Pete stretched. His head grazed the ceiling.

“It’s sweet, Guy.”

“I thought you might like it.”

“Who’s paying for it?”

“Everybody.”

“Which means?”

“Which means I own the land, and the Agency put up the buildings. Carlos Marcello donated three hundred thousand for guns, and Sam Giancana put up some money to buy off the State Police. The Klan folks pay to enter and sell their wares, and the exiles work four hours a day on a road crew and kick back half their pay to the Cause.”

An air cooler hummed full-blast. The shelter was a goddamn igloo.

Pete shivered. “You said Hudspeth and Lockhart would be here.”

“Hudspeth was arrested for grand theft auto this morning. It’s his third offense, so there’s no bail. Evans is here, though. And he’s not a bad fellow, if you stay off the topic of religion.”

Pete said, “He’s got to be psycho. And Boyd and I don’t want psychos working for us.”

“But you’ll employ more presentable psychos.”

“Have it your way. And if it’s Lockhart by default, I want a few minutes alone with him.”

“Why?”

“Any man who parades around in a sheet has got to be able to convince me he can keep things compartmentalized.”

Banister laughed. “That’s a big word for a guy like you, Pete.”

“People keep telling me that.”

“That’s because you’re dealing with a higher type of person now that you’re Agency.”

“Like Evans?”

“Point taken. But offhand, I’d say that that man has stronger anti-Communist credentials than you do.”

“Communism’s bad for business. Don’t pretend it’s anything more than that.”

Banister hooked his thumbs in his belt. “If you think that makes you sound worldly, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“Yeah?”

Banister smiled, too smug to live. “Accepting Communism is synonymous with promoting Communism. Your old nemesis Ward Littell accepts Communism, and a friend of mine in Chicago told me that Mr. Hoover is building a pro-Communist profile on him, based on his inactions more than his actions. You see where being worldly and accepting gets you when the chips are down?”

Pete cracked some knuckles. “Go get Lockhart. You know what Boyd wants, so explain it to him. And from here on in, shitcan the lectures.”

Banister flinched. Banister started to open his mouth.

Pete went “Boo!”

Banister scurried out the hatch, double-time quick.

The silence and cold air felt sweet. The canned goods and liquor looked tasty. The wallpaper looked sweet-Miss July, especially.

Say the Russians drop the A-bomb. Say you hole up here. Cabin fever might set in and convince you the women were real.

Lockhart dropped down the hatch. He wore a soot-flecked sheet, cinched by a gunbelt and two revolvers.

He had bright red hair and freckles. His drawl was deep Mississippi.

“The money I like, and the move to Florida don’t bother me. But that no-lynching rule has gotta go.”

Pete backhanded him. Dougie Frank stayed upright-give him an A-plus for balance.

“Man, I have killed oversized white trash for less than what you just did!”

Punk bravura: Give him a C-minus.

Pete slapped him again. Lockhart pulled his right-hand piece- but didn’t aim it

Nerves: A-plus. Sense of caution: B-minus.

Lockhart wiped blood off his chin. “I like Cubans. I might stretch my racial-exclusion policy and let your guys into my Klavern.”

Sense of humor: A-plus.

Lockhart spit a tooth out. ‘Give me something. Let me know that I’m more than just some punching bag.”

Pete winked. “Mr. Boyd and I might put you on a bonus plan. And the Agency just might give you your own Ku Klux Klan.”

Lockhart did a Stepin Fetchit shuffle. “Thank you, massah! If you was pro-Klan like a real white man, I’d kiss the hem of your sheet!”

Pete kicked him in the balls.

He went down-but didn’t yelp or whimper. He cocked his gun-but didn’t fire.

The man got passing marks overall.

34

The cab crawled uptown. Kemper balanced paperwork on his briefcase.

A graph showed primary-election states divided by county. Intersecting columns listed his law-enforcement contacts.

He checkmarked the presumed Democrats. He crossed out the presumed GOP hardcases.

It was boring work. Joe should simply buy Jack the White House.

Traffic slogged. The cabbie rode his horn. Kemper played a game of Devil’s Advocate-dissembling practice never hurt.

Bobby questioned his constant Florida sojourns. His response verged on indignation.

“I’m in charge of forwarding McClellan Committee evidence, aren’t I? Well, the Sun Valley case sticks in my craw, and Florida’s a state that Jack needs to carry in the general election. I’ve been down there talking to some disaffected Teamsters.”

The cab passed through slums. Ward Littell crashed his thoughts.

They hadn’t talked or corresponded in a month. The D’Onofrio killing made a brief news splash and stayed unsolved. Ward didn’t call or write to comment.

He should contact Ward. He should find out if Mad Sal’s death derived from his work as Ward’s informant.

The driver stopped at the St. Regis. Kemper paid him and quick-walked to the desk.

A clerk hovered. Kemper said, “Would you buzz my suite and ask Miss Hughes to come down?”

The clerk slipped on a headset and punched his switchboard. Kemper checked his watch-they were running way late for dinner.

“She’s on the phone, Mr. Boyd. There’s a conversation in progress.”

Kemper smiled. “It’s probably Miss Hughes and my daughter. They talk for hours at hotel rates.”

“It’s Miss Hughes and a man, actually.”

Kemper caught himself clenching. “Let me have your headset, would you?”

“Wellllll…”

Kemper slipped him ten dollars.

“Wellllll…”

Kemper went to fifty. The clerk palmed it and handed him his earphones.

Kemper slipped them on. Lenny Sands was talking, very highpitched and fey.

“…As terrible as he was he’s dead, and he worked for the drunk just like me. There’s the drunk and the brute, and now the brute has me writing these preposterous articles about Cuba. I can’t name names, but Laura, my God…”

“You don’t mean my friend Kemper Boyd?”

“He’s not the one I’m afraid of. It’s the brute and the drunk. You never know what the drunk will do, and I haven’t heard from him since Sal was killed, which is driving me absolutely stark raving…

It was compartmental turbulence. It would have to be contained.

35

Waves pushed litter up on the shore. Paper cups and cruise-boat programs shredded at his feet.

Littell kicked them out of his way. He passed the spot where he dumped the Montrose B amp;E swag.

Garbage then, garbage now.

He had three dead men to light candles for. Jack Ruby seemed to be safe-he called the Carousel Club once a week to hear his voice.

Sal resisted torture. Sal never said “Littell” or “Ruby.” Kabikoff knew him only as a cop in a ski mask.

“Mad Sal” and “Sid the Yid”-the nomenclature used to amuse him. Bobby Kennedy allegedly loved Mob nicknames.

He was sloughing off his Phantom reports. He was sloughing off his Red Squad work. He told SAC Leahy that God and Jesus Christ were leftists.

He cut Helen down to one night a week. He quit calling Lenny Sands. He had two constant companions: Old Overholt and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

A sodden magazine washed in. He saw a picture of Jack Kennedy and Jackie.

Kemper said the senator had hound blood. Kemper said Bobby held his marriage vows sacred.