The Infinity Tattoo (23 page)

Meg and Jack waited for their flight from Boston to Phoenix, following Alex’s memorial service. Conversation between them was desultory and consisted mostly of practical matters. Once boarded, Jack fastened his seatbelt and closed his eyes.

Since they had returned to the United States, he had been ignoring issues that he knew were brewing, issues that would affect his future. Now that he was returning to Phoenix, he had to face up to them.

Jack considered himself a patriot. That’s why he’d chosen to serve in the military when there were plenty of jobs out there for a civil engineer. And he had stayed in for the same reason, despite the fact that the army’s bureaucracy stymied its effectiveness. He had learned to work within its limitations.

But now things would change. No one liked a whistle blower or dissent among the ranks, no matter how just the cause. And although the removal of Colonel Parker had been done very quietly, there would still be talk. Especially among Jack’s superiors.

Look what happened to General Shinseki when he contradicted the Bush administration and told congress that American occupation of Iraq would require several hundred thousand soldiers. First he was vilified, then marginalized by the administration. He retired and faded away into oblivion. Never mind that he was vindicated when Bush prepared to announce the Iraq "surge" in January 2007.

Shinsenski was a four-star general. Jack was just a lowly major. Whereas Jack probably wouldn’t be forced to resign, he would definitely be marginalized. He didn’t want to think where they might choose to assign him. It wouldn’t be pretty.

* * *

Meg’s mind was also spinning with thoughts of the future and what it meant for their relationship. She had hoped to talk to him on the plane, but he was so preoccupied, she couldn’t find a way to approach him.

She loved him. But she didn’t know how to tell him. Or even if she should tell him. After all, he was returning to his life in the military, and she was going back to her beloved Sedona. If he didn’t feel the same way, then it would be better to let him go without burdening him with her feelings.

She felt the fierce pull of the red rocks, beckoning her home. So she knew where her destiny lay. She could hardly expect him to feel the same way. No, he was military and didn’t belong in her milieu. Although, she had to admit that he had adjusted to the life pretty readily while he was there. He had even won the respect of Julio, which was no small matter. But that was then.

She was pulled abruptly back into the present when the plane landed with a jolt, and taxied along the runway, coming to a halt at the gate under piercingly blue skies.

“Welcome to Phoenix,” the pilot told them. “The current temperature is 110 degrees. On behalf of myself and our entire crew, we’d like to thank you for choosing American Airlines and wish you a safe and happy journey wherever your final destination may be.”

“I guess this is it,” Jack said, taking her hand and squeezing it for just a moment.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“We’ll still see each other, you know,” Jack said. “Phoenix is less than a two hour drive to Sedona.”

“Sure,” Meg said, dredging up a smile.

They got off the plane and Jack walked Meg to the exit where she would catch her shuttle. She had called the shuttle company on her cell phone to let them know she had arrived.

They stood in the intense heat at the pick-up point.

The shuttle approached. “Well,” she said, “I guess this is it.” She threw her arms around Jack’s neck and they gave each other a quick hug and kiss. Then Meg got into the van.

As the driver prepared to pull away from the curb, she said, “Wait.” She hopped out of the van. “Jack,” she shouted. He was on the pedestrian walkway leading back to the terminal. “Jack,” she shouted, running after him.

He turned around. She threw herself into his arms. “I love you,” she said. “I just couldn’t leave you without letting you know that I love you.”

“Ah, Meg,” Jack said. “I love you too.”

The shuttle van beeped impatiently. “I gotta go.” She ran back and took her seat. As it pulled away, she gazed out the window at Jack who was standing on the curb looking dazed. She watched him until the van took a curve in the road and he disappeared from view.

* * *

Jack returned to the base for the first time in over a month. As expected, his commanding officer had retired. It had all been achieved very quietly. His new commanding officer greeted him stiffly when he reported in.

“I hear you’ve been on leave. Family business?” the CO said.

“Yes, sir.”

“I hope everything is okay.”

“Yes, sir.” Jack waited to see if he would bring up the other matter.

“Good. Good. Well I won’t keep you. I’m sure that you have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Jack entered his office using his electronic pass and gazed around him, dumping a load of mail onto his desk. It was hot and dusty.

He turned the air conditioner on and wiped the thick layer of dust from his desk. Then he sat down to go through his huge pile of unopened mail. There was one envelope he put to the side, saving it until he had weeded through the rest.

Just as he started to open it, Billy stuck his head in the door. Jack stood when he saw his old friend. “Billy, how are you?”

“Good,” Billy said, stepping inside and closing the door.

“I hope I didn’t get you into any trouble.”

“No, no trouble. Why?”

“Someone managed to track us down in Phoenix. I was worried that they had tapped your phone.”

“Oh that,” Billy grinned. “I did discover a tap when I started getting a lot of static. So I installed an app to put a stop to their snooping.”

“And that was the end of it?”

“Yeah. But I didn’t figure it out until after I met you at the bar. So you think someone followed me there?”

“It’s possible.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Billy said, his ears turning red.

“Hey, it wasn’t your problem. And anyway, we managed to shake our tail. So all’s well that ends well.”

When Billy left, Jack picked up the envelope once again. It was from the Army personnel office. He tore it open.

United States Army Corps of Engineers
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20314-1000

ORDERS 014-02

24 May 2010

Jack Cunningham United States Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama.

You are assigned to US Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, and attached to United States Multinational Force Iraq. Baghdad, Iraq, APO AE 09342.

Purpose: For Deployment In Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . . .

Jack stared at the words for a very long time. The moment of reckoning had come a lot sooner than expected.

* * *

Manny and Julio had kept the business going during Meg’s absence, and she was beyond grateful. They had finished up existing contracts and made promising noises concerning new clients, effectively stalling until Meg returned.

The reunion with them had been heavy with emotion. As she told them about her and Jack’s flight from Sedona, about Augusto and Juanita, about their many adventures in Central America, Julio kept reaching over to touch her hand as though to assure himself that she was really there and all right. More than once, Julio cried unabashedly, letting the tears stream down his leathery, deeply lined face.

Nicky stopped by soon after Meg returned.

“Nicky,” Meg said, “how on earth did you know I was back?”

“I didn’t, truth be told. I’ve been stopping over about once a week ever since you disappeared.”

“No way.”

“It’s true.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t contact you. Well, I’m not sure it would have been a good idea. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Well, I did check in with Julio after you left. He said you were on a secret mission. That it was all very hush-hush so he couldn’t tell me anything.”

Meg grinned.

Nicky prompted, “Well? Is it still a secret? Am I ever going to get the story?”

“Of course. Julio was right when he said it all had to stay very hush-hush, but I wasn’t on a government assignment or anything like that. Do you remember me telling you about my journalist friend who disappeared in Honduras?”

“Are you kidding? You were absolutely devastated by it. Did you find him?”

“In a manner of speaking. It turns out that Jack was also a good friend of Alex’s.”

“I knew it. I knew there was more to the story than you were telling me.”

“Actually, there was more to the story than he was telling me or that either of us could have imagined. We ended up going to Honduras together.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, it’s a very long story. In fact it began in 1985 . . .”

“Okay, wait,” said Nicky. “I think I might need a glass of wine for this.”

And so Meg told her the whole story. Nicky interrupted often, demanding details about every little aspect.

“Nicky, I’m beginning to think that maybe you should have been the reporter.”

“I think I’ll leave that to Emma. Ever since you two had that little chat, she’s talked about nothing else.”

“Really? That’s great.”

By the time Meg had finished her tale, they had emptied the bottle of wine.

“Okay, now let’s get to the good stuff,” said Nicky.

“Good stuff? Are you telling me what you just heard wasn’t good stuff?”

“Of course. All that cloak and dagger stuff, international espionage, and foreign travel. But what about Jack?”

“What about him?”

“Oh come on. You’re not going to tell me that you spent all that time with him and nothing happened.”

Meg blushed beet-red.

Nicky was all over her. “Start at the beginning. When did you first go to bed together?”

“Nicky, I’m not going to tell you that.”

“Hey, I’ve been living the life of a married woman for a very long time now. Surely you wouldn’t deny me a little vicarious thrill, would you?”

“Okay, well since you asked, it happened right after I did the little spy mission at the base. I guess we were both feeling the tension.”

“I’ll just bet,” said Nicky with a mischievous grin.

“But that’s all I’m going to tell you.”

Suddenly, Nicky’s expression turned serious. “Meg, you didn’t fall in love with him, did you?”

“I . . . well, I think maybe I did.”

“So what happens now?”

“I don’t know. He’s returned to base and . . . well let’s face it. I could never be a military wife. So it’s probably all for the best that we go our separate ways.”

* * *

Fortunately, work kept Meg busy. Slowly but surely, she was able to hoard some of the earnings, which she used to invest in new equipment and repairs. She kept her ear to the ground concerning new and lucrative landscaping contracts, and the community was once again beginning to recognize Goodwin Landscaping as a major player.

But often, when they were on a job, Meg would have a flashback to the time that Jack was there with them. How she missed him. It was a never-ending ache in her heart. She feared that she was more like her father than she thought. For she couldn’t imagine another man would take the place of Jack. Ever.

She and Jack had spoken several times on the phone since their return to Arizona. Having used up all his leave during their escapade in May, he couldn’t get away for more than twenty-four hours and, he told her, when he did see her, he wanted more than a fleeting visit. For her part, work was keeping her tied to Sedona, which was good for the business, if not for their relationship. They never spoke about the long-term future.

Meg continued to keep abreast of events in Honduras. Every day, she received a summary of news through a Google alert. In July, she read an interesting report concerning a drug bust:

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras
— Anti-drug agents on Saturday broke up an alleged gang of synthetic drug producers and seized $100 million in assets, a Honduras government spokesman said.

Anti-drug-trafficking agents carried out raids on 27 sites in the northern part of the country, seizing 800 head of cattle and 130 vehicles in one of the biggest organized crime seizures in the last decade, spokesman Felipe Mejia said.

Mejia said the group laundered money through companies and property, but did not specify which drug cartel the group belonged to.

The agents detained a local police official, a Honduran civilian, and two Colombian pilots, he added.

The Mexican government's campaign to tame its drug cartels has driven Mexican drug traffickers to set up shop in Honduras.