Jackie's Week (18 page)

"Wait a minute, woman, you lost me."

"I slept in a coffin. Do you understand what
I’m saying here? The point is, I finally realized Viktor Bout isn’t
God. He doesn’t have the power of life or death over me."

"That’s right," Johnson said. "The only
people who have the power of life and death over us are the
President's czars."

"Don’t joke; I’m on a roll, here. I’m saying
I have a strong will to live. I’m going to die one day. And when
the day comes, nobody will be able to stop it. But until then,
nobody can take my life from me. Bout came into my life for a
reason. He came to prove to me nobody can kill me until God says
they can. Bout tried his best to take my life. He did manage to
stop my heart that night. It stopped beating for 7 minutes during
my ambulance ride. But it was returned to me."

"In a way, if it weren’t for Bout," he said,
"I’d never have met you."

"That’s right. And that’s a fine kettle of
fish. Johnson, you should simply get out of my life. Oh. I just
made the connection. My shrink said that when the evil happened to
me, it was accompanied by a greater good. Johnson, do you suppose
you are that greater good? Do you think that’s true?"

"Yeh. You’ll see. But back to the evil we
were speaking of, you realize that if you don’t identify Bout in
the lineup, he’ll be set free. We don’t have enough to hold him
without your help. I know you said you didn’t care, but I think you
do."

"I know. I do. But I want him to go free for
a different reason. I’m going to wait outside the jail and shoot
him when he walks out."

"No. It doesn’t work like that. You don’t
know what you’re talking about. You’re not ready to carry the
weight of killing somebody."

"Johnson, the other night in the park, you
asked me to marry you. I made a decision last night. I’m going to
marry you. On one condition."

The revelation rocked the emotional tension
in the limo like a psychic sonic boom, momentarily stunning the
cop. He sat up ramrod straight. "What condition?"

"That you set Bout free."

"That’s ridiculous."

"At least think about it." She got on her
knees and took his hand. "Johnson—will you marry me?"

"Not for the reasons stated above."

"Okay forget killing Bout. And the fact that
I don’t love you. But I do have friendship, loyalty and affection
to offer. Will that work for you? I know it sounds messy. I mean, I
could be a complete dud from now on."

"I won’t marry you. Not like this."

Jackie sat back. "I know you lied to me just
now. Anyway, I know I’m not strong enough to kill anybody. But I
also think if I allow Bout to go free, you will kill him for
me."

"How could you get such an idea?"

"On Monday, somebody told me cops take care
of their own. Is it true? Do you understand what I’m referring to,
or do I have to spell it out?"

Johnson picked up his beer and took a long,
slow pull. "You did not ask that question," he said. "And I did not
answer it."

They locked eyes. Johnson’s face was ancient
and serene in its certainty of the realities of which he spoke. A
smile blossomed on Jackie’s face. "You were going to do it anyway,
weren’t you," she said. "Even before I proposed!"

"Jackie," he said, and drew her close.

"Marry me," she said. "Forget what I said
before. Marry me. No conditions."

"No," he said. "Well maybe. Well why not.
Yes."

Jackie broke free. "I see right through you,
Johnson. Get out of my limousine and get back to work."

Johnson opened the door and stepped onto the
sidewalk with Heinz.

"Wait," Jackie said. "Give me the gun and
some bullets before you go."

"No. You don’t need it."

"I might need it. Not for shooting Bout.
You’re going to do that. You may not realize this, but when Bout
took my life for those 7 minutes, he created a new creature. Last
night, I asked myself what it was I had become. The answer came to
me when I fired the first shot from your little gun this afternoon.
I’ve become a soldier."

"A soldier?"

"It’s a war. Even though I’ve already been
assaulted once, the odds it will happen to me again are still the
same as every other woman." Jackie felt her voice coarsening,
growing guttural. What’s happening to me? Is this what they’ve made
me? No, she realized, this is what I was all along. It just took a
good shrink to bring it to the surface."

"You've seen the light," he said.

"The difference between me and the other
women is that I know the certainty of this spreading evil. It’s why
I’m no longer a civilian in the war, why I call myself a soldier.
The next time a man tries to take me out, I’m fighting back.
Without hesitation, without guilt, and without remorse.
So-give-me-the-gun-now!"

Johnson fished in the bag and handed her the
gun and the box of bullets. "I think I have lost my mind," he said.
"I can see this is going to be the end of my career. I am
conspiring, and I have already withheld evidence in the murder of
the guy in the dumpster."

"Johnson, it's time to bend the rules. I also
wonder if Heinz could stay with me. He’s still your dog, but I want
to borrow him for a few days."

"You’re safe enough. I’ve still got my man
watching out for you."

"Please? Just for a few days."

"Okay."

"Will he attack if you give me the proper
command for it?"

"I won’t give you the command. But nobody in
their right mind would bother you with him standing there."

"Fair enough. I also want you to go over to
my house in Van Nuys and move yourself in. It’s time you got out of
that bachelor’s dump on Vineland. I won’t short sale the house
after all. We can move in there after we get married. I want to be
married in church, and I want to get married right away. Like
tomorrow, if possible."

"That might be kind of tough. The church
doesn’t do quickies. Why church? Why not just fly to Vegas?"

"Look, I know I’m all over the board today,
but Dr. Black told me to get back into my religion. I’m going to do
everything that woman tells me to do from now on. C’mon Johnson.
Surely you should know somebody who can fix a church wedding."

"I do know a priest who works with cops,"
Johnson admitted. "Father Larry. He’s a good guy. He comes from a
family of cops. If anybody can cut through the red tape, it’s him.
But I doubt if he can arrange a Catholic wedding for us. Not with
my baggage. I'm divorced, and they tend to frown on that."

"I’ll call you," she said.

"Wait a second," he said.

"What?"

"In the extremely unlikely event Heinz is
forced to defend you, or decides to on his own, the command to call
Heinz off is Gesundheit."

"Thanks."

She shut the door and hit the intercom to her
driver.

"Where to?" he said.

"Back to Spring Oak Drive. And stop at the
Mayfair on Franklin. We need a cart load of doggy stuff."

She put the gun in her purse and called Heinz
to her side. It would be the second time she’d petted the noble
beast. She ran her fingers through his fur. Heinz responded with
what appeared to be friendship. She hoisted her Corona in his
honor. "Here’s looking at you, kid."

Heinz responded with a low growl, one not
without warmth.

Chapter 30

"Marsha? This is Jackie. Remember me?"

"Of course," Marsha said. "You’re the
beautiful lady who isn’t afraid of a good, stiff, early-morning
drink."

"You make a mean one. I was looped for 2
hours afterward."

Jackie, stretched out in the limo, hurtling
through the curves over Mulholland, and unhampered by the
exigencies of driving, was on the phone to Marsha.

"I heard you had a little trouble last
night," Marsha said. "Bienenfeld told me your attacker sent you a
message through an associate."

"Bad news travels fast. But how did he find
out? When did he tell you?"

"Nasturtium told him."

"He did? I never saw him around."

Marsha laughed softly. "Don't you want to
know what happened to the creep who delivered the message?"

Jackie was speechless. The guy who left the
note on the car had run into Nasturtium? She tried to shake off the
thought in order to keep functioning.

"Jackie? Are you there."

"Yes," she said thickly.

"It's better you don't know the details,"
Marsha said. "But I learned all about it when I picked Bienenfeld
up this morning. Ask me when you're ready."

"You picked Bienenfeld up? How cozy."

"It wasn’t out of my way," Marsha said. "I
live right over the hill from you guys on Los Feliz, near Fern Dell
Park. What with you taking the limo, Bienenfeld was without
resources."

"Marsha," Jackie said. "Do you recall when we
talked on Tuesday morning, that you mentioned something about
helping me with my Viktor Bout situation?"

"Of course I remember. But we need to have
this conversation later. In fact, we’re having a little party
tonight. Bienenfeld just financed a deal memo with a new
Independent who’s optioned a terrific new screenplay, kind of a
Mighty Ducks type thing except it’s about punks on skateboards who
go to Haiti and save the children. It could be the next Easy Rider
of its generation. We’re having a little get-together for the
principals. Charlie Sheen may even show up. He just got out of
rehab, so he is looking for something to keep himself busy. Can you
come by around 7?"

"I’ll be there," Jackie said. "Although I’d
rather meet Martin Sheen, even though he's only five feet, two
inches tall. Can you give me directions?"

"Have your driver bring you over to the bank
building. Give your name to the guard in the lobby and he’ll key
you up to the penthouse. If it isn’t too windy, we’ll be out on the
roof. Dress for cocktails. There may be a few interesting men, or
women, if you’re interested. By the way, I hear you look fabulous
with the new haircut."

"Marsha," Jackie said. "Before we meet
tonight, there’s something I need to get off my chest."

"Yes?" Marsha said.

"It’s about your thing with Bienenfeld,"
Jackie said.

"Donna told you?" Marsha said.

"She told me," Jackie said. "But I didn’t
like what I heard."

"It’s complicated."

"The hell. Donna’s my kid sister," Jackie
said. "I’ve spent most of my life looking out for her. You nearly
drove her to suicide. I don’t suppose there’s anything I can say to
make you stop seeing my sister’s husband?"

"You don’t want to open this can of worms,"
Marsha said. "There’s a lot you don’t know."

"It doesn’t bother you that you’re seeing a
man who’s married? A man who’s twice your age?"

"You’ve never seen a rich old man with a
young girl in L.A. before?" Marsha said. "Where’ve you been?"

"You’re young," Jackie said. "But time flies.
You’re going to find the best years of your life were wasted, years
you’ll never be able to get back. You should be putting all that
youthful energy into a proper relationship and leave Bienenfeld and
Donna alone, so they can try and rebuild."

"I’m going to level with you," Marsha said.
"In the first place, I am not a complete idiot. This isn’t Hepburn
with Harrison working out her father complex. True, Bienenfeld is
twice my age, but we have something other couples only dream about.
We have the real thing."

"Oh no," Jackie said. "For a second, you
almost had me going there, but now I know you’re way too young. And
what about your interest in women?"

"Hear me out," Marsha said. "I listened to
you and now you need to listen to me. In the first place, I didn’t
go after Bienenfeld. Bienenfeld came on to me. Do you know why he
came to me and we’ve been together the past five years? Because I
can give him something his precious Donna can’t."

"You’re talking about children?"

"When the time is right," Marsha said. "And
it’s obviously something Donna isn’t capable of, or they would have
had them by now."

"I’m starting to so not like you," Jackie
said.

"That’s too bad," Marsha said. "Because I
like you. I admire you, in fact. You’ve survived something that
would kill a lesser woman. And I still think we should have that
drink together. You’d be surprised what your limits are. I could
tell the minute I saw you that you are ready to cross over."

"I promised myself I wouldn’t get into a big
confrontation with you," Jackie said. "I was just going to call you
and tell you to back off. But here we are, so I’ll only say this
once. Stop seeing my sister’s husband."

"Not possible," Marsha said.

"What about your uncle Ernie?" Jackie said.
"I know he wouldn’t approve of his niece having an affair with the
president of his bank. Suppose I tell him?"

"Uncle Ernie knows everything," Marsha said.
"Bienenfeld and I just spent a couple’s weekend with Uncle Ernie on
his yacht. And one other thing—"

"—Hold on," Jackie said. She opened the bar
and cracked the seal on a miniature Stoli and took a sip. The booze
burned like a tiny sin, but it was a sin she needed at the
moment.

"Okay," Jackie said. "I just had a shot, now
say what you’ve got to say."

"Jackie," Marsha said. "I know you love your
sister. But I love her husband and he loves me. It’s complicated.
You need to stay out of it."

"I should warn you," Jackie replied. You
shouldn’t get your hopes up. This is L.A. Everything around here is
an illusion. It all starts with roses and champagne. But when they
roll the credits, you may find out your scene was left on the
cutting room floor."

"Look, let’s drop this and move on. I’ll see
you at the party tonight. And I’m still going to help you out with
that other matter we spoke about. Especially in light of last
night’s threat. We have more information now. It will be easier to
handle. I’m going to arrange an audience for you with Uncle Ernie.
He’ll be at the party with some of his friends."