“Benicio, it has been too long.”
A large breakfast was brought by servants while the two men chatted amiably about fast horses and brave bulls. When the garden had been cleared of servants the deputy sat back, folded his hands and simply nodded.
“Benicio,” Estevez said, “I wish to bring to your attention a very serious matter which could cause a great deal of trouble both domestically and internationally for your ministry.”
The deputy made a concerned face and nodded again.
“More than three years ago two American women made the acquaintance of a young man who subsequently beat and raped both of them. One of them got her hands on a knife and killed him, then removed the penis from the corpse.”
“Ahhhh,” the deputy said, nodding.
“I knew you would know of this, Benicio. The woman who wielded the knife is now dead, but her sister, in the midst of an angry divorce, was kidnapped by operatives of her husband and taken aboard a yacht into Mexican waters, where it was met by a police boat. After a brief and highly prejudicial trial the woman was convicted and sentenced to a prison term at the El Diablo prison in Tres Cruces, run by a Capitan Pedro Alvarez.
“There she was raped and otherwise sexually abused by Alvarez on nearly a daily basis. Finally, unable to bear further ill treatment, she managed to drug the capitan and escape through a window from his apartment. She eventually made her way back to El Norte, and now her former husband, who has political influence, has intrigued to have her extradited from the United States and returned to prison.
“The woman, formerly known as Barbara Eagle and now as the recent widow of Walter Keeler, a very wealthy man from San Francisco, has inherited his wealth and is in a position to fight the extradition in the most public and time-consuming manner. Once her story is told and retold ad infinitum by the media on both sides of the border, both our countries will be faced with the worst sort of publicity, and in the end, she might well avoid extradition.
“I believe it would be to the advantage of both your ministry and Mrs. Keeler if you could suggest a discreet resolution to this affair. Mrs. Keeler understands that such a resolution would involve considerable expense and would see that your ministry does not suffer the costs.” Estevez sat back in his chair and waited for the deputy to speak.
“Where is the woman at this time?” the deputy asked.
“It is my understanding that she has left the United States, possibly for Italy.”
“So, that would complicate even further any attempt to return her to Mexico.” It was not a question.
“I am very much afraid that it would.”
“The prison warden, Alvarez, has already been dealt with,” the deputy said. “He is now supervising a prison work program in the jungles in the south of the country, and all records relevant to the woman have been removed from his former office. It is as if she was never there.”
“I see,” Estevez replied.
“I believe the simplest solution to our mutual problem would be if our president issued a pardon.”
“My client would be
The deputy produced a notebook. “What is your client’s full name?” he asked.
“Eleanor Eagle Keeler,” Estevez replied.
“What time is your flight home?” the deputy asked.
“At one P.M. from the general aviation terminal,” Estevez replied.
“And the aircraft registration number?”
Estevez gave it to him.
“I calculate that the costs of this transaction will come to”-the deputy did some quick counting with his thumb against his fingers-“two million, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” He wrote something on a page of his notebook, tore it off and handed it to Estevez. “Here is an account number.”
“Will you excuse me for a moment while I telephone?” Estevez asked.
“Of course. I will go and put on a necktie for the office while you call.”
Estevez made the call and waited for the deputy’s return.
“The funds will be in the account by the time you reach your office,” he said.
“Oh, good. Upon verification the pardon will be prepared, signed and delivered to your aircraft in time for your departure. Come, walk with me to our cars.”
Estevez fell in step with him, and the two men linked arms. “There is one further step I would be very grateful for,” Estevez said.
“Please.”
“If you could telephone the United States attorney general, explain that Mrs. Keeler has been pardoned and is no longer a fugitive in the U.S. and that her extradition warrant should be canceled, then she could resume her normal life immediately.”
“Consider it done, Raoul.” The deputy stopped at his open limousine door and offered his hand. “It is always good to see you, Raoul, and, of course, always a pleasure to do business with you. Go with God.”
Estevez shook his hand and got into his own limousine, where his associate waited.
“How did it go?” she asked, placing a hand on his thigh.
“Perfectly and profitably,” Estevez replied, adjusting his position so that her hand could better reach its target.
58
Barbara put down the telephone at the pool of her cottage at a private club in Nassau.
Charles sat beside her on the double chaise. “You’re smiling. Good news?”
“Very good news,” she replied. “For us both.”
“Ellie, I don’t think I can receive good news properly until I understand why you are unconcerned with my employment status. I do need the job, you know, and I can’t relax here while worrying about it.”
“Would you like a promotion at your firm?” she asked.
“I’m already the top-producing sales manager for the firm,” he replied. “Anything else would be a demotion.”
“How do you get along with your general manager?” she asked.
“He’s an ass, but there’s nothing he can do to me, except for cause, and I’ve never given him cause, until I walked out of that showroom yesterday.”
“Would you like his job?”
Charles thought about that. “Only if I could continue to render service to my clients, and only if I could have the pleasure of personally firing my general manager and throwing him out of his office.”
“Then do so,” Ellie said. “Yesterday, I bought the firm.”
Charles turned and stared at her. “My God, are you
“I am,” Barbara said. “Charles, I know this will seem sudden, but I think it would be very much to our mutual advantage if we married.”
Charles fell back onto the lounge. “You are breathtaking, Ellie.”
“If you accept my proposal I will make you a gift of the dealership and provide working capital for it. In return, you would sign a prenuptial agreement limiting your settlement, in the event of a divorce, to the firm and any money I have invested in it.”
“That is a very generous proposition, Ellie,” Charles said. “And I think we could make each other very happy.”
“Then why don’t we start the honeymoon right now, my dear,” Barbara said, snuggling up to him.
ED EAGLE TOOK the phone call from his friend in the State Department. “How are you, Bill?”
“I’m okay, Ed, but I have some rather startling news for you.”
“Go ahead and startle.”
“I’ve had an e-mail from the attorney general’s office. The general received a phone call today from a highly
