Authors: Allan Topol
"Why not?" Clayton asked, puzzled. "That's the way we agreed to do it."
"It may be silly, but it's a matter of honor. He's been a good friend, and I want him to help me. We have no reason to believe he's with Sato on this."
"He'll never know that the conversation is recorded."
"That's not the point, General Clayton."
Cady was upset, thinking about the risk to her. "C'mon, Taylor," he said. "General Clayton's proposal is the way to go."
"I won't do that," she said stubbornly.
"So how do you want to do it?" Clayton asked her.
"Drop me off at the hotel. Come back in an hour. If I'm not in front then, return an hour later. When you pick me up I'll give you a complete report."
"You're putting yourself at great risk," Cady said.
"What's he going to do? Drown me in the hotel pool?"
"At least let me go with you," Cady said. "We can meet with him together."
"It has to be me alone."
"Butâ"
Clayton cut him off. "We'll do it your way," he said to Taylor. "But if you're not out in front the second time we return for you, then we're coming in for you fully armed."
* * *
On one other occasion Taylor had been at the glamorous Hotel Bel Air. When she was working for the California governor, she had attended a power breakfast there with half a dozen top executives in the electric power industry. At the time she had been staggered by the sheer luxury of the place, which was surrounded by ten-million-dollar private homes. Unlike other hotels, the Bel Air wasn't a building, but a series of cottages scattered throughout carefully tended grounds. Swans gracefully adorned the pond created in front. Here, the aura of Hollywood's fabled years lived on in unparalleled splendor.
As Taylor exited the van, an attendant came up, dressed casually, California style, in khaki slacks and a white sport shirt. "Can I help you, miss?"
"I'm here to meet with one of your guests."
The front desk called Fujimura's suite to verify that she was expected, and a bellman led her along a tree-lined path to a large cottage at the back of the property. Incredibly, everything looked the same as she remembered. It was chilly in the early evening air, and, whether from the cold or apprehension, Taylor found herself trembling as she walked.
* * *
Dressed in a suit and tie, standing in front of his cottage, Fujimura bowed, then led her inside. Flames were leaping in the stone fireplace. Coffee, tea, and a tray of small sandwiches were spread out on a table in the living room. Two waiters clad in white jackets stood by the table to serve.
Taylor nibbled a chocolate-chip cookie and sipped coffee as Fujimura told her how sorry he was about Senator Boyd. Then he made small talk in English about the beauty of the hotel. She knew that he wouldn't talk business, even in Japanese, until they had finished eating and he could politely dismiss the two waiters.
When they were gone, he lit a cigarette and continued talking in English. "You told me on the phone that you had a serious matter to discuss with me. I assume it's about the gas company acquisition you and Harrison are working on."
"Unfortunately not. It's a political matter of the greatest urgency."
He was taken aback by this announcement. Then, as he remembered her connection to the senator, he recovered himself. "Please tell me."
She gulped hard, then began her saga with her conviction that Senator Boyd had been murdered. She talked about Cady's role, then the investigation in Napa, and how they had almost been killed by Terasawa in Rock Creek Park. She omitted only the involvement of the chief justice and General Clayton, making it appear as if she had come to Los Angeles by herself, because that was what General Clayton had told her to do. Like any good lawyer, she decided instinctively to hold back one piece of evidence, so she didn't tell him about the recording McDermott had made of his conversation with Harrison. In all, she talked for almost an hour. Fujimura listened intently, smoking one cigarette and then another, but showing no emotion or visible reaction. When she was finished, she handed him copies of the materials she had taken from Harrison's office. He put his cigarette down and studied the documents.
"You've made some very serious accusations," he said solemnly. "With tremendous implications for the relationship of our two nations."
"Only with the greatest reluctance. I firmly believe that they're true."
His eyes, magnified by his thick glasses, looked up at her. "Could someone be intentionally misleading you?"
She paused for a few seconds before answering. "I honestly don't think so. It all fits together too well."
He still wasn't satisfied. "Is it possible that Harrison alone is responsible, and he's arranged matters to appear as if Sato is his partner?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "All of the evidence seems to suggest otherwise."
He stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger, weighing her words. "Why did you come to me?"
"For your advice, if you feel comfortable providing it. Cady is waiting for me in downtown Los Angeles. He has official orders issued by the Justice Department for the extradition of Harrison and Sato. He's prepared to deliver them to your embassy in Washington tomorrow."
"Which would precipitate an enormous crisis between our two countries."
"Precisely. That's what I hope to avoid. I'm aware of your personal relationship with Prime Minister Nakamura. I believe that these matters warrant his attention. Perhaps he can suggest a less formal way to resolve this matter. If he cannot, at least we will be providing him with the courtesy of advance notice, to which he is entitled as the leader of a close ally."
Fujimura lit another cigarette, rose, and paced slowly around the room, deep in thought. She closed her eyes, letting a wave of weariness pass over her body, and waited.
"I'm prepared to fly back to Tokyo this evening," he said softly. "There's a late plane. But I don't know whether Prime Minister Nakamura would be willing to discuss these matters with me."
Taylor decided to press her case, even at the risk of alienating him. "May I respectfully suggest that when you talk to the honorable prime minister, you give prominence to the recent death of Alex Glass, which occurred in Japan. Were that fact to be made public along with everything else, it would be unfortunate."
Irritated, Fujimura responded in a cool voice, "I'm well aware of that."
Realizing she had gone too far, Taylor quickly backed off. "Would you like to take the Harrison documents with you? I could make copies here at the hotel."
"For now, you keep them safe. My suggestion is that you stay at the Bel Air tonight in my suite. From Japan, I'll call you here tomorrow and give you a report."
Taylor glanced at her watch. In fifteen minutes the second hour would be up. Clayton with his marines would descend on the Bel Air. She stood up abruptly.
"I have to go back to my hotel to get my things," she said. "Later, when you're gone, I'll return."
He didn't notice her distress. Instead he handed her a room key. "It will all be arranged with the reception desk."
As she started toward the door, she turned around and looked at the worried Fujimura. The furrows had deepened on his forehead. He looked much older than when she had arrived.
* * *
"Would you say that he was surprised by what you told him?" Clayton asked when she returned to the van.
"He's not a man who shows his emotions, yet I dropped a bombshell on him. He had to be surprised."
"Unless, of course," interjected Cady, "he's been a part of this from the beginning, in which case he wasn't surprised at all."
Cady's observation troubled her. "Do you really thinkâ"
"At this point I don't know what to think. He could have been their California contact. His being out here is a hell of a coincidence. He knows both Sato and Harrison. How many other people fit that description?"
After the way Harrison deceived her, she wasn't sure she could trust anyone. She turned to Clayton. "What do you think, General? Am I letting my friendship with Fujimura cloud my judgment?"
He shrugged. "At this point I can't tell. After Fujimura leaves I'll make an arrangement with the hotel so any phone calls or messages you receive are sent out to the air force base where we'll be. We'll wait there and see what he does in Tokyo."
"Wouldn't it be better if I stayed in his suite at the Bel Air," she asked, "as he suggested?"
"You can't expose yourself that way," Cady pleaded.
"You're missing the point, C.J. That's how we can find out if Fujimura is a part of this with Harrison and Sato. Nobody else will know I'm in his suite at the Bel Air. If someone does come, I'll have to agree he's involved. If they don't, then you have to admit that we can trust him." He was still worried, and she added, "There's no risk. We have six marines who could ensure my safety. Right, General Clayton?"
The general was weighing her idea. "If you're willing to take the risk," he said, "I'm game. It would be good to know for certain where Fujimura stands. I'm sure I can get the hotel to cooperate with us without telling them what it's all about. I'll have the van take you back to the Bel Air once Fujimura leaves. Cady and I will go out to the base for the night."
"I want to do it," she replied. "I've got to show you two that Fujimura's not mixed up with Sato and Harrison in this."
"Well, if Taylor's going to stay at the Bel Air tonight, I'll be there, too," Cady said to General Clayton. "I'm not taking a chance of leaving her alone."
* * *
Taylor and Cady watched a rerun of the evening's presidential debate on the television set in the living room of Fujimura's suite while they ate dinner from room serviceâpower food: sirloin steaks and baked potatoes followed by hot-fudge sundaes.
Unlike the Webster-Boyd debates, which had been civil and dignified, this was a no-holds-barred slugfest. As she watched, Taylor had no doubt who was coming out on top. Crane sounded fresh and sharp, with a vision for the country. The president looked tired. Whether Crane could pull off the impossible, to turn next Tuesday's election into a real contest, remained to be seen.
Once the debate ended and the spin doctors took over, Taylor turned off the set.
"Who won?" she asked Cady.
"Tweedledee and Tweedledum."
"Gee, I thought Crane came across so much better. It's clear that he wants to make sweeping changes to improve things. Webster just wants to stay in office."
"Get real. The way I see it, they're both posturing for the public. Who knows what they'll do if they're elected?"
"You're such a cynic."
There was a rustling in the trees outside in the back of the suite. Cady jumped to his feet and grabbed the revolver from his jacket pocket.
"Get under the bed," he shouted to her.
She hit the floor. On her elbows and knees, she crawled toward the bed.
"I'm going to look around outside," he said.
She heard the door slam. Minutes later he reentered the suite and called to her, still under the bed, "False alarm. Nothing."
She scrambled to her feet.
Cady said, "It finally struck me when I was walking around outside that I was being stupid. You're right, of course. Nobody will attack us here tonight."
"Then you agree with me that we can trust Fujimura?"
Cady shook his head. "That's not it at all. I finally figured out how this thing's playing out. It's like a vortex, a sort of giant vacuum cleaner, sucking us in slowly. They're not going to make any effort to harm us here in California. They don't have to. With Fujimura's help, Harrison and Sato will lure us to Japan and kill us there."
"You really believe that?"
"Absolutely. You'll probably get a call from Fujimura tomorrow asking us both to go to Japan. That'll be part of the setup."
He waited as she mulled over Cady's words, but not for long. "So what are you going to do if Fujimura asks us to go to Japan?"
"It'll never happen."
"Meaning that you don't know what you'll do."
When she didn't respond, he said, "Ah, to hell with all that."
He walked over and put his arms around her, pulling her close. For an instant he hesitated, waiting to see if she would resist. When she didn't, he leaned down and kissed her. She returned the kiss with an urgency that answered any doubts he had. He slid a hand around to her front and stroked the side of her breast.
When she finally pulled away, her face was flushed. "There's a large Jacuzzi in the bathroom."
He smiled. "But I didn't bring a bathing suit."
"Neither did I. Let's crack some champagne." With her next thought, a devilish twinkle appeared in her eye. "Also, why don't you get the leftover fudge from the sundaes?"
"Why do you want that?"
Turning him by the shoulder, she pushed him in the direction of the bar. "Do you always have to be in charge?"
When he entered the bathroom a few minutes later, she was wearing only her white lace panties. As he watched, she slipped out of them and leaned over the tub, adding bubble bath and adjusting the temperature. It was the most erotic sight that Cady had ever seen.
He placed everything on a small table and reached for her. She was too fast for him, slipping into the tub and disappearing under the suds, except for her head. She turned on the jets as he yanked off his clothes. "Hey, hurry up."
Inside the tub, he sat down facing her and poured two glasses of champagne. As he raised his glass, he said, "Getting to know you has been the only good to come out of this mess."
She tapped her glass against his. "Ditto. I'll drink to that."
They relaxed in the tub, intensely aware of each other's naked bodies, while they finished their champagne. Then Cady leaned forward and kissed her again. He ran his fingers slowly around her breasts, first one and then the other. They were soft and warm from the water. When her tongue darted into his mouth, he dropped his hand lower, rubbing and stroking while he continued to kiss her. He spread her legs apart and inserted two fingers inside as he continued caressing her with the heel of his hand, rubbing it in a clockwise motion, faster and faster until her whole body convulsed.