Robert Smith - The Planner

Planner resumed his search around the house but found nothing more.

* * * *

Planner and Katherine sat on a park bench at Rock Creek Park on a slope overlooking a baseball diamond where a team of young, uniformed girls were playing baseball under the supervision of some adults.

“So which one is Beth?”

“She’ll be coming into bat shortly.”

“That professional looking one?”

Katherine aimed a fake slap on Planner’s shoulder, “Oh, stop it.”

“So is that her?” he said as the new batter appeared.

“Yes, that’s my darling.”

Planner nodded.

“So, we’re here to talk about work? You were saying it wasn’t going well?” she said.

“There’s a situation at work,” Planner frowned.

“Can you tell me about it?”

“You’ll just think I’m paranoid,” Planner looked down.

“Try me.”

“A colleague died at work the other day. In a car accident. In the same way my wife died,” Planner said coldly.

“That’s shocking. It must been dreadful; digging up old wounds. The same way?”

“Uncannily the same,” Planner said.

“What a horrible coincidence,” said Katherine looking away.

“Coincidences rarely happen. In my job, they never do,” said Planner.

“Rarely? But…” said Katherine.

“Oh they are reported all the time in the newspapers. But coincidences are not part of police work. And not part of my work.”

“Hmm, so what sort of secret defence contract are you doing?” she said, restoring eye contact.

“Secret secret,” said Planner.

“Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No. Quite the reverse,” sighed Planner.

“Ah… I don’t understand, of course. Are you saying your wife had enemies?” she said.

“No,” said Planner, but then, unusually, he changed his mind. “I don’t know.” Planner stammered and looked away.

“Can you tell me about her? You’ve hardly ever mentioned her. I understand that you don’t really want to,” cajoled Katherine gently.

“We met through a mutual friend. She was a wild child of a rich family. Disowned them. She loved life, animals, nature. She spoke her mind. Had lots of friends, no enemies that I can really think of.”

“So family? Were they out to get her?”

“No, all reconciled,” said Planner, finding eye contact hard.

“But you think there may be something, someone?”

“She campaigned for electric cars. The children’s health angle. 109”

“Electric cars? Hardly radical!”

“That’s what I thought. But she was good. She knew people on the California Air Resources Board. They were the people that could say yes or no to electric cars. They made the laws. And when I said that she knew them, I meant she had real hold over them.”

“Blackmail?” Katherine whispered.

“Could be. Nothing too serious, I expect. Probably just making them remember why the legislation was required,” Planner smiled grimly.

“So someone on the board took a contract out on her?” gasped Katherine.

“Maybe a tip off. Or hinted. I don’t know. It’s just that I’ve seen what vested interests are prepared to do. And how easily triggered they are into drastic actions,” said Planner struggling with the words.

“Vested interests. Like what?”

“Like… just like what you’ve seen with Enron,” said Planner uncertainly.

“So, you think… maybe Big Oil is behind it?”

“Could be. I’ve no way of telling,” sighed Planner.

“And you’ve only just had this realisation?” she asked.

“I guess I’ve suppressed any suspicion until this recent colleague’s death. It flooded out, I kind of collapsed with the epiphany, and then, an hour later, I was effectively given a promotion… or at least a huge chunk of responsibility. But in the meantime, my confidence in my work, has vaporised.”

“Really? Oh no.”

“It felt… very bizarre. Sorry, I’m feeling like a fool,” he confessed.

“You say you’ve lost confidence? Has your boss found out?” she said.

Planner said, looking at the ground, “It’s not quite like that. There’s an unwritten pact between us. I do bad things, Katherine.”

“And you might lose your job?” she said, confused.

Still looking at the ground, he said, “No, I do bad things for my job. And they promote me for it. It’s kind of sick. I can justify my past actions; making omelettes by breaking eggs… Loyalty to colleagues; to a cause; my family. But my job has never been pretty.”

Katherine gulped.

“But the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few,” sighed Planner.

Katherine took this opportunity to break the gloom, “That’s from Star Trek, right?”

Planner smirked back at her, “Now I know I am cracking up,” he said grimly.

They made eye contact again and they both fell silent and looked at each other for a long couple of seconds. Katherine broke the spell and asked a more serious question, “You’re saying the end justifies the means, perhaps?”

Planner relaxed a little more, “Yes, I think the real philosophy is supposed to be the greatest good to the greatest number of people. But I’m thinking… there comes a point when the immoral becomes evil and actually poisons the well. So actually, the end doesn’t justify the means. And I’m used to being ruthless about such matters. Like you wouldn’t believe. Like a pilot sent out to bomb the enemy and finding out you’ve bombed refugees. I’ve done similar bad things and justified it for the sake of the mission or blamed it on war. But I hadn’t thought through the bigger picture.”

“I thought you thought big,” she said.

“I had big thoughts for our country. But not for humanity.”

“Whoa,” said Katherine inadequately. It was a difficult to know how to respond to such a statement. After a pause, she said meekly, “So… criminal things?”

“Government sanctioned but pretty immoral. Is it a crime if it is authorised by the President?” said Planner.

“This is pretty heavy stuff, Robert,” she stammered, as tears welled up in her eyes. “Are you sure you should be telling me this? Just how bad is bad in your books?”

Planner looked down again, “I understand that you may not want to see or speak to me again. That would be very rational of you.”

“Can you resign? This isn’t like the Mafia, right?” she said.

“No, but it feels like it at times. They have a pretty binding contract. I probably could resign. I’d have to give three months notice though and have a good reason to go. And the non-disclosure agreements: more than you’d believe. But I still wouldn’t be able to get out of my current job.”

“Then at least try to resign. Especially, if you’re worried about… er… Death Squads.”

Planner looked at her again, “Right. You got that then?”

“That is what your implying, right?” she said with tears.

“Well, yes.”

“You’re serious?”

“You can read about them in the newspapers?” he said.

“Really?”

“And on the internet.”

“So conspiracy theories?” she said with a trace of venom and drying her eyes.

“Backed by official documentation. I just never imagined them so close to home. My wife, for instance? I’m incredulous about it, so I can hardly imagine what you must be thinking.”

“Could they be after you?”

“Considering what I am doing at the moment, no. But if my paranoia is correct and she was targeted then they must have been intercepting our calls. Her calls, at least,” said Planner.

“And they would have found out what you did?”

“I don’t know. Maybe not. I don’t do the sort of job where the work I bring home is scattered about. Or talked about on open lines.”