operations.”
Frank grinned. “Closer to the truth than I’d care to admit.
Enjoy it while you can, my friend. Without meaning to sound politically
incorrect, a good woman will not allow YOU to continue such an
existence.”
“Then I might be in luck.”
Jack disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a brace of Sam
Adamses.
They settled into the furniture with their drinks. -Trouble in
wedded-bliss-to-be-land, counselor?”
“On a scale of one to ten, a one or a ten depending on your
perspective.”
,Why am I thinking that it’s not the Baldwin gal that’s entirely gotten
to you?”
“Don’t you ever stop being a detective?”
“Not if I can help it. You want to talk about it?”
jack shook his head. 111 might bend your ear another night, but not
tonight.”
Frank shrugged. “Just let me know, I’ll bring the beer.”
Jack noticed the package on Frank’s lap. “Present?”
Frank took out the tape. “I’m assuming you’ve got a VCR under some of
this junk?
AS THE VIDEO CAME ON FRANK LOOKED AT JACK.
“Jack, this is definitely not G-rated. And I’m telling you up front, it
shows everything including what happened to Luther. You up to it? Jack
paused for a moment. “You think we might see something in here that’ll
catch whoever did it?”
“That’s what I’m hoping. You knew him a lot better than I did. Maybe
you’ll see something I don’t.”
“Then I’m up to it. Even forewarned, Jack was not prepared. Frank
watched him closely as the moment grew closer. When the shot rang Out he
saw Jack involuntarily jerk back, his eyes wide in horror.
Frank cut off the video. “Hang in there, I warned you.”
Jack was slumped over in his chair. His breathing was irregular, his
forehead clammy. His entire body shuddered for an instant and then he
slowly came around. He wiped his forehead.
“Jesus Christ!”
Flanders’s passing remark to the Kennedy example had not been
inappropriate. “We can stop right now, Jack.Jack’s lips set in a firm
line. -The hell we can!”
JACK HIT THE REWIND ONE MORE TIME. THEY HAD GONE through the tape about
a dozen times now. Watching his friend’s head virtually explode was not
getting any easier to watch. The only mitigating factor was that Jack’s
anger was increasing with each viewing.
Frank shook his head. “You know it’s too bad the guy wasn’t filming the
other way. We might’ve gotten a flash from the shooter. I guess that
would’ve been too easy. Hey you got any coffee? I have a hard time
thinking Without caffeine.”
“Got some pretty fresh stuff in the pot, you can bring me a cup. Dishes
are over the sink.”
When Frank returned with the steaming cups, Jack had rewound the tape to
a demonstrative Alan Richmond saying his piece on the impromptu stage
outside the courthouse.
“That guy’s a dynamo.”
Frank looked at the screen. “I met him the other day.”
“Yeah? Me too. That was in my I’m-marrying-into-therich-and-famous-set
days.”
“What’d you think of the guy?”
Jack gulped his coffee, reached for a bag of peanut butter crackers that
lay on the couch, offered one to Frank, who took it and then put his
feet up on the rickety coffee table.
The detective was slipping easily back into the less-structured domain
of bachelorhood.
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean he’s the President.
I always thought he was presidential. What do you think of him?”
“Smart. Really smart. The kind of smart you want to be real careful not
to get into a battle of wits with unless you’re real sure about your own
abilities.”
“I guess it’s a good thing he’s on America’s side.”
“Yeah.” Frank looked back at the screen. “So anything grab your eye?”
Jack punched a button on the remote. “One thing. Check this out.” The
video leapt forward. The figures jerked around like actors in a silent
movie.
“Watch this.”
The screen showed Luther stepping out of the van. His eyes were turned
toward the ground; the manacles were obviously making it difficult for
him to walk. Suddenly, a column of people moved into the video, led by
the President.
Luther was partially obscured. Jack froze the frame.