(1976) The R Document (38 page)

‘Yes. Let me refresh your memory. It was about one missing paper I was trying to find, one connected with the 35th Amendment, a supplementary paper. Noah had wanted me to dig it out and review it. He said it was called The R Document. But I’ve never been able to find it. Yet I must. The last time, I asked you if you ever heard Noah mention it. You said he hadn’t. I was hoping, if we tried again, you might remember some occasion when he -‘

‘No, Christopher. If I’d heard him mention it, I’d remember. But I never heard of anything called The R Document. Noah rarely discussed his work with me.’

Collins decided to attempt another approach. ‘Did you ever hear Noah mention a place called Argo City? It’s a town in Arizona that the Justice Department has been interested in.’ He repeated the name slowly. ‘Argo City.’

‘No, never.’

Disappointed, he determined to go back over some old ground once more. ‘Last time I was here, I asked you if Noah had any old friends or business associates he might have confided in, someone who might help me find The R Document. You suggested I see Donald Radenbaugh in Lewisburg Penitentiary, which I appreciated.’

‘Did you see Donald Radenbaugh?’ Hannah wondered.

‘No. I tried to, but he had died before I could meet with

him’

‘Poor man. That was a tragedy. What about Vernon Tynan? Did you ask him about The R Document?’ ‘Right after I saw you. But he was of no help.’ Hannah Baxter shrugged. “Then I’m afraid you’re out of luck with that R Document, Christopher. If Vernon Tynan couldn’t help you, I’m sure there is no one else who can. As you know, Vernon and Noah were very close - that is to say, they worked closely together on the 35th Amendment. In fact, on Noah’s last night - Vernon and Harry Adcock were right here in this room conferring with Noah,

working with him, when he had his stroke. It happened in the middle of their conversation that night. Noah suddenly had a seizure, pitched over, and fell to the floor. It was terrible.’

Collins had not heard this before. ‘You mean, Noah was with Tynan and Adcock the night he was stricken? I never knew that. Are you sure?’

‘I’m not apt to forget,’ Hannah said sorrowfully. ‘It was an unusual meeting. Noah made it a point - for my sake, I think - rarely to work at night. Oh, he worked by himself often. But I mean, to meet with other people. I remember Vernon was insistent upon seeing him that night, and he came right after dinner.’ ‘And Harry Adcock was with him?’ She hesitated. ‘I’m almost certain. I’m sure about Vernon, of course. But - it was a confusing evening - I could be mixed up. Do you want to know if Harry was here also?’ ‘Well, it’s probably not important -‘ ‘No, I don’t mind checking it for you,’ she said, rising. ‘Noah’s appointment book might tell us. It’s somewhere in his study. I’ll find it.’

She left the room. Collins sank back in the armchair, realizing he had learned nothing useful from Hannah Baxter. He sat there, plunged deeper in discouragement than ever, with nowhere else to turn, utterly lost.

He thought he heard a sound beside his chair, below it and behind it - a kind of rubbing or shuffling. He snapped his head to the left in time to see the maroon drapery mysteriously swaying. He looked down, and the bottom of the drapery was rising, and from beneath it crawled a boy. It was Rick Baxter, Hannah’s grandson, coming forward on his knees, his ever-present portable tape recorder in his left hand.

‘Hey, Rick,’ Collins called to him, ‘what were you doing there behind the drape - eavesdropping on us?’

‘The best hideout in the place,’ said Rick, flashing a grin

that revealed the braces on his teeth.

‘How’s your tape recorder been working?’ Collins asked.

The boy stood up, pushing his shaggy brown hair away

from his eyes. He patted the leather case that enclosed the

recording machine. ‘It’s been working perfectly since you fixed it, Mr Collins. Want to hear it?’

Without waiting for an answer, Rick pressed the rewind button, hypnotically watched the tape reverse, stopped the machine, then pressed down the forward button.

Rick thrust the machine out, closer to Collins’ ear. ‘Here, listen. I just recorded you and Grandma.’

With a shake of his head, Collins bent nearer the tape recorder and listened.

There was Hannah’s unmistakable voice, and the fidelity of the taping, even done from behind the drapery, was remarkable.

‘What about Vernon Tynan? Did you ask him about The R Document?’

Then his own voice. ‘Right after I saw you. But he was of no help.’

Then Hannah’s voice again. ‘Then I’m afraid you’re out of luck with that R Document, Christopher. If Vernon Tynan couldn’t help you, I’m sure there is no one else who can. As you know, Vernon and Noah were very close - that is to say, they worked closely together on the 35th Amendment. In fact, on Noah’s last night - Vernon and Harry Adcock were right here in this room conferring with Noah, working with him, when he had his stroke. It happened in the middle of their conversation that night___’

‘Remarkable, Rick,’ interrupted Collins. ‘I’ve heard enough. I’m going to be careful when I come here next time.’

The boy had quickly pressed the stop button on the machine. ‘It’s all right, Mr Collins. I’m not employed by a Government agency. It’s just my hobby.’

Collins still pretended to be impressed. ‘Well, you did that very neatly. You could get work as an FBI agent.’

‘Naw, I’m not old enough. But it is fun playing FBI. I’ll bet you I’ve made a hundred recordings from behind that drape. Nobody ever knows I’m there. Except once, when Grandpa caught me doing it.’

‘Your grandpa caught you?’ said Collins.

‘He saw part of my shoe sticking out under the drape.’

‘Did he mind?’

‘Oh, he was sore, all right. He told me never to play a trick like that again.’

Unaccountably, Collins stirred in his chair. He looked down at the boy. ‘I’m sorry, Rick. I didn’t get what you were just saying. What did your grandpa tell you when he caught you behind the drape?’

‘To never do it again, that if he ever saw me play a trick like that again he’d punish me.’

‘I see.’

That instant Collins didn’t see, only felt, but the next instant he did see.

He sat stock-still.

Noah Baxter’s last words, dying words, flooded back: The R Document ~ it’s - I saw - trick - go see.

Rick Baxter’s last words, just now: If he ever saw me play a trick like that again he’d punish me.

Noah Baxter: I saw - trick.

Rick Baxter: Saw me play a trick.

Had the Colonel, with his last feeble words, been trying to direct Collins to Rick - or Rick’s trick? His behind-the-draperies eavesdropping?

I saw - trick - go see.

Had the Colonel in his last conversation with Tynan, minutes or seconds before his stroke, seen the flutter of the drapery, the toe of the boy’s shoe protruding beneath the drapery, and known the boy had taped their secret - and remembered it after recovering briefly from his coma?

Had he tried to tell Collins: I saw trick, meaning Rick? Or meaning I saw Rick’s trick and now you go see him?

See what? See if Rick had taped that last confidential conversation - because it held a clue to the secret of The R Document? Could this be? Could it possibly be? Collins blinked down at Rick, who was still seated cross-legged on the floor beside the chair.

Collins cleared his throat, then tried to keep his voice natural. ‘Uh, Rick, I meant to ask you …’ He hesitated. The boy had looked up. ‘Yes, Mr Collins?’ ‘Just between us, of course, but despite your grandfather’s warning never to try that trick again — hide behind

the drape to record someone - did you ever - Well, did you ever do it again?’

‘Oh, sure I kept on doing it. I did it lots of times.’

‘Weren’t you afraid your grandfather would catch you?’

‘No,’ said Rick with assurance. ‘I was careful. Besides, that made it more fun, taking the risk.’

“Well, you were pretty brave,’ said Collins. ‘Did you make any tapes of your grandfather himself?’

‘Of course. Mostly him. He was the one always in here talking. You should hear some of the tapes I made of him.’

Collins stared at Rick. Go carefully, his inner voice told him - very carefully. Don’t frighten him. ‘So you kept taping your grandfather. Even up to the last night when he was with Director Tynan and he suffered his stroke?’

Collins held his breath.

‘Yeah,’ the boy said. ‘Though it was pretty scary hiding there after everybody started running around.’

‘You mean after your grandfather had his stroke?’

‘Yeah.’ He held up his tape recorder. ‘But I got every word before that.’

‘No kidding, Rick. I can’t believe it. You actually got Noah - your grandfather - his last conversation with Director Tynan - you got it all on a tape?’

‘It was easy. Like I got you a few minutes ago. Director Tynan was sitting right where you’re sitting now. Grandpa was sitting where Grandma just sat. Mr Adcock was in that chair over there. They talked about The R Document the way you and Grandma were talking about it just now.’

Slowly, Collins sat upright, feeling the chill beneath his skin and the goose pimples rising on his arms. Noah Baxter’s last words, and his own hunch, had paid off. He fought to keep his tone calm. ‘You say Director Tynan and your grandfather talked about The R Document? You heard them speak of that? No mistake?’

‘Grandpa didn’t talk about it. Only Director Tynan did.’

‘When was that, again?’

‘Before they took Grandpa to the hospital. The last time Director Tynan was here. He was talking to Grandpa when Grandpa suddenly got sick.’

‘And vou heard everv word Director Tynan was saying?’

‘Sure,’ said Rick. ‘I was behind the drape there like I was just now. I had my recorder on. I taped them the way I taped you.’

‘Did the tape come out okay? I mean, could you hear their voices clearly?’

‘You heard this machine, it’s perfect,’ said Rick proudly. ‘I played back the tape the next morning when Grandma was at the hospital. It didn’t miss a thing. It was all there.’

Collins clucked his tongue. ‘That’s quite a machine you’ve got. I’ll have to get one just like it.’ He paused. ‘Uh, what about that tape? Did you erase it? Or do you still have it around?’

His heart stood still as he waited for the boy’s reply. ‘Naw, I never erase tapes,’ Rick said.

“Then you have it here?’

‘Not anymore. I didn’t keep any with Grandpa on them. When Grandpa got sick, I took the last tape -I wrote on it “AGG”, which means “Attorney General Grandpa”, and when it was made, “January” -I took it and all the others and I put them in the open top drawer in Grandpa’s special file cabinet along with his own tapes he made, so they would be safe.’

‘And Grandpa’s file cabinet was moved out of here, wasn’t it?’

‘Yeah. Just for a while.’

‘Rick, do you remember what was on that last tape you made of Grandpa and Director Tynan? Do you remember what was said about The R Document?’

Collins waited. He knew the old cliche was true. People did wait with bated breath.

The boy had screwed up his face. I didn’t listen very hard - I just wanted to make my tape. The next morning, when I played it over, I just wanted to see if I got it all.’

‘But you must remember something that you heard. You said you heard Director Tynan speak of The R Document.’

‘I did,’ Rick insisted. ‘He talked about it. I don’t remember any more. Director Tynan kept talking. Then Grandpa got sick suddenly - and there was all kinds of running around, and Grandma crying - and I got real scared, and shut off the tape and staved hidden until the ambulance

came. When everyone was by the door, I got out from under the drape and ran up to my bedroom.’

‘That’s all you remember?’

‘I’m sorry, Mr Collins, but -‘

He clapped the boy on the arm. ‘It’s enough,’ he said gratefully.

Hannah Baxter was returning to the living room. ‘Is that boy being a pest again and bothering you with his tape recorder, Christopher?’

‘Not at all. We’ve been having a good talk. Rick has been very helpful to me.’

About Harry Adcock,’ Hannah said. ‘I just checked Noah’s appointment book. Yes, he had both Vernon and Harry marked down foI a visit that night’

‘I thought so,’ said Collins. He winked at Rick, then came to his feet. ‘I’d better get going, and I do mean going. Thank you for your time, Hannah. And you, Rick, thank you, too. If you’re ever looking for a job at the Justice Department, call me.’

As he went out the door, Collins was sure it could not be raining or cloudy anymore. But it was raining still and cloudy still. The sunshine was in Collins’ head. There was only one dark spot.

Noah Baxter’s personal file cabinet, with Rick’s telltale tape, was sitting in the private office of the Director of the FBI in the J. Edgar Hoover Building.

‘Pagano,’ Collins said as he entered his limousine, ‘let me off at the first pay phone you see. I’ve got a very important call to make.’

It was late afternoon when the limousine deposited Chris Collins before the ornate red building that housed the Government Printing Office.

‘Park anywhere between G and H,’ Collins instructed Pagano. ‘You can watch for me in about half an hour.’

He went past a group of young blacks who were chatting near the entrance, continued inside, but did not bother to enter the Publications Room. After consulting his wristwatch, he retraced his steps to the front sidewalk. He glanced about cautiously to see if he was being followed. There was no one suspicious in view. He felt fairly certain that Tynan would not bother to have him shadowed - not since their showdown and his surrender. Despite this, he had earlier given a spare house key to Pierce’s colleague Van Allen, so that he could conduct an electronic sweep of the house to make sure it was safe for phone calls and talk this evening.

Satisfied, Collins started walking in the direction of the City Post Office. At the corner of E Street, he turned left and headed for Union Station.

The rain had stopped, and the air was clean. Breathing deeply, Collins walked rapidly, in long strides, feeling elated, filled with excitement and anticipation. It was going to be difficult, he knew, but now there was a chance.