The Evening News (31 page)

The weather had changed to pouring rain, with fiercely blowing gusts, the
sky a sullen gray
.
With Luis driving, they took a circuitous route from Hackensack, several
times changing direction and twice stopping to be sure they were not
followed. Luis handled the hearse with extra care because of slick roads
and poor forward visibility beyond the monotonously slapping windshield
wipers. Having
gone south on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River as far as Weehawken, they entered the Lincoln Tunnel and emerged in Manhattan at 11:45 A.M
.
Both Miguel and Luis were wearing dark suits and ties, appropriate to their
presence in a hearse
.
After leaving the tunnel they headed east on Fortieth Street. The heavy
rain made for bumper-to-bumper crosstown traffic and painfully slow
progress. Miguel watched pedestrians moving slowly and uncomfortably on
crowded sidewalks
.
The paradox of riding through New York City in a hearse amused him. On one
hand the vehicle was far too conspicuous for their purpose; on the other it
commanded respect. At a previous intersection, a uniformed traffic agent-a
"brownie
,”
as New Yorkers called them-had even stopped other vehicles and
waved them by
.
Miguel also noticed that many people who glanced at the hearse immediately
looked away. He had observed the same thing before and wondered: Was it the
reminder of death, the great oblivion, that disturbed them? He had never
feared his own death, though he had no intention of making it easy for
others to hasten its arrival
.
But whatever the reason, it didn't matter. What did was that no one in the
crowds around them was likely to consider that this particular hearse, so
close that they could touch it, contained two of the most sought-after
criminals in the country, perpetrators of a crime that was the nation's
hottest news story. The thought intrigued Miguel. It was also reassuring
.
They turned north onto Third Avenue, and a little short of Forty-fourth
Street Luis pulled over to the curb and let Miguel out. Turning his collar
up against the driving rain, Miguel walked the last two blocks east to
United Nations headquarters. Despite his earlier thoughts about the hearse
,
arriving in it would court attention he didn't need. In the meantime Luis
had instructions to keep moving and come back to the drop-off point in an
hour. If Miguel did not appear, Luis would return every subsequent half
hour
.
On the corner of Forty-fourth, Miguel bought an umbrella from a street
vendor but found it hard to handle in the wind. A
few minutes later he crossed First Avenue to the white-fronted UN General Assembly Building. Because of the rain, the many flagpoles stood forlornly bare, bereft of flags. Passing an iron
grille fence and the delegates' entrance, he ascended steps to a wide platform where visitors were admitted. Miguel, empty
handed, was quickly cleared through a checkpoint inside where others were having their handbags and packages opened for inspection
.
In the large hall beyond, benches were filled with waiting visitors, their
faces and clothes as diverse as the UN itself. A Bolivian woman in a bowler
hat sat stoically. Beside her a small black child played with a stuffed
white lamb. Nearby sat an old, weathered man wearing Afghan-type headgear
.
Two bearded Israelis argued over papers
spread between them. And inter
spersed throughout the crowd were white-skinned Americans and British
tourists
.
Ignoring those waiting, Miguel walked toward a prominent "Guided Tours
”
sign at the far end of the hall. Beside it, holding an
attach
é case, Jose
Antonio Salaverry was waiting
.
Just like a weasel, Miguel thought, as he took in Salaverry's narrow
,
pinched face, receding hair and thin mustache. The Peruvian diplomat
,
usually exuding self importance, today appeared ill at ease
.
They exchanged the slightest of nods, then Salaverry led the way to an
information desk where, with a delegate's authority, he signed Miguel in
,
using a bogus name. Miguel received a visitor's pass
.
As the two walked down an avenue flanked by pillars, a garden was visible
through glass panels, and beyond it the East River. An escalator took them
upward to the next floor where they entered the Indonesian Lounge
,
available only to diplomats and guests
.
The large, impressive room, where heads of state were entertained
,
contained magnificent art including the curtain of the Holy Kaabe entry to
Mecca, a black tapestry inlaid with gold and silver and presented by the
Saudis. A deep green carpet complemented white leather sofas and chairs
,
the furnishings ingeniously arranged so that several meetings could take
place
at once, with none intruding on another. Miguel and Salaverry seated themselves in a small private section
.
As they faced each other,
Jose
Antonio Salaverry's thin lips twisted with
displeasure
.”
I warned you it was dangerous to come here! There is already
enough risk without creating more
.”

Miguel asked calmly, "Why is coming here a risk
?
”

He needed to find out how
much this weakling knew
.”
You fool! You know why. The television, the newspapers, are full of what
you have done, those people you have seized. The FBI, the police, are
throwing everything into the search for you
.”

Salaverry swallowed, then
asked anxiously, "When are you going-all of you getting out of the
country
?
”

"Assuming what you say is true, why do you want to know? What difference
does it make to you
?
”

"Because Helga is frantic with anxiety. So am L
”
So the loose-tongued idiot had shared what he knew with his whoring woman
banker. It meant that the original breach of security had widened and was
now an imminent danger which had to be erased. Though Salaverry had no
means of knowing, his foolish admission had sealed the fate of his woman
and himself
.”
Before I answer
,”
Miguel said, "give me the money
.”

Salaverry manipulated a combination lock on his attach6 case. From the case
he removed a bulging pressboard wallet tied with tape, and passed it over
.
Miguel opened the wallet, surveyed the money inside, then retied the tape. Salaverry asked petulantly, "Don't you want to count it
?
”

Miguel shrugged
.”
You would not dare cheat me
.”

He considered, then said
with apparent casualness, "So you want to know when I and certain others
will leave
.”

"Yes, I do
.”

"Where will you and the woman be tonight
?
”

"In my apartment. We are too upset to go out
.”

Miguel had been to the apartment and remembered the address. He told
Salaverry, "Stay there. I cannot telephone because of reasons which will
become clear. Therefore a messenger will come to you tonight with the information you want. He will use the name Plato. When you hear that name, it is safe to let him in
.”

Salaverry nodded eagerly. He seemed relieved
.
Miguel added, "I am doing you this service in return for your obtaining the
money promptly
.”

He touched the pressboard wallet
.”
Thank you. You understand I have no wish to be unreasonable . .
.”

"I understand. But stay home tonight
.”

"Oh, I will
.”

From the UN building, Miguel crossed First Avenue to the United Nations
Plaza Hotel. On the main floor he went to a pay phone near the newsstand
.
He tapped out the memorized digits for a call to Queens. When a voice
answered, he knew he was connected with a fortress-like private house in
the Little Colombia dist
r
ict of Jackson Heights. Miguel spoke briefly
,
avoiding use of names, gave the number of the pay phone from which he was
calling and then hung up
.
He waited patiently by the phone; on two occasions when other people
approached, he pretended to be using it. After seven minutes it rang. A
voice confirmed that it was speaking from another pay phone. The call would
not be traced or overheard
.
Speaking softly, Miguel stated his requirements. He was assured they could
be met. A contract was arranged, a price of six thousand dollars agreed
.
Miguel gave Salaverry's apartment address and explained that the name
"Plato
”
would ensure admittance. He emphasized, "It is to be done tonight
and must appear to be a murder-suicide
.”

His instructions, he was promised, would be carried out precisely.

Miguel arrived at the Third Avenue rendezvous point a little less than an
hour from the time he had left. Moments later Luis brought the hearse to
the curb.
Getting in, out of the rain, Miguel told Luis, "We go now to the funeral
place-the same one as before. You remember
?
”

Luis nodded and, soon after, turned east toward the Queensboro Bridge.

At times, when news was quiet, a network news organization was like a slumbering giant
.
It operated at considerably less than a hundred percent utilization and
a substantial number of its talented people had what was referred to in
the trade as "down time"-meaning they were not actively at work
.
Which was why, when a major news event occurred, there were experienced
hands who could be-as another trade phrase went-"grabbed and fired up
.”

On Friday morning, one day after the Sloane family kidnapping, the
firing-up process had begun as the special task force headed by Harry
Partridge, with Rita Abrams as senior producer, began assembling within
CBA News headquarters.

Rita, who had reached New York from Minnesota late the night before, came
in to the newly assigned task force offices at 8 A.m. Harry Partridge
,
having spent the night in a luxury suite provided by the network at the
Inter-Continental Hotel, joined her soon after
.
Wasting no time, he asked, "Any new developments
?
”

"Zilch on the kidnap
,”
Rita answered
.”
But there's a mob scene outside
Crawf's house
.”

"What kind of mob
?
”

The two were in what would be the group conference room and Rita leaned
back in a swivel chair. Despite the brevity of her vacation, she seemed
refreshed, her usual vitality and drive
restored. Nor had she lost the quirky cynicism which those who worked with her enjoyed
.”
These days, everyone wants to touch the hem of an anchorman. Now that
they've learned his address, Crawf's fans are pouring into Larchmont
.
Hundreds of them, maybe thousands. The police are having trouble coping and
they're setting up road barriers
.”

"We have a camera crew on site
?
”

"Sure have. They camped out all night. I've told them to stay in place
until Crawf leaves for work. By then, I'll have another crew out to replace
them
.”

Partridge nodded his approval
.”
It makes sense to assume the kidnappers, and therefore the action, have
moved on from Larchmont
,”
Rita said, "but I think we should protect
ourselves by being around for a couple of days in case anything fresh
breaks. That is, unless you have other ideas
.”