End of the Rainbow : There Lies the Portrait of My Love

by Henry H. Williamson Jr

  “I don’t understand…” she said in a confused tone, “you mentioned seeking a prize for forty years, and now you say six weeks ago would have been different. That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry,” Hank admitted. “It’s just that a woman I met nearly four decades ago, one that made an indelible impression on my psyche, came back into my life about six weeks ago and we are going to be married this summer, or maybe before, we haven’t fully decided yet.”

  “Oh, I see,” said the woman, “and you are committed to her, is that it?”

  “You are so lovely,” the woman was incredibly lovely; nevertheless, Hank was undaunted when he added, “and you appear to be so ‘clean’ inside that I almost regret acknowledging it, but yes, I am committed to her. She is all I’ve ever wanted in a woman.”

  The young lady got up from her seat and said, “Congratulations, that is rare,” then she added, “If you find out you are wrong and the forty-year interval has changed your perfect woman, here’s my phone number. Call me. Will you do that?”

  Hank looked at the paper, her name was Pamela, and then he looked the woman in the eyes and with a smile and a purely appreciative tone, said, “Pamela, the chances of that happening are slim to none, but if such a thing occurs, I will call you, I promise.”

  Hank finished his drink and departed the club.

  When he arrived home, he thought it would be a good time to call Frank, but he remembered it was only about two O’clock in Hawaii. He didn’t expect Frank to be home, so he decided it probably would be best to wait until around midnight.

  Midnight rolled around and he called. Answering machine: no Frank. One O’clock in the morning, Frank called, he said, “What’s new?”

  Hank responded, “Strange you should ask, my friend. Business is going great -- moving along at a better rate than I had anticipated, and in my personal life things seem to be moving along on schedule, if there is such a thing in my personal life. Incidentally, how are you and DiJana coming along?”

  Frank sounded as though he were about to lash out at something or someone, but thought better of it, and said, “Strange you should ask. That woman has me in a strangle hold… well, I guess I shouldn’t say it like that, but she is so much on my mind that I can’t make my love-life conform to my desires any more. I have yet to get in her pants. I guess I shouldn’t say it like that because I have so much respect and love for that woman, even I wouldn’t believe it, but damn I’m almost frustrated.”

  He seemed inclined to want to talk about it so Hank just listened. He continued, “You know the two weeks we shared the guest room at Bonnie’s home?”

  Hank said, “Yes.”

  “Believe it or not,” Frank continued, “we never had sex -- we never made love!! Can you believe that?”

  “That is hard to believe,” Hank said incredulously.

  “The truly bad part,” said Frank “is that I can’t totally enjoy my relationship with my women here because of my feelings for her. I’m a wreck.

  “Last evening,” Frank continued, “I explained the problem to ‘D’ and she said she was astounded that I could hold the discipline to sleep in the same bed with her for two weeks and still not have sex. The good part,” Hank could hear the relief and pleasurable anticipation in his voice, “is that she admitted that she had decided that if I could do that, and it was a matter of discipline on her part as well, she would be totally committed to me.

  “I detest being tested like that; however, apparently I passed the test because she said when we next get together, she is looking forward to us sharing the most passionate lovemaking ever known.”

  Hank said, “Now, that is good news. Congratulations!”

  “Yeh, I deserve it.” Frank said, and immediately added, “How are you and Bonnie coming along?”

  “Pretty good,” Hank felt better about talking about Bonnie moving there since it looked as though he and DiJana had resolved their differences. He continued, “in fact, that’s one of the reasons I called you earlier this evening. She’s moving here to Cincinnati the end of this week.”

  Frank said appreciatively, “Hey, congratulations to you my man!”

  Hank said, “Thanks.”

  Frank immediately changed the subject. He said, “Let me ask you a question. Do you know what I do when I’m not on the beach?”

  Hank was caught off guard, he hadn’t thought about what Frank does to maintain his standard of living, they had never talked about it -- he said, “You know, come to think of it, I have no idea. What do you do ‘when you are not on the beach.’?”

  Frank said, “I own a little security business, we also dabble in private investigations. I guess you’d say I’m in the crime and crime prevention business. We have business as well as personal clients.”

  “Interesting!” Hank said, “I remember you said once, you were on the police force at one time, but I didn’t give it any further thought. Why do you ask?”

  Frank seemed to try to measure his words, he said slowly, “I’m sure you know, in any industry when something big happens, word somehow seems to leak out about it. Our industry is no exception.

  “I’m hearing rumblings,” continued Frank, “about the situation in Connecticut. It seems the charities that Bonnie was involved with are somehow mob-controlled, and both the charities and the mob are in turmoil. There have been seven terminations of mobsters, and they say Bonnie had an attorney on retainer -- he was liquidated.”

  Hank knew he had better not breathe a word of the confidential information the FBI agent had shared with Bonnie and him; however, he knew that the basic information would be well known and probably newsworthy throughout the nation. Of course Frank knew all about the indictment against Bonnie brought by the justice department, and he knew Bonnie was not involved in any illegal activity.

  Frank said he didn’t know what the truth was, but if the rumblings he was hearing happened to be true, that Connecticut mob controls all of New England and practically all of upstate New York. He added, “The charities that Bonnie was involved with are simply fronts for all kinds of illegal activities; including, gambling, money laundering, extortion, assassinations, and a whole host of other shady doings.”

  Hank asked Frank if any specific names arose in the rumblings he had heard. Frank said negative, then added, “It’s big, about the biggest thing to go on in that area since the depression back in the twenties… And it’s nasty. Looks like there is a snitch among them and they are trying to weed him or her out. Maybe that’s the reason for the seven terminations, and who knows, maybe Bonnie’s former attorney was part of that whole scene.”

  Frank asked if Bonnie had said anything about the situation since they left Connecticut. Hank said she had not, and then he added that every day causes him to be more and more concerned about her safety.

  Hank recalled the words of the FBI agent when he asked about the safety of Bonnie, “If things work out like we anticipate, the chances (of Bonnie being harmed) are minimal.” He wondered if they had anticipated the nastiness of the mob in trying to determine who the snitch might be.

  Frank had been saying something, but Hank was not cognizant of anything he had said, “…what do you think about that Hank?”

  “I’m sorry Frank,” Hank said, “I didn’t understand a word you said. Actually, I was thinking about this situation with Bonnie. I’m sure glad she is coming here. She’ll be here Friday and I’m all set for her arrival. This thing has got me fidgety now, do you think I have a reason to be concerned.”

  Frank said, “Truthfully? Yes, I do. If you don’t have a firearm, I would suggest you acquire one, and if you need a permit to use it or carry it, get it. I don’t know how deeply Bonnie was involved with these clowns, but they are serious. With them, it’s a matter of survival, and you know what that means.”

  Frank continued, “If she knows anything, or if they think she knows anything that might mean curtains to anyone of them or their operations
, she will be a marked woman, and she won’t survive. I hate to put it that way, but no need to sugarcoat it at this point.”

  “Man, you’re scaring the hell out of me.” It’s true, Hank really was frightened, he said, “What can we do?”

  “Nothing.” Frank quickly added, “Let me say this: if they allow her to leave Connecticut, the chances of her being marked might be reduced. You know what I would do?” Before Hank could answer he said, “I would call the FBI and seek their advice and help. After all, they’re the ones that opened the can of worms.”

  Hank felt himself sweating. He wanted to get off the phone and go into action, but he didn’t know what to do. On the other hand, he felt he had to do something. He decided he would get off the phone with Frank and call Bonnie.

  He said, “Frank, you’ve got me in a fever pitch of concern about Bonnie. Let me get off the phone here so I can talk to her and see if she…believe it or not my mind ended that sentence with, ‘see if she is alive.’ Man, you’ve got me in a tither. It’s about two O’clock in the morning out here, and she should be asleep, but I’m going to call her anyway. I’ll keep you informed -- say hi to DiJana for me. See ya.”

  He immediately called Bonnie. She answered the phone on the second ring, she said, “Hi dearest. I miss you.”

  “I don’t just miss you, I ache for you,” Hank said. He didn’t want to alarm her, so he decided to see how she viewed the situation in this thing. He said, “How is the situation with the charities and the FBI going?”

  “Pretty well.” Then she said haltingly, “Why do you ask?”

  He didn’t want to alarm her, yet he wanted to be reassured that his fear of losing her at this stage of their relationship was exaggerated. He said, “I just finished talking to Frank. He and DiJana are going to get together someday soon and get it on. I congratulated him.”

  “Why, that’s wonderful, Hank.” Bonnie seemed genuinely pleased. She added, “I think they will be fantastic together.”

  “Yes, me too.” Hank was groping to find a way to say exactly what he wanted to say without sounding goofy. He couldn’t justify anything other than the truth, so he just came right out with it. He said, “Look, Bonnie, Frank owns a business that has its basis in crime and crime prevention. When it comes to important matters in his industry, or matters that make headlines, he is usually on top of it in one way or another.”

  Bonnie said, “And you said that to say what?”

  Hank was still reluctant to blurt it out, but he pushed on and said, “I said that to say, he told me of the terminations of several people related to the charities with which you were involved. According to him, your life could be in jeopardy. I called you at this late hour because I wanted you to assure me that I have nothing to worry about.”

  “Well, my dearest love, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but Frank is absolutely correct,” Hank tightened his grip on the phone as she said those words. He listened to her intently as she continued, “I can’t talk about it over the phone, so how about me leaving here first thing tomorrow morning so I can be with you and we can talk. Ok?

  “Oh, and Hank, I don’t want to frighten you, but I have changed my will. I have left you and my son everything -- half and half.”

  “Well hell,” Hank protested, “that does frighten me! What you seem to be saying is, your death is a… is… is inevitable. I mean… you know what I mean!”

  Apparently, Bonnie had resigned herself to being terminated, and from the way she was talking, she expected it to happen any day. Hank felt so helpless, so insecure, so… damn, it was a painful feeling. The fear of losing her caused his stomach to hurt.

  Bonnie said, “These people are serious, they are mean, they are powerful, but they are now in a survival mode. What that means is, they will do whatever it takes to insure they maintain their status. If it means snuffing out a thousand innocent people to eliminate the one they are after, so be it. If it means doing the evil deed over and over until they get the one they are after, they have no problem with that.

  “I have done nothing illegal in this thing, nothing at all. I was never involved in any activity with the mob or with Jon. I didn’t do anything and I don’t know anything, but the powers of the underworld are not convinced of that. All those times I was on the telephone when you were here with me, I was talking with various people to try to convince them of my total innocence. I have tried to convince them that there is nothing I can do to hurt them, because I don’t know anything.”

  Hank said, “Then what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is, they are convinced that I can name names, and identify figures. My sources tell me that because of my position as hostess and entertainer of guests during my marriage with Jon, I am a liability that must be erased. The fact that I think I don’t know anything and that I promise to keep my mouth shut is irrelevant.”

  For some reason, Hank was no longer frightened. Apparently, he had heartened himself to the situation. He said to Bonnie, “Look, I’m sure they will understand your total innocence and you are in no danger. You said you wanted to come here first thing tomorrow and be with me. I want that too, so why don’t you hop on that flight and I’ll meet you at the airport. Ok?”

  “Ok. And Dearest…” Bonnie hesitated…

  Before she finished, Hank said, “I know, me too. I am yours truly.”

  As soon as he hung up, he dialed Frank. Answering machine, but no Frank.

  Hank was never one to sit around and let things happen to him, he was more of a person that made things happen for him. He began to think that he had found himself in a position that was uncomfortable to say the least, it seemed as though he had no control over what was happening to him and Bonnie. He didn’t like that in the least.

  He decided to take a nap and call Frank in a couple of hours.

  It was about midnight in Hawaii and Hank called Frank again. Frank answered the phone.

  “Frank? Hank. I just finished talking to Bonnie and she is coming here tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve got a question for you: have you ever thought of expanding your business to encompass a location on the mainland?”

  “Strange you should mention it,” said Frank, “yes I have, but I don’t have the contacts and I haven’t found anyone that I have enough confidence in, to handle an expansion: in addition, I know it’s too much for me to handle alone. Why do you ask?”

  “Hopefully my phone is not tapped,” Hank was pretty sure it was not, but he wasn’t positive, he continued, “even if it is, I don’t care if they know it. In fact, I almost hope they find out -- I want in on your business, I want you to train me and hone me to a razor sharp crime-prevention-machine. If anything happens to Bonnie, I promise I’ll get retribution, and if it is the mob so much the better.

  “The problem is,” Hank wanted Frank to know his line of thinking and the exact reason he was inquiring, “I’m in excellent physical condition, but I have no experience in crime-fighting and that kind of thing. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m soft when it comes to hand to hand combat fighting, my business has been extremely successful, but that required a business kind of fight to get it off the ground and make it profitable.

  “What I want to do now is become like hardened steel in all areas, especially hand to hand combat fighting, so I can accomplish what appears to be a fight like I have never experienced before. At my age, I would think the outlook is not that great is it?”

  Frank said with enthusiasm, “Man, you sound determined. Age is no problem, if you are as determined as you sound, and I know you are, I can do what you want. I have a training school here in Oahu with the latest tools, machines, and gadgets, or I can come there; however, to come there would take quite a bit longer to bring you up to speed. The only problem is, I’m in the middle of… That’s all right, when you’re ready, you just let me know, I’ll delegate everything else, and you’ll become my top priority. Have you decided when you want to start this thing?”

  Hank wasn’t sure exactly w
hat he wanted to do or how to do it. All he was sure of was that he was going to be the aggressor and make the future his to control. He said, “I haven’t decided what to do or how to go about it: a great deal depends on Bonnie. She’ll be here later this morning, shortly before noon, and I will have given it more thought by then. I’ll call you tonight or tomorrow your time and let you know what I’ve decided: til then, I’ll talk at ya.”

  Hank had been ready for Bonnie’s arrival for more than a month, so there was nothing else he needed to do in preparation. He decided to get dressed and go to the airport, have breakfast at the frequent flyers club, and look for one of his favorite people to talk with while awaiting Bonnie’s arrival.

  At the time for Bonnie’s plane to arrive, Hank went to the arrival area: the board said that famous irritating phrase, “Late arrival.”

  At twelve thirty, he checked with the lady at the controls and she said there appeared to be a problem with that flight, but she didn’t know exactly what the problem was. She said she’d check it out completely and let him know what the estimated time of arrival would be; she added, it shouldn’t take more than five or ten minutes. He said he would check back.

  At one thirty, he checked back and the lady advised him to check with her supervisor, that she should be able to help him. She added that there is a definite problem with the flight but she couldn’t get any information about it.

  When he checked with the supervisor, he was taken aside and told that the flight was lost. It showed up on the radar screen plus they had voice contact, then all of a sudden, nothing. The flight just vanished without a trace. The supervisor said, “We honestly don’t know where it is or what happened, it just vanished.”

  He looked bewildered and talked as though he was in a hurry. She said, “We have put all our people on alert; we are looking for the flight all along the flight corridor. Something will turn up, we’re sure. Planes don’t just disappear like that.”