Джон Макдональд - A Flash of Green

“Who found out about it?”

“I just can’t imagine.”

“There’s an obvious answer, isn’t there? Burt Lesser is anxious to have the bay fill go through. Di is tough opposition.”

“Jigger? Oh, no. I have absolute confidence in him. They could cut him in pieces and he wouldn’t tell. I told Dial I’d leave his house today. I’d pack and get out of there, and then he could tell them to pull anything they felt like. But he wouldn’t hear of it. I’m telling you, Kat, for a man who’s led the kind of emotional life he’s led, he’s a pretty primitive father. I’m supposed to be some kind of a golden princess or something. If he really believes that, I could tell him some things that would stagger him, charming little details of my great romance up in Michigan. I told Jigger a little bit. I didn’t dare tell him any more. He would have headed north to kill the guy. No, somebody saw us. Here’s the terrifying thing about it, Kat. We were there last night. That was the second time. They knew about that too. We took my little alarm clock with us, and set it for five, and creeped into our houses like mice this morning. Dial came and bellowed me out of bed as soon as he got the call.”

“Who called him?”

“He didn’t say, but I got the impression the other person didn’t give a name.”

“He said the rest of us were vulnerable and he wasn’t.”

“What?”

“Nothing important, dear. Jimmy Wing told me the other side might play dirtier this time. I didn’t really believe him. I can’t believe Burt Lesser would... approve of this sort of thing.”

“I bet he doesn’t know anything about it. It would be that oily Leroy Shannard, or that crude Buck Flake. Or maybe the rest of them, not Mr. Lesser, just hired somebody to raise hell with your committee any way they can.”

“It’s so stinking,” Kat said.

“Isn’t it, though? And it’s such a darn... vulgar kind of melodrama. I didn’t want it to be anybody’s business but mine, what I did. I didn’t want it affecting anybody else. My father is an idiot to let it change his mind about anything. What could they do, really?”

“I don’t know, and I guess he doesn’t want to test it.”

“He isn’t going to give himself a chance to change his mind, or anybody else. Poor Claire. This afternoon he told her they’re taking a trip just as soon as he can get tickets. Her face fell. She loves it here in the summer. She loves the house and the pool and the beach. She asked where they were going, and he said he’d decide later. They’ll take the twins and Esperanza. She asked how long, and he said he’d decide that later too. They’ll leave Floss there and keep the house open. I can stay there or not, he said. It’s up to me.”

“He’s running away?”

“Kat, he’s going away. That’s what he’s done with most of the problems in his life, walk away from them. I know I’ll stay. I like teaching the kids. I can’t run too. I have to find some gentle way to make Jigger independent of me, the way he should be. If I let him sink or swim now, all the rest of it would mean less... to both of us.”

“Should I try to talk to Dial?”

“He’ll be very sweet and very polite and extremely evasive, Kat. You won’t get anywhere. I’ve seen him like this before.”

“I’ll have to tell Tom Jennings something. Natalie? Natalie, what is it?”

The girl was staring at her, her hand at her throat, her face stricken. “Oh, Kat, when will I ever get over being so darn young?”

“What’s the matter?”

“I came storming in here, loading you up with all my infantile goopy problems, completely, utterly forgetting this has been such a miserable day for you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter! I feel like an insect. You’ve been so sweet, listening to my silly mess.”

“Stop it! Stop it or I’m going to get angry, Natalie. You had to have somebody to come to. And I’m concerned. I’m not pretending. What kind of a monster do you think I am? Do you think I’m so all wound up in my own problems there isn’t any room to try to help anybody else?”

“But I should have remembered!”

“You just did. Now shut up about it, please. I think I asked you a question. I have to tell Tom Jennings something.”

“Tell him the whole thing.”

“Now you are being a silly little girl.”

“I know. Righteous defiance. I’m sorry. My trouble is I’m old for my years, but not as old as I think I am, I guess. I’m about seventy percent adult. The thirty percent keeps making me feel foolish. I guess you’ll have to hint.”

“I wish you knew who could have seen you. Was your car parked where anybody could see it?”

“It was way around in the back both times. The first time we went there was a week and a half ago. When we were driving out, a boy Jigger knows was driving in, but we were both sure he didn’t recognize Jigger. Both times I registered there was nobody there but the desk clerk. I’ve got Michigan plates, you know. And I certainly didn’t meech around acting furtive about anything. I got over all that kind of maidenly shyness last year. The only thing I can think of, Kat, is what my father said about the bay fill being in the planning stage for a long time. So they could have been following me ever since I got down here, just for luck, for the chance of something to use. But I haven’t felt as if I was being followed.”

“It’s so strange. All of a sudden it doesn’t seem as if it’s the same town. Do you think Dial will really go away?”

“Oh, yes. He’s got his pack-the-bags expression. Very bustly and fussy and efficient. Poor Claire hates traveling.” Natalie stood up. “Now I’m a little bit high, and very very tired, and very grateful to you.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“You could have made me feel like a degenerate.”

Kat walked her to the front door and went out into the night with her. Natalie turned quickly and kissed Kat on the cheek, made a small snuffling noise, and strode off down the road.

Kat went in and phoned Tom Jennings. It was quarter of midnight.

“It’s late to phone you, Tom.”

“I wasn’t going to be able to sleep until I heard from you. What did he say?”

“Tom, honestly, I don’t think there’s the slightest chance of his changing his mind. In fact, he’s going to go away for a while. He’s taking Claire and the twins.”

“That’s... very disappointing. But what happened? He was so determined to help us...”

“Tom, somebody went to a great deal of trouble, somebody very sly and smart, and they dug up the names and dates and places, and phoned Di and said they would make a big juicy scandal of what they’d found out if he didn’t resign from Save Our Bays.”

“Claire? Is it something that Claire...”

“I can’t say any more than I’ve said already, Tom. Maybe Di is reacting a little more violently than he should. I don’t know. I’m sort of disappointed in him. You’d think it would make him mad enough to fight harder. But he’s getting out. It would make very choice gossip. And it would probably do us harm if he stayed on the team and it did get circulated. But it wouldn’t do us as much harm that way as this way. I’m going to try to talk to him tomorrow after he’s had a chance to sleep on it, but I don’t think it will do any good.” She waited a moment and then said, “Tom?”

She heard him sigh. “We’ll all have to work just that much harder. I can put in a little bit more money than I promised, but I promised just about all I can afford to begin with.”

“I can’t help out, I guess you know.”

“I know that, Katherine dear, of course. I was just thinking. Once we know the timing of the thing, when the date will be set for the public hearing, maybe we can arrange some kind of a rally and raise money that way. I have a feeling our regular membership is going to be... somewhat disappointing. I’ve been making a small telephone survey, sampling the membership list. It seems as bad as the report I got from Jackie. It looks as if we can expect a fifty percent mortality in our old list. We’ll have to go after a lot of new members. Well, it’s a little late to be discussing organizational problems. And you have to work tomorrow. Thanks for what you’ve done, Katherine. I really appreciate it. It’s alarming, isn’t it, to realize they’d stoop so low.”