The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [257]
Wayne thought I Did That.
113
(Washington, D.C., 4/6/68)
Updates—live on TV.
Littell watched NBC. Littell caught riots and mourning. Littell watched all-day TV.
Riot dead: four in Baltimore/nine in D.C.
Riots: L.A./Detroit/St. Louis. Chicago/New York. Outrage/chain reaction/big damage stats.
Littell cracked a window. Littell smelled smoke. Littell heard bullets smack.
A newsman pitched a D.C. update. This just teletyped: Negroes see a white man. Negroes swamp his car. Negroes kill said white man. Other Negroes watch.
Littell watched TV. Littell kept a vigil. It ran forty-eight hours plus. He flew to D.C. He did Teamster work. He got the news. He holed up in his apartment. He lived by his TV.
He mourned. He watched TV. He ran scenarios: Mr. Hoover/Dwight Holly/BLACK RABBIT.
The Rustin shakedown. Attendant frustration. The Poor People’s March provokes. Time lines/event chains/conclusions pro and con. The FBI investigates/cover-up pro and con/empirical lessons from Dallas.
He holed up. He wept some. He wondered:
The El Encanto bug. The Boys’ “goody box.” Bobby’s bugged suite. Access to Bobby’s campaign.
He ran scenarios. He connected them—King to Bobby. He watched TV. He debunked scenarios—King to Bobby. He stayed inside. He stayed safe. He called Janice.
She got the word. She learned eight days ago. The doctors said it’s cancer.
It’s in your stomach. It’s spreading slow. It’s in your spleen. Your cramps masked the symptoms. Your cramps cost you time. Your cramps skewed early detection.
You might live. You might die. Let us operate. Janice said maybe. Janice said let me think.
He told her:
You love the DI. Move in with me. Relax and play the golf course.
Janice did it. Janice moved in. They talked. Janice blasted Wayne Senior.
Janice wept some. Janice said he talked in his sleep. He asked what he said. She said you reach out for “Bobby” and “Jane.”
She said no more. She zipped her lips and played coy. He consoled her. He convinced her—let them operate.
Janice showed courage. Janice said yes. Janice faced the knife next week.
Sick list:
Janice was gravely ill. Pete almost died. Heart attack/on his boat run/well out at sea.
Pete killed four men. Pete dumped the bodies. Pete turned the boat back. Pete radioed Bay St. Louis. Pete said call my friend in D.C.
Littell got the message. Littell called Carlos. Carlos pledged a cleanup crew. Pete got the boat in. Pete got lucky. No one saw five men embark.
The cleanup men got on. The cleanup men cleaned up. The doctors got Pete. The doctors operated. The doctors patched his heart.
Coronary thrombosis. Mid-range this time. You were lucky.
Pete rested. Littell called him. Pete said he got four. Pete said he missed the last two.
Littell called Carlos. Littell relayed the message. Carlos said fuck it. Carlos reprieved the last two.
Pete called Littell back. Pete asked favors. Don’t tell Barb. Don’t scare her. Let me get my shit back. Call Milt Chargin. Say I’m okay. Have him mind the cat.
Littell agreed. Littell called Pete. Littell called one hour back. A nurse came on. She said Pete checked out—“Against doctor’s advice.”
Pete had a visitor. Said visitor spooked him. It was “Carlos Somebody.” It was four hours back.
Littell flipped channels. Littell saw Bobby. Bobby was solemn. Bobby condemned racial hate. Bobby mourned Dr. King.
The scenarios kicked in: bug jobs pro and con/collusion widespread. It got bad. It got wild. It got real.
Littell grabbed his Rolodex. Littell found Paul Horvitz.
He made the meet. Paul said he’d risk it. See you at 6:00 p.m.—Eddie Chang’s Kowloon.
Littell weighed his risk.
The hotel bug. Potential upshots exponential. Risk it. Tell Paul. Have him warn Bobby.
Littell dressed up. Littell wore his beard and tweeds. Littell walked out.
He walked. He broke curfew laws. He heard sirens. He saw D.C. locked down tight. He saw flames two miles over. He heard klaxons overlap.
He walked fast. He broiled in tweed. A breeze blew soot flakes. A car eased by. A Negro yelled. He heard race obscenities.