Fletch Reflected (14 page)

Jack found the latticed yard behind the kitchen of the house where the many covered rubbish barrels were placed in wooden, hatched bins. The area was as scrubbed as a surgery.

Jack lifted the garbage bag into a barrel.

Then he opened the garbage bag.

Within were many vodka bottles, a few sherry bottles, port bottles, brandy bottles, all empty.

There were also many differently shaped pill vials, all empty. The names of the prescription drugs on the typed labels meant little or nothing to Jack. Instructions limited the number of each pill taken daily and usually recommended taking upon rising or at bedtime. They were prescribed by various doctors, MacMasters, Donovan, Harrison and Chiles.

All the prescriptions were for Amalie Radliegh.

Jack would have thought the woman had just cleaned out her medicine chest of years’ accumulations, but all the dates on the prescription labels were within the last three weeks.

He retied the top of the garbage bag and closed the hatch.

Walking back to his bike, he took out the bill Mrs. Radliegh had stuffed into his pocket and looked at it.

It sure was an easy way to make $50.

“A
re you marrying Chet?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” Shana answered.

“Why?”

Jack had walked his bike down to the swimming pool and left it leaning against a wall.

Shana Staufel was swimming her laps.

Otherwise the pool area was empty.

Jack waited for her to finish. He sat in a chair in the shade of the wall nearest the house. He could not be seen there from any of the windows, balconies of the house which overlooked the pool generally. He had learned that trick from Nancy Dunbar regarding the office windows next to the Japanese garden.

A small jet airplane circled over Vindemia to land at the estate’s airfield.

Shana had not seen Jack when she first came out of the water.

“Hey,” he had said in a low voice.

Drying her head with a towel, she had walked over to him. Today she was wearing a yellow bikini which brought wonderful light to her skin.

Now sitting on a cushioned chair near Jack she said, “So you know about Chet.”

“What do I know about Chet?”

She said, “He likes boys.”

“Does he like girls, too?”

She shrugged. “No way, Jose.”

“Then why are you marrying him?”

“It’s an arrangement.”

“‘An arrangement.’”

“Yes. Have you never heard of an arranged marriage?”

“A marriage of convenience?”

She nodded. “Very convenient.”

“What’s convenient about it?”

“There are certain ambitions,” Shana said, slowly, carefully, “which easily can be realized. For Chet to pass the Bar Exam, practice law locally, briefly, run for United States Congress, first, then, you know …”

“Buy the hearts and minds of the American people.”

“He’s very bright. He’ll be brilliantly staffed and advised. Already a book has been written for him contrasting the First and Fourteenth Amendments—”

“Written for him?”

“It will be published under his name. The ghostwriters have been well paid for both their work and their silence.”

“That’s nice.”

“The District’s present Congressman is expected to retire after this term.”

“How old is he?”

“Late forties.”

“Why is he retiring?”

“He’ll have enough funds to do whatever he wants.”

“Thanks to Chester Radliegh, Senior.”

“Yes.”

“He’s being paid to retire. Bribed.”

“Some people take their financial security very seriously. His congressional seat happens to be his major asset.”

“Which he can sell.”

“Yes.”

“To Radliegh and son.”

“Yes.”

“Sure. The Congressman shouldn’t sit on his asset. Whose ambition is this? Radliegh’s, or son’s?”

Shana sighed. “Chester believes strongly that what good can be done ought be done. With his father behind him,
Chet can accomplish far more for this district, for the nation, maybe the world, than can the present incumbent.”

“I daresay. So it is believed that for his political career Chet needs a savvy, presentable wife.”

“You’re lookin’ at her.”

“There are gay members of Congress now.”

“Not from Georgia. Not at this time, there aren’t,” Shana said. “Sodomy laws have been removed from the books so recently here you can still see the dust from the eraser.”

“If this is Doctor Radliegh’s ambition, why is Chet going along with it?”

“Why not?”

“It means living a lie.”

“It would be fun. Chet’s very popular. All-American quarterback. Handsome. Bright. He’s got to do something with his life. Can’t live here playing Ping-Pong with his little sister all his life.”

“He doesn’t have to go into politics.”

“It’s what his father has always wanted. Chester is trying to shape Duncan up as the titular head, figurehead, whatever you want to call it, of the Radliegh business interests.”

“Good luck to him.”

“Yeah,” Shana said. “Good luck.”

“So Chet agrees to this marriage.”

“Agrees? Yeah. He agrees. We like each other well enough. Why not? He’s a bright, charming guy. As long as everything is understood. He gets to do what he wants, discreetly. This way Chet gets a degree of freedom, gets off Vindemia—”

“He’ll never be his own man in Washington.”

“Who ever is?”

“The Constitution expects a member of Congress to have a constituency of more than one.”

“One genius like Chester is probably worth more than the intellectual abilities of a sizable population.”

“So Doctor Radliegh knows his son is gay.”

“Yes. This is the arrangement he has made for his son.”

“It’s more than an arrangement. It’s a deal.”

“It’s a deal.”

“What happens to Chet if he doesn’t accept this deal?” Shana tried to make herself more comfortable in her chair. “Not stated.”

“What’s inferred?”

“Chet worries he’ll be cut off. Find himself on some South Pacific island selling pocket mirrors.”

“Nonsense. He must have his own abilities.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t know what you mean.”

“It’s all or nothing. If Chet wants the benefits of being Chester Radliegh’s son, which benefits are considerable, he has to conform to a pattern of behavior, at least image, which permits him to accomplish all that Chester Radliegh’s son can. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”

“Do you have any idea how Chet himself feels about this?”

Beautiful in her yellow bikini in her cushioned white rattan chair, Shana looked uncomfortable. “Rage.” She cleared her throat.

“What?”

“Rage. He’s enraged. He’s got his nose right up against a brick wall. His father pushed him into sports, football in particular. Chet found himself building this hunk body. Became All-American. His father pushed him academically. Chet became Phi Beta Kappa. History. His father pushed him through Law School. You see, Chester had this plan for him all along. Chet always knew he was gay. He was straight with his father about it. When Chet discovered his father had had this book written for him, he was furious. Hurt. When he discovered his father had established what you might call a retirement plan for the local incumbent congressman, he was even more furious. He flunked the Bar
Exam. I believe he flunked it on purpose. Chet had never failed at anything in his life. He knows for a certainty that whatever he does he cannot satisfy his father. Being gay doesn’t worry Chet at all. It’s that he can’t satisfy his father no matter what he does. He can’t get away from his father’s ‘arrangements’ unless he gets entirely away, gives up everything. Do you see?”

“I guess.”

“Do you have a, you know what I mean, father, Jack?”

“Yes.”

“Does any of this seem familiar to you?”

Jack shook his head. “He’s never been a problem to me. Not enough of a one.”

“That’s nice.”

“Unusual, I guess. I mean … I don’t know what I mean.”

“Fathers are confusing.”

“I guess.”

“I told you about my father.”

“Yes.”

“A cheap, undisciplined weasel of a man who gladly rapes truth for a Mercedes-Benz.”

“So it was Doctor Radliegh who chose you to be Chet’s wife.”

“Yes. He brought me here last spring on the pretext of business and told Chet that he, Chet, is to marry me.”

“How did Chet react to that?”

“He gets to keep his … whatever. His stableboys.”

“Shana?” Jack asked. “Are you and Doctor Radliegh lovers?”

“Yes,” Shana answered.

“I see. Are you real lovers?”

“Oh, yes. Chester doesn’t play around.”

“Oh.”

“We have been for over a year. Since we found ourselves alone one weekend in Berlin. Neither one of us planned it, expected it. I didn’t. To me, Chester was Big Boss, as formal
as a royal reception. It was unimaginable to me he would ever react, relate to me, in any way, except as courteous boss. There was a snowstorm. Some business people didn’t show up for dinner. We found ourselves having dinner together. Laughing. Then throwing snowballs at each other in the street. Then licking the snow off each other’s faces. Then in bed together. Have you met Mrs. Radliegh?”

“Briefly.”

“She can’t stand success. She thought she was marrying a college instructor. She found herself some kind of an Empress. It depressed her totally. Some people can’t stand changes. Her misery depressed him totally. She works at it. She made him miserable. Chester could never bring himself to divorcing the poor mess. I understand that. Well, her misery depresses him less now.”

“Since you two got together.”

“Since he discovered it’s her nature and there is nothing he can do about it.” Then she said, “Yes. Since we got together.”

“Does Chet know you and his father are lovers?”

“No. He thinks I’m marrying him for money. Social position.”

“Shana, you’ve been frank about everything else. Are you doing this for money, social position?”

“I really love Chester.” She seemed more comfortable in her chair. “I believe you do.”

“I love him deeply. I never dreamed of knowing, loving such a man. I never could have conceived such a man existed. Or that such a man would need me, love me.”

“I’m beginning to get the picture,” Jack said. “Chet in Washington. You here at Vindemia.”

“Sounds nice to me.”

“Would you have children by Chester?”

“We’ve talked about it. I would like to.”

“Surely then Chet would know you and his father are lovers.”

Shana smiled. “I expect there would be a proper family resemblance among the children.”

“Um,” Jack said. “I can’t think what could go wrong in such a marriage.”

She smiled. “Convenient.”

“As you said: very convenient.”

“So,” Shana said. “You know about Chet. And me. And Chester. What a good little investigative reporter you are. What else do you know? Who is threatening Chester?”

“Now I see the level of your concern.”

“I think I’m the only one who is concerned about him.”

“You may be. You and Mrs. Houston.”

“She’s a good old thing.”

There was the sound of children in the air.

“It’s pretty sad,” Jack said. “Mrs. Radliegh must be half crazed with drink and drugs.”

“Eccentric,” Shana said.

“Duncan seems to have a taste for drugs of another kind.”

“Is that what’s wrong with him? I thought he was just a dumb slob.”

“That, too. He lies. He cheats. He wants $650,000 for a new car.”

“Let him ride a bike.”

“Alixis thinks she would like life better without her father interfering.”

“Without her father, Alixis would be standing on a street corner in white boots and a leather miniskirt.”

“Beauville—”

“We’re being invaded,” Shana said.

A boy about nine years old, naked except for water wings, entered the pool area. Big-eyed, he stared across at them.

“Chester the Third,” Shana said. “Except I forget his last name. Among them, Amy’s seven children have three different last names.”

Jack said, “I guess we’re not supposed to be caught in social intercourse, you and I. But none of the other rules around here seem to be unbroken.”

Shana said, “Rules ought not be broken.”

One by one four more children tottered into the pool area. Except for water wings they were all naked. Their bodies were entirely tanned. Their bodies all had good shape to them, less baby fat and more muscle than usual for such young children.

A gaunt woman carrying a two year old entered the pool area. She was followed by a uniformed nanny carrying an infant.

Jack stood up. “I guess I had better go.”

“Me, too.”

“Where are you going?” Jack asked. “What are you going to do now?”

“Why?”

“Just curious. I wonder what you do around here, how you spend your time. I wonder what Vindemia means to you.”

“I’m going to the gym to work out.”

“So you can mention to Doctor Radliegh that you did?”

“Because I want to.”

Jack crossed to the wading pool. The gaunt woman was setting the two year old into the water.

“I don’t know your name,” he said to the gaunt woman.

“Amy MacDowell is the short version.”

“Well, I guess I should leave,” Jack said to her. “Now that you’re all here.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.” She waved good bye to Shana as she left the pool. “We could use an extra pair of eyes. Lifeguard.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Jack returned to his chair in the shade. Happily the children were jumping off the edge of the pool to splash each other. They did not lack for energy.

Amy carried the infant into the shade. She sat in the chair near Jack where Shana had sat.

She began to suckle the infant.

“You didn’t tell me your name,” she said.

“Jack.”

She pointed to one of the boys. “His name is Jack. John. Named after his father.”

Of the seven children, four were boys. “These are all your children?”

“Yes. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“Yes.”

“I do this really well.”