The 22nd Secret (114 page)

The lodge closed early this year, and as usual, Jim occupied his time during the off-season working around the lodge and watching sports on television. Kim, his girlfriend of four years had left Bear Breath when the scandal broke to take a job teaching in Fairbanks. Bill came to visit his friend regularly, usually to watch a game. Jim’s life was more isolated than ever. He tried without luck not to think about Paula. He was tormented by her absence and the fact what had happened between them was more than sex. He knew there was more. He just couldn’t remember. Even after a year, it was like her voice was whispering in his ear.
No matter what happens always, always, forever remember I love you.

The only time he thought of the night they spent together was when he was alone in bed. After that night, the only thing that could satisfy Jim was the memory of her body, of what he had done to her and what she had done to him. He would call her voice to mind intentionally, just to hear Paula whisper in his ear while lying alone in the bed they once shared together.

The intercom buzzed on Bill’s desk at precisely 8:30 am. It was a mild, sunny beautiful fall day in Alaska. The new snow glistened through Bill’s window. The sergeant on duty at the desk spoke through the speaker.

“Bill?”

“Yes.”

“I got a call for you. It’s Tom Walker.” Bill was stunned to hear Walker’s name.

“Walker? What in the world can he want?”

“Line three.”

Bill picked up the receiver and punched three. “Sheriff Bill Keller.”

“Bill, Tom Walker. How have you been?”

“Fine, what can I do for you?”

“How’s Jim Mitchell?”

“You mean has he violated his parole or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that. I mean how is he doing? He was pretty devastated by what Patty Lawrence did and something tells me he’s not the kind of person who enjoyed all the press he got last summer.”

“Well, you’re right on both counts. He’s pretty much got over the girl but his business went to shit with all the media nosing around. He thinks it will start recovering next year. He’s usually booked up one or two years in advance, and last time I talked to him about it, he said he didn’t have a lot of cancellations for next year.”

“Well, good. I was real sorry a man like Mitchell got dragged into this mess. I need you to do me a favor. I would like to talk with Mitchell. Say, this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I’m here in Bear Breath at the Lucky-U Motel. I was hoping you could call him on the radio and then fly me out there. The weather looks perfect.

“You’re assuming he’ll talk to you at all, let alone in person.”

“I can understand his reservation. I wouldn’t ask unless it was very important. You might call it a matter of life-and-death.”

“Whose life, whose death?”

“Maybe your friend’s life and maybe someone very special’s death. Please don’t make me beg for your help, or worse, try and reach Jim on my own.”

Bill knew he had to relent. “I’ll try and raise Jim now. You want to hold on the phone in case he wants to talk with you?”

“Thank you, Sheriff. I’ll hold.”

The radio in the main room of Jim’s lodge crackled to life.

“Jim, this is Bill. You copy? Over.”

Jim was thumbing through the latest issue of
Field and Stream
and set it down. He walked over to the radio.

“Hey, Bill. This is Jim. What’s up? Over.”

“Tom Walker called me this morning wants me to fly him out to your place this afternoon or tomorrow. Said it’s very important he talks to you in private. Over”

“Walker? What in the hell does he want with me ? Over.”

“I’m not sure. He’s on hold if you want to ask him yourself. Over”

“I guess so. Patch him through. Over.”

“Mr. Walker, I have Jim on the line with us. Over”

“Mr. Mitchell, pardon me for interrupting your privacy. I know this has not been a very pleasant experience for you. I’m sorry. Let me assure you my visit is not of an official nature. It has nothing to do with your parole, the treason charges, or the congressional hearings. Over.”

“If it’s not about any of that then what is it you want from me? Over.”

“I want nothing from you. I have some very important information I need to share with you, Over.”

“What information? Share it with me now. Over.”

“Please, Jim. Give me just a few hours of your time. I believe the sheriff can fly me out there this afternoon. Just a few hours, please. Over.”

“Look, Walker. I haven’t had a lot of good times with you or anyone associated with you. I’d just as soon not have anything more to do with you. Over.”

“There’s someone very important, very close to me, who wants to get some information to you. Please, Jim. I’m begging, just a few hours of your time. Over.”

“What information? What’s it about? Over.”

There was a momentary silence. Tom realized he should have known it would go this way. He considered the possibility of finding Jim’s lodge on his own.

“It’s about Paula. Over.”

“Paula? You mean Patty Lawrence? Over.”

Tom again paused and spoke slowly. “Jim, I mean Paula. Please give me a chance to explain. You can’t expect me to explain this over the radio. Just a few hours of your time this afternoon. Over.”

This time Jim remained silent for a few moments before speaking. The hostility in his voice was gone. “A few hours this afternoon, I’ll be waiting. Over.”

No one spoke until Bill finally said. “See you soon, buddy. Over and out.”

Jim did not acknowledge the end of the radio transmission.

“Sherriff, can you come by the Lucky-U and pick me up, say around 11:00?” Tom asked.

“Be waiting out front.” Bill said as he replaced the receiver on the telephone. Bill thought the end of that conversation got a little weird.

Two hours later, Bill pulled up to the motel in his Ford Expedition. Tom Walker and a woman wearing sunglasses, a green parka, and blue jeans exited the lobby of the motel and walked around the rear of the sheriff’s vehicle. Tom opened the rear door and the woman got in. He then opened the front door and sat down next to Bill, who was staring at the beautiful blonde in the backseat. She continued to look out the side window trying not to look directly at the gawking sheriff.

“You’re Patty,” said Bill.

“Sheriff,” Tom said in a loud enough tone to distract the sheriff who changed his gaze to Walker. “I’d like you to meet Pam Koller.”

The sheriff turned back to the blonde and held out his hand.

“Pleased to meet you, miss.” She continued looked out the side window and ignored the sheriff who, after an awkward moment, turned and put the Ford in drive. He thought this was getting weirder by the minute as he started for the airport.

The trip to the airport and flight to the lodge took about an hour and a half. Pam said nothing. She just looked out of the window. Bill and Tom talked about Jim, the bad season at the lodge, and the weather the last few weeks. The plane ride was fast. They flew low, just over the hilltops and around the higher peaks. Jim’s lodge suddenly appeared over a hill, surrounded by fresh snow and towering evergreens. It was beautiful with or without the snow. White Bear Lake was a solid blanket of snow waiting for the ski-equipped plane to land. Bill brought the plane in for a perfect landing and taxied it up to the dock that was used for loading and unloading guests from Jim’s plane. Mitchell heard the sound of the engine and was standing on his porch when Bill shut it off.

“Sheriff, would you mind waiting here with Miss Koller?” Tom asked. “I would like some time alone with Jim.”

Tom got out of the plane and walked toward Jim and the lodge caring an attaché case. He climbed the stairs and extended his hand to Jim, who ignored it.

“What about Paula?” Jim asked indignantly. “She was really Patty Lawrence and the whole damned world knows what she did.”

“You’re half right, Jim. She
was
Patty Lawrence but the whole world has no clue what she did. May we go in? It’s going to take some time to explain this and–”

Jim turned and entered the lodge, leaving the door open behind him. He walked over to one of the tables by the bar and sat down.

Tom followed Jim inside and closed the door behind him, walked over to the table Jim had sat at and removed his coat. He sat down and opened his attaché case. Inside was a blue file. He laid it on the table in front of Jim. There was a label on the front of it:
Security Clearance,
James Mitchell,
Level 21, Technologies,
APPROVED
was stamped on the cover in red block letters.

Jim opened the two-inch thick file and began reading his life history in documents categorized in sections. Bank accounts, tax returns, military records, school transcripts, the closing papers on the lodge, names address and phone numbers of friends. The story of his life poured out of the file.

“Is this legal? Can you gather all this information on someone without their knowledge or consent?” Jim continued to scan the contents of his life in legal forms and documents.

“No, it’s not.”

“Then where in the hell do you get off doing this?” Jim said looking up at Tom.

“It was necessary before you and I could have this conversation.”

“What conversation? What in the hell is this all about?”

Tom pulled a larger blue file from his attaché case and laid it on the table. It was twice as thick as Jim’s and worn. It was obviously several years old. The label read:
Security Clearance
,
Pamela Koller
,
Level 21, Technologies.

Jim slowly opened the file cover and looked at the pictures on the first two pages. He didn’t recognize the grade school pictures of Pam, gathered years ago when she was just a file of interest to certain people in the government. When he turned the page, he saw Paula as a young lady attending college, and most recently in official Los Alamos identification photos. He looked up at Tom with bewilderment.

“Her real name is Pam, Jim. She asked me to prepare that file on you so I could come here to talk with you.” Tom spoke softly. A bond instantly formed between them based on their concern for one woman.

“I’d like a beer, Jim. How about you? I’ve got a lot to talk to you about.”

Jim closed Pam’s file and, without saying a word, walked over to the bar and brought back two beers.

“Is she alive?” Jim asked when he sat down.