January Justice Read Online Free Page A
Author: Athol Dickson
“Who can say? But it is impossible to discuss the funding with him and his committee while he continues to believe we attacked his wife. That much I know for certain.”
I stared down the street. The schizophrenic woman had progressed to the middle of the next block west. She stood shouting at a couple of men who sat inside a black Suburban, which was parked at the curb. The snakes among the woman’s things had disappeared, at least for the moment. I wished I knew why. Then maybe I could stop them from returning.
I thought maybe it was because I was distracted by the men in the Suburban. They interested me. Their vehicle was the one that had been behind us on the 405 when I swerved to avoid the leaking gravel from the dump truck. I had no doubt of it. After a few firefights, you develop instincts. And even if it was a coincidence that the their destination was so close to ours, considering my speed of travel while I had been preventing the apparently insane Fidel Castro from shooting me, it seemed strange that the Suburban had arrived so soon after us.
I said, “A few minutes ago, your friend there wanted to put a bullet in me. You have a funny way of hiring people.”
“Mr. Cutter, I am truly sorry that he drew his weapon, but as I have explained, he is a patriot. He has been slightly damaged in his mind because of the sacrifices he made for his country. If you had fought beside such a man, would you not make allowances?”
“All right,” I said. “So you keep him around for old times’ sake. But why are you so gung ho on hiring me? I mean, why me in particular?”
“We have this problem which I have explained, and when I tried to think of who could help us, you were the first person who came to mind. You were the only person, actually, because I remembered what you did while you were in Guatemala.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Comandante Valentín held up a hand. “Please, I am not asking you for confirmation. I only mention it as part of the answer to your question. I know no other sympathetic person in Los Angeles who might be able to provide this particular service. Or perhaps ‘sympathetic’ is the wrong word. You were not sympathetic to our cause, but you were fair. You listened. You believed your eyes. You opposed Ríos Montt, even though you disagreed with our politics.
“A moment ago you were correct to say I know nothing of what really happened to you in Afghanistan, the reason for your court-martial, but I do know you behaved honorably in Guatemala. You spent enough time there to perhaps begin to understand us. Your Spanish is very good. I know you were attached to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for a while in some capacity, and now you investigate crimes privately in your country. I also know you have connections with the motion-picture industry, because you work mainly for people in the movie business. That could prove helpful in approaching Doña Elena Montes. You also know some people in your government, but you have no reason to trust them blindly. In all of this world, I think there is no one as well qualified as you to help us with our problem.”
I said, “It’s good to know you like my resume. But I still don’t get it. Why now? Why wait seven years to prove the URNG’s innocence?”
Vegas shrugged. “That is simple. Congressman Montes did not become a problem until this year, when he married Doña Elena.”
“All right. So the congressman is outraged at what he thinks your people did to his brand-new wife. Why not go to the police instead of me?”
“We tried. But they have no interest in proving we are innocent. They say the case is… I believe the expression is ‘cold,’ yes? And they care only about capturing Alejandra Delarosa.”
“Call me crazy,” I said, “but since Delarosa is the woman in the video, the one holding a gun to Doña Elena’s head and wearing a URNG uniform, it kind of makes me think the police have their priorities in
I stared down the street. The schizophrenic woman had progressed to the middle of the next block west. She stood shouting at a couple of men who sat inside a black Suburban, which was parked at the curb. The snakes among the woman’s things had disappeared, at least for the moment. I wished I knew why. Then maybe I could stop them from returning.
I thought maybe it was because I was distracted by the men in the Suburban. They interested me. Their vehicle was the one that had been behind us on the 405 when I swerved to avoid the leaking gravel from the dump truck. I had no doubt of it. After a few firefights, you develop instincts. And even if it was a coincidence that the their destination was so close to ours, considering my speed of travel while I had been preventing the apparently insane Fidel Castro from shooting me, it seemed strange that the Suburban had arrived so soon after us.
I said, “A few minutes ago, your friend there wanted to put a bullet in me. You have a funny way of hiring people.”
“Mr. Cutter, I am truly sorry that he drew his weapon, but as I have explained, he is a patriot. He has been slightly damaged in his mind because of the sacrifices he made for his country. If you had fought beside such a man, would you not make allowances?”
“All right,” I said. “So you keep him around for old times’ sake. But why are you so gung ho on hiring me? I mean, why me in particular?”
“We have this problem which I have explained, and when I tried to think of who could help us, you were the first person who came to mind. You were the only person, actually, because I remembered what you did while you were in Guatemala.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Comandante Valentín held up a hand. “Please, I am not asking you for confirmation. I only mention it as part of the answer to your question. I know no other sympathetic person in Los Angeles who might be able to provide this particular service. Or perhaps ‘sympathetic’ is the wrong word. You were not sympathetic to our cause, but you were fair. You listened. You believed your eyes. You opposed Ríos Montt, even though you disagreed with our politics.
“A moment ago you were correct to say I know nothing of what really happened to you in Afghanistan, the reason for your court-martial, but I do know you behaved honorably in Guatemala. You spent enough time there to perhaps begin to understand us. Your Spanish is very good. I know you were attached to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for a while in some capacity, and now you investigate crimes privately in your country. I also know you have connections with the motion-picture industry, because you work mainly for people in the movie business. That could prove helpful in approaching Doña Elena Montes. You also know some people in your government, but you have no reason to trust them blindly. In all of this world, I think there is no one as well qualified as you to help us with our problem.”
I said, “It’s good to know you like my resume. But I still don’t get it. Why now? Why wait seven years to prove the URNG’s innocence?”
Vegas shrugged. “That is simple. Congressman Montes did not become a problem until this year, when he married Doña Elena.”
“All right. So the congressman is outraged at what he thinks your people did to his brand-new wife. Why not go to the police instead of me?”
“We tried. But they have no interest in proving we are innocent. They say the case is… I believe the expression is ‘cold,’ yes? And they care only about capturing Alejandra Delarosa.”
“Call me crazy,” I said, “but since Delarosa is the woman in the video, the one holding a gun to Doña Elena’s head and wearing a URNG uniform, it kind of makes me think the police have their priorities in