The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [201]
Littell drove him home. Sam packed his bags. They flew to Mexico City. Sam bought knickknacks. Sam bought a house. Sam discussed his schemes.
We buy the ’68 election. We throw it to our candidate. He takes our cash. He bows. He obeys. He pardons Jimmy Hoffa. He lets us expand. He ignores our colonizations.
We move south. We colonize. We plant our casinos. Let us thrive—don’t fuck with said colonies—right-or left-wing.
Memo: We buy the candidate. We buy the bulk of him. Drac supplies 25%. We collude. Drac gets perks—time will determine which or what.
Jimmy’s through. He’s dead on appeals. He’ll be jailed next spring. Let him stew. Buy a candidate. Elect him.
Said candidate waits. Said candidate pardons Jimmy. We get one pardon. We get one colony policy—per nations right-or left-wing.
Cuba was left-wing. They couldn’t plant casinos there. Their plant targets were all right-wing. Think back. Go back three years—fall ’63.
The hit plan’s on. The Boys are mad. The Boys want their Cuban casinos. They tried to kill Castro. They indulged covert ops. They failed.
Sam enlists Santo. Santo lures Johnny Rosselli. They brace the Beard. They make nice—please return our casinos. The Beard says no. They clip Jack. The world rocks and sways.
Then to now—plans crass and audacious.
Like the war—Big Pete’s preferred misalliance.
He met Barb for lunch. They met once a week. They discussed it. Barb hated the war. Barb felt new love for Bobby. Barb assailed Pete.
Barb talked political. Barb talked lounge gossip and segued. Barb said “exploitation.” Barb said “mass murder” and “genocide.”
Barb was moody. Barb took pills. Barb anesthetized. They discussed Pete’s business. They discussed Pete’s compartments.
Barb temporized. Barb straddled fences. Barb compartmentalized: I love Pete/I hate Pete’s business/I hate Pete’s war.
He loved her. Wayne loved her. She knew it. All men loved her. He told her. She knew it.
She said I like it. She said I hate it. She said I outgrew it late.
She knew Jane left him. She didn’t know details. She teased him per Janice. He told her flat-out. He played it blunt—Janice was diversion.
Janice was sex. Janice was style. Janice was will bravura.
Wayne Senior beat her. Janice still limped. Janice still got cramps. Janice still shot scratch golf. Janice still played A-club tennis.
She charged the net. She limped. She cramped. She slammed shots. She made points. She won by attrition.
She rebuffed Mormon goons. Said goons were putting feelers out. Wayne Senior misses Wayne Junior.
She replied one way. Her words were Get Fucked. It was her one response verbatim.
He liked her. He loved Barb. He loved Jane.
Barb got dreamy looks. She hid from Pete then. He envied her looks. He envied her sedation.
DOCUMENT INSERT: 10/30/66. Internal memorandum. Topic: OPERATION BLACK RABBIT. To: BLUE RABBIT. From: Director. Marked: “Stage-1 Covert”/“Eyes Only”/“Read and Burn.”
BLUE RABBIT,
I have been digesting my July phone call to CRUSADER RABBIT for some time. I could not read his response to my mention of WHITE RABBIT’s alleged confession, and perceived his mental state to be problematic.
WHITE RABBIT was, of course, your brother. I have given your repeated assertions that his confession was fabricated considerable thought. You have stated that CRUSADER RABBIT is the only one in our purview capable of such a fabrication, and I cannot in any way dispute that assessment.
CRUSADER RABBIT troubles me. As you have noted, his paramour, Arden Breen/Jane Fentress, disappeared last October and has presumably been killed by members of organized crime. I suspect that her absence and assuredly grisly fate have contributed to CRUSADER RABBIT’s funk. You have often characterized CRUSADER RABBIT as a “wimp,” but I would add that his propensity for kamikaze action marks him as the world’s most dangerous wimp.
All told, I think we should reinstate our spot-surveillance of CRUSADER RABBIT and reinstate our Trash and Mail Covers. These actions will supplant our decision to exclude him from all aspects of