“It certainly would,” Pistarini said. “I’ll tell you all I know about him. He’s an American, with obvious ties to the intelligence community, and with many high-placed friends around the world. That’s it. That’s all anyone seems to know about him.”
“Central Intelligence Agency, sir?”
“I don’t think so,” Pistarini said. “I once had a conversation with a senior CIA official. The name Felter came up, and I was left with the distinct impression that he is cordially detested by the CIA.”
“Perhaps that was disinformation, sir.”
“I don’t think so. My CIA official had too much to drink to try to be clever in that way. He really hates Señor Felter, whoever he is.”
[ NINE ]
123 Brookwood Lane
Ozark, Alabama
1250 31 December 1964
“Boy,” Liza Wood said as she opened the door to find Lieutenant and Mrs. Jacques Portet standing there, “that was a quick honeymoon.”
“Jack has to report back on the second—”
“The second is Saturday,” Liza interrupted.
“Yeah, I know,” Marjorie said. “So we figured since we had to be here anyway, we’d go to the New Year’s party at the officers’ club—”
“On your honeymoon?” Liza interrupted incredulously.
“—so we drove up here, and are stopping here first, even before we get a motel and pick up Jack’s dress blues at the uniform store, because we want you to go with us.”
Liza motioned them into the kitchen without replying.
“You look like you could use a drink, Jack,” she said.
“Thank you ever so kindly,” Jack said.
Allan came running into the kitchen, looked up at Jack, and, visibly disappointed, asked, “Johnny?”
“Shit,” Liza muttered, then squatted beside her son.
“Mommy’s told you, darling, that Johnny had to go away, and that it will be a long time before we see him again.”
“Shit,” Allan said, kicked at her, and ran out of the room.
Liza looked at Marjorie and Jack but said nothing. She went to one of the cupboards and opened it.
“Scotch for you, Jack, right?”
“Please.”
“Marjorie?”
“Why not? Thank you.”
Liza made the drinks and handed them to them.
“Now, where were we? Oh, yeah. As I remember, there were three parts to your statement requiring a reply. First, there’s absolutely no reason to get a motel. There’s plenty of room here.”
“We couldn’t do that,” Marjorie protested.
“Why not? The honeymoon’s over, isn’t it?”
“No, as a matter of fact, it’s not. But I told my mother Jack and I would take a motel, and if she found out we were here with you, her feelings would be hurt.”
“The invitation remains open,” Liza said. “Statement two. Based on my own painful experience as an army wife, if the uniform place promised the uniform today, it won’t be ready.”
“I don’t know,” Marjorie said. “My mother said she would check on it. That may inspire them to keep their promise to have it ready.”
“RHIP, right?” Liza asked, shaking her head.
“Excuse me?” Jack said.
“Rank Hath Its Privileges,” Liza said.
“Really, is that what they say?” Jack said, amused.
“Boy, has he got a lot to learn,” Liza said.
“He’ll have a very good teacher,” Marjorie said.
“And as to the third part of your statement, me going out to the club for New Year’s, thank you very much, but I have made other plans.”
“I don’t believe that,” Marjorie said flatly.
“Cross my heart, et cetera, et cetera,” Liza said. “Not that I would go out there anyway, if I had nothing whatever planned for tonight.”
“What are your other plans?” Marjorie pursued. “Sitting here by yourself?”
“Allan and I are going to walk through the backyard to Ursula and Geoff’s—”
“They’re here?” Jack asked, surprised. “I thought they were going to Ocean Reef.”
“I left a note under their door at Ocean Reef, saying we were coming here,” Marjorie said.
“Geoff wanted to go down there,” Liza said, “but gave in to Ursula when she said you two would probably want to be alone. Proving once again, I suppose, that no good deed ever goes unpunished. ” She paused and added, bitterly, “Jesus Christ!”
“He whose name I am desperately trying to forget was always saying that,” Liza said. She looked at Jack. “Geoff was looking for you, come to think of it. At least, he called me and asked if I had heard from you two.”
He looked at her curiously. She pointed to the telephone and said, “six-four-eight-four.”
“Just four digits?”
“Everything in Ozark is seven-seven-four,” Liza said.
Jack took the handset from the wall-mounted cradle and dialed the number.
Geoff answered it on the third ring.
“Lieutenant Craig.”
“Lieutenant Craig, sir, this is Lieutenant Portet, sir. I understand the lieutenant has been looking for me, sir.”