Little White Lies (8 page)

How in the hell am I going to get through to this guy before he goes too far and says something he can’t take back? Trouble is, saving face for him would mean losing for me. It would take a very big man to let the new kid win this kind of battle… white, no less.

“Mr. Jackson, I’m afraid you don’t quite understand what it is we’re here to discuss.”

“Oh, I know what you want to discuss,” he counters. “You want to get rid of my friends and replace them with some candy-asses you think you can control. Sorry, Phil, it ain’t going to happen. Bear’s staying, and that’s all there’s to it.”

“Mr. Jackson,” I persist, “I think if you will let me explain, you will understand why I wanted to have this meeting.”

Shit, this is going from bad to worse. A.J. shakes his head and sits down in his chair with an air of resignation. He flicks his fingers, in a half-hearted fashion, signaling me to continue. Not much in the way of encouragement, but I’ll have to take what I can get.

“First, I would not bother you with a simple employee termination, if the person in question were not a friend of yours. But since Mr. Street is a friend, I wanted to discuss the matter with you and explain why I took the action I did. I have no objection if you wish to retain Mr. Street in some other position, but I’m afraid he is not qualified to be a security man. He does not have the physical skills or the mental ability the position requires.”

“Are you nuts?” A.J. shoots back. “Why do you think we call him, Bear? The guy is a giant. People take one look at him and they shit their pants. He’s been kicking ass since he was a kid… he’s a natural bodyguard if there ever was one. What would you have him do… gardening?”

He turns to Marshall and winks. The prick’s really having a good time with this. It takes some doing, but I ignore his unspoken sidebar conversation with Steve and continue on.

“Well I haven’t thought about what I would have him do. I just know he’s not cut out for security work… at least not here.”

“You had better not let him hear you say that.” A.J.’s not even trying to suppress his smiles anymore.

“A.J.,” Marshall begins quietly, his voice barely audible, “I think you should know something about what happened out there. Bear and Phil… “ I turn and look directly at Marshall. He glances at me momentarily and then continues, “Bear and Philip had a little argument outside that got out of hand… sort of. I mean, Bear started shoving Philip around… “ A.J.’s smiling again. “And then Philip… “ A.J. shifts around in his chair. If his grin gets any wider, he’s going to hurt himself. “… ripped Bear a new asshole.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Apparently A.J. didn’t hear the whole story in the foyer. The room has gone dead quiet. The shit-eating grin on A.J.’s face is frozen in place, but he no longer knows it’s there. I feel as though I’m sitting in a photograph. No one is ever going to move again. After a while the mantle clock begins to chime and time struggles back to its normal cadence. A.J.’s smile is still there, but it’s wilting fast. He seems to be waiting for some sort of punch line. Such is the fate of the true believer.

“Bear’s on his way to the hospital,” Marshall continues, “and Philip wants to prefer charges.” He concludes hastily, as though saying it fast might somehow get him the hell out of this.

A.J. turns slowly in his chair and faces me directly. He begins to speak, but the words are coming very slowly.

“So you took Bear. I’m supposed to believe you took Bear. Sucker punch?” He turns back to Marshallwith a look on his face that is almost pleading for some rational explanation.

Before I can speak Marshall cuts me off.

“A.J., he took him on straight up. He warned him… several times. It was no accident, man. Bear never had a chance. He got flat-out handled!”

Marshall’s last comment seems to have stunned A.J. After a few moments of silence he looks at me and says, “So what are you saying, you don’t want Bear to work here anymore because you kicked his ass? Isn’t that a little bit much because of a fight? Can’t you kick someone’s ass and forget about it?”

I ignore the suggestion, if that’s what it is.

“Frankly, Mr. Jackson, I don’t care if he works here or not, as long as he minds his manners. I am simply saying he is not cut out for security work. He is too hotheaded and he has no skills for that sort of thing. And given what happened today, I do not think he will want to come back.”

A.J. puts his elbows on the arms of his chair and rests his chin on the backs of his hands. He seems to be in some sort of daze.

“If you don’t mind,” I continue, “I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the overall security situation. For example, Mr. Marshall here, is not qualified for the position either… in my opinion.”

I look over at Marshall and his head drops in acceptance of the inevitable. I suppose he figures I’m after him too… make a clean sweep of it. But that’s not what I have in mind.

“You see, Mr. Jackson, this type of work is not for amateurs. As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Marshall can stay on, but if he wants to continue in security work, then, in all fairness to him, he will need some formal training. The type of training I have in mind would take at least six months to get him to the starting line. In the meantime, we can fill the positions with professionals who are trained for this kind of duty.”

A.J. comes to life. “Bullshit. I think you are overreacting. I know some people…”

To hell with this… I’ve had enough of his amateur hour.

“I don’t think we’re going to be interested in the people you know, sir. You already picked the people who you thought were the best of those you know and they are not up to the task. Not even close! You are a wealthy man and a very well known one at that. You had better get serious about this issue and get serious about it now, before anything happens. God willing, nothing ever will, but I believe in using all the means at our disposal to prevent something from happening, rather than wishing we had done it another way after a tragedy occurs. You, better than most people in your position, should realize the world we live in is not a very friendly place at times.”

I can practically see A.J.’s blood rise. He obviously does not want to hear a lecture, but he holds steady. He takes a deep breath and slowly exhales.

“What are you suggesting… what are we talking about?”

Curious. Just when I expect him to lose his cool and blow his top, he comes back and continues the conversation in a rational manner. He’s very unpredictable and a bit unsettling… but in a positive way. Unfortunately it’s not something I can dwell on right now.

“I’m suggesting we hire professionals to watch both you and your family. These people will be well trained in bodyguard techniques and will be familiar with both weapons and hand-to-hand combat skills. They will understand home security and enforce it every day and night. They will be trained in emergency medical procedures, and most important, they will not turn the place into an armed camp.

“I’m not talking about a goon squad. The kind of people I have in mind would do everything possible to insure the safety of you and your family and at the same time preserve a normal family atmosphere. Or, at least, as normal as it can be, given the circumstances. Either do it right, or don’t do it at all. But if you feel there is a problem, then let’s do it right. We can augment a small staff with electronic gear here at the estate. That way we would keep the long-term operational expenses down.”

A.J. makes a twirling motion with his finger. “This all sounds wonderful, but who in the hell knows where to find people like that? To answer your other question: yes, I think there’s a problem. You can’t believe the kooks I run into in this business. If one of them ever got to my family, I don’t know what the hell I’d do.”

“I’ll get to work on it.”

I stand, accepting the decision for progress in a very important area and depart, leaving Marshall behind to talk with A.J. I already know where to start. Several of the men I served with in Special Forces in Nam wound up in security work. Some for the government and others went into the private sector. One person with whom I’ve stayed in touch over the years would be the perfect choice to put this thing together for us. He may not be available personally, but he would know where to get the people I need. people with the right skills who can be trusted to do the job no matter what.

CHAPTER 6
 

I have been with the Jacksons for almost four months now. That’s what the calendar says, but it seems almost impossible that much time could have passed so quickly. I guess that’s a good sign, as in time flies when you’re having fun. What I have been doing isn’t exactly fun, but there has been a lot going on and there is always satisfaction in doing any job well.

The grand budget project has taken on a life of its own. We have gone from everyone spending as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted, on whatever they wanted, to estimates and requisitions. I’m not one for needless paperwork, but with a place as big as this, there have to be some controls or spending will always be out of sight. A.J. doesn’t exactly care for the budget process but he likes the results. After all, he was the one complaining about the money flowing out with no idea where it was going.

Fortunately I haven’t experienced any more problems of the sort I encountered with Bear Street. The rest of the staff members have been cooperative and eager to do a good job. While A.J. is in and out, I have spent a lot of time with Sheri and I find her an absolute delight to work with. She’s a very bright lady and totally devoted to her family. I have never been around kids as young as Jeff-Jeff and Shana for any extended period of time, so that part is completely new to me. Their company is natural and very refreshing. Without children of my own, I had no idea of the different types and sheer number of questions a child could ask. It’s quite challenging. Even plain old everyday experiences take on a whole new dimension. Things may be old hat to an adult, but they often fill a child’s eyes with wonder.

I think I would have to say that while the job has been interesting, the family has been captivating. A few months ago I had never heard of the Jacksons as a family and now it would be difficult to imagine a life without them. It’s easy to see how domestic working relationships can become quite intense with so much time shared with one another. I have no way of knowing how the Jacksons feel about me at this point, but I find myself drawn to them simply because they are such terrific people. very genuine. A doctor would probably try to put some sort of sophisticated medical spin on it, but I think this situation is merely fulfilling some underlying need for me.

It’s nice to be doing something again … especially something that needs doing. I like the sense of purpose I have in the morning when I look at the list of things to do and I like the feeling I have in the evening when I see all that has been accomplished during the day.

The security staff is finally complete with everyone in position except Steve Marshall, who is still in training. Steve and I are getting along much better these days, but that’s another story. The search for the staff began to take shape when I was able to get in touch with one of my old Nam buddies, Jim Hudson, who was not exactly available, but more than willing tocome aboard. Jim had helped me out on one or two occasions in my old business, but that, too, is another story.

Jim was a part of my team in Nam for more than a year, which translates to a couple of lifetimes. I have always found him to be quiet and reliable. He is physically big and skilled in all the ways necessary to confront a human opponent and defeat him, big-boned, barrel-chested and gentle as they come until he decides to be otherwise. It turned out Jim had stayed in touch with some of our guys and we managed to get two of our staff from the old gang.

The first day we all got together it was pretty heavy. I don’t think there was a dry eye among us for the first hour or so. All the things that had happened, seemingly long forgotten, were remembered with incredible detail. It was quite amazing, but definitely one of those situations where you had to have been there. Someone listening in would have thought we were crazy and they would not have been far from the truth. Those were crazy days and we were in tune with the times. Perhaps even a little ahead of our time in some ways. We talked and laughed for hours until we got most of it out of our systems.

It was something that had to be done, I suppose. Whether we worked together or simply convened for a drink in a bar, we had to air out all the old memories. The victories, the fears… the lingering animosities towards ‘upper management’, who did not allow much leeway when it came to pursuit of the enemy, but left us plenty of ways to die. I don’t think it hurts to get some of that stuff out in the sunshine, but eventually it has to be put behind us so we can all move on.

It’s not the kind of thing you feel comfortable discussing with someone who wasn’t there with you. It must be someone who shared each day’s experiences, who was right there at your side, suffering as you were suffering, and now remembers as you remember… that’s the only way you can talk about it.

No matter what, there’s nothing that can be done about it now or ever again. I would like to think the country’s leaders might have learned a lesson from Viet Nam, but I don’t have much hope in that regard either. The government seems determined to repeat its mistakes over and over again. It’s the nature of the beast. People who have never heard a shot fired in anger always seem willing to send others to do the dirty work. But that was then and this is now, and those memories are best left in the box.

We filled out the rest of the staff from Jim’s contacts. In and around the security community for almost twenty years, he knew where to look. Jim made a few calls and found the people we needed within a matter of weeks. Although the men are all professionals, I told Jim I wanted a training program in place to make certain everyone is up to speed on every aspect of life around here. We cannot assume people are going to do the right thing by instinct. We have to be certain each person understands and is capable of doing what is expected of him. Great credentials are not enough. I want every skill to be verified in training and practice. Even more important, I want everyone tohave confidence in one another and to understand the skills available in the group.