divorce he felt a compulsion to get the hell out. When we were together he swore he`d never return.”
“Don`t worry, we`ll find him.”
“Well if you do, make sure I`m the one to contact him. No Feds knocking on his door, Senator, and that’s a condition. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Now she was struggling, her excitement at a new assignment replaced with apprehension. The recent drip-drip of doubt over her future had worn her down more than she realised and a feeling of uncertainty was creeping up on her. Her assumption had been that any investigation would be in the U.S., not dangerous unknown territory where she had no connections or back-up. Even if Arnie could be found and agreed to the deal she knew her concern was justified. But now came more anxiety as the alternative, a full-blown crisis in her financial position and no prospect of resuming her journalism career came to mind.
“Okay,” she said, guardedly, “ if you get me a contact number for Arnie I`ll give it a try. But if he won`t take this on then neither will I. Operating in Honduras without him is a deal breaker.”
“Why wouldn`t he take this on, that`s what he does for a living, and you guys worked well together, were close if I remember rightly.”
“Nice little pitch, Senator, but it`s a bit more complicated than that.”
“Well I`ll find him, Jessica and after that it`s up to your powers of persuasion.”
“All well and good, Senator, but if there`s one man on the planet that was born to resist any kind of persuasion it`s Arnie Krench. Does things his own way or no way and has a total disrespect for authority, along with an aversion to rules.”
“Then just the guy we need. This particular end will require whatever means there has to be, unconventional or even border-line illegal, and I`m fine with that.”
“Fair enough, Senator,
you find him, I`ll ask him. What the hell happens after that, God only knows.”
CHAPTER 3
As he wound down his speed and pulled the Harley over to the curb, Arnie Krench was not just surprised at the vibration from the cell-phone in his leather jacket but annoyed by it. Nobody should have his new number. He had made sure of it, his previous phone chucked into the Pacific over a year ago. A couple of hours west of Phoenix, Arizona, heading towards a fading sun, he had watched its southern curve touch the hills on the horizon, and now he felt the hot Sonoran wind begin to chill. As he stared at the text his heart seemed to skip a beat. It was the last person he wanted to hear from, at least that was what his brain was telling him, but his emotions told him otherwise.
Switching off the cell phone he jammed it into one of the bike`s side-bags, cranked up the engine and cursed. Gunning the Harley more than usual, it`s wheels spitting gravel in several directions, he took off west on Route 60 heading for Salome and as cheap a motel as he could find. His mind was already beginning to miss the contentment that life on the road had given him, the unaccountability, the freedom, no bills to pay, all that now changed by a contact he hadn`t expected. It was one he didn`t want, or so he thought. But ten miles into the remains of the sunset he was becoming less sure as the memories came flooding back.
He rode the now darkening desert highway while the text continued to bite at him, his efforts to dismiss it failing, the image of Jessica`s face now painted on his mind. He knew his eyes had been lying when he had left her, the promise to stay in touch delivered with little conviction. But he had gone, knowing he would become a desperado living with regret, and now he had to confront his past all over again, confront the biggest mistake of his life, and figure out whether he was about to make another.
Finding what he reckoned was the cheapest motel on the main strip of a dead-end town he parked up the Harley and made a mental note of a few things to check in the morning. He had become a doting father to his machine, carefully tinkering on a daily basis, making sure the engine sang the right notes and was tuned to perfection. Swinging himself off the bike he took a couple of steps back, noticing the hitch in his right leg felt more stiff than usual, a consequence he put down to his riding position. Rubbing away the tiredness in his eyes he pulled the red bandana from his head and shook out the dust before heading towards the motel reception at the slow, easy rolling pace he`d had since a kid.
Having dumped his side-bags on the bed, splashed his face, changed his T-shirt and pulled on a fresh pair of blue-jeans that were frayed at the knees, he now rummaged through his things. Neatly placing items to the side of the bag, he finally felt the texture of a book; took it out and placed it on the bedside table. Every night he read, sometimes serious stuff, from geo-politics to philosophy, and sometimes just random fiction. On rainy days he would hang about town, eventually seeking out the library and spending a few hours there, often losing himself in worlds he wished he could visit. But tonight he knew that reading would be difficult, today`s text not allowing his mind to rest. And getting off to sleep, even after a hard day`s ride, he knew would be a challenge, because today his life had taken a turn, one that excited him, but one that also scared him.
He`d checked out various bars while riding through town and knew several were within walking distance, none of them any better than the other, the nearest chosen on that basis alone. Faced with the stark contrast of bright neon signs against a darkening sky and the constant drone of traffic noise he stopped a moment to remind himself why he disliked town life so much. He knew that someday he would have to re-adjust, financial necessity already pressing, hard decisions no longer able to be stuffed inside a can and kicked down the road. But that was for another day.
As he slewed back a cold beer in the saloon across the street he ordered another and sidled over to a table at the back. A few deadbeats were propping up the bar, a mouthy woman with a skirt barely covering her rear, getting told to shut up and stop hustling. She was either deaf or couldn`t give a damn, or both, because she kept right on. Arnie noticed she had a toothy smile that was too big for such a slender jaw, and that time had taken its toll, making her prospects with the bar-flies close to zero.
After a few minutes the woman quit and stared over at him, his obvious lack of interest enough to have her turn away and move to a table at the opposite end of the bar, waiting for a new mark to appear. For a moment he felt sorry for her and wondered what kind of a life it must be, vulnerable, insecure, and worst of all, no hope. At this time in his life he didn`t have much more than she did, but hope he had plenty of, and he knew that was everything.
He downed a slug of beer, signalled to the bartender for another, then took his cell-phone out and put it on the table, staring at it as his mind began to race. Jessica Hahn was back in his life, and what his next move would be was the question, though he knew the last line of her text meant he had no choice. He flicked open the message once more. There was no indication she was in trouble, but it was clear she needed him for something, and that thought was overriding everything else.
Rubbing his hands over skin that had taken on a leathery look he wiped his eyes as he tried to decide. He had climbed his metaphoric mountain, questioned himself to a standstill and knew his travelling everywhere yet arriving nowhere was beginning to lose its appeal. Since his divorce, several years back, he had coped with the aftermath without concern, apart from the one thing that still tore him up, the refusal of his now teenage son to even speak to him. Tonight, what he was feeling was a mix of exhilaration and apprehension, but overpowering it was a sense of exhaustion, not physical but mental, reflecting the decision he had to make.
Finishing his third beer he grabbed the cellphone, punched in the numbers and sat back with his head against the wooden slats of the wall, eyes staring at a neon Budweiser sign while he listened to the ring-tone.
It was the fifth ring before the phone was answered. “It`s Arnie,” was all he said, leaving the field open.
Jessica felt a stab of anxiety overtake her surprise, having hoped for the call but convinced he wouldn`t respond to her text. “Glad you called, wasn`t sure if you would. How`ve you been, Arnie?”
He could tell the call had caught her by surprise, hearing her breathing quicken, a hint of nervousness in the voice. “Good,” he said. “Travelling a lot, just me and the Harley on the open road, you know my deal, freedom with no responsibility, hard habit to break.”
The sound of his voice had drawn her straight to him, the feelings stronger than she had expected. Cursing her hesitation she got straight to the point. “Got an interesting offer the other day and I need your help with it.”
“You in trouble, Jess or is this business?”
“Guess you could say I`m in trouble, if not being able to pay next month`s rent counts. Things have been pretty rough since that bastard Latimer fired my ass. I took to the hills after we busted up, and freelance journalism isn`t what it`s cracked up to be. Difficult to make a living, so this offer I`ve been given is one I can`t refuse.”
“Know what you mean. One minute life is as it should be then suddenly it becomes a predicament. Not giving a damn about anything is a real nice way to be, but it ends up not being an infinite option.”
“So you`ll think about it?”
“Well, we hurt each other pretty bad back in the day and most of the blame is on me, but I always said I`d come running if you needed me.”
For a moment she remembered the look on his face when he had left her and now that memory made her hesitate. “On this one I sure do, and you`re the only person I can trust because it`s not that straight down the line, got some danger to it. Needs some explaining so I`m ready to hop a plane, meet you in L.A., you good with that?”
“Sure. Don`t have my apartment anymore, so it`ll be cheap motel rooms. Text me your flight number, I`ll pick you up.”
“Sounds good, I`ll be there
in a couple of days and we`ll take it from there.”
“One other thing, Jess, how the hell did you find me?”
“Part of the story, Arnie, clue you in when I see you.”
Anxious about meeting up after all this time, what to wear had been driving her crazy until a “screw it” attitude prevailed, opting for blue jeans, along with a 3 button white top and pair of designer sandals. She knew what Arnie would be wearing was pretty well a known; nothing that could impress. And as expected the meeting at L.A. International showed some signs of nervousness, their approach looking as if they would embrace, but both of them stopped short, the moment somewhat guarded. Though the opening exchanges were warm, they resembled more of a chess match than a comfortable reunion, each feeling out the other, looking for signs of how things had changed. So in the parking lot, when Jessica laid eyes on the Harley it was the break they needed, her engaging laugh making him smile. “No limo for me then,” she said.
His favorite place in southern California was a surfer`s bar & grill on the coast, opposite Trancas Canyon, a few miles north of Malibu. Arriving straight from the airport on a sun-filled day they settled at a table on the wooden deck, Arnie drawing Jessica`s attention to the large rollers sweeping in and crashing onto the rocks. Each wave seemed to leave a moment of stillness as bunches of seaweed were deposited, a group of sandpipers then running forward and pecking at them before retreating. It was a useful distraction from the nervy discomfort they felt, the manner of their bust-up not far from the surface. She had spent most of the flight wondering whether he would see a change in her, if the slight kink in her nose would be more noticeable, her hair maybe now too short, recently arrived age-lines around her eyes.
Arnie had no need to see himself to know he was the opposite of Jessica, no grace, more the lumbering kind, and what he looked like had never been much of a consideration. What she now looked like had been no concern to him either, his caution tilted towards the feeling in his gut, an emotion he was determined to control.
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