Jack's Widow (26 page)

“So I was dumb. Then when I wanted to say something, Harry stopped me, absolutely banned me from trying to dissuade you from marrying Ari. He actually ordered me not to call you. Too well trained, I just couldn’t disobey him. You can’t imagine how many hours of misery I spent when I heard about your wedding.”

“Oh, Guy, if only you had.” Jackie sighed. “That last night at 1040, that night when you told me your wife was moving back to the States, I can’t tell you how pleased I was. I thought to myself that it would never work and soon you would be free. We would both be free. I wanted to tell you how I felt, to shout it from the rooftops, but something held me back too. I thought, suppose, just suppose this marriage works out fine? How can I, who so despised those women who moved in on Jack, do the same?

“But then, I thought if you said something…well, I was a mess. I kept hoping that you would. That’s why I stopped you from going and we had that long, long chat about Lucas, remember?”

“Remember?” The word tore out of him. “Jackie, I can recall every single thing about that night. For months I thought about nothing else. I can remember what we ate, what you wore, what we drank, and every word that was said. I felt you were warmer to me, kinder to me, than ever before. But as I said, I didn’t even dare think
you would be interested in me. I thought you were just being sympathetic. I thought it was because of your horror of divorce. You’d told me all about that before, remember, when we were talking about your childhood and you and the president.”

“That’s partly true. I did feel sorry for you, but secretly I was glad. I thought, he’s going to be free! He’s going to be free! But I was too scared to make the first move,
I
was too well trained by my father,” she said.

“Oh, Guy.” Before she said another word he wrapped her tight in his arms. He ignored the pain in his hands as he caressed her back.

“Can we forget all about that now, make up for lost time?”

Later she told him her suspicions about Callas and her husband.

“Don’t tell me that you love me, Guy, I’m no good for love,” said Jackie. “There’s something I do, or don’t do, that means that no man ever finds that I am enough for them.

“My view is that relationships between men and women are always faulty and I always seem to be the one who gets hurt. My marriage to Jack, my marriage to Ari, externally they work, internally they are damaged things.”

By this time she was in tears. Lying on the narrow bed, built as bunks for the scientists, he held out his arms to her. “I’m going to show you that I am different,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault. Up until now you just made the wrong choices. No one need know about us; we won’t have an external life until you are absolutely convinced that I will be faithful to you for the rest of my life.”

Between kisses he repeated that this time things would be different. Unlike her other men, he wanted, needed nothing from her. With their bodies they comforted each other, worshipped each other, enthralled each other.

Then he talked to her about practical things, their children, his possible desk job with the agency, his future inheritance.

The next day she could not resist going earlier to the studio.

Nikos decided that since the place seemed to have such a hold over her, he would take more than a cursory glance. The morning after, as soon as he saw her deep in conversation with the house keeper, he went over the place, literally on his hands and knees. It took just ten minutes to discover the carefully concealed trapdoor in the cupboard and the stairs going down below.

Puzzled, Ari’s aide went no further.

Perhaps his boss knew about this. Maybe these cold stone steps led to a cellar or some other strange room; maybe it was part of their relationship and Ari might be mortified if he knew.

On Ari’s return he would very lightly and carefully allude to it and take it from there.

The next day, with Ari still locked in meetings with the Swiss in Athens, Jackie could not resist going down the stone staircase when the sun was still high in the sky.

Guy looked so much better.

“Bad news, I’m afraid. I’ve been on the radio transmitter. Harry says thanks, but wants me back pronto. I tried to talk him out of it but he’s insistent.”

He held out his arms to her. “I am so sorry, darling.”

Seeing her sad face, he tried to lighten her mood.

“Remember everything we have been to each other these last few days and keep them in your mind. This is just the beginning.

“To night while you’re asleep I will somehow have to swim out to a small motorboat that is waiting to take me to Piraeus. There is a navy ship on its way but Harry won’t let me wait a day more for it. He wants me on a plane by to night.

“I am so sorry I have to go,” he said as he kissed first one and then the other of her tear-filled eyes.

“We’ll meet again the minute you get to New York. How soon will you be back in the States?”

She stroked his cheek. “After Rose goes home so will I.”

“That’s in two weeks, isn’t it? By then I’ll have found us a little hidey-hole”—he smiled—“a bit more comfortable than this.”

He held her to him.

“Harry also asked me to tell you that because they feel that this place has been so useful, they hope that you will continue to let us use this island for some time to come.”

“I knew that there had to be a catch,” she said resignedly.

Guy pulled her to him again, and looking down on her upturned face, he said: “It doesn’t have to be. Everything that we’ve been planning will take a little time. Getting a divorce from Ari without anyone ever getting a sniff of the Callas thing will need careful planning.”

“You’re right. I would hate to go through all that again, especially now that the children are old enough to understand.”

“And we’ll have to be very careful. If he suspects that you have been unfaithful I imagine he will behave badly. I don’t believe Ari believes in equality,” said Guy, raising his eyebrows.

“So let’s tell Harry we’ll give him six months,” she said as she snuggled into his arms.

“Tell Harry nothing,” said Guy. “If he falls in love with this experimental sonar equipment he’ll think of something to keep us apart. We can see each other here or in New York, anywhere you please. You told me yourself your husband is only around fifty percent of the time.”

Their farewell was tender rather than passionate; Guy had not regained all his strength.

He hid his concern about Harry’s order that he get off the island as fast as possible.

“Whatever the time, find a telephone and call me the minute you hit the mainland,” were his boss’s final words.

Jackie slipped into dream mode when her husband returned. That night as the candles flickered and bouzouki music played, she laughed and even danced with him.

Nikos wondered at the woman’s sangfroid. She didn’t seem to be bothered about Callas at all.

Early the next morning, while Jackie was still in bed and Ari was inspecting the condition of his olive trees, Nikos caught up with him.

“Niko, I thought only activities in the counting house got you out this early,” Ari said, laughing.

“To what do I owe this plea sure?”

Trying to hide his nerves, Nikos took the plunge. “It is nothing. I just wanted to ask you whom you had ordered to put the trapdoor in your wife’s studio floor. I haven’t opened it but as we are thinking of putting one in the storeroom, I wondered who had built it because it looks like a very good job.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, not in the studio. As far as I know there isn’t one,” said Ari.

They looked at one another and began to walk in that direction.

Within moments they were both inside. Jackie’s drawing papers were roughly moved aside and the small manhole cover lifted. Both men looked at the narrow steps and then gingerly walked down them through the rocks and out to the secret mooring at sea level. Some of the machinery was quietly clacking away. In the hollowed-out chamber were the two bunks, one just recently vacated.

Ari, nostrils slightly twitching, raised his head and inhaled deeply. He followed the slight scent. He said nothing but was sure that he could smell Joy, his wife’s perfume, on the pillow.

Beneath the beds, they found the packing cases that the machinery had arrived in.

“American,” Ari said quietly.

Nikos felt he had to say something. “Did you know that she had invited Yankee spies in here?”

Onassis exploded.

“Know, of course I didn’t know! Do you think I’m mad? Here, on my island!

“Niko, think about it, I have always tried to remain politically neutral. If some of my business associates found this out, it would be
the end. How dare she? After everything I have given her!” he boomed.

“Niko, I have always been impartial. Unaligned. That even applies to this island. I am allowed to come and go if I keep my nose clean. Currently our rulers, the Colonels in Athens, are friendly with the Americans, but who knows in the future? That’s why I have always stayed out of politics, away from the whole grubby business. We have to dismantle all this—soon. Let us think who we can trust, trust with our lives, to do it.”

Guy was surprised how weak he still felt. He was gasping for breath when he reached the boat. He had no strength to haul himself up so he was grateful there were two men to haul him onboard.

It seemed ages until he disembarked. Although he was longing for sleep, his first action was to look for a phone.

“You remember Vladimir Zerev, KGB smoothie and thug?” asked Harry, sounding worried.

“We’ve found out that he’s been pretending to be a high-powered Swiss businessman in Paris for the last week or so, a man with a very sweet deal for Ari Onassis. He’s been working on the Greek, producing the best forgeries in the way of bank statements and foreign contracts you’ve ever seen. We have no idea where Onassis stands in all this; for all we know, he might be quite happy to be doing some undercover deal with the KGB. Anyway Vladimir has got so friendly with Ari that he’s on his way to Skorpios right now. That’s why I wanted you off the island. It is vital he doesn’t see you, or know that we are on to him. I’ve got Brunton to keep an eye on him to find out what he’s up to.”

“You’re worried that he will discover the mooring and the equipment?” asked Guy anxiously.

“We wouldn’t want the Russians to get their hands on the technology. It’s supposed to be far more advanced than anything they’ve got. But let’s be honest, so far, out of the lab, the stuff hasn’t worked properly. It’s people I want to protect.

“There’s no way that he would physically harm Jackie. But think of the propaganda if he could find the stuff and prove she was in on it. I want her out of there. We are busy concocting some story that will make her leave, that will get her back home as soon as possible.”

“There’s no way,” said Guy. “The children are with her. Rose Kennedy is turning up tomorrow, it’s her first visit to Skorpios. There’s a big party, even Jackie’s mother will be there.”

“Shit.”
Harry sounded very nervous. “You know she doesn’t have the children’s Secret Service guys on the island. She says she doesn’t need them.”

“Under normal circumstances that’s probably quite true,” replied Guy.

“I’m sending them over but it will take all day for them to get there.”

“Harry, you’ve got to let me go back,” said Guy tersely. “Don’t worry, I will arrange things so that Vladimir has no idea that I’m keeping an eye on him. Is he on his own?”

“No, he has a man called Mikhail Ryblov as a sidekick. He is KGB as well, quite senior. They also have two women who are supposed to be their wives, probably part of the organization too.”

“That worries me. A woman would not seem threatening to Jackie, Caroline, or John.”

“I know. I’ll have to wait until a civilized hour but then I am going to speak to her myself. First I will tell her she must not go anywhere near the secret harbor. I don’t want the Russians to get the chance to take a photograph of her there. In case they try to expose her, it’s important that she can plead complete ignorance of the place.

“I’ll also warn her about these four and tell her not to trust them, or anyone else. You never know, they may have allies among some of the other guests. Who knows what types have been invited? She’s got be on her guard and make sure that, other than her husband”—Guy heard the sneer in Harry’s voice—“she’s not on her own with anyone. And she’s also got to make sure that there is always someone safe, like the nanny, with the children.”

There was a moment of silence. The former First Lady’s exposure to possible danger was all too real. Harry was worried about Rose and the other Kennedys too.

“The trouble is, I am tempted to give in to my fear and haul them all off the island, but there would be a terrible political stink. The Junta would be furious because the world would think that they knew about our little base on Skorpios, which they don’t, and the Russians would denounce us from the rooftops.

“Guy, I’m going to keep the motorboat positioned in exactly the same place as last night in case you feel you need to get out. That includes anyone else you are worried about. I don’t want to terrify her but I feel that I should advise Mrs. Onassis of its existence too. It won’t come to that, of course, but just in case.

“If only we could warn her husband,” muttered Harry.

“Well, we can’t, the man’s only allegiance is to himself.” Guy’s words tumbled out before he could stop them. “Please let her know that even though she won’t recognize or even see me, I’m coming back,” said Guy.

“Sure, Sir Lancelot.”

Harry had lost none of his intuition, Guy thought.

Just a few hours later, looking old and gray, he was hunched by the water’s edge watching his old Moscow adversary, dressed in sophisticated traveling clothes, an elegant trench coat and blazer, with his suitably attired “wife,” boarding the
Christina
. His colleague looked equally smart and self-assured. The only one who looked a little out of place was his much younger “wife,” who looked like a honeypot trap in the making.