Voices Behind the Curtain

by Gordon Zuckerman

  When the press conference was over, before she allowed Señor Arena to steer her toward his long black limousine, she said, “I thought it appropriate to include Don in everything we do. You wouldn’t mind if I ask him to join us?”

  The forced smile on Manuel’s face clearly indicated he was not expecting Mercedes to insist on bringing a lawyer, particularly one who would remain by her side.

  Mercedes was surprised when the limousine pulled to a stop in front of Mexico City’s famous El Matador restaurant. A well-lighted, red-carpeted entrance leading from the curbside to the front door had been arranged. Large crowds of expectant movie fans lined both sides. More reporters and photographers were waiting to interview Señor Arena and his beautiful new star. This time, Manuel and Mercedes were smiling. Don, the rising star of the Justice Department, relegated to the role of following behind at a discreet distance, was not smiling.

  The bulbs flashed, and the reporters asked their questions. Mercedes slowly realized she was being asked to play her old role as Manuel’s personal trophy and the rising star of his soon-to-be-produced movie. Knowing Manuel as well as she did, she was always impressed by his ability to spin half-truths and focus the press’s attention on promoting his next production. Even so, she wondered how long it would take before he exposed his true agenda.

  CHAPTER 26

  The Pieces Fit

  LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 1949

  Cecelia’s limited role in the Sentinels’ operation officially started when her plane departed New York in April 1949. Despite the fact she knew it was just a small part, she understood her work might become the critical cause that would enable her colleagues to gain access to Señor Arena’s safe and its telltale contents. For 12 hours her plane would be chasing the sun and was scheduled to land in Los Angeles at 7:00 p.m. just as the sun would be setting over the Pacific Ocean.

  * * *

  ANTICIPATING SHE WOULD BE LEFT UNDISTURBED FOR SEVERAL HOURS, she had planned to use the opportunity to condense her voluminous notes into a week-by-week summary of Arena’s deposits into his personal accounts. Once I am given the counters’ reports gathered by Goldman’s people and the result of our own investigation, all I will have to do is compare the aggregated difference between his gross receipts less what he has reported for sales tax purposes with my deposit summary and I should be able to prove that he has been skimming his own operation. Now to determine if the pieces fit.

  * * *

  CECELIA WAS SENSING HER EXCITEMENT WHEN SHE FELT THE PLANE begin its descent to the Los Angeles Airport. I feel well rested and ready for a really great meal and a special bottle of wine. How lucky can a girl be to know Mike and Don will be waiting to greet me.

  Peering out the window as the plane slowly taxied to the gate in the growing darkness, Cecelia could see Mike and Don standing behind the cyclone fence near the unlocked and open gate. They remind me of two Praetorian Guards waiting to greet the arrival of a returning warrior, even if it’s only the “Mighty Warrior” from Hong Kong.

  Sensing their excitement about introducing her to one of the newer fine restaurants of Beverly Hills and waiting to celebrate her arrival, any thought of work was instantly forgotten. How often does a little girl from Hong Kong get greeted by her husband and a trusted friend intent on taking advantage of the wonderful life-style of Beverly Hills?

  Spending a night with the boys was always an exciting event. Everything seemed so much more interesting when they could talk about “guy” stuff despite the 3-hour time change, the combination of being introduced to a new restaurant, and listening to Don and Mike discuss what could be done if they were able to get ahold of Arena’s records. She had been involved with other Sentinels, when with their possession of the right information, they successfully opposed a combination of some big and powerful companies. The idea of challenging the powerful American Military Complex seems like a very bold plan. When discussed over a great bottle of French wine and a superbly prepared and served fine dinner, the idea becomes even more exciting.

  * * *

  IT WAS ELEVEN O’CLOCK CALIFORNIA TIME AND TWO A.M. NEW YORK time when they arrived at the Bel-Air Hotel. Too tired to take notice of the magnificently landscaped garden bungalows that were the residence of choice for visiting celebrities and lead members of the East Coast entertainment community, Cecelia politely declined their offer of a final-final after-dinner drink at the hotel bar. Proceeding directly to their bungalow, Cecelia went to her and Mike’s room, opened her suitcase, took out what she would need, changed her clothes, and collapsed into bed.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING, ANXIOUS TO GET STARTED, THE WELL REFRESHED mighty warrior had finished her morning cup of coffee and started her inspection of their room, the outdoor patio, and the lush landscaping of their surroundings. The voluminous records Goldman had delivered were stacked on top of a long narrow table that had been placed next to a long wall in the adjacent room of their suite. Wanting to wait for Mike to order breakfast, she began unpacking the boxes and arranging them in chronological order before placing them in neat rows on the floor of the extra room. Engaged in unpacking, she was only vaguely aware of Mike when he woke up and was silently watching her unpack the files on a pile-by-pile basis as she converted the floor into her personal, horizontal, paper-landscaped filing system.

  * * *

  HOPING TO PREVENT CECELIA FROM NOTICING THE LIVING EVIDENCE of his and Don’s partaking in many more than one final-final after-dinner drink, without saying a word, he made his way through the dressing room and into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, showered, teeth well brushed, shaved, and dressed in his Beverly Hills’ uniform, a refreshed Mike emerged from the dressing room. Looking up, Cecelia was confused by the unusual appearance of her conservative banker husband. Gone were the dark suit, well pressed white shirt, a conservative-appearing tie, and highly polished black shoes. The man stepping into the room was wearing well-tailored and pressed tan gabardine slacks, a hand tooled leather belt secure by an engraved silver buckle, a blue and white checkered, long sleeved sport shirt, highly polished Bass-Weejuns loafers, black socks well punctuated with pink spots, a red and white bandanna tied around his neck, and sporting a blue blazer.

  * * *

  CECELIA WAS NOT FOOLED. “SINCE WHEN DID YOU DEVELOP THE habit of coming in at two o’clock in the morning smelling like someone who had fallen into a tub filled with gin? And what’s with the sporty clothes? You look like some predatory movie star preparing to impress someone in the hotel’s lounge. While I’m getting dressed, why don’t you order something special from room service and we can enjoy breakfast served on that sunlit patio gorgeously landscaped with flowers, bushes, and trees, some of which I have never seen before.”

  * * *

  SITTING NEXT TO MIKE, ENJOYING THE SMALL TALK, ENJOYING HER favorite breakfast, freshly squeezed California orange juice, eggs Benedict, crisp bacon, and sourdough toast was so enjoyable, the reason for their being there seemed very far away. How long has it been since Mike and I have been able to enjoy each other’s company, study the newspapers, and savor such a fine breakfast, in such a beautiful, warm, and comfortable environment?

  * * *

  AT 9:03 A.M., THEY MET DON IN ONE OF THE HOTEL’S SMALL conference rooms that had been reserved for their private meetings. Two hotel bellmen entered the room; each was pushing a dolly loaded with copies of government tax reporting records. After asking Cecelia how she wanted the file boxes to be arranged, they set them down on the long narrow tables organized by state and city.

  * * *

  THREE DAYS LATER, CECELIA ANNOUNCED SHE HAD IDENTIFIED A match between the discrepancy between the estimated and reported revenues of the theaters in each city and the deposits made to Arena’s personal Stone City banking account from that city.

  Don and Mike double- and triple-checked her work. Satisfied with the results of her work, each man spent the next 2 days making the kind of carefully constructed notes they would need
before proceeding with the next step of their respective plans. Cecelia was kept busy during the day. The early reports from their counters were beginning to appear along with the recent reports from the taxing authorities. A second room was needed to store the additional materials. An old storage room, located in the far end of the central common facilities, partially filled with old hotel records, was finally located. On any given day, Cecelia might be found in their bungalow, the small conference room in the main facility, or in the remote storage room.

  * * *

  DON WAS THE FIRST TO CHECK OUT OF THE HOTEL. SUBJECT TO confirmation by the second examination, he had all the material he would need to start creating the legal brief required to seek the necessary approval before impaneling a grand jury to indict Manuel Arena for fraud and tax evasion.

  Mike’s problem was a bit different. Before he could approach his board of directors and demonstrate probable cause required before the bank was empowered to freeze all of Arena’s accounts, he needed to produce confirming evidence from a second source indicating fraud and tax evasion had been identified.

  To help speed things along, with extra time on his hands, it was only natural for him to offer Cecelia his assistance. “Not in a million years,” she responded. “Do you really believe that I would allow you to screw up what it’s taken me weeks to organize?”

  * * *

  HAVING FREE TIME WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR MIKE STONE. TO FILL up his extra time, he decided to work on his golf game, something he had always wanted to do but never had enough collected time to pursue. With the assistance of an old friend and a current member of Los Angeles Country Club, he was able to make arrangements to take a golf lesson each morning, hit practice shots, and after lunch, take a playing lesson from the same teaching professional. Mike had always thought taking lessons and hitting balls was helpful, but it paled by comparison with the improvement he was able to achieve from playing a round of golf, under the intense supervision of the pro. When he missed a shot the pro would drop extra balls, insisting he get it right before proceeding.

  Late in the afternoon when they were playing the seventh hole on the North Course, Mike and the pro’s concentration was suddenly interrupted when a Los Angeles police squad car, with its red and blue lights flashing, was driving up the fairway toward them. Mike had previously experienced receiving an urgent note delivered by an assistant pro driving a golf cart. Watching the approaching squad car was a new experience. He could never recall an urgency requiring a police car to drive down the pristine fairways of the famous old course. Someone must have been killed or was in real trouble.

  Without offering any explanation, the two police officers stepped out of their car and immediately approached Mike before they announced they had instructions to transport Mr. Mike Stone to protective custody of the local police precinct.

  Sitting in the back of the patrol car, all Mike could think about was the possibility something must have happened to Cecelia. When the squad car headed in the opposite direction from the Bel-Air Hotel, Mike was confused. When neither officer responded to his questions, the normally controlled Sentinel and executive bank officer lost patience. When he began yelling loud obscenities, demanding they stop the car and release him, in an effort to calm him down, the officer sitting in the right-hand front seat turned toward Mike before saying, “Even before you registered at the hotel, we received a tip from a reliable source explaining who you are and warning us there could be trouble. The hotel advised the police and took it upon themselves to employ extra security agents dressed as landscape workers and painters. They have been stationed in the gardens around your bungalows and in the hallways leading to the conference rooms. Their commander has been stationed at the front desk.

  “Twenty minutes ago, we received a report from the commander that several men, casually dressed, carrying heavily laden sports bags, were attempting to check into the hotel with no previous reservations. The commander working behind the desk asked the man who appeared to be the leader of the group if they would like a complimentary cup of coffee while he called the reservation department to check for room availability.

  “Refusing the offer, each of the men drifted off in a different direction. They seemed more concerned about wandering around the hotel than waiting for a response. They appeared to be interested in the conference rooms, the private dining rooms, and the garden bungalows.

  “As planned, the commander’s supposed call to the reservation department was routed to the Beverly Hills Police Department and the local FBI field office. Two patrol cars, cruising the area in a nearby unmarked car, were immediately dispatched. After receiving instructions to refrain from attempting to approach any of the men wandering around the hotel to prevent any unnecessary altercation that could harm a hotel guest or employee, the two officers in the nearest patrol car approached the hotel through a rear entrance. They entered the hotel through the service entrance leading to the food preparation facilities. The second car blocked the main entrance to the hotel. No arriving guests were allowed to proceed, and all departing guests were asked for identification. The hotel housekeepers, the maintenance personnel, and the extra security staff received orders to instruct all hotel guests to remain in their rooms. Doors to the public restaurants were closed and locked. No one was allowed to enter or leave.

  “We were directed to proceed with all possible haste to pick you up on the golf course and deliver you to the station. Under no circumstances are we to allow you to return to the hotel. Once we assure the FBI all three of you have been safely delivered to the station, they are planning to initiate the second phase of our plan.

  “Arresting heavily armed professional operatives in a public place can quickly become very dangerous. Our best hope is that they will voluntarily vacate the premises when they fail to locate any of you. Once they are off the property, we have a task force of squad cars blocking both the east and west drives of Sunset Boulevard. The car blocking the main entrance will join one of the blockades. We want the departing operatives to be well removed from the hotel. Once the operatives make their turn out of the Bel Air entrance, they will move in. Depending upon which direction they turn, one group will stop them and the other group will approach them from the rear. If possible, we want to take them alive. There are members of the Justice Department and the FBI who are very interested in what these men have to say.”

  Relieved to learn Cecelia was safe, Mike started to analyze what must be happening. He could understand why the two of them would be considered to be threatening and had become active targets. What I don’t understand is why the local police department and the FBI chose to become involved. Could it be that they are protecting one of their own and didn’t realize Don had checked out early that same morning? Even if the law enforcement agencies had received the tip from one of Marco’s friends, how do you explain how they were so prepared to react on such short notice? Don has some explaining to do.

  CHAPTER 27

  White Box, Red Ribbon

  MEXICO CITY, MAY 1949

  The seating arrangements in the El Matador, long recognized for its celebrity clientele, were organized either to provide the highest possible exposure or the most well-preserved privacy. The table reserved for Señor Arena was offered maximum exposure. It was situated on a raised pedestal located in the center of the restaurant in clear view of the other patrons.

  Any thought of serious conversation or ordering anything other than cocktails and hors d’oeuvres had to be postponed until the last of Manuel’s friends had visited his table, expressed their congratulations, and waited to be introduced to his new star.

  Much later, after they had enjoyed an elegant quail basted in a red wine, red- current, lemon juice, and melted butter sauce, Manuel decided to switch the conversation from innocuous small talk to a more serious subject. Focusing his attention on Mercedes, he said, “I hope there are no hard feelings over what I thoughtlessly allowed to happen, at least none that can’t be put aside. Iwant to
express my sincerest apology.

  “Not long after you left, the director brought me the rushes of your new film and insisted that I look at them very carefully. Both he and I agreed that we have a great opportunity to make a fine movie of international appeal, one that will be a credit to you and your career as a fine actress and will reflect positively on the studio.”

  Caught up in the eloquence of the day and the evening, listening to what he was saying, she was not immediately conscious of the pressure she was feeling as he, under the cover of the table, firmly placed his hand on her thigh.

  Revolted, Mercedes turned toward him, flashed her most engaging smile, grabbed one of his fingers, and bent it backward into what had to be a very painful position. His effort to smile looked more like a grimace.

  Satisfied that her message had been properly conveyed, Mercedes looked into Manuel’s eyes and said, “It’s time for us to come to an understanding. If you think for one minute I have returned to pick up where we left off, you are sadly mistaken. There are only two conditions under which I am prepared to proceed. Would you prefer to talk about them now or wait until tomorrow morning?”

  Clearly understanding he had made a serious mistake, one that he needed to immediately correct, he said, “Fine. Why don’t you explain what you have on your mind, and I will give you my answers tomorrow morning, after we have both had a good night’s sleep.”

  Mercedes smiled and nodded in approval. “First, you need to explain exactly what kind of working relationship you expect to have with me. Once I have heard what you intend, depending on what you say, we can then proceed to deal with the second problem.”

  “A second problem?” Manuel asked. “Is there something in the contract that requires our attention? Since you have seen fit to be accompanied by your lawyer, I feel confident we can work it out. Why don’t you explain what is bothering you, and I can have my attorney begin to work on it.”