Lenny could ruin him with Laura. Further coercion might backfire–Lenny was volatile.
There was no cut-and-dried Lenny solution. Easing Laura’s loneliness might help–she’d be less inclined to contact Lenny.
He brought Claire up from Tulane and introduced her to Laura in mid-May. She was wowed by Laura–a big-city sophisticate ten years her senior. A friendship clicked–the two became great phone chums. Claire joined Laura for occasional weekends, full of concerts and museum tours.
He traveled to earn his three paychecks. His daughter kept his future fiancée company.
Laura told Claire her whole story. Claire inspired full disclosure. Claire was wowed–My Dad might be the President’s secret brother-in-law someday.
He pimped for the maybe future President. Jack went through his little black book and sideswiped a hundred women inside six months. Sally Lefferts called Jack a de facto rapist. “He backs you into a corner and charms you until you’re plain bushed. He convinces you that turning him down would make you just about the most worthless female who ever lived.”
His little black book was near-depleted. Mr. Hoover might tell him to fix Jack up with FBI-plant call girls.
It might happen. If Jack’s campaign flourished, Mr. Hoover might simply say, “DO IT.”
The phone rang. Kemper caught it on the second ring.
“Yes?”
A long-distance line crackled. “Kemper? It’s Chuck Rogers. I’m at the stand, and something happened I figured you should know about.”
“What?”
“Those pro-Castro guys I fired cruised by last night and shot up the parking lot. We were damn lucky nobody got hurt. Fulo says he thinks they’ve got a hole-up someplace close.”
Kemper stretched out on the couch. “I’ll be down in a few days. We’ll fix things up.”
“Fix things how?”
“I want to convince Jimmy to sell the stand to the Agency. You’ll see. We’ll work something out with him.”
“I say let’s be decisive. I say we can’t lose face in the Cuban community by letting Commie shitheads shoot at us.”
“We’ll send them a message, Chuck. You won’t be disappointed.”
o o o
Kemper let himself in with his key. Laura left the terrace doors open–concert lights had Central Park sparkling.
It was too simple and too pretty. He’d seen some Cuban reconnaissance shots that put it to shame.
They showed United Fruit buildings torched against a night sky. The pictures were pure raw spellbinding–
Something said:
Check Laura’s phone bills.
He rifled her study drawers and found them. She’d called Lenny Sands eleven times within the past three months.
Something said, Convince yourself decisively.
It was most likely nothing. Laura never mentioned Lenny or ncted in any way suspicious.
Something said, Make her tell you.
o o o
They sat down to martinis. Laura was sunburned from a long day shopping.
She said, “How long were you waiting?”
Kemper said, “About an hour.”
“I called you at the St. Regis, but the switchboard man said you’d left already.”
“I felt like a walk.”
“When it’s so grisly hot out?”
“I had to check my messages at the other hotel.”
“You could have called the desk and asked for them.”
“I like to show myself every so often.”
Laura laughed. “My lover’s a spy.”
“Not really.”
“What would my ersatz family think if they knew you had a suite at the St Regis?”
Kemper laughed. “They’d consider it imitative, and wonder how I could afford it.”
“I’ve wondered myself. Your FBI pension and salary from the family aren’t that generous.”
Kemper put a hand on her knees. “I’ve been lucky in the stock market. I’ve said it before, Laura. If you’re curious, ask.”
“All right, I will. You’ve never mentioned taking walks before, so why did you take a walk on the hottest day of the year?”
Kemper made his eyes mist over. “I was thinking of my friend Ward, and these walks we’d take along the lakefront in Chicago. I’ve been missing him lately, and I think I confused the Chicago lakefront climate with Manhattan’s. What’s the matter, you look sad.”
“Oh, nothing.”
She took the bait. His Chicago/friend talk nailed her.
“Horseshit, ‘Oh, nothing.’ Laura…”
“No, really, it’s nothing.”
“Laura…”
She pulled away from him. “Kemper, it’s nothing.”
Kemper sighed. Kemper feigned perfect chagrined exasperation.