The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [232]
He met Bayard. Bayard talked. Bayard said Martin scares me. He’s making plans. They’re his boldest yet. He’ll make more enemies.
Rent strikes/boycotts/poor people’s unions/poor people’s marches/poor people’s heresies.
Littell heard it. Littell remembered—it’s Lyle Holly’s prophecy.
Bayard was scared. Martin was crazed. Martin breathed enmity. His plans would shock. His plans would divide. His plans would stir enmity. His plans would trash his triumphs. His plans would spark backlash. His plans would build heresy.
Littell saw it:
It’s Martin Luther/1532. It’s Europe aflame. There’s the Pope. He’s Mr. Hoover. His old world’s aflame.
Retire me. I want to watch. I want to watch passively.
Jimmy Hoffa’s in jail. I’ll file his appeals. Retire me. I travel to excess. I country-hop. Please retire me.
He flew south. He hit Mexico City. He made four trips and met with Sam G. They talked colonization. Sam talked travel spree.
Sam toured Central America. Sam toured the Caribbean. Sam brought interpreters and money. Sam talked to dictators. Sam talked to puppet thugs. Sam talked to rebel fiends.
Sam did gruntwork. Sam did groundwork. Sam laid seeds. Sam said I love your cause. I support it and pledge fraternity. Here’s some money. There’ll be more. You’ll hear from me.
Sam spread seed money. Sam seeded all ideologies. Plant seeds—sow revolt and repression—casino ideology.
Retire me. I get airsick. Casino smoke sickens me. Retire Pete. He’s tired too. His work sickens me. I disapprove—I’ve got no right—it’s hypocrisy.
Pete sold dope. Pete ran his cab stand. Pete ran his hotel-casino. Pete had Cuba. Pete had Vietnam. Pete had two-front lunacy. Pete missed Vietnam. Pete missed Barb more. Barb made him stay home. Pete curtailed his lunacy.
Pete stayed home. Pete travel-spreed. Pete went to Barb’s turf. Pete went to smalltown Wisconsin.
Pete called him. Barb called him. He got two versions. Vegas to Sparta—Pete leaves expectant—Pete returns whipped.
Pete worked his scams. Pete praised the war. Pete indulged habits. Barb slung hash. Barb reviled the war. Barb eschewed habits.
Love as stasis. Two takes. His-and-hers.
Retire Pete. Upgrade Wayne—le fils de Pete.
Pete had nightmares. Pete described them. Betty Mac/the crossbars/the noose. Pete had real pictures. He didn’t. That made it worse.
There’s Jane Fentress—Arden Breen/Bruvick/Smith/Coates. She’s dead by knife/dead by cudgel/dead by steel sap.
The pictures varied. One soundtrack held in. Mr. Hoover’s letter—addressed to Dr. King.
“What a grim farce.” “One way out.” “A liability.”
Retire me. I’ll try to live idle. I might not succeed.
104
(Vietnam, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Bay St. Louis, Cuban Waters. 11/4/67–12/3/67)
More:
Troop infusions. Troop movements. Troops dead.
More:
Bomb raids. Ground raids. Resistance.
Resistance in-country. Resistance at home. Resistance worldwide. The war was MORE. The biz was LESS. Wayne knew it.
Less:
Territory. Profit growth. Potential.
The kadre shared lab space. The Can Lao co-opted. Why do it? The Can Lao shipped to Europe. The kadre shipped to Vegas. Note the dichotomy.
The kadre did good biz. The Can Lao did great biz. Note the discrepancy. The war defined MORE. The biz defined LESS. Note the inconsistency.
Their turf was restricted. West Vegas was sapped. They had no growth room. Pete pouched Stanton. Pete pouched once a month. Pete said let us GROW.
Out of Vegas. Into L.A. Into Frisco.
We’ve got Tiger Kamp. We’ve got poppy slaves. We’ve got dope fields boocoo. We can GROW. We can earn MORE. The Cause will GROW.
Stanton said no. Stanton insisted. Wayne read his tone. Said tone was hinky. Said tone was quasi-weird. Pete wants MORE. Stanton wants LESS. Note the entropy.
Wayne wanted MORE. Wayne rotated east. Wayne saw more incessant. More troops smoking weed. More troops popping pills. More troops scared incessant.
Big “H” killed fear. They’d find it. Wayne knew.
The war thrilled him. The war rocked. The war grew. The “Cause” bored him. The “Cause” vexed. The “Cause” entropied.
Log it: Cuban