Outstanding Subject
Part 14

Vero


Sam was saying goodbye to a visitor, Ron waited at a discreet distance until the two men separated. Sam returned to his desk, then Ron knocked on the door slowly. Sam raised his eyes and smiled.

-Hello, Ron.

-Sorry to bother you Sam, but I need to speak with you.

Sam was confused; Ron´s matters never arrived to his hands.

-Ok, come in, take a seat.

- Do you want me to close the door?

- The question was a surprise. The door of his office didn't usually close.

-I don't believe that it is necessary, Ron.

- I believe it is; what do you know about Arthur Grutt?

Sam looked at Ron, whistling in a low key. He rose from his desk and closed the door.

************************************************************************


Josh, collapsed in a comfortable armchair of the Hotel Sheraton lobby, waited for his old partner of Harvard Truman Grishman. He began to read old news on gossips, the material more boring than he could imagine.

Truman Grishman arrived on time at twelve thirty the engineer looked as if taken out of Ralph Polo catalogue. Josh noticed that Truman was aware of the seven pairs of feminine eyes that followed all his movements through the lobby. The women, in infinite diversity, were the main entertainment of Truman Grishman.

The lunch began, and Josh asked Truman about his work; Grishman inquired about Josh's
work and his love life.

-Today you are a celebrity, Josh, I have seen you in many programs on TV and magazines.

-It's nothing, - objected Josh. - It's is not much.

-Well I only know that to be on the cover of the George magazine, you have to be a celebrity, rock singer, actor, intriguing politician, murderer or maybe the man with the biggest quantity of wax in his ears. So if you don't believe yourself a renowned politician, I want to know whom you killed and how much wax you have in your ears.

-That was nice. You already know what they say, all publicity is good.

- Did they say it to Nixon on Watergate.... Truth? - Said Truman. - And your love life? It would be well to add love to your life, Josh.

- It's true, - Josh admitted smiling. - I have hopes that that situation improves. But so much time has passed that I don't remember well what sex is like. Believe me, Truman, this it is a bad decade to be single, with so many horrendous illnesses in the streets. You know a woman, you have a connection with her, you give her a chaste kiss when you take her to her house... and then you wait to see if your lips rot and fall off.

- A very achieved image.

- It's true, no?

- Always the same Josh.

Both avoided the reason for which they met for lunch.

Josh was amid a trout , feeling infantile for his reluctance to approach the topic of the ROGELIA investigation, when he saw that Truman smiled at him.

-This is the moment when you leave your napkin, lean on the table, look to each side to check that nobody is listening to us and tell me, "Truman, idle talk is not the true reason for which I have requested that you come."

Both laughed and Josh felt a little better.

-I don't want you to think that I am abusing our friendship, - said Josh.

- I don't think that, - Truman replied, - how can I useful to you?

-Truman, I have a problem.

-Probably an ulcer, that work that you got yourself, should be stressful to anyone.

-In fact it is not my problem.... well... yes... no....I have a friend, Sam Seaborn...

- Oh yes, I have also read about him in George, he's famous like you, but as you don't believe it, I should suspect that he also has a lot of wax in his ears or he is your murder accomplice.

- Come on, Truman. This is serious, - Josh thought for a moment. - He believes that somebody Is trying to sabotage or to hide the OPA investigation of the Rogelia.

Truman finished his trout, deposited the knife and fork carefully on the plate and reclined in his seat.

-Josh, I am an engineer, one of the good ones; I work in the OPA for a long time; if what you are saying is very serious, it had better sound better than when you explain it to yourself.

- Well, Sam worked for the lawyer firm who took control of the legal details of the Rogelia purchase. Someone sent Sam an anonymous note informing him that they had sabotaged the Rogelia investigation.

Frowning, Truman nodded.

- The OPA has never been placed on trial , in its effectiveness as well as in its integrity.

Josh agreed, the mention of the OPA's integrity reminded him of his previous conversation with Leopold Von Dacger. He spoke of that conversation with Truman. Also, he told him about Arthur Grutt and the night in Georgetown.

-I don't work directly with Arthur, I have spoken with him a couple of times, he seems a good person and he is one of our top engineers. I will speak with Joseph Pruist; he is the man in charge of the investigation, so that I can get data on where Arthur is assigned, and we will be able to contact him.

-Only if that one is not the barbecue that is in the morgue.

-No, Josh, I don't believe it. It was several days ago and any disappearance of an OPA investigator would be noticed by Pruist or Federic Bassterre.

-If you say so.

-Yes, but what perturbs me about your story is the idea, besides the threat towards Sam, is that somebody is trying to influence us.

-Cambryas is running an enormous risk. He doesn't ignore that Leopold Von Dacger hates him, he could disclose the news and destroy Cambryas. Maybe Cambryas trust that Leopold is in the Senate for a long time and he won't disclose it.

- I don't care a great deal what happens to Cambryas, -Truman said. - But I worry about the impact on the OPA. If I could corroborate what Von Dacger told you: Cambryas is interfering in a federal investigation .That is a crime... - Seeing that Josh looked at him without paying attention, Truman made a pause.-...what are you think about?

-Does anybody at the OPA take this seriously? And if they think, what if they don't do what
Cambryas said will be a threat for the assigned items or for their positions? And if they accept the suggestion of Cambryas and carry out an hinding? And if this happens again and we have another ecological disaster because of those old ships?

- Do you have so little trust in the OPA, Josh?

--No...- Admitted Josh, thinking it over. He leaned on the table, supported with elbows and fixed his stare on the vase. - I constantly recall a silly conversation that I had with our family doctor when I was a child. One day the doctor spoke with my mother about a great din that there was for the opening of an abortion clinic. The doctor said that he never could perform an abortion, he was convinced that it was murder. I remember that I intervened and asked him, "Doctor, if somebody offered you a million dollars, would you change your mind?" My mom was angry with me, but the doctor took it without losing his temper and said to me: "Josh, frankly I don't know. But I know that God didn't make anybody perfect. Each man has his price, it can be money, it can be fame, it can be power or it can be something completely different. Although I wish it were not this way, I suspect that I have a price like anyone else. Only I hope to never know what it is," - Josh raised his eyes -. It is one of those things of my childhood that I never forgot. He made me wonder now what is Cambryas' price to save C&l Oil. Or the price of OPA investigator to protect their agency or their position.

- It is probable that your doctor was a sage. What state town was that in?

-In a great city: Bradley, Illinois. It figures in all the maps and it has a great name - Josh replied with a smile. Truman smiled too and he bowed in his seat.

-Josh, without another base that is your doctor's wisdom, I think that you should be careful of Cambryas.

-Sam thought the same thing, but the public officials, Truman, are not prone to be broken. In their majority, they act best they can. Some work very hard.

- Ok, they watch over Cambryas, presupposing that his intentions are justifiable until having absolute proof that it is not this way. Stick to him like perspiration to a prostitute, Josh.

- Perspiration to a prostitute?

-Whatever, but it watches over that man. I believe that he has all the answers to Sam's questions You can call it intuition -

-Feminine -intuition?

-OK, laugh at me.

-If you find out that Gregory Cambryas insists on this will you warn me? - Josh insisted.

-Of course, - Truman promised. - I would not hesitate in helping you to inculpate somebody that tries to hinder our task. It is natural that Cambryas takes care of his biggest problem. But .. Threats are too much. I will have to be careful as for what I can tell you, I cannot violate any secret. But I will help you.

-In Washington language, what you are saying is that you offered me orientation, - joked Josh. - It is different from speaking unofficially or not mentioning the sources.

- Really ? Don't you in politics inform your sources?

-To mention sources here, Truman, is something very serious. Who doesn't know the politics' rules can lose the access to sources .

-How does it works in politics?

-I will give you an example. If you guess it, I will pay for lunch.

-OK.

- He became famous as "a high official that travels in the President's airplane."

-Come on, Josh, that is too easy.

-Well, if it is so easy, tell me who it was?

-Henry Kiissinger during Nixon´s second period.

Josh arched his brows.

-How did you guess it?

-The whole world knows it. The Russian, Japanese, those fiery Earth. I believe that it is probable that our own Kissinger has said; "Observe me. I am the one that will be identified as the high official that traveled in the President's airplane."

Both laughed; in that moment the waitress approached and put the bill on the table, at an equally discreet distance from the two men. Truman gave it to Josh.

-That is a lesson for you. You are not the only one who knows history, to tell the truth, you were not even in Washington during Nixon´s presidency. You only heard anecdotes about the high official that traveled in the president's airplane...- he smiled at Josh. - I will wait for you outside. - He got up and left.

After paying the bill Josh, left the restaurant and walked towards the lobby. He looked at Truman who was playing his best virile part for the youth that assisted the position of magazines of the hotel. Apparently Truman was not trying to conquer her, he was simply checking that the performance gave result.

Josh waited for it in the Hotel doors.

-Do you are a little entered in years to allow you to take for the glandular activity?

-We are our hormones, - Truman replied with a mocking smile, - to tell you the truth, I was killing the time waiting for you.

- I can see that.

-Thank you for lunch, Josh... call me whenever you want. I will do what I can for you and Sam.

part 15

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