by JT Kalnay
"Here we go,” Jay said to himself.
"Here we go,” Fishky announced. A series of clicks came into his earpiece.
Jay started down the steps, turned the corner at the bottom of the staircase, counted to five and then turned and started back up the steps. A middle-aged woman and a non-descript man passed him as he worked back up the steps.
Got you, Jay congratulated himself.
"Damn,” the agent muttered as he finished going down the stairs. He continued down to the turnstiles. "He made me,” the agent said into his radio when Jay was out of sight.
"Damn,” Fishky replied. "Go to La Guardia and set up there. That’s where he flew out of with Tonia. You never know.”
"One,” the agent replied.
Jay strolled casually back into the World Trade Center concourse. "Onto the A train,” he spoke to himself. The street person agent immediately spotted him. Even made eye contact and said “God bless you sir.” Jay stopped and handed the man a ten.
After riding uptown, wandering around the Herald Square A&S shopping mall, ducking in and out of several fast food restaurants and taking three separate spur of the moment cab rides, Jay had knowingly or unknowingly ditched all of Fishky's men. The last one unknowingly when a cab he'd hired ran a red light.
As his final stop before heading to the airport, Jay stopped in at the Wall St. Golf Club to hit a bucket of balls. When he was done he showered and changed out of his outfit into one that he had stored in his locker. In an incredibly bad stroke of luck for Warren Fishky, Jay removed the sneakers that had the transmitter in them and put on another pair of sneakers. Five minutes later Warren Fishky arrived, and just one minute too late. The CIA man established a stake out on the club while Jay, already gone, headed for the airport.
An hour later, Jay was waiting for his flight at Islip MacArthur airport. He'd paid cash for his ticket and given a phony name. It was a clean getaway.
"I could've been good at the CIA,” Jay congratulated himself.
Chapter
"Now batting for the Cincinnati Reds, Barrrrry Larkin,” the announcer at the Plant City baseball stadium voiced. A cheer went up from the sold out spring training crowd.
Jay Calloway was seated comfortably with his back against the low concrete wall in the last row behind first base. The late spring sun beat down on his newly sun burnt face.
Two weeks of spring training baseball in the sun, Jay mused. "Heaven. I'm in heaven,” he hummed. His mind drifted to the sunny spring day when he'd met Tonia at the Mets game. Another small smile came to his face. Slowly he pulled his binoculars up and scanned the action on the field and then the action in the stands, halfway expecting to see Tonia's warm smile and corn silk golden hair.
"Spring training babes,” Jay said to himself. "Yeow.”
"Chill out there big boy,” Rick Hewlett said. Jay nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Holy shit you scared me,” Jay said. "How'd you sneak up on me like that. I was looking for you.”
"It wasn't hard rookie.”
"I was expecting you five days ago, the last time Rijo pitched. Didn't you get the message or something?" Jay asked.
"I got it. I'm here ain't I?" Rick teased. "I was here on Saturday too, but I wanted to tail you for a few days, make sure no-one was on you,” Rick said.
"I never noticed you,” Jay said.
"I know,” Rick smirked.
"I'm getting better,” Jay started. "I dropped three in New York before I set out.”
"Three?" Rick asked admiringly, although a look crossed his face like he knew better.
"Three,” Jay answered. "I read all those Le Carre and Cussler and Clancy novels you told me to.”
"Good job,” Rick said. The two friends settled in for the rest of the game, the months apart slipping away quickly and quietly in the rites of renewal of spring baseball. Jay and Rick ate hot dogs and drank soda and downed a pretzel and ice cream. Jose Rijo, son-in-law of Warren Spahn, pitched five scoreless innings in the grapefruit league game. Any devoted Reds fan like Rick or Jay would have understood Jay's coded message. And, that fan would have known the name of the hotel in which Jay would be staying, if they had the data structures book for the code.
"So what do you want to do?" Jay asked Rick after the game.
"Play some golf, watch some baseball, play Galaga, work on a tan.”
"Excellent,” Jay replied, doing his best Wayne's World imitation. "With this new job I need all the relaxation I can get.”
"Wall St. getting to you?"
"You know it.”
“That’s what C. Daniel said.”
“You talked to him?”
“Yeah.”
“Lunch in New York didn’t go very well. I think he thought that I’ve changed.”
“Have you?”
“I must have. He wouldn’t have said anything otherwise. I’ve apologized in email, but it hasn’t been the same. I guess that’s one of the bad parts of moving to the City.”
"What's the worst?"
“You mean other than being followed around by God knows who for God knows what reason?”
“Yeah. Other than that…”
"There's so much that’s so bad about it. Mostly it's too many people all in a bad mood who think they live and work in heaven and don't want to hear otherwise. I just don't understand most of the people there.”
"Who does?"
"Nobody I know,” Jay answered.
"Me neither,” Rick said. He pulled at his grey-flecked beard.
"So what's up with you and Tonia?" Rick asked.
"You think we’re still together?" Jay asked.
"You've been down here five days. At least three different women, one girl, and for some reason five or six different waitresses have practically thrown themselves at you and yet you've been sleeping alone.”
"So?"
"So either you've got your period or you're still in love with Tonia.”
Jay shook his head back and forth slowly, his eyes took on a faraway look. Rick saw it and waited patiently for his younger friend to explain.
"Well,” Jay started, "I thought it was love but now I'm not so sure.”
"Why?"
"We used to talk all the time and go great places and do it in exotic locations and it was absolutely incredible. But now we hardly talk anymore and sometimes I see a sadness in her eyes when we're together. Which isn’t very often. It’s like she just checks up on me once in a while, and even then her heart isn’t in it. It’s like it’s a job for her.”
"She's married right?" Rick asked.
"Yes. But what's that got to do with anything?"
"You tell me,” Rick said. His voice had taken on the calm Socratic lecturing tone Jay had heard often when Rick was trying to guide a student towards their own solution to a problem. Though Jay recognized the method he was still caught up by it.
"Yeah she's married. Maybe she feels trapped in her marriage or something. The other night when I called her someone else answered the phone. And it wasn't Angus.”
"Angus?"
"Her husband.”
"You know her husband on a first name basis?" Rick asked.
Jay got a decidedly guilty look on his face.
"Actually I know him really well. And I kinda like him. He's one of the founding partners at our firm. We play golf together sometimes. I like the guy. And he’s been really good to me.”
"Yeah?" Rick prodded.
"Yeah it seems like he's taken a personal interest in my career. He personally put me in my new job.”
"Angus MacKenzie did that?" Rick asked.
"Is that so hard to believe?" Jay snapped defensively.
"No,” Rick answered, picking up Jay's ego defense. "Not at all. I'm very impressed with your success,” Rick soothed sincerely. Rick shook his head and tugged thoughtfully at his beard again. "How did you meet him?"
"Bill Beck introduced me and then we went to play golf as an 'attaboy' for a job we did. I almost shit my
pants when Tonia showed up to play the back nine with us.”
"She played golf, with both of you, together, at the same time?" Rick asked.
"It was absolutely crazy,” Jay said. Rick shook his head in disbelief.
"And then things went from the absurd to the sublime.” Jay told the story of New Year's Eve, the new job and his wild dashes through the subway to lose his tails. Rick listened, taking mental notes. He saw the pattern that Jay had missed.
"Jay you have had one incredible year in NYC,” Rick said.
"Wilder than I ever believed.”
"Are you going to stay?"
"Probably. Maybe. I don't know.”
"Maybe?"
"The CIA offered me a job and I told them no but with everything in the city so crazy I'm tempted to settle into an analyst’s life in Langley.” Jay didn't even notice that he'd said 'the city' like a lifelong New Yorker. Rick noticed that Jay was turning into one of those people that New York grabs and molds and never releases.
"You think that'd be more calm?" Rick asked.
"Probably,” Jay said, then he caught his friends eye and saw the wise older man's face turned up in a sly grin.
"Why?" Jay prodded. "What is it that you’re not telling me?" Jay asked.
Rick raised a finger to his lips. His steely eyes lost their momentary glimmer.
"You neither want nor need to know,” Rick whispered through his fingers. “But maybe a long time ago, before we met, maybe I knew a few things,” Rick admitted.
The two friends spent the next days in each other’s easy company. Not another word was mentioned about Jay's troubles. The pure beauty and freshness of springtime baseball renewed them both as only the crack of a ball on a bat and the smell of fresh mown grass and the hoarse bark of a hot dog vendor and the hustle of a hopeful rookie too young to be jaundiced by the business of baseball could.
Jay said his goodbyes to Rick at his hotel. They both paid cash Jay noticed.
"John J. Adams?" Rick asked at the checkout counter as he scanned the name on Jay's bill.
"Rick Springfield?" Jay asked in return. They each chuckled at the inside joke.
"So you know how to get in touch with me if you need to?" Rick asked.
"Got it,” Jay answered.
He had no idea just how soon he'd need his only friend's help.
Chapter
"I can't believe I have to go back to work today,” Jay said to the mirror. "Vacation can't be over already!”
But it was. After two languorous weeks in the warm sunshine of a Florida spring with his best friend Jay's skin had a light pancake tan, his hair had turned from tawny brown to fawn and the worry lines around his mouth had dissolved. The redness in his eyes from months of late nights had been erased. Jay finished getting ready for work. "Back to the salt mines,” he said as he strode out the door.
"Welcome back Jay.”
"Good to see you Mr. Calloway.”
"How are you Jay?"
"Have a nice vacation Jay?” Jay Calloway was greeted warmly and enthusiastically by the members of his team who had returned similarly refreshed from their vacations. Jay noticed that Missy, the department secretary, gave him an especially warm smile.
"We all missed you sir,” she said. Missy had volunteered to work late several times during the most recent busy stretch. Jay daydreamed about her for a minute while he looked through the telephone messages arranged on Missy's desk awaiting his arrival.
Angus MacKenzie's voice snapped him out of his fantasy.
"Jay! Good to have you back. You look well after your trip.”
"Thank you Sir,” Jay answered. Jay didn't remember telling anyone specifically that he was going on a trip. By perhaps the tiniest amount possible Jay's voice betrayed the seed of doubt that Rick's caution had planted. Angus MacKenzie didn't notice.
"Let's step into your office why don't we?" Angus asked. In his brisk business Oxford voice Angus made orders sound like collegial requests. Jay led the way to his office. The early spring sun was reflecting at just the right angle on the rippling swells of New York harbor. Constant flashes of gold danced in an ever changing, hypnotic rhythm in the harbor.
"This is a New York few people ever see,” Jay said.
"Aye son,” Angus answered. "Business can wait,” he said as the two men continued to enjoy the executive view of New York. A few minutes later Angus broke the comfortable silence.
"It's good to have you back Jay,” Angus started.
"Nice to be back,” Jay lied.
"Your system has performed admirably well in your absence. That's a good sign. You know how to get your hands off a system and move on to the next project.”
"Thank you,” Jay answered. Closer to the truth was the fact that once Jay had something working he quickly lost interest in it.
"But before you start your next project I need you to be available to personally support some heavy programmed trading we're planning on Wednesday for Panama.”
"Panama?"
"Panama,” Angus MacKenzie answered. "I need you to get your new system ready to buy as much Panamanian currency as possible starting at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.”
"We can program it to do anything we want,” Jay said proudly, "but once someone catches on to what we're up to the price will go through the roof. But I’m guessing you know that. Once we turn something like this on it’s not that easy to turn it off. If the price goes up too much and we can’t turn it off fast enough you could be ruined.”
Angus studied Jay's face for a minute. He walked over to the window and stared out. Jay got up from his chair and stood beside the older man.
"What if I could work it so that people might not notice so much?” Angus said. “And what if you did a few things so that even if they did notice, they wouldn’t be able to do too much about it?” Angus asked. The two men talked quietly yet intently for a half an hour. Angus ended the discussion by clapping Jay on the shoulder. "Do your best son,” he said.
Jay heard the words and also felt the implied 'or else'. Their friendship had just taken on a conspiratorial aspect and though Jay was suddenly afraid of the deed the old man had asked him to perform, he was also excited by the possibility of doing what had been asked and the large rewards that had been offered. Though Angus' explanation of how the buying was to be accomplished had been crystal clear, his words on the whys and the rewards and the legality had been shadowy and obtuse.
"I wonder if this room is bugged,” Jay whispered to himself, knowing a tape would convict them both. Maybe it should be?
"Missy, get everybody you can together in the conference room at 12 noon. Order some pizzas and some soda. If there's anybody on vacation but still local see if you can call them in for this meeting okay?"
"Okay,” she answered on the intercom. "Is everything alright? We're not getting laid off are we?"
"No. Angus just gave us a rush order on a special job, that's all,” Jay said. “Don't worry Missy.”
"We have a big job to get done by 6 am Wednesday. We'll be working around the clock from now until then. You know the routine. One outgoing call to let whoever it is you let know that you won’t be home for a few days. No outside calls except incoming from family, no details even to them. As of now all calls will be recorded. Missy, fire up the monitoring system.
“We'll all take off Thursday and Friday, with pay of course, and hopefully with a bonus to make up for it. Bob, Ted, Sally, thank you for cutting your vacation short, I appreciate the dedication.”
"What's the job Jay?" Bob asked.
"Panama,” Jay said, injecting just the right amount of mystery and excitement into his voice to instantly capture the imagination of his crew. "Panama,” he repeated.
Jay laid out parts of the plan that if successful would capture over 75% of Panama's currency in one day of global trading without driving the price up more than 25%. Jay kept his special personal role to himself.
"But who wants all this Panamanian currency anyway?" so
meone asked from the back of the room. “Don’t they use mostly U.S. dollars?”
"I neither know nor care who wants it, other than knowing that Mr. MacKenzie personally asked me to make this happen,” Jay answered. "But I do know that if we pull it off it'll mean mucho mucho dineros for all of us. Or, in this case, mucho Balboas.”
“Balboas?”
“Panama’s official currency.”
"Won't this destabilize their economy?" Sally asked.
Jay wasn't used to fielding so many questions about his projects. Usually people just did what he asked, and did it enthusiastically. A hint of irritation and impatience crept into his voice.
“Not my problem,” he answered. “Or yours.”
If he could have seen himself at that instant he might have recognized himself as Hal and stopped. But he didn't, so he didn’t. And if he’d seen himself in that moment he would have seen exactly what C. Daniel had seen. And he wouldn’t have liked it.
Jay raced ahead. Calmly allaying the concerns of his team. By two pm the team was consumed with the details of the awesome technical challenge they faced. The questionable legality and morality slipped from their technical minds as they embraced and rose to the challenge.
Chapter
"Tonia?"
"Yes,” the sleepy voice answered.
"It's Jay.”
"Hi Jay,” Tonia said. Her voice was the warm comfortable feel of your favorite blanket after a great night’s sleep. "How are you?" Tonia asked in her delicious dreamy tone.
"Tired,” Jay started to complain, "but very glad to catch you in,” he finished.
"I'm glad you called,” Tonia said, her voice drifting slowly. "What have you been doing. I haven't heard from you in days,” she yawned.
Jay looked around the bank of payphones like the guilty conspirator that he was. No-one appeared to be listening.
"I've been working on a special project for Angus,” Jay said.
"What?" Tonia asked. Her voice was wary.
