The Arcturus Man

  He cast behind the boat and slowed the engine to a troll. It wasn’t a few minutes before he got a strike. He knew it was a mackerel from the way it hit the lure. He reeled it in. It was a beauty. It was silvery and iridescent. It was enough for two.

  “Mackerel,” said Jenny.

  “Actually, Spanish mackerel. One of my favorites. This is the second one I’ve caught recently. It’s really odd that they’re this far north. Thank you global warming. I like cod better, but we would have had to go pretty far out to find cod. I also don’t think you would have enjoyed picking out the horsehair worms.”

  She knew what horsehair worms were. “You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

  He cleaned the mackerel and cut off the head. He took some bacon and put it inside the slit in the mackerel’s belly. He threw the guts into the bay. They could both see something flashing below the boat.

  “Bluedogs,” said Jenny.

  Jared glanzed around. He was certain that Smolenskiy was gone. It was safe, at least for the time being. He throttled up and drove over to a mud flat near the island. He beached the boat and walked over to a clay hill. He scooped out the blue Maine mud and covered the mackerel with the clay until it was entirely encased.

  She smiled. "You made a giant fish mud pie with your own hands. I am so proud of you."

  He smiled back at her, looking over his shoulder.

  “Just wait,” he said.

  He pushed the boat off the flats and brought it to other side of the island. He threw a grappling hook over a large rock and pulled the boat close. The waves were small so he didn’t think that the boat would take a beating, but he nevertheless dropped an old tire down between the boat and the boulders. They climbed out.

  He sensed the moment. There wasn't anyone near who had any interest in either of them. He was sure it was safe. He still couldn’t sense Smolenskiy. He was definitely gone. He asked Jenny to gather some dry drift wood. Storms had washed drift wood up onto the boulders and the sun had baked it dry. There was plenty. He started a fire and Jenny fed it with the wood she found. She loved it. After the fire had been going for a while, he dropped the mud-encased mackerel into the embers.

  “Oh boy. And later we get to eat that, right?” She was tickled about her mud jokes.

  “Just Wait,” said Jared. “She was funny.”

  “Can you help me set up?” He threw her a blanket. She spread it out on a very large, flat boulder.

  her a St. Pauli Girl.

  He brought over the beer cooler. He opened the bottle cap and gave She didn’t ask for a glass. Next, he brought over the hot food. She helped him set it out. He climbed back in the boat and found dinnerware and napkins in another storage compartment.

  “Wow, the food is still hot.” The air was cooling slowly as the sun was setting. Now that it was dry, she put her blouse back on. Jared was disappointed. She opened a beer for him. They talked for a while.

  Later, he pulled the mackerel out of the fire. He cracked it open. It neatly split into two halves. The blue clay had baked as hard as a dinner plate. The skin of the mackerel stuck to the sides and when he pulled the mackerel off, two perfect filets came up. Jenny was amazed. No bones. No skins. Just perfect mackerel filets. The bacon grease was gleaming on each serving.

  “Now that is a neat trick,” she said. “Let’s eat.” “This is a very cool guy,” she thought to herself.

  They ate slowly. They talked. Later, as the air cooled, he pulled a blanket over their shoulders and they sat quietly for a time watching the flames. She took it all in. The sound of the waves hitting the rocks was soothing. It was a glorious sunset. The sun was almost gone. The moon was already up and some of the stars were appearing. Night skies in Maine are phenomenal. It was nothing like Boston. There was no night glow from cities. You could see the entire Milky Way. The fire was still crackling and gave their part of this little island a golden glow. The bay was shimmering as the waves reflected the light from the fire and the setting sun. Distant lights on the far shore were flickering. It was a perfect moment for Jenny. They held each other and kissed again— slowly and for a long time. She knew she was in love.

  For the first time in his life, Jared was truly happy. They went back to the house and made love until well after midnight.

  Eagle’s Head – 27 May 2013

  Jared woke around eight o’clock. That was unusual, he thought. He slipped out of bed without waking Jenny. The sun was beaming through the window and one shaft of light fell across the bed. The soft downy hairs on the small of Jenny’s back were illuminated. It gave her a glow. She was tanned everywhere except her buttocks. The white skin seemed to emphasize them and made her look especially nude. He felt a stirring in him. She was sleeping on her stomach, curled up around a large pillow.

  He pulled back the sheet some more. Her long hair shimmered in the sunlight every time she moved. She wasn’t wearing perfume but her natural scent was intoxicating. She was so captivating. He sat in a chair for a while and just looked at her sleeping. He never thought that it was possible that he could fall in love. Yet, he loved her so much that it hurt. This was all new to Jared.

  He left the bedroom and went to take a shower. Ginger knew that he was finally up. He could smell the coffee brewing. He went into the shower room. The shower felt so good. Moments later, Jenny walked in.

  “Good morning, darling,” she said. No one had every called him darling. He liked it. It was a comfortable, homey feeling. Jared never had a home before—or at least not for a very long time.

  She smiled and stepped into the shower with him. They kissed. They were quick kisses. She looked so sexy wet.

  She could have waited to take a shower after his, but to Jenny, this was a small part of not having secrets or private things with someone you loved. She didn’t want any facet of her life to be a secret to him. It was a small demonstration of her desire to be as open and honest with him as was humanly possible

  He didn’t think that he was ready to share his “private things.” Not yet. It was much too soon. In fact, he hoped that he never would have to, but he couldn’t imagine how it could be avoided.

  It was nice that the bathroom had two vanities, she thought. He shaved and she dried her hair and put on some makeup. This was definitely a makeup day. She noticed that he looked on intently as she put on lipstick. She enjoyed his attention. He wasn’t a virgin but he obviously hadn’t been with many women. That thought pleased her.

  She wasn’t going to work today. She wanted to spend the entire day with him. She had to go back to Cambridge this evening. She wanted as much of him today as he was willing to give her.

  While Jared was cleaning the boats, Jenny borrowed one of Jared’s many laptops and began to enter the research data she had collected over the past few days, setting it up in tables for her doctoral thesis. It was slow and tedious work and she wasn’t that good with Microsoft Word. Excel was great but Word was not user friendly when it came to making tables.

  Jared seem to like to work on the floor but it made her stiff and her back began to ache from leaning over for so long. She needed a break. Jenny went into the kitchen and poured a glass of iced tea. She took it out to the veranda where she could flop into Jared’s marvelous hammock. As she sidled into the hammock, some movement outside caught her eye. She instantly recognized the red shorts. With her drink in hand, she stepped outside and began to walk to where she had seen Jared.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes. He wasn’t cleaning boats. He was playing with boomerangs. She counted. He had two flying…no three…it was incredible…he had four flying. As each boomerang arrived, he only took a step, at most, to catch it and send it up again. Most of the time he didn’t move. His movements were so graceful. She watched as they would climb, then circle, and then return to him.

  She didn’t want to disturb him so Jenny crept back to the Veranda and then back to the laptop. That evening he took her back to the mainland. She pulled her Land Rover out of the garage. He piled her thing
s in the back seat.

  “I’ll be back next weekend,” she said.

  She was choked up with emotion. She had forgotten about the cut on his forehead until now as she was holding the image of his wound in her memory. It was completely clear. The skin was a little paler, but that was all she could see. She was confused, trying to remember what it looked like after he fell. He was talking to her.

  “I’ll miss you, Jared. I’ll call when I get in.?”

  “Ahhh…Do you think phone sex is gross?” he asked.

  “No. I suppose not. I’ve never tried it.”

  “Then be ready for something special when you call,” he said. She smiled.

  They kissed. Hard kisses.

  “Bye.”

  “Bye, Jared.” She drove off.

  He said nothing. He should have said something. But what? He watched until her taillights disappeared on the horizon.

  He took the boat back to the island. He walked up to the house and went in. Ginger was turning the lights on as he entered. Mozart came on. “Music off,” he said. The stillness of the house was unbearable. He turned Ginger off. He went into his den to read. He missed Jenny. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but was afraid to. That was a new emotion he had never experienced before. Fear! He wanted to understand it but then repeated to himself over and over, “analysis is paralysis.” Sex was very important to Jared. It was his Rosetta stone to ordinary people. He always knew that. Sex was the one thing—the only thing—he had in common with everyone else. “But then,” he thought, “maybe love worked that way too.” He wasn’t sure. It was alien territory. Jenny was gone and he was lonely again. It would take her a few hours to get to Cambridge. He didn’t want to miss her call so he put his cell phone in his pocket.

  “Damn it,” he said out load. He forgot to give her his cell phone number. He rarely gave that number to anyone. Jared never forgot anything, but this—he forgot. He left the house to run laps around the pond. The darkness was not a problem for Jared. Forgetting something that important was the problem. Why did it happen?

  Decayed thoughts were seeping back into his consciousness. Jared recognized it for what it was, sophomoric debating. He couldn't stop it. His personalities argued with one another as he ran. What greater good was served by his existence? Why was there so little in life that gave him pleasure? Why bother living at all? Did he have a conscience like other people did? Are there any absolute values in the universe? Was all morality simply contrived by humanity? He didn't like the answers spoken in his mind.

  He stopped at the pond and sat down on a log. The evening chill was relaxing. He watched a pair of loons swimming in the gloaming. They mated for life. He wondered if there were any meaningful differences between him and the loons. Intelligence was a veneer. It was like beautiful furniture. The mass of the furniture was in the base wood, not the thin shiny layer you could see. And yet, there were profound differences at the genetic level. Jared had no intrinsic drive to make sure his chromosomes survived after his death. He wasn't entirely certain of it, but he didn't think he had any paternal instincts. The death of people around him had little significance to his life. He never mourned. And yet, he did feel deep grief when his parents died. This was all confusing to Jared and confusion was an extreme rarity for him. Not understanding. That made the depression so much worse. He understood the clinical process of depression and the chemical imbalances that exacerbate those feelings, but that did little to help him cope with it. The Black Dog was back.

  Being alive had no long lasting meaning for Jared. That much he understood. He stood and continued his run. He couldn't run fast enough. He couldn't outrun the wind at his back.

  Chapter Six – Sofia

  Sofia & Miami – July 2013

  “Your Spanish is not very good. There is too much static on the line. Please speak English,” said Rubio.

  Sami was amused. Sami’s Greek and Italian were pretty good, but he knew his Spanish was bad. It was too different from Italian.

  “OK, speak English. Why you not learn Russian when you study in Russia?”

  Rubio winced. Sami’s English was worse. It had to do. He didn’t want to annoy him much more. The money hadn’t arrived yet. He had to be friendly.

  “I didn’t think I would need it. All the courses were in Spanish. Anyway, I have the equipment we need in the cabin. Not the one by the lake but the one…”

  “No name. Do not say name,” said Sami.

  “I wasn’t going to. As I was saying, all the gear we need is assembled. I leased the RV. I can also quickly lease a helicopter if we need it. I need American money soon,” said Rubio.

  “Excellent. Money arrive soon. Not to worry,” said Sami.

  “The aerial photographs of the island were very expensive,” said Rubio.

  “Yes, and for that too. Is plan finished? I want see plan as soon as finished,” said Sami.

  “No, it will be a few weeks yet. I am sending someone to do reconnaissance on the ground. He will pose as a fisherman. Photographs are important but we also need information from human eyes,” said Rubio.

  “THREE WEEKS COCK SUCKER. NO MORE,” said Sami.

  “You do not wish to rush this. We must be thorough.” Rubio hated talking to Sami. He was a crude and ignorant man.

  “Be thorough in three weeks. No more.”

  “OK. Three weeks,” said Rubio

  “Russian fail because took too much time. He lost surprise. This fellow…rabbit…should not be underestimated,” said Sami.

  “I didn’t know the Russian, but I heard he was sloppy and missed.”

  “Yes, that true, but you must listen. Rabbit intelligent. He sense danger just like rabbit. He strong. He fast. I say this before. If you believe easy, you fail.”

  “I do not fail. That is why I am careful and why I want to take as much time as is needed. If you rush this, you could cause failure. I will do as you command, but I recommend that you think about this,” said Rubio.

  Sami thought about this for a moment.

  “OK, take more time. You must keep me informed. Use Internet like before,” said Sami.

  “I need more passports…for the cold country,” said Rubio.

  Sami was not happy.

  “How many more?”

  “I need five more,” said Rubio.

  “Each one increase risk. The cold country not stupid. You must be careful and you must separate. You know this.”

  “Yes, Yes, I know this,” said Rubio.

  “We talk too long. What else?” asked Sami.

  “Who is the traitor? I would like to contact him by Internet when the time is right. I must know for certain when the rabbit is on the island,” said Rubio.

  “FUCK NO! YOU WILL NOT KNOW HIM,” yelled Sami. He calmed down. “He must not know you. You only talk to me. He only talk to me.”

  “Can I be certain that his information will be correct and will be timely?”

  “Of course. This fellow is close to rabbit. They good friends,” said Sami.

  “I have been told that the rabbit knows what people are thinking.”

  “Forget that,” said Sami. “It not like you think. Not problem.”

  “If he discovers the traitor, we are lost,” said Rubio.

  “Traitor knows rabbit. Rabbit not suspect,” said Sami.

  “The lives of my men depend on the traitor. I have not even seen the rabbit. I have no photograph of him as a man—only as a boy.”

  “Yes, Yes, that true. I have thought of that. Traitor will arrange for you to come in contact with rabbit so you know what he look like. That will be soon. You must be ready. You check Internet this evening. I will post name of town you and men go to. Rent room and wait hear from me,” said Sami.

  “We need a new password. It has been a month,”

  “Yes, of course. Your son’s name. It unusual name,” said Sami.

  “No, it will not be my son’s name,” said Rubio.

  “Why you make me angry? It w
ill be son’s name.”

  “It will not. Shall I hang up?” asked Rubio.

  Sami was enraged. He had to kill this son of a bitch when it’s over. But for now, he had to be nice. No one talks to Sami like that.

  “OK, OK. Use name of lake at first cabin.”

  “Yes, that will do,” said Rubio.

  Rubio wanted to use long passwords consisting of letters, numbers, and characters, but he knew that Sami was too stupid to not screw it up. He wanted to use an operating system like Linux. If their security failed, it all failed. Rubio would protect himself. He did agree that it was wise not to use scramble phones. They were too risky and difficult to get in Canada or the United States without attracting attention. At least that decision was smart.

  “We talk too long,” said Sami. He hung up.

  Chapter Seven – The Sixth Man

  Old Orchard Beach, Maine – August 2013

  It was a sweltering hot afternoon. Jenny loved driving his Lexus. It drove like silk. Boston had been hot, but Maine felt hotter. It was difficult for Jenny to imagine that Maine could be hotter. It was further north. Even with the tinted windows, the sun kept pumping through the glass on the driver’s side. Jared’s Lexus had excellent air conditioning, but Jenny kept adjusting the vents.

  “I’ll hold the wheel. Take off your panties,” said Jared.

  “You can’t be serious. I’m driving.”

  “I’ll hold the wheel.”

  She knew that this was a big turn on for Jared, so she relented. It wasn’t the first

  time he asked her. His need for sex play was escalating a little every week. He was beginning to concern her. After all, she wasn’t Krissy and she was a good Lutheran girl. Could Jared be getting bored with her so quickly? Did he need this to stay interested in her? Was she putting up with it because she was afraid of losing him? How much of it was fun for her too? “Some,” she thought, but she would have preferred to not do it.