The response was firm. “No thanks, we`re fine,” Jessica said, not allowing Arnie to speak for himself.
With Jarrod examining then biting his nails, the silence was uncomfortable and soon interrupted by the patter of big paws lumbering down the hallway. The dog was of indeterminate type but the snarl was akin to that of a Doberman, Jessica pulling back as it neared.
Jarrod was out of his seat in a heartbeat, shouting at the dog to heel and grabbing it by its collar. “Mean sonofabitch, don`t like people, but he won`t do nothin long as me or Nelly`s here. Get your ass in the box,” he shouted at the dog.
“Nelly? said Jessica.
“Nelly Hoag,” said Jarrod assertively, “Jeb`s mom, you just met her, who the hell you think that was?”
Jessica gave a slow nod. “I was expecting Jeb`s sister to be here. Janice.”
“Well she ain`t.”
When Nelly Hoag reappeared with a handful of papers she threw them on the table in front of Jessica. “There`s them papers that were with Jeb`s things, documents my legal-assed daughter calls them. See if you can get any justice for my boy out of them. Janice thinks the bank statement is the biggie, and I guess the amount is mighty strange for a soldier boy to be paid.”
Jessica zeroed in on the bank statement, eyes widening at the figure of $30,000. “See what you mean,” she said, passing the statement to Arnie.
As he checked it out, Jessica smiled at Nelly Hoag, noticing her host`s weather beaten skin and narrow eyes. When Nelly spoke it sounded more like a man`s voice, her mannerisms likewise. “My boy didn`t die no coward, never backed off a fight in his life. Whoever it was got beat to death in that Texas parking lot, it wasn`t my boy, not my Jeb.”
Jessica knew to leave it alone, let the woman speak. She was being ice cold, no emotion, not even a nod to a mother`s instinct.
With Jessica silent, Arnie interrupted and steered the topic away from Jeb. “What happened down there happened to his two buddies as well, and we hear they were also from around here. You happen to know if these two boys came into a big pile of cash? Do you know the families?”
Nelly Hoag eyed Arnie with a piercing look. “Folks keep to themselves around here, but I heard Brody Megson`s mom has high-tailed it, gone out west and ain`t comin back. Guess that takes some money, so could be Brody`s.”
Arnie knew he had to be careful now. “You any idea why Jeb would be paid such a big sum, all in one go?”
Nelly Hoag was still standing, one hand on her hip, the other by her side and beginning to clench. “Look, Mister, I know what you`re thinkin and I ain`t havin it. My boy hated drugs and everyone who went with it, so no way is that drug money. And if you`re thinkin that, then you can get your sorry ass out of here before I put my dog on you!”
Holding up his hands in a passive a gesture, Arnie backed away from the insinuation about drugs. “Just getting that one out of the way, Nelly, had to ask about the money. His buddies and his girlfriend all said that he hated drugs and we accept that. But a $30,000 one off payment in a Panamanian account has to be linked to what happened to him and it looks like a big lead for us.”
“So get on it,” said Nelly, “get them sons of bitches who messed up my boy.”
Jessica nodded. “We were expecting your daughter to be here.”
“Why`s that?” Nelly said. “Janice never paid no attention to me. Just cause she turned out smart, thought she was above us all. Came up here for the funeral, just the one day, didn`t even stay the night.”
“I thought she was close to Jeb,” Jessica said.
“Liked him well enough I guess and she kept in touch. They just didn`t have much in common, her being a book-worm and Jeb a rebel, always in trouble.”
Opening a can of beer, Jarrod pitched an opinion. “Way I see it, Janice is mad as hell at Jeb being killed. Told me the whole damned deal was suspicious and she`s going to find out what really happened to him.”
Nelly threw him a cold stare. “Don`t need no opinion from you, don`t know what you`re talkin about. That girl is a self-serving little bitch, cares nothing but for herself.”
“Well she got in touch with Senator Carlucci who`s running the investigation,” Arnie said, “she must care to some extent.”
“You don`t know my daughter,” said Nelly angrily, “she`s only interested in that bank account of Jeb`s. I can`t afford a lawyer so have to leave it to her to sort out, but I know she`s after the money.”
“Don`t know that`s fair,” Jarrod said.
“Shut up, Jarrod, ain`t no business of yours,” Nelly said.
Jessica could see a dark side to Nelly Hoag was beginning to appear and knew it was time to leave. “Well thank you for meeting us, Mrs.Hoag, and letting us see the bank statement. Our condolences for your loss. We`ll do everything we can to get answers to this tragic affair and also try to meet with Janice, see what this Panama bank account is all about.”
“Well you tell that cheatin-assed daughter of mine that she better not try screw me out of Jeb`s money, it should be mine. You hear!”
The coldness in Nelly Hoag`s tone had been upsetting to Jessica, who hoped that it was more to do with a mother`s grief than greed. In such a woman, so hard on the surface, there surely had to be an underlying care for her daughter, but there was no such sign.
And as if to underline it, Nelly Hoag added a reminder. “You city folks think we all love our kin up here. Well it ain`t so. Just reckon you need to know that.”
Under the glare of Mrs. Hoag, now standing in the middle of the floor with her arms folded and a mean scowl on her face, Jessica and Arnie made a swift retreat from the house, their steps down from the stoop beginning to quicken. With a slam of the screen door, Jarrod followed them and shouted an instruction. “Same deal, sit tight on my ass, all the way. Got that?”
Neither of them acknowledged, picking up their pace towards the car, focus solely on getting away from there as fast as possible. So keeping up with Jarrod would be a priority, no matter the speed.
The journey back down from the hills was a nervous one, Arnie continuously checking his rear-view, Jessica silent the whole way. Finally reaching the highway, Jarrod stuck his tattoo covered arm out the pick-up window and waved vigorously as he peeled off at the next junction.
“One hillbilly that I`m glad we met, got us out of that bar situation with some efficiency,” Jessica said. “But he`s a moron and I`ve had my fill of this violence thing, it`s everywhere these days.”
“Sometimes violence has to be met with violence, Jess.”
“Well I doubt getting called rat-face qualifies under appropriate response, but can`t say I`m sorry he did it. Saved me from God knows what.”
“Jarrod Wilkes knew it was going to be them or us, had that blade in the guy`s hand before I could blink. Sort of man you need in your corner when the chips are down.”
“Well if I get threatened like that one more time I`m getting a gun. The hell with this vulnerability shit, and I mean it, Arnie. If that`s the way the world`s going then people need to defend themselves.”
Arnie knew that it was a knee-jerk reaction, though justified by what she had been through lately. Having a gun and firing it at another human being he knew were two entirely different things, and it was a point he felt compelled to make.
“Okay, so you`ve got the Constitution behind you on that one and the support of millions of fellow citizens, but let me tell you, Jess, there are way more people who reckon that`s a crazy choice. I get where you`re coming from and in that bar I was wishing to hell that I had a weapon, I had no chance against three. But just think for a moment, how it could have turned out, someone would be dead, maybe all of us.”
“Okay, Arnie, that point I get, but if I`m ever in another situation where I need to defend myself then that view won`t cut it. And if it`s down to me or some violent asshole then the d
ifference between having a gun and using it won`t matter a damn. Where do you think knife-man Jarrod would be if he didn`t carry? ”
Knowing when to quit, Arnie let the subject drop as his mind returned to their next move. He softened his voice. “In terms of progress, Jess, we`ve now got confirmation of the bank account, but we`re still stuck in neutral, so we need to start taking chances.”
“Like what?”
“Like chasing an idea that means going to jail.”
“What!”
“California Correction Facility. Visit a guy I helped bust when I was at the Justice Department.”
“A convicted felon, what can he give us?”
“A plan.”
“A plan? Again with the plan, a plan for what?”
“To get us the info we need.”
“You`re losing me, Arnie, what the hell are you talking about?”
“We need to know who paid Jeb Hoag that money.”
“Back to that again, just how`s that supposed to work?”
“Leave it to me, Jess. Meantime we need to find out if Carlucci`s made any progress.”
CHAPTER 10
Now back in D.C., Jessica and Arnie met with Carlucci at his office, their hopes high that his work on Jeb Hoag`s Panama bank account had provided a breakthrough. They knew that being able to progress their only lead was crucial or it was back to square one, a prospect that would end the whole investigation. Arnie was at the stage where he thought that would be no bad thing, Jessica quite the opposite, all fired up again and more determined than ever. But underneath her commitment nestled a burning issue, suppressed, not fully dealt with. Aware that everyone had a primal fear of violence, she knew that few came face to face with it in such a cruel and terrifying form, and though her Honduran nightmare was over, in her mind it wasn`t.
As they sat in anticipation the senator`s look was enough, his words straight to the point. “Nothing, totally closed off. This bank`s under heavy-duty political protection. So who the hell paid this money to Jeb Hoag we`ll never know.”
It was a result Arnie wasn`t surprised at, knowing formal requests for such information were never successful, even for governments. Secret off-shore bank accounts were just that, secret. And now he knew it was his crazy plan or nothing.
“I thought the U.S. government carried a big stick when it came to diplomatic requests, ” Jessica said. “Thought that`s what you guys did for a living, trade information. Why can`t you get it?”
“This isn`t exactly State Department level,” Carlucci replied, “nobody`s going to use up political capital for something like this.”
“What about the congressional committee, can`t they weigh in on it?” she pressed.
“They might, but it would take a lot of political horse trading, and anyway we`re outside that arena, remember. And no way do they get what we`ve got because it will disappear into nowhere. Trust me, I know how committees work and someone will always be got at. If we want answers to this then we find them ourselves. Trouble is, we`re now out of leads and with nowhere to go.”
Facing the prospect of returning to Seattle with a fee well short of what she needed and the possibility of a great story disappearing, Jessica felt her disappointment turn to anger. “That`s it? We give up, walk away. Let justice for these Marines go hang?”
“Not my intention, but we are where we are, essentially nowhere. Okay, we know the answers lie in Honduras, and even if going back down there was an option there`s no trail to follow. I had assumed we were after a military connection but it`s got to be something else. I know you don`t agree but the committee is pointing to a new drug being experimented with down there, though what the hell evidence they have for that I`m damned if I know. But if they`re right, then we`re stuck in the middle of a drug cartel situation and that`s a position we have to walk away from.”
Jessica wasn`t giving up. “So this was all about clearing the military of accusations, that they weren`t responsible? Find another target to point at no matter that there`s no evidence to back it up. That what`s going on here, Senator?”
Senator Carlucci hadn`t got where he was by not knowing how to resist a challenge when wise to do so. “I understand your frustration, Jessica, but we`ve got to be real about this. There`s nothing to link the military to these Marines being killed. Nothing.”
Arnie now had that feeling again, the gut instinct that had no reason behind it yet clawed at him. During the Hydrax affair he had been convinced Carlucci was playing both sides but it turned out not to be true. And strangely, Carlucci had stuck his neck out back then, risking everything, so there was no justification for suspicion now. But it was obvious that the investigation had come to an end and Arnie didn`t like the senator quitting like this. Going back to Honduras just wasn`t on, he knew that, and the military base had been the only suspect. Though the logic was sound, the lack of any other lead or even the prospect of one meant no options remained. So what else could the senator be expected to do. But Arnie Krench had lived his whole professional life on the basis of gut instinct, and today it was firing him up.
He leaned forward in his chair. “Guess this is where I step up, what I`m paid for, finding ways that others can`t.”
“What do you mean?” Carlucci said.
“Panama!”
Jessica turned to stare at Arnie. “Panama? You`ve got to be kidding. No way, I thought we had agreed.”
“Just me, Jess, by myself, it’s the only chance we`ve got.”
Carlucci smiled. “That`s the kind of can-do attitude this country was built on, I suspected you would figure something out, Arnie.”
“Well I only have an idea and a risky one at that, so I need to know you`ll send in the cavalry if it goes wrong, get me out of there fast. You good with that, Senator?”
“I sure am. I`ll get Major Greenmire clued in, he`s not far from Panama, have him ready to bail you out if things get rough. He has a healthy respect for you guys, said you were a gutsy pair.”
Though he had broached the subject, Arnie knew full well that where he was going and the type of plan he had, meant Greenmire would be of no use. He`d be on his own and if things went wrong, rescue wouldn`t be an option.
And now Jessica couldn`t keep the look of anger from her face as she stared at Arnie. “I can`t believe you`re going back down there after what happened. It maybe Panama this time but it`s still dangerous territory. Remember Honduras, for Christ`s sake!”
“It`s not as bad as Honduras, Jess, and this time I`ll be dealing with guys in suits. It`ll be okay.”
“Come on, Arnie, you know suits are behind all the bad guys. They may not be torturing sons of bitches but they won`t hesitate to kill you if you get too close to them.”
“Only game in town, Jess, we`ve got nothing else to go on. We need to know who made that payment to Jebb Hoag. Could open up this whole thing, right Senator?”
Carlucci nodded cautiously. “It`s all we`ve got, Jessica.”
She shifted uneasily in her chair. “Well I don`t like it, don`t like it at all. And I suppose this means you`re off to California, get this bizarre plan of yours in place?”
“What`s in California?” Carlucci asked.
“You don`t want to know, Senator,” Arnie answered.
“Maybe so, but tell me anyway.”
Arnie had no intention. “Tell you what, why don`t I just get this done, see if I can pull it off. Sometimes my methods are best not shared, bit like the need to know protocol you politicians are so fond of.”
Carlucci smiled, knowing to let it go, leave Arnie to his own devices, and that it was maybe no bad thing. “Okay, Arnie, ball`s in your court. Just keep it legal, if you can.”
Arnie returned a slow nod, knowing full well that legal was the last thing his plan would be.
CHAPTER 11
In his hotel room
in L.A., Arnie looked around then slung a small bag over his shoulder, picked up another and headed for the door, not a thought on his mind other than how long it would take to get to the Federal Penitentiary. Challenges like this were what he lived for, the thrill of the chase, a chance to succeed where others couldn`t. But in the back of his mind lurked a sense of foreboding, based on recognition that his outline plan was risky as hell and that it depended on being detailed by somebody else. And that somebody was a man he helped put away several years ago.
The Penitentiary was situated a long and dusty two hour drive from L.A. , the faint outline in the distance bringing a shudder to Arnie as he hung a left onto the final stretch. Getting closer he could feel a sense of unease at the thought of entering the place, a threatening environment even though there were iron bars to guarantee a visitor`s security. He knew it wasn`t just about that, it was more, a fear of being trapped, something he had suffered from since a kid. That he could walk out any time he wanted seemed to cut no ice with his sense of dread, and the closer he got the more his heart-beat kicked up.
The prison`s gray, granite exterior and tiny windows gave it a look that prompted the word brutal as an apt description, and being enveloped in all that barbed wire had made it even more unnerving. Now on the inside, with its harsh fluorescent lighting and polished concrete floors, the place was giving him the creeps. The windowless interview room couldn`t have been more claustrophobic, and though air conditioned, Arnie could feel a light sweat breaking out as he sat and waited.
Taking on a plan that involved a criminal act was a desperate move and one he knew could have severe consequences. That it was essential to the investigation gave it some merit in terms of moral justification, but right now that thought was bringing him little comfort as he watched a tall, overweight guard enter the room and usher in the prisoner.
Hand cuffed and ankle-chained, the prisoner shuffled through the doorway in an orange jump-suit, his thin frame in stark contrast to the guards, his eyes scanning the room.
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