Tek Net (24 page)

Jake took a sip of his sincaf. “The aging process sours some people,” he suggested. “Fortunately, I've been able to remain my cheerful self over the years, but you, Sid, seem to—”

“Oh,
verdad
, everybody has taken to calling you Jolly Jake.”

Jake leaned forward. “You still brooding about Jill's part in all this?”

“I shouldn't be,” he said. “We parted a long time ago.”

“But you are?”

Gomez glanced back over his shoulder at the misty ocean. “That's probably part of why I'm feeling glum, yeah,” he said. “You probably don't remember when I first met her—but,
Dios
, she was very special to me, Jake. I really believed that …” He shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I wasn't near as perceptive as I should've been. You'd think a world-famous detective would've tumbled to the fact his wife was … well, what she was.”

“Still, the same thing—”

The deck vidphone buzzed.

Jake asked, “What?”

“Important call for Mr. Gomez.”

“Who?”

“Jill Bernardino.”

Jake looked over at his partner.

Gomez nodded. “I'll take it.” He left the rail and picked up the phone. “Gomez
aquí
.”

“Sid, I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important.” His onetime wife's image was on the tiny phonescreen. “But when I heard you were over there, I figured Jake wouldn't mind if—”

“It's okay. But hold on a minute,
chiquita
.” After nodding at Jake, he carried the phone off the deck and a dozen or so yards along the beach. “
Sí
, what's happening, Jill?”

“I've been making some decisions,” she told him. “I'll be leaving this hideaway that Bascom arranged for me in a couple more days. But I don't want to go back to my husband.”

“That's probably a good idea.”

She asked, “Ernst was involved in all this mess, wasn't he?”

“There's a strong possibility he was.”

“He did set me up with Johnny Trocadero, didn't he?”

Gomez stopped just out of reach of the foamy surf and gazed seaward. “We didn't really go into that too much, Jill,” he answered finally. “But there's a damned good chance that Lieutenant Drexler and the SoCal State cops are going to keep poking around.”

She asked, “Would you, working as an official Cosmos Agency operative, dig into it for me? When I divorce Ernst, I want to have every bit of damaging—”

“Jill,” he interrupted. “No, I won't be able to handle that for you.”

“But you—”

“I came and saved you when you were in trouble,
sí
, I know,” he told her. “But that's all I can do for you,
cara
. I won't be part of your life anymore.”

After a long silence, she said, “Yes, I see.” And then: “Goodbye, Sid.”

“
Adiós
.”

Climbing back on the deck, Gomez returned the phone.

Jake asked, “Something?”

“Nothing,” he answered, and turned away.

A Biography of William Shatner

William Shatner (b. 1931) is a celebrated Canadian actor, author, and film director known for his irreverent charm and his star turn as Captain Kirk on the first
Star Trek
television series, as well as many other roles.

Shatner was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. He majored in economics at McGill University and upon graduating took a job as the business manager at Montreal's Mountain Playhouse, where he also pursued classical Shakespearean training. In 1954, Shatner began performing at Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, appearing in
Henry V
,
Oedipus Rex
, and Christopher Marlowe's
Tamburlaine the Great
—the play in which he would make his Broadway debut in 1956, as the understudy for Christopher Plummer.

After his first film appearance, in MGM's
The Brothers Karamazov
(1958), and roles in the television series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
and
The Twilight Zone
, Shatner was cast in NBC's
Star Trek
, playing the courageous, unpredictable Captain James T. Kirk. Though cancelled in 1969 after three seasons,
Star Trek
became a cult hit in syndication, leading to an animated series and a number of spin-off television series and movies. Shatner starred in seven
Star Trek
films beginning with
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
in 1979.

Shatner went on to star as a veteran police sergeant in
T. J. Hooker
(1982–86) and as aging trial lawyer Denny Crane in
Boston Legal
(2004–08). He has also remained in the public eye with frequent television guest appearances.

Shatner has published a number of novels, most notably
TekWar
(1989), a science-fiction thriller that inspired eight sequels as well as video games and a television series. His autobiography,
Up Till Now
, was published in 2008. He has also released three musical albums, including the infamous
The Transformed Man
(1968), which introduced Shatner's unique spoken-word style, and the critically lauded
Seeking Major Tom
(2011).

In 2012, Shatner returned to Broadway after a fifty-year absence, in
Shatner's World: We Just Live in It
, a one-man show based on his life and work. After a three-week run in New York City, he took the show on the road, touring around the country. When he isn't working, Shatner and his wife, Elizabeth, divide their time between Southern California and Kentucky.

After graduating from McGill University in 1952, William Shatner began participating in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. This headshot dates from his early days with the festival. (Photo Courtesy of William Shatner.)

Star Trek
, the iconic science-fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, follows the adventures of the starship USS
Enterprise
and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk, played by Shatner. The series first aired between 1966 and 1969. Shatner's voice-over before each episode explained the starship's mission: “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” This photo shows the crew from the original
Star Trek
. (Photo courtesy of Photofest, Inc.)

Shatner's debut musical album,
The Transformed Man
, was released in 1968 while he was still starring in
Star Trek
. The concept album combined famous pieces of poetry with pop lyrics; for instance, Shatner read Bob Dylan's lyrics alongside Shakespeare's verses. (Photo courtesy of Universal Music Enterprises.)

To help the Gorilla Foundation raise awareness for their endangered species campaign, Shatner met Koko, the gorilla who became the foundation's ambassador, in 1988. Koko can understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language and more than 2,000 English words. Shatner was awed by the strength of this imposing and powerful animal and considered meeting her a truly amazing experience. (Photo courtesy of William Shatner.)

Shatner recorded his second musical album,
Has Been
, in 2004. Produced and arranged by Ben Folds, the album featured Shatner's prose-poems as well as guest appearances from Aimee Mann, Nick Hornby, Lemon Jelly, and Joe Jackson. In 2007, choreographer Margo Sappington used the album for a ballet called
Common People
. Shatner filmed documentary footage of their collaboration and released a film called
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
in 2009. (Photo courtesy of Shout! Factory, LLC.)

In 2004, Shatner joined the final season of the legal drama
The Practice
and won an Emmy for his role as law firm partner Denny Crane. In a 2004 spin-off,
Boston Legal
, Shatner continued to play Crane, winning a Golden Globe and another Emmy in 2005. He was nominated for several more Emmys before the show ended in 2008. This photo shows the crew of
Boston Legal
. (Photo courtesy of Photofest, Inc.)