Rescue

the Lincoln.
    As the car doors closed, Pepe said, “Hey, man, you want a Kleenex or something?“
    “No. Thanks.“
    In a different tone, “That kid Eddie, he look a lot like some other kids been on the news, you know it?“
    Doris pulled away. I turned to Pepe. “What kid?“
    He nodded, slowly. “You walk all the way here from the Keys, maybe you wanna come in, sit a while.“

    “Mr. Vega, he gonna be very sorry he miss you.“
    “I really want to get back home.“
    Pepe eased the Escort into one of the access lanes at the airport terminal area. “I understand that. You sure you got enough money?“
    “Plenty.“ He’d gotten my cash and credentials package from wherever Justo had stashed them. “You sure the boss won’t mind your getting it for me?“
    “Hey, man, that’s what he teach me the combination to the safe for. Besides, he say to me, ‘Pepe, you make sure you take care of Mr. Francis,’ and he never tell me different after that. Mr. Vega, he is man of his word, he do no go back on it with me never.“
    I nodded, the fatigue starting to settle in as Pepe stopped outside my terminal.
    Shifting into park, he said all in a jumble, “You go looking for that little kid Eddie I never see, you blow up the Church thing on TV down there, all because you promise him something, right?“
    I started to say something else, then just agreed with him.
    Pepe held out his hand. “Some of us, we going back to Cuba someday, maybe pretty soon. Take things back from Fidel, he do no give it up first. You decide you want to see Habana the hard way, John Francis, you give me a call, eh?“

30

    I had the whole row on the starboard side of the airplane to myself for the flight to Washington , D.C. I’d paid cash, the ticket under the name “George Scott,“ who’d been a pretty fair first baseman for the Red Sox a generation ago. Looking out the window from my seat, I noticed a lot of scratches, striations really, on the double glass. They seemed to run from northeast to southwest across the panes, and I wondered what the hell could make those marks so high on the fuselage.
    Once we were on the ground at National Airport, I called Nancy’s office, but she was trying a case. I left a message with the secretary that I’d be back in Boston that afternoon.
    Outside the terminal, I hailed a cab and gave the driver an intersection two blocks away from my T-shirt shop. After battling the traffic, he dropped me off, and I waited for the taxi to disappear down the street before walking to the store.
    Opening the door, I saw Kevin, the stumpy kid from Georgetown, rising from behind a counter. Wearing a Redskins jersey, he smiled at me, then looked around as I reached him.
    “I thought maybe you weren’t coming back, man.“
    “I’m back. You do what I asked?“
    A knowing smile. “Sure did. Splashed water on the soap and towels. Even took a couple showers, so everythine’d look right.“
    I nodded.
    Kevin said, “Moved your clothes some, laid on them while I watched TV from the bed at night. The clothes looked used and the bed looked slept in.“
    “That’s pretty good, Kevin. How about my computer card?“
    He handed it to me. I counted out the other hundred, plus twenty.
    “Hey, what’s the extra twenty for?“
    I said, “Being inventive, enjoying your work.“
    “Kind of like a bonus, huh?“
    “Right.“
    Kevin pocketed the money. “Cool,“ stretching the word into three syllables.
    Outside, I flagged another taxi and went back to the chain place by DuPont Circle . Up in my room, everything looked the way Kevin had described. I dialed an airline, was told I’d have no trouble getting a seat on the shuttle to Boston and packed. Downstairs, “John Cuddy“ settled up his bill.

    When I stepped off the plane and into the jetway at Logan Airport , I could feel the autumn chill of now late September, especially compared to the Keys. At baggage claim, I picked up my suitcase and got a cab right away. I had him take me to the condo first, where I showered and shaved and tried Nancy again at the office. The same secretary told me she was still on trial, so I left another message saying that I’d be by to pick her up at the courthouse around six.
    I dressed in a suit for the first time in a while and went out of my way to walk toward my office along Commonwealth Avenue and through the parks. The Dutch elms on the boulevard mall that have so far survived the disease and various storms stood