January Justice Part 14

I thought Dona Elena was probably just telling herself what she wanted to hear. A woman whose career had been built on her s.e.x appeal might have more difficulty than most with the notion that her husband had bestowed his affections elsewhere. The theory that Delarosa planned to murder Toledo from the start made much more sense to me. But it was remotely possible Delarosa had wanted to get close to Dona Elena. And although it probably had nothing to do with Delarosa's relationship with the URNG, at least the fact that Delarosa thought of herself as an actor was new information.

I said, "Did you help her get parts?"

"A couple of walk-ons, sure. I know how it feels to want it so bad, and I felt sorry for her. But she isn't good enough for lines."

"In the videos on the Internet, was that her standing behind you, in the uniform holding the gun?"

"That's right." Dona Elena picked up a small plastic box and pushed a b.u.t.ton on it, then said, "I'll just get Olivia in here for more wine."

"The Delarosa woman is from Guatemala, isn't she?"

"Of course. She's from Coban."

"You husband, Arturo, was also from there, wasn't he?"

"He was the mayor."

"I'm sorry to have to say this, but I've heard he stole a lot of money from the people there."

"That's Communist propaganda. Arturo had very little money. He did his best to serve his people, right up until the moment the Communists drove him out."

"I've also heard Alejandra Delarosa thinks your husband was responsible for her father's death."

"She did say that, but it wasn't true. I mean, it may be true her father was among the disappeared, but Arturo certainly had nothing to do with that. He was a dear, gentle man. I kept trying to tell her that the whole time we were up there in that little shack, but she would never listen."

I thought back to what I had learned during my two tours in Guatemala. I had my doubts that the mayor of a sizable town during the troubles there could have been a gentle man. But again, no good would come from saying so.

"When you were Alejandra's prisoner, did you really think she'd shoot you?"

Dona Elena looked surprised. "You do know she murdered Arturo right in front of me?"

"I didn't realize you saw her do it."

"Yes. Right in front of me. As soon as she saw he had the money."

"How did you escape?"

Olivia Soto entered the room, carrying a bottle. She said, "More Chablis?"

"Yes, dear," said Dona Elena.

I watched the younger woman as she served Dona Elena. When she turned to me, I said, "No more for me, thanks. I have to drive."

Olivia gave me a little smile, and again I felt honored just to witness the event. She was remarkably beautiful. But I sensed the same distance I used to feel around the beautiful people at Haley's parties. It was as if I were watching the woman's actions on a screen. Compared to Haley, every other woman lived in only two dimensions.

When Olivia had left the room, Dona Elena said, "Alejandra put the gun to my head right after she shot Arturo, but it didn't work."

"The gun misfired?"

"Is that the word? Yes, it misfired. So I fought with her and managed to take it away from her. I used it like a club, and I hit her and she ran."

"You were still chained to the floor when this happened?"

"No, she had unchained me. I don't know why."

"She didn't say?"

"No."

"Did she unchain you before or after she murdered your husband?"

"It was before, I think."

"Where were the other ones? The men?"

"I don't know."

"They made you say they were with the URNG. Did you believe that?"

"Of course."

"Why, 'of course'?"

"I heard them talking about la revolucion." Dona Elena spoke the Spanish words with a mocking tone. "Always la revolucion this and la revolucion that, as if their little war was all that matters."

"Could that have been an act?"

"Why would they put on an act?"

"I don't know. But you're sure they were authentic?"

"Oh yes. Everything was very authentic. Including poor Arturo's brains on the wall."

She was obviously drunk. I said, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head while taking a long drink of wine. She swallowed, put the empty gla.s.s down on the table, and said, "It doesn't matter. I just want her caught. Do you think you can do that?"

"There's a chance."

A deep voice from behind me said, "Semper Fi, right, Gunny?"

I turned to see a man entering the room. He was almost as tall as I was, but not as wide through the shoulders. Still, he wore his suit very well. As he approached, he extended his hand but kept his elbow tucked against his side to make me do most of the reaching. It was an old trick, a way of saying, "I can make you come to me." I didn't mind. He was a United States congressman, after all.

"Hector Montes," he said. "And you must be Gunnery Sergeant Malcolm Cutter of the United States Marine Corps."

"I haven't been a marine for a while, sir," I said. I didn't mention that I had been a private on the day they discharged me. I figured the congressman had looked into me and knew all about it.

"Nonsense. Once a marine, always a marine. Isn't that what they say?"

"Something like that."

I watched as he bent to kiss Dona Elena's cheek, then said, "h.e.l.lo, my love." He turned to me without waiting for a reply. "It was quite a surprise to hear from my old friend Simon earlier. How's old Simon doing?"

"He's well, I think. How do you two know each other?"

The congressman flashed a set of thousand-watt teeth. "Oh, I think we'd better let Simon explain all that. He tells me you're investigating poor Arturo's murder?"

"Yes, sir. Mrs. Montes and I were just discussing it."

"That's fine. We're both happy to help in any way we can, aren't we, my love?"

"Of course," said Dona Elena.

"Have a seat, Cutter. Have a seat."

He settled in next to Dona Elena, leaning back against the cushions and crossing one impeccably garbed knee over the other before draping an arm across the back of the sofa behind his wife. There was something possessive about the gesture, as if he were staking a claim. The two of them looked too perfect somehow, as if they were posing for a publicity still. I got the impression that the only thing holding them together was the mutual gravity of their fame, wealth, and power.

Congressman Montes said, "I did a little checking up on you after Simon called. I hope you don't mind. Very impressive record. Very impressive. Right up until the end."

I said, "Thank you, sir."

"Bosnia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan. Did I leave anything out?"

"I can't really say."

"Not even to a congressman?"

"Respectfully, no, sir."

He laughed. "Absolutely right. Absolutely. Say, I want you to know I think it's a real shame one of our finest warriors like you ended up driving limos and running interference between actors and their fans. Things would have worked out differently if I'd had any say in it. These pantywaist liberals just don't understand the fog of war."

"Thank you, sir, but I don't mind how things have worked out. It's a living."

He smiled and leaned forward a little to adjust the cuff of his slacks. "Mr. Cutter is being modest, my love. I'm told he's one of the best one can hire in the line of personal protection."

Dona Elena's eyes went wide. "But I thought you were an investigator."

I smiled. "I'm sort of a jack of all trades, ma'am. I'm a chauffeur and a bodyguard most of the time, but I had a little law-enforcement training in the military, so sometimes I offer that to clients too."

After a moment, Congressman Montes said, "Tell me Malcolm, who are you working for today?"

I had prepared myself for the question, since it seemed obvious that one of them would ask it eventually. There was no way they would continue the interview if I refused to answer, so my choices were to lie or tell the truth. I knew Valentin Vega would prefer that I not tell the truth, but then again Vega had hired me to get to the bottom of things as I thought best.

I looked up. It was important to watch their faces when I said, "The URNG."

Dona Elena shot to her feet. "WHAT?"

She swayed a little, obviously feeling the Chablis as she stood there glaring down at me.

I said, "The URNG hired me to find out why the Delarosa woman killed your first husband, ma'am."

"But... but... they killed him! She was one of them! Everyone knows that!" She turned to look down at her husband, who had remained seated beside her, legs still crossed, arm still draped casually along the sofa's back. His calm expression never wavered as Dona Elena said, "What's going on here? I thought you said he was coming over to help!"

"Please, dear. Sit back down," said the congressman. "Let's find out a little more before we lose our tempers, shall we?"

Still swaying slightly, Dona Elena stared from him to me and back at him before she settled onto the sofa.

I said, "The URNG deny that Alejandra Delarosa was a member of their organization or that they had any role in the kidnapping and murder. They want to clear their name. They're especially interested in setting your mind at ease regarding this crime, congressman, so they asked me to try to find the woman responsible and bring her to justice."

Montes said, "When you took this job, didn't you realize they have a bad track record with the truth?"

"I have to deal with the facts in front of me. I know about your caucus on Central America. I know you're working to cut funding to a few aid programs that benefit the URNG. I know they think you're doing that for personal reasons, because of what the kidnapper did to Ms. Montes and her first husband."

"Hector would never let his personal life influence his work in the Congress," said Dona Elena. "He's going to cut the budget because it's the right thing to do."

Montes smiled and patted her shoulder. "My dear wife is extremely loyal, as you can see. But I'm also loyal to her, and since it's only the three of us here, I will say there is some truth in what you say. Part of my motivation for the upcoming reductions is my wife's history with the URNG. It would be very gratifying to take revenge on them for her. But in this case, my personal and political duties coincide. After all, the United States doesn't fund terrorist organizations, and what happened to Dona Elena and Arturo proves that the URNG are terrorists. Or at least they were terrorists before the end of Guatemala's troubles."

"You mean it's proof if they really did it," I said.

He nodded. "Yes, if they really did it."

"Hector!" said Dona Elena.

"My love, stop to think a moment. There is so much resistance to what we're trying to get done in congress. Our enemies will say what you saw and heard was an act intended to divert suspicion in the wrong direction. I'm sure that's what the sergeant here has in mind, isn't that right, Cutter?"

I said, "It does seem possible."

Dona Elena shook her head, her lower lip extended in a pout. "On her very best day, that so-called actress wasn't good enough to fool me. She might have fooled Arturo, but I always saw right through her."

"Of course. Of course," said her husband. "But you know the liberal press has always used this possibility against me, the idea that I've been swayed on Central American policy because of what happened to you. If Mr. Cutter can prove beyond all doubt what really happened, if he can even bring this woman to justice at long last and demonstrate that she was definitely acting for the URNG, it would completely disarm my enemies."

"But he's working for the ones who did it!"

The congressman looked from her to me and said, "Mr. Cutter?"

I said, "As far as I'm concerned, my job is not to clear the URNG; it's to find the truth."

"And you'll bring that truth to light no matter what it is?"

"I will. I told that to my clients." I saw no reason to explain that I would also like to find out who had tried to blow me to pieces, and there was no way I could mention the fact that Haley had been working on a Guatemalan project without getting into the reason why I cared about that coincidence.

He nodded. "I believe this man. Don't you, my love?"

"Why should I?"

"Because my old friend Simon vouches for him, and I vouch for Simon."

Dona Elena stared at me a moment. Then she looked away and said, "I suppose."