The Arcturus Man (44 page)

Franklin Reisinger leapt fuming out of his chair.
He spun the chair and grabbed
the cushioned back, lifting the chair several inches. He banged it hard on the floor several
times. The back still wouldn’t tilt. It was locked in a stiff, upright position.

He dropped to his hands and knees and studied the mechanism underneath the
seat. He twisted a knob but that didn’t seem to help. He pulled on the lever on the right
side and the chair popped up, but still it wouldn’t swivel. He yanked on the lever. Finally, it released and back-tilted like it was supposed to.

He stood and walked over to a large walnut, hand-carved credenza and pulled out
the top drawer. He grabbed a pack of Marlboros and tapped out a cigarette. He lit it and
took a deep drag. CIA headquarters was a non-smoking facility, as were all government
buildings, but who was going to challenge him. The regular windows couldn’t be opened.
His window, however, could be opened. He had it specially installed.
It cost American
tax payers $7,200. He opened it a few inches.
It was a very cold day and he didn’t like
drafts. It was a ceremonial show of consideration for non-smokers.
He called it his alibi
window, not that anyone would dare complain about his smoking.

He had a grand view from his corner office on the seventh floor—the floor of the
anointed ones. It looked out on the expansive grounds and acres of trees surrounding the
complex. Virginia was a beautiful state most of the time but in the winter everything was
grey. The bare trees were grey. The sky was grey. Even the people were grey.

He kept his office in the old building.
Thank God his office didn’t open on the
maze of new buildings cobbled together. Some of the connecting corridors were like rat
mazes. His building and the igloo in front were as they were when he joined the Agency
decades ago.
From his window, everything was as it was and as it should be. He was
careful about that.

He heard Wanda’s voice on the intercom. “Mr. Anderson has arrived Mr. Reisinger.”
John Comfort Anderson burst through the door before Wanda’s announcement
ended.
“Where is he?” asked Anderson, rushing in. He looked panicked.
“Calm down, John.”
“I’ll calm down when that damned Latvian is dead.
People in Main Justice are
beginning to ask about some of my actions.”
“What kind of questions are they asking?
What do they know?” Now Reisinger
was getting excited.
“They don’t know anything but we have to be careful,” said Anderson.
“You know, we could just forget this whole thing. He’s not that important.”
“What has gotten into you? Of course he’s important. Why do you think I’m
doing all of this.”
“To be honest, I’ve never been all that clear about why we’re doing any of this,
John. Has his name come up yet?” asked Reisinger.
“No, never. I’ve been very careful.”
“My God, I hope you’re right.”
“Don’t blaspheme.”
“Get off your high horse, John. There’s no one else here.”
“Jared Siemels is an outrage to God. Surely you don’t have to be convinced of
that.
Franklin, we’ve been of the same mind about this from the beginning, have we
not?” asked Anderson.
“Not really John.
How many times have we gotten rid of people who were a
nuisance?
I can scare remember.
It was always easy and it was always risk free.
I feel
the same way about this Jared guy.
He is a nuisance.
Whether he is an abomination to
God is really your spin.
This time, however, the situation seems to have gotten out of
hand.
It’s making me nervous John.
This thing isn’t risk free—not if people at Justice
are getting curious about your religious crusade.”
“I am controlling the situation. There’s nothing to be concerned about. I had no
idea that you didn’t see how vital it was to cut out this cancer.
You certainly haven’t
talked like this before.”
“You ever hear of Watergate, John?”
“This is God’s will.”
“Cut the crap.
We need some real world solutions. Do nothing.
I’ll take care of
this. Do nothing! Understand?”
Anderson was distressed.
He couldn’t afford to lose Reisinger.
He turned away
slightly and pressed the sharp cross beneath his shirt deep into his flesh until it hurt.
He
was failing God and there had to be penitence. There had to be atonement. There had to
be penitence.
“Of course. Of course. I understand. You have nothing to worry about, Franklin,”
said Anderson.
Reisinger walked over to his window and lit another cigarette.
Anderson saw that he had to defuse the situation.
“So, do you know where Siemels is?”
“Yes, we triangulated his marine phone transmission this afternoon. It lasted long
enough that we have a good fix and probably know his direction.”
“Where is he?”
“Probably going to Panama. Makes sense. We found a boat registered there under
one of his aliases,” said Reisinger.
“Panama! Isn’t that good news.”
“Probably!
We have some military officials who are willing to help us pick him
up. As soon as he enters a port, he’s ours.”
“Why do you say probably?”
“If he goes into the Kuna territory, the Panamanians won’t help. They don’t want
any problems with the Kuna who basically govern themselves. We have no contacts with
the Kuna.”
“Who are the Kuna?” asked Anderson.
“They are an indigenous people who live in that region.”
“So what should we do?”
“Just sit tight. The Colombians have been sitting in Miami waiting for my call. I
made it an hour ago. They’re already on their way to Panama.
Hopefully, we can get
another fix if he uses the marine or sat phones again.”
“I’m surprised that he made traceable calls.
I thought he was smarter than that,”
said Anderson.
“Yes, that surprised me too. In fact, it worries me.”
“Why’s that?” asked Anderson.
“Because he seems to be luring us in. I think he’s planning something.”
“He’s one man. What could he be planning?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like not knowing,” said Reisinger. “I am also a tad concerned that the White House is showing some interest in him.”
“What are you talking about? Who?” asked Anderson.
“Weller, for one. The President wants Siemels invention; you know the weapons
detection thing.”
“I saw something about that but why would they want to waste their time on
another hair-brained contraption. Don’t they have enough already?”
“The thing might really work.”
“Nonsense.
I received a PS a few days ago from a special agent offering to help
to get Siemels to cooperate. He said he didn’t want Siemels to know that he was reaching
out to me. I asked my secretary to check into to it. She said it was nothing,”
“PS?” asked Reisinger.
“PeopleSoft…it’s our internal messaging system.”
“You deferred to your secretary to make that judgment?”
“Of course. I can’t respond to every message I get.
I probably get a hundred of
the darned things every day.”
“Who was the special agent?” asked Reisinger.
“I don’t know who it was. Why do you care?” Anderson shuffled through a stack
of papers on the edge of his desk. “Here it is. It was someone named John Cabet.”
“Cabet? Are you sure? Can I see it?”
Anderson pushed the memo across his desk.
“Cabet is an acquaintance of Siemels.
That is odd. And he was offering to twist
Siemels arm to get him to give up the technical information about the invention?”
Anderson glanced at the memo briefly. “Yes, it seems so.”
“I wish you would have told me about this earlier, John.
I thought you would
keep me informed about any information you get that relates to Siemels,” said Reisinger.
Anderson saw the growing concern in Reisinger’s eyes. He didn’t want to fan the
coals any hotter.
It was clear that Reisinger was on the edge.
He couldn’t let him go
over. There was a lot at stake. He needed Reisinger. Everything could be lost if he loses
him. There was a time to be pious and there was a time to be intelligent.
If Reisinger
couldn’t see that he had to do God’s work, it wasn’t Anderson’s fault. He would pray for
him later. He would come around. He had to. He tried to change the subject.
“I’m the top guy at Justice and I don’t have an office this nice,” said Anderson.
Anderson opened the door to the private bathroom. He had seen it before, but it
was a source of envy every time he visited. It had a dressing area.
There were three
pressed suits hanging, as well as a dozen white starched shirts.
Six pairs of polished
shoes were lined up beneath the massive armoire. The shower was immense. He turned
back toward Reisinger who continued to stand at the window. He blew his smoke toward
the crack in the window but there already was a blue haze in the office.
Reisinger was
silent.
“Who did you send out of Miami, this Rubio Matos guy?” asked Anderson.
“Yes, Rubio.” Reisinger answered without turning around, without looking at
Anderson.
“Can’t we use our own guys? Do we really need this wet back?”
“Rubio is better than our own guys and we can trust him.
He is very intelligent
man and he is very efficient, very professional.”
“He screwed it up in Maine.
How professional can he be? Did he even graduate
from grammar school?”
Reisinger spun around and glared at Anderson.
“We don’t know what happened in Maine. Suffice it to say that we all underestimated Siemels. Present company included. Moreover, Rubio is college educated.”
Reisinger over-annunciated “present company” included.
Anderson struck a
nerve again.
He didn’t mean to.
This wasn’t the time to be critical.
He was making
things worse. He pressed down on his cross until he couldn’t bear it.
“Yes, of course we did. I admit it. I should have known. I’m sorry,” said Anderson.
Reisinger walked over to the door and opened it.
“Don’t worry about it.
I’ll take care of it.
I’ll phone you on your private cell
when I learn anything new. Stay calm,” said Reisinger.
Anderson understood that he was being encouraged to leave.
“I have every confidence in you Franklin. Every confidence. Be assured.”
He walked out. Reisinger shut the door. Anderson heard the lock click.

StarWind arrived in El Porvenir at the northern tip of the San Blas region in Panama.
Jared eased the boat up to a rickety wooden dock that ran about 75 feet from the
island. El Porvenir is small. There is a single air strip, a two-story control tower, a rustic
hotel consisting of thatched huts, some homes, and the Kuna administration building.
Idelfonso was waiting at the end of the dock.
Jared tied off the boat and helped Jenny
climb to the dock.

Jenny watched Idel as he walked to them. Idel was an elderly man with platinum
hair, a dark felt hat, clean white shirt, striped trousers, and flip-flop beach shoes. Despite
the flip-flops, he had elegance and an air of nobility in his demeanor and movement.
It
was evident to Jenny that he was somebody important. Jared had explained that he was
the local chief, the
Saila
. Jared said this title wasn’t really equivalent to chief as we understood it from Native Americans in the United States, but it wasn’t clear to her what it
really meant.
She knew it was important, however. Jared said that he was the spiritual
leader, as well as the political leader.

She couldn’t guess his age. He had a very dark complexion and a wide nose. She
imagined that Christopher Columbus could have met a man like him when he came into
the New World. Then she remembered that Jared told her that Columbus was considered
to be a criminal by the Kuna people. She understood that part. Idel carried a short wooden stick with what looked like a bullet on one end. That was curious.

He removed his hat and bowed slightly as Jenny approached.
“Hello. Hello, Jared, my friend.
It is so good to see you again,” said Idel.
He
embraced Jared but waited to be introduced to Jenny.
He did not look at Jenny until
Jared began the introduction. Jared once told her that in some cultures looking at another
man’s woman could be considered offensive.
“Idel, this is Jennifer Nilsson,” said Jared.
Idelfonso looked into Jenny’s eyes and embraced her warmly.
“I am so pleased to meet you Miss Nilsson. We have been preparing for your arrival. It is wonderful to finally meet you. I am so sad about the difficulties that have followed you,” said Idel.
Jenny looked to Jared. “You explained our difficulties?”
“Yes, Idel is a very close friend. I have explained everything. The gracious Kuna
have welcomed you and will take care of you while I attend to other matters that cannot
be avoided,” said Jared, primarily for the benefit of Idel.
“Yes, that is true Miss Nilsson, I was…”
“Please call me Jenny,” she said.
“But of course, Jenny. As I was saying, we made reservations for you at the Coral Lodge.
They have marvelous over-the-water villas and excellent services, but in discussing this with Jared, it was agreed that this may not be the best considering the circumstances.
A Kuna family has agreed to welcome you into their home.
They live on
the Isla La Maqina. It is perhaps a touch primitive and not what you are accustomed to
but I assure you that you will be treated as if you were a member of the family and you
will be protected while Jared is away,” said Idel.
“
While Jared is away?
” repeated Jenny in her mind.
She knew he had to leave
her behind, but it was happening…it was happening now. It was upsetting to hear it.
Idel held Jared’s hand as they walked off the dock.
Jenny noticed that Jared allowed it. That was unlike Jared. He didn’t like to be touched by people.
The three of them walked up the beach to a small restaurant. Like many of the
small buildings, it looked like a small hut with a palm thatch roof and bamboo and reed
sides. Idel opened the door and held it for them. They sat down.
“Jenny, I have just a few moments of business to discuss with Jared. Please forgive us,” said Idel.
Jenny understood. She stood up and began to leave the table area.
“No, No. That is not necessary.
Please remain seated.
This will only take a few
minutes,” said Idel.
Idel and Jared began to speak. They spoke in Kuna. Jenny watched Jared’s face
for any emotion, any clue that might reveal what they were talking about, but it could just
as well been about fishing. As Idel promised, it was very brief.
“May I offer you some refreshment?” asked Idel.
“Yes, please,” she said.
Idel waived at a waiter who looked busy but who instantly came to the table.
There was no one else in the restaurant. Idel said nothing but the waiter nodded and went
in the back. A few minutes later he was back carrying a tray with juice, coffee, and some
kind of pastries.
“Jenny, these are called
hojaldres
. It is difficult to explain. They are fried dough.
I think you will enjoy them,” said Idel.
“They’re similar to hush puppies in how they’re made except that they aren’t
made with corn meal,” said Jared.
She bit into one.
“They ARE really good,” she said.
Idel smiled.
“And the juice is wonderful.
I’ve never had juice this good.”
“I am pleased that you are enjoying it,” said Idel.
“Jenny, do you mind living with the Kuna for a few days? I don’t think it will be
longer than that,” said Jared.
“No,
not
at
all.
I
don’t
want
you
to
be
the
least
bit
concerned
about
me…while….you…you know…are taking care of that business,” she said.
“I assure you Jenny, will be safe and comfortable,” said Idel.
“Idel, I don’t know how to ask this without offending you,” she said.
“Yes. Please. Any questions. Any questions,” said Idel.
“Is there crime here? You know? Criminals?”
Idel had to smile.
“Yes, of course there is a little crime—if we want to call it such—but it is nothing
really. We have a very large independence festival coming up in February and there is a
minor celebration this week—we call it a coming-of-age festival.
They will be drinking
chicha. So you can expect some of the young people to be a little less respectful at times.
We watch them of course. One young man is designated each day as “the sober one.” He
wears a red shirt so he will be recognized and he walks the streets to make sure that the
other young men behave themselves,” said Idel. He chuckled from time to time.
“Chicha? What is chicha?” asked Jenny.
“The chicha fuerte at the festival is a sugar cane and coffee mixture that is fermented. It’s quite good actually.
Chicha is very popular in all of Panama among the
common people and can be made in many ways, even in Kuna Yala.
Sometimes it is
fermented corn and other times it is made with nance or tamarind,” said Idel.
“I am embarrassed that I know so little, Idel. What is nance?” she asked.
“Think nothing of it. You are a visitor to this land. Nance is a small, sweet fruit,”
said Idel. “That is the juice you appear to be enjoying.”
“Thank you for meeting us Idel, but I have to leave now. Jenny, you are in good
hands. I’ll be back in a few days,” said Jared.
“So soon? You’re leaving right now,” she said.
“Yes, there is a lot to do. I’m sorry Jenny,” said Jared.
“We have a boat waiting for us, Jenny,” said Idel.
They all stood. Jenny went to Jared and threw her arms around him, hugging him
as tightly as she could. She was hesitant about kissing him in front of Idel but Jared drew
her closer and kissed her. It was a long hard kiss. Idel smiled.
“These are very good people. Trust them and they will take care of you until I get
back,” whispered Jared into Jenny’s ear.
“I will. Please be very careful. This isn’t a game Jared,” she said.
“Everything will be fine. No worries,” said Jared.
She held Jared’s hand as they all walked out of the restaurant.
Jared gave her a
short hug and then walked off, back to the StarWind. She and Idel watched for a while as
he untied the boat, drifted away from the dock, and then powered up and headed toward
the mainland.
She wanted to cry but didn’t want to do it in front of Jared’s friend.
She
knew that she may never see Jared again. Despite everything that had happened, she
knew that Jared still saw this all as a grand game. She choked back her tears. Idel sensed
what she was feeling and put his arm around her.
“This is a thing that he must do,” said Idel.
“I know but I can’t help worrying,” she said.
“Of course.
I worry as well,” he said.
“Jeronimo, Nele, and Lopez, and a few
others, will be meeting him later. He is not alone.”
“I didn’t know that.
He didn’t mention that.
I am so glad you told me that. He
has friends helping him,” she said.
“Of course. He has many friends.
Trust in your man.
He will return soon,” he
said.
“
My man
,” thought Jenny. “
Yes, he is my man
.”
They walked to the dock. A small boat was bouncing in the waves. A man was in
the boat. He waved at Idel and Jenny as they approached. He stood and the boat rocked
as he pulled on an outboard motor. It roared and blue smoke poured out of the engine as
it came alive. It had a small sail, but it was tied tight against the mast.
“Is this our boat?” she asked.
“Yes, it is called an ulu.
It is carved from a trunk of a tree.
It is quite safe and
seaworthy,” said Idel. “Perhaps you should remove your sandals.”
Idel bent over and rolled up his pant legs. He tucked the curious wooden stick he
was carrying into his belt. Jenny’s sandals were leather. She wasn’t sure what salt water
would do to leather, so she took them off and carried them in her hand. She was wearing
cut-offs jeans and red cotton blouse.
They wouldn’t be a problem if they got wet. Her
sun glasses where riding on her hair.
She pulled her glasses down. The sun was glaring
up from the water.
She kept thinking about Jared and what he was about to do but the
beauty of her surroundings was beguiling.
The man steadied the ulu as Idel and Jenny
waded to the boat and climbed in. Children from the island ran down to the dock. They
were laughing and delighted to see Jenny. The added weight made the boat settle into the
sand bottom. Several of the boys helped push the ulu until it was afloat.
The man lowered the motor into the water. The propeller spurted water into the boat as soon as it
touched water. Jenny had to wipe her sun glasses.
“This is Jose. We are going to his home on Isla La Maqina,” said Idel.
“I am please to meet you Jose.
Thank you for inviting me to your home,” she
said.
Jose was a short man.
He was shorter than Jenny.
He was wearing black swim
trunks.
His skin was bronze and glistened.
Though short, he was heavily muscled.
He
was clean shaven and had long black hair. He was quite handsome.
Jenny guessed that
he was in his twenties.
Jose stood in the boat and nodded politely. He tipped his straw hat, but said nothing.
They motored for almost an hour, passing several small islands on their way. Idel
narrated what they were seeing on their short journey. For the moment, Jenny forgot to
think about Jared and that she was alone among strangers.
They were approaching a
beautiful island. She counted about thirty small houses on the island…huts really. They
all had thatched palm frond roofs.
The fronds were baked a light tan in the Caribbean
sun. The houses were ringed by tall palm trees. She saw that many had coconuts on them.
The sides of the huts looked like they were made of woven fronds and bamboo. The sand
on the beach was like fine sugar.
The waves were rolling gently on the shore line. Jose
maneuvered the ulu to a very small dock near one of the houses.
It was the only house
that was built on stilts but it was also the closest to the water. It had no sides. She could
see many hammocks slung from posts. There were at least ten hammocks. She didn’t see
any beds and there were no rooms. The sides were open.
Jose ran the boat up onto the beach next to the dock. A smaller boat was already
tied off at the dock. Jenny noticed that it had no motor and looked different from the boat
they were in.
“As I said, our boat is called an ulu. That is a smaller boat called a cayuco,” said
Idel. “Jose doesn’t speak English and I gather that you don’t speak any Spanish.”
“No. I’m sorry but I don’t,” said Jenny.
“I hope that isn’t a problem for you.
One of Jose’s sons speaks English quite
well.”
“I’m sure we’ll manage somehow,” she said. She was becoming concerned about
what she was getting into. The island was beautiful but it was all so foreign to her.
“Can I ask you an indelicate question Idel?”
“Please.”
She walked away from Jose and led Idel to a shaded area underneath a palm tree.
Jose was tending to his boat.
“Are there any rooms? Am I getting one of those hammocks?”
“Yes, the hammocks are very comfortable. You will come to favor them.
As to
privacy, some of the other houses to have rooms where you can change clothes and so
forth.
The homes are very communal and they share everything.
I understand that this
may be overwhelming right now but I know that you will feel at home as soon as you become familiar with your surroundings,” said Idel.
“But, that was not your indelicate
question. The bathrooms are either there (he pointed to a very small hut built on a dock
that ran out into the ocean) or there (he pointed to the ocean).”
“Oh,” said Jenny.
At least she was relieved that the small hut had sides that hid
the occupant.
“There is no paper…no bathroom tissue…so eventually you will end up there,”
said Idel, pointing to the water.
“Oh, I see.”
“You will think nothing of it,” said Idel.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I need to try the little hut,” said Jenny.
She walked down the beach and out on the dock to the little hut. The door was
hung on the hut with rope hinges.
She opened the door and looked inside. There was
nothing but a hole in the floor. There wasn’t even a seat. This was disgusting. Her need
was urgent so she had to try it. The drop to the water was at least six feet, perhaps more.
She was mortified. As Idel said, there was no paper. She was horrified again.
She opened the door sheepishly and walked back to the beach to Idel. He opened
his arms, palms up, the universal sign language for “I’m sorry about that.”
The sun was
hot. She walked back to the shady spot beneath the palm.
“Are you staying here?” asked Jenny.
Suddenly, Jose lunged for her and pushed her down onto the sand. A large coconut plopped into the exact spot that she had been standing. She sat up, brushing the sand
from her clothes.
Jose pointed to the coconuts and wagged his finger at her.
It was a
gentle scolding.
“Many of the Kuna raise coconuts for income. San Blas coconuts have a reputation for being the largest and finest in the Caribbean. You will have to be careful. Tourists are injured every year by falling coconuts,” said Idel. “I wish I could stay but I have
other duties to attend to and there are a few things I must get done for Jared.”
“I understand. I’ll be fine,” she said.
“Let me introduce you to Zobeida, Jose’s wife, before I leave,” he said.
Idel led Jenny though the hut that had the hammocks and no sides and went into
an adjoining house. It had a door and sides. He knocked on the door and walked inside.
“Is this their house? I thought it was the one with the hammocks,” she said.
“They both belong to Jose and Zobeida. The family often prefers to sleep outside
when the nights are hot,” said Idel.
“Oh, I didn’t understand,” she said.
A young woman was working in a small kitchen. A small boy was by her side.
She turned and smiled. Jenny thought she was breathtakingly beautiful.
She had raven
black hair. Her skin was lighter than Jose’s. She wore a red scarf that covered the back of
her head and folded over her shoulders. She had a patterned purple blouse that was mostly covered by an ornate and colorful skirt that came up to her chest.
The skirt was embroidered with strange shapes. She wore a gold necklace and a gold ring in her nose. Both
arms were covered by multicolored bracelets. The little boy wore a baseball cap and a
Flintstones T-shirt. He didn’t have pants and was barefoot.