“Thanks, I’ll tell his mom.” I said. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about before you go. Dennis Reston mentioned that he wanted to give me a job. He made it pretty clear that it was something illegal and I told him I was interested. If he follows through I can get in touch with you and let you know what he wants me to do.”
“You’re determined to get yourself killed aren’t you?”
“These guys are selling children. Don’t you want to bust them? They’re selling heroin too. I might be able to help.”
“There’s no way to bust them for the drugs, it’s already well known that the CIA is involved in drug smuggling and no one cares. It’s an open secret, but the children, that’s another matter. If that were to come out there would be public outcry. There might not be anything we could do in the courts but we could give it to the media, and then we might get a government reaction of some kind.”
“So I’m looking for something we could give to the media?”
“If you’re willing to risk your life for it.” She said. “I hope you wouldn’t do anything stupid, I don’t have to tell you that these people would kill you without a second thought.”
“I know.”
“And you’re not working for me, if you do this you’re doing it as a free agent. I have a feeling my partner will be coming for you soon, and I don’t want you running your mouth to him about how you’re helping me.”
“I wont.” I said. “Does he have anything on me?”
“He’s looking pretty damn hard.” She said. “I’ll try to give you some warning before they come for you, but not directly. I’ll let John Marchin know.”
“Why him?” I asked.
“Because he’s helping you.” She said. “He and I had a long conversation about this mess. He was a good cop in his day.”
“But you can’t give me any help with Dennis Reston?”
“Like what?”
“Like backup.” I said. “If I get in trouble I’d like to be able to call in the cavalry.”
“Well I guess I could do something.” She said. “I’ll have to take your phone.”
“What are you going to do with it?” I asked as I handed it to her. “You gonna put a wire in there?”
“No, just a panic button and a GPS” She said. “But you have to promise that you’ll only use it if your life is in eminent danger.”
“Okay.” I said.
“I should be able to get it back to you tomorrow if my tech guy’s not too busy.”
I thanked her and sat alone in the park for an hour or so after she left. I was wondering if I would have the guts to die for a bunch of kids I never knew. Sitting in the park I was, but I wondered what I would do in the moment if the moment came.
When I got home I looked up the contact information for Thomas Delaney the Third, and called Meredtih Divos. I explained to her that I had a cop friend who told me that Thomas Delaney the Third was the best lawyer for David. She said she’d called Benson and Crewe, from TV, but I told her I didn’t think that was such a good idea. “I’m sure they’re okay if you’re trying to get money from somebody, but David needs a defense attorney.” I said. She said maybe that was why they hadn’t called back yet. I gave her Delaney’s number and she god-blessed me before I got off the phone. “You too.” I said.
I went and picked up Jessie at the PFPFP and waited while she closed the place down. On our way home she wanted to stop at the Buy n’ Fly and she came out unwrapping a pack of Marlboro Ultra Lights. “What’s all this now?” I asked as she got in the car.
She looked at me as she pulled one out. “It’s a cigarette.” She said. “I’m gonna smoke it.”
“Since when did you start smoking again?”
“Since I can’t find any weed and I need a fucking hobby, since that’s when.” She said, lighting it up with a new red lighter. “You have a problem with that?”
“Oh no, by all means, go ahead and smoke that toxic shit right next to me. I love it.”
“Well I don’t see you making any phone calls about the weed situation.”
“Jessie, I’ve been sort of busy lately, I don’t know if you’ve noticed.” I said. “Gimme one of those.”
“I thought you were opposed.”
“I am, but second-hand smoke makes me gag.” I said.
“Welcome to flavor country.” She said.
TWENTY-EIGHT
John called me the next day at around eleven and told me that he’d had a call from detective Reyes. “You need to get out of your house now son.” He said. “They’re issuing a warrant for your arrest today. I’m not sure when, but they’re gonna come get you.”
“A warrant for what?”
“Harboring a fugitive.” He said. “They checked your phone records and apparently you called the Relna place on the night of the shooting down in Everett. I was a little surprised to hear that myself.”
“Sorry.” I said.
“It’s okay, I suspected you anyway. But between the phone call and Franco telling anyone who’ll listen how you were going in and out of there all the time -you look pretty guilty.”
“Shit.” I said.
“They could be coming over to your place right now. You need to leave.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go John. Maybe I should let them arrest me. What am I supposed to do?”
“You could stay at my place for awhile.” He said. “They’ll find you eventually, but maybe by then the case against David will be different. Thomas Delaney the Third had a meeting with David just this morning, so you never know.”
“If I’m at your place, you might get in trouble.” I said.
“I’m an ex-cop, I won’t get in trouble. Anyway, I’d be harboring a fugitive who’s wanted for harboring a fugitive. That’s too interesting to pass up.”
I told Jessie the situation and had her drive me to her Pap’s place before she went to work. John opened the door to his apartment with a crooked smile. “Well if it isn’t Richard Kimble.” He said. “Come on in.” He lived in a one bedroom on the fourth floor of a seven-story apartment complex. He had a balcony and a small dining area next to his living room, which was furnished with a new black sofa and easy chair. There was a glass coffee table, an end table, and a well-stocked bookcase. He had a gray cat named Daring, who was sitting on the counter between the kitchen and the living room. “I was just making a couple of sandwiches for us, you want a beer?”
“Yeah.” I said. I sat on the sofa, and looked at the TV, which he had on mute. There was an open book on the table, and while he was in the kitchen I picked it up and looked at it. It was about the Spanish-American war. “This any good?” I asked when he came in holding our lunch on a TV tray.
He set the tray down and I took a plate and a can of beer off of it. “I’m enjoying it.” He said, sitting down beside me. “There’s not much new information in it, but it’s still presented well. You like history?”
“In school I liked learning about ancient history.” I said. “Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Fertile Crescent and all that. I don’t read too much anymore. Mostly magazines.” He’d made us jumbo sandwiches on wheat with pickles and mayo. There was also a sad handful of potato chips on the plate.
“There’ll be plenty of time for reading when you’re locked up.” He said. “I just read a book about these private security companies in Iraq... Do you have any idea how much money they’re making? It’s unbelievable.”
“Niti told me that guy Mike who used to work for the GSA is over there. He’s working for a trucking company and she said they’re paying him half a million dollars a year.”
“Yeah, Junior Pierson got him that job.” John said. “I tried to talk him out of it.”
“It’s a lotta money though.”
“Yeah, he’ll be the richest guy in the cemetery.”
“I guess I wouldn’t do it.” I said. “Even for a half million. That country is so screwed up now. It’s crazy to think it??
?s all because these politicians like Rumsfeld don’t know what they’re doing.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” John said. “It might be that everything went exactly as planned in Iraq. Look at all those so-called mistakes -no one could be that incompetent. Not even the Bush administration. They expect us to believe they disbanded the entire military and had no idea what would happen?”
“You think they were out to create a clusterfuck on purpose?” I asked.
“Look at the outcome of that clusterfuck. Even the people who were against the war from the beginning are now saying that we have to stay or there’ll be a genocidal civil war. Meanwhile Haliburton, Lockheed-Martin and Northrup Grumman get richer and richer, and the price of oil goes through the roof, and the American bases quietly become permanent military outposts where we can launch attacks when world-war-three comes. If things had gone well in Iraq, we’d be out of there already and the huge money-faucet would be turned off.”
“That’s pretty grim.” I said.
“Maybe I’m just a cynical old cop, looking at the world through shit-colored glasses.” He said. “But the reason I brought it up was because that book about the security companies gave me an idea. I was thinking we should start one right here in Ohio. It’s a growth industry, and you need a job. I’m going to need one too pretty soon -we could really do it. Lots of security is being outsourced to private companies these days. We could make a killing. With my experience and credentials, and your youth and moderately good looks-”