Better to rest (25 page)

“Who, Liam? Do you know who?

He looked down at the sheet of paper, and traced over the outline of the box marked
swain.

“Yes, he said.

EIGHTEEN

“I love younger men, Jo said, bouncing into Wys house an hour later. “Give your friend Mr. Wiley my compliments, and tell him I said so.

“First thing on my list, Liam said.

Jo peered at Wy. “You look like youve been up all night.

“So do you, Wy said, and shoved a cup of coffee at her and another one at Liam.

Jo perched on the stool next to Liams. “Your father is a piece of work, she told him.

“Tell me something I dont know, he said before he thought, and then scowled away any lingering trace of willingness to discuss his father with the press, or with anyone, for that mattter.

Jo sipped her coffee, looking at him over the rim of her mug. “He came here planning on retrieving that C-47.

Liam sent Wy a warning glance, and shrugged. “So? Like he said, the air force brings back its own. Nothing new or wrong in that. He kept his inevitable reflections to himself.

“This wasnt an ordinary crash, Jo said. “I just got off the phone with a friend in D.C. This wasnt an ordinary crew on board this flight, either.

“What do you mean?

“The copilots name was Aloysius March.

Liam and Wy exchanged glances. “That name supposed to mean something to us?

“Aloysius March was Walter Marchs father.

“And Walter March is...?

Jo huffed out an impatient sigh. “How the hell am I supposed to make a living if my own friends wont read my own paper? Snit over, she smiled, and it was a low-down, mean, dirty, nasty little snake of a smile. “Gen. Walter March is the nominee for chief of staff for the U.S. Air Force.

They absorbed that in startled silence. “So Dads going after his bosss dads body, Liam said. “Sucking up to the
n
th degree, one more step up on the career ladder, but so what?

“Hes using air force funds to do it.

“Im shockedshockedto hear of misappropriation of funds going on in the U.S. armed forces, Liam said, very dry.

Wy agreed. “I dont see the big scandal here. Like he said, hes going after three of their own. I dont think thats a bad thing, frankly. I think its kind of, I dont know, right. Were still looking for the bodies of American servicemen in Vietnam. We should be. How is this any different, other than being a different war?

Jo added half-and-half to her coffee. “I dont think recovering the bodies of the honored dead is what this is about, Wy.

“Why not? Why does it have to be any more complicated than that? Honest to God, Jo, you see more conspiracies than John Birch.

“Maybe youre right, Wy, maybe Ive been in the newspaper game too long, I cant see the simple truth when its staring me in the face. But I dont think so. Not this time, anyway.

“Why not?

“Because I asked my friend to pull the service records of the three crew members.

“And?

“And he couldnt. Theyre listed as classified.

Moses side of the bed was empty when Bill woke up. She found him down at the bar when she got there, back in the office growling at the computer. “If this keeps up, Im going to hire you to keep the books, she told him.

“Id rather spend the rest of my life listening to Puff Daddy, he said. “Look at this.

She came around the desk to look over his shoulder. “Oh, man. Are you back at that?

“I think its important.

“Think, or is something telling you so?

He leaned back. “Im telling you, babe, theres nothing going on here except my nose is itching.

“I can fix that, she said.

He dodged her hand. “Wheres the coin?

“I gave it to Liam.

“Damn it. Id like to get another look at it.

It was an hour before opening and she had time to humor him. “Tell me why you think its important.

He decided to give her a little history. “The U.S. didnt even make twenty-dollar gold pieces until the California gold rush. Until then, 1849, the U.S. minted only one-dollar, two-fifty, five-dollar and ten-dollar gold coins.

“Two-fifty?

“Yeah, I know. But we used to have a two-dollar bill, dont forget. The early nineteen hundreds, man, they were making some cool-looking money. The buffalo nickel, the Mercury dime, you know the guy with wings, and the dime was still silver back then. The quarter with Lady Liberty on it. He pulled a handful of change from his pocket and slammed it down on the desk in disgust. “Look at this crap. That could be Albert Lincoln who owns the Ford dealership, and Greg Washington who plays forward for the New York Knicks, and I cant even tell who the guy on the dime is. Plus, aint none of them made of enough of any precious metal to actually be worth what the face value on the coin is. Always assuming you can read it without a microscope.

Moses was very indignant. Bill concealed her amusement. “But our coin was minted in 1921, didnt we figure? Thats not even a hundred years old.

“Well, I havent quite figured out how valuable it is, he admitted. “There a lot of stuff I dont understand, like grading and luster and I dont know what else. He thought for a moment, and added, “I got tangled up on an auction site and accidentally bid five hundred dollars for one, though.

“You did what!

He looked a little sheepish. “Its okay; somebody outbid me. It went for five forty-nine.

She whistled, and he nodded. “So I been thinking, Bill.

She matched his tone. “What you been thinking, Moses?

“I been thinking there might have been more of those coins on that plane.

She sobered. “I dont like the sound of that.

“Me, either, he said grimly. “Imagine the treasure hunt a rumor like that would start.

“Its already started. She told him about the Gray gang. He swore. She looked at the monitor screen. “Its too bad Lydia isnt still alive.

“Why?

“She knew about coins.

Moses stared at her.

“Its true. She had a collection of old American coins, old quarters and nickels and dimes and pennies, just pocket change really, that shed been saving up since she was a kid. She subscribed to a magazine,
Quarters R Us
or something like that. I used to see it lying around the house when we were at her place for book club. She brightened. “In fact, Id forgotten all about it, but I think she had some other, more valuable coins, too. Yeah, I remember she pulled out an album one time, it was really cool, had all these little pockets inside it for each individual coin. She smiled. “She was annoyed with me, because I was more interested in the album construction than I was in the coins. Her smile faded. “You know, now that I think of it, she might have... Her voice trailed away.

Moses face had gone very hard. “Might have what?

“Its silly, it couldnt possibly... She met his eyes. “Ive got to be wrong about this, Moses.

He was inexorable. “Wrong about what?

“Now that I think back, she might have had one of those coins in that album. Just like the one that was in the hand.

Wy had a pickup in Ekwok she couldnt get out of, so Jo accompanied Liam to the post. They arrived at the same time as Diana, who looked as drug-out as Liam felt. He brought her up-to-date. She listened, nodding, and when he finished said, “Makes sense to me. I just rousted Brewster Gibbons out of bed and hauled his butt down to the bank. Karen bought her town house for cash.

“How much?

“A hundred and twenty thousand.

“Jesus. Whatd she do, write a check?

“She did, and this is the interesting part. She didnt have much left over.

“Her bank balance looks pretty good.

“Yeah, but thats the least amount its ever been. Gibbons says shes been steadily depleting her trust fund.

“What else?

“While I was at it, I checked on Lydias finances. Her house is paid off, too, although thats not quite so surprising. I checked on the other kids. All of them have very healthy cash balances, and none of them have any outstanding debts, at least not with Brewsters bank. Jerrys balance is just as healthy, its just that every check has to be cosigned by his mother.

Liam frowned at the figures shed scribbled. “Healthy. Id call that filthy rich, myself. He picked up the phone and dialed a number in Anchorage.

It rang five times before Jim picked it up. “Yeah.

“Jim, its Liam.

“Like I didnt know. There was a protesting female murmur in the background. “Sorry, honey. Ill take this in the other room; I have a feeling Im going to have to get on the computer.

“Thanks, Jim.

“Fuck you, Campbell. What do you want?

“I need everything you can dig up on the Tompkins family in Newenham. He gave Jim the names. “Im particularly interested in their financial affairs. If they owe any money, if there is any money coming in. Like that.

“Gee, Jim said without enthusiasm. “Is that all?

“And I need it in thirty minutes. Liam hung up on the resulting explosion and looked at Diana. “Go down to the school. See if theyve still got records for who was enrolled in high school in 1941. Make it for four years either way. Since the students are in their seventies, there probably wont be any surviving teachers, but ask anyway.

“Gone. She went.

Liam looked at Jo. “I meant to ask you. Wheres Gary?

She smiled. “I sent him home first thing this morning.

He leaned back and gave her a long, considering look, which she met with equanimity. “Did you, now.

“I did. That was a mean, rotten thing to do to you, Liam, and Im sorry.

He cocked his head. “Once more, with feeling.

She laughed. “Look, Wys the best friend I ever had. For a few months, she was even my sister-in-law. Friends watch out for their own.

He couldnt resist. “Like the air force.

“Even better than. The thing is, I got this idea you might be bad for her. You were, the first time around.

“No, I wasnt.

“No?

“No. For Wy, the first time around I was a fucking disaster.

“Thank you for not making me say that, she said primly, and grinned.

“So Im not a disaster this time?

She met his eyes head-on. “No. Understand me, Liam, I can get along with the devil himself, if the devil is dating my best friend. Nothing gets in the way of the friendship, not for me. Loyalty is what I do best.

“Its my favorite thing about you.

She looked surprised, and suspicious, and maybe even a little flattered. “Wys family. Wy loves you. That makes you family, too.

“A cop and a reporter, he said. “Itll never last.

She laughed again. “Thats what they said about Chuck and Di.

The phone rang. “Okay, you prick, Jim said, “get a pencil. He dictated rapidly, without checking to see if Liam was keeping up. “That do you?

“That does me just fine.

“Dunaway there?

Liam was surprised. “How did you know?

“I know everything. Put her on.

Liam handed Jo the phone. “Somebody wants to talk to you.

She took it. “Dunaway. She listened for a moment. Liam watched as her face flushed a deep, dark red. “None of your goddamn business, she said, and slammed the phone down. Liam got his fingers out of the way just in time.

“What was all that about?

“None of your goddamn business either, she snarled. “Just so you know, Campbell, that family business doesnt extend to your friends.

“Okay, he said, and refrained from any comments about younger men because it seemed safer. He made a mental note to call Jim back at his earliest opportunity.

“What do we do now? she said, seeming to master her rage.

“I dont know about
we,
he said. “Im going out to the base.

“Can I come?

“No.

The base officer quarters was of a piece with the rest of Chinook Air Force Base, freshly painted and tidy, the sidewalks neatly shoveled and the storm windows fastened down. He found Charles in the same room he had stayed in that summer. The colonel was surprised to see him and, Liam thought, somewhat wary. “Come on in, he said.

Liam closed the door behind him. “Whats with the crash site, Dad? What do you expect to find?

“I expect to find the bodies of three men who died serving their country in time of war, Charles said.

“One of whom fathered the man currently nominated for the air force spot on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Charles looked startled and then rallied. “Who he happens to be related to doesnt lessen his sacrifice.

“No, Liam admitted. “But theres something else. He was suddenly sick of the dance they always did. “Ah, hell, Dad. Wild Bill Hickok died in 1876.

Charles was taken aback. “I What?

“The coin we found with the arm was minted in 1921.

“Oh, Charles said blankly. A sudden and unexpected grin spread across his face. “I never was a very good liar.

Liam sat down without invitation in the rooms only chair. “Unless youre doing something illegal by recovering that plane and the bodies of the crew, and I cant see how you are, I dont care why. I just dont like being bullshitted. I can keep my mouth shut. After last summer, Charles had to know that was the absolute truth. “Tell me enough so that Ill want to and Ill go away. Or Ill buy you a beer, or take you caribou hunting, or whatever you want.

They stared at each other in silence. It was hard to tell which of them had been more surprised by Liams words.

Finally Charles said, “Youd really take me caribou hunting?

“Sure. Liam shrugged. “Ive never been, but theres a hell of a herd northwest of here, the Mulchatna herd. Hundreds of thousands of them, the Fish and Games practically begging people to go shoot some so they wont eat themselves out of house and home and wind up starving to death.

The years of armed truce werent easy to shake. “I dont know, Liam, you might shoot me and bury the body, once you got me out there.

Liam got to his feet, disgusted.

Charles rose, too. “Dont go, Liam. It was a joke. A bad joke, I admit, but it was a joke. Sit down. He hesitated. “Please.

Liam couldnt remember his father ever having used that word with him before. He sat down again, partly because he wasnt sure his legs would carry him to the door.