Leahy walked back to his office. Littell shut his cubicle door and got out his bar texts. Civic statutes went unmemorized- Kemper Boyd memories cut them adrift.
Late ‘53: they corner a kidnapper in L.A. The man pulls a gun; he shakes so hard he drops his. Some LAPD men laugh at him. Kemper doctors the report to make him the hero.
They protest the disposition of Tom Agee’s pension-Mr. Hoover wants to award it to Tom’s floozy wife. Kemper talks him into a surviving-daughter disbursement; Helen now has a handsome sinecure.
They arrest Big Pete Bondurant. He makes a gaffe: ribbing Pete in Quebecois French. Bondurant snaps his handcuff chain and goes for his throat.
He runs. Big Pete laughs. Kemper bribes Bondurant into silence on the matter-catered cell food does the trick.
Kemper never judged his fearful side. Kemper said, “We both joined the Bureau to avoid the war, so who’s to judge?” Kemper taught him how to burglarize-a good fear tamper-downer.
Kemper said, “You’re my priest-cop confessor. I’ll reciprocate and hear your confessions, but since my secrets are worse than yours, I’ll always get the better end of the deal.”
Littell closed his textbook. Civil statutes were dead boring.
o o o
The Pump Room was packed. A gale blew off the lake-people seemed to whoosh inside.
Littell secured a back booth. The maоtre d’ took his drink order: two martinis, straight up. The restaurant was beautiful: colored waiters and a pre-symphony crowd had the place sparkling.
The drinks arrived. Littell arranged them for a quick toast. Boyd walked in, via the hotel lobby.
Littell laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re staying here.”
“My plane doesn’t leave until two a.m., and I needed a place to stretch my legs. Hello, Ward.”
“Hello, Kemper. A valedictory?”
Boyd raised his glass. “To my daughter Claire, your daughter Susan and Helen Agee. May they do well in school and become better attorneys than their fathers.”
They clicked goblets. “Neither of whom ever practiced law.”
“You clerked, though. And I heard you wrote deportation writs that saw litigation.”
“We’re not doing so badly. At least you’re not. So who’s putting you up here?’
“My new temporary employer booked me a room out by Midway, but I decided to splurge and make up the difference out of my pocket And the difference between the Skyliner Motel and the Ambassador-East is pretty steep.”
Littell smiled. “What new temporary employer? Are you working Cointelpro?”
“No, it’s something a good deal more interesting. I’ll tell you a few drinks down the line, when you’re more likely to get blasphemous and say, ‘Jesus Fucking Christ.’”
“I’ll say it now. You’ve just effectively killed small talk, so I will say it fucking now.”
Boyd sipped his martini. “Not yet. You just hit the jackpot on the wayward-daughter front, though. That should cheer you up.”
“Let me guess. Claire’s transferring from Tulane to Notre Dame.”
“No. Helen graduated Tulane a semester early. She’s been accepted at the University of Chicago law school, and she’ll be moving here next month.”
“Jesus!”
“I knew you’d be pleased.”
“Helen’s a courageous girl. She’ll make a damn fine lawyer.”
“She will. And she’ll make some man a damn fine consort, if we haven’t ruined her for young men her own age.”
“It would take a-”
“Special young man to get by her affliction?”
“Yes.”
Boyd winked. “Well, she’s twenty-one. Think of how the two of you would upset Margaret.”
Littell killed his drink. “And upset my own daughter. Susan, by the way, says Margaret is spending weekends with a man in Charlevoix. But she’ll never marry him as long as she has my paycheck attached.”
“You’re her devil. You’re the seminarian boy who got her pregnant. And in the religious terms you’re so fond of, your marriage was purgatory.”
“No, my job is. I black-bagged a Commie’s apartment today and photographed an entire ledger page devoted to doughnuts. I honestly don’t know how much longer I can do this kind of thing.”
Fresh drinks arrived. The waiter bowed-Kemper inspired subservience. Littell said, “I figured something out in the process, right between the chocolate and the glazed.”
“What?”
“That Mr. Hoover hates left-wingers because their philosophy is based on human frailty, while his own is based on an excruciating rectitude that denies such things.”
Boyd held his glass up. “You never disappoint me.”
“Kemper-”
Waiters swooped past. Candlelight bounced off gold flatware. Crкpe suzettes ignited-an old woman squealed.
“Kemper-”
“Mr. Hoover had me infiltrate the McClellan Committee. He hates Bobby Kennedy and his brother Jack, and he’s afraid their father will buy Jack the White House in ‘60. I’m now a fake FBI retiree on an indefinite assignment to cozy up to both brothers. I applied for a job as a temporary Committee investigator, and I got the word today that Bobby hired me. I’m flying to Miami in a few hours to look for a missing witness.”
Littell said, “Jesus Fucking Christ.”
Boyd said, “You never disappoint me.”
“I suppose you’re drawing two salaries?”
“You know I love money.”
“Yes, but do you like the brothers?”
“Yes, I do. Bobby’s a vindictive little bulldog, and Jack’s charming and not as smart as he thinks he is. Bobby’s the stronger man, and he hates organized crime like you do.”
Littell shook his head. “You don’t hate anything.”
“I can’t afford to.”
“I’ve never understood your loyalties.”
“Let’s just say they’re ambiguous.”
DOCUMENT INSERT: 12/2/88. Official FBI telephone call transcript: “Recorded at the Director’s Request”! “Classified Confidential 1-A: Director’s Eyes Only.” Speaking: Director Hoover, Special Agent Kemper Boyd.
JEH: Mr. Boyd?
KB: Sir, good morning.
JEH: Yes, It is a good morning. Are you calling from a secure phone?
KB: Yes. I’m at a coin phone. if the oonnection seems weak, it’s because I’m calling from Miami.
JEH: Little Brother has put you to work already?
KB: Little Brother doesn’t waste time.
JEH: Interpret your rapid hiring. Use names if you must.
KB: Little Brother was initially suspicious of me, and I think it will take time to win him over. I ran into Big Brother at Sally Lefferts’ office, and circumstances forced us into a private conversation. We went out for a drink and developed a rapport. Like many charming men, Big Brother is also easily charmed. We hit it off quite well, and I’m certain he told Little Brother to hire me.
JEH: Describe the “circumstances” you mentioned.
KB: We discovered that we shared an interest in sophisticated and provocative women, and we went to the Mayflower bar to discuss related matters. Big Brother confirmed that he is going to run in 1960, and that Little Brother will begin the campaign groundwork when the McClellan Committee mandate ends this coming April.
JEH: Continue.
KB: Big Brother and I discussed politics. I portrayed myself as incongruously liberal by Bureau standards, which Big Brother-
JEH: You have no political convictions, which adds to your efficacy in situations like this. Continue.
KB: Big Brother found my feigned political convictions interesting and opened up. He said that he considers Little Brother’s hatred of Mr. H. somewhat untoward, although justified. Both Big Brother and their father have urged Little Brother to strategically retreat and offer Mr. H. a deal if he cleans up his organization, but Little Brother has refused. My personal opinion is that Mr. H. is legally inviolate at this time. Big Brother shares that opinion, as do a number of Committee investigators. Sir, I think Little Brother is ferociously dedicated and competent. My feeling is that he will take Mr. H. down, but not in the foreseeable future. I think It will take years and most likely many indictments, and that it certainly won’t happen within the Committee mandate time frame.