《mc.risingsun》

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mc.risingsun- 第37节


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es。 A petitor of Nakamoto。 petition among the Japanese corporations is very intense。 Very intense。 Take my word for it: my lab didn't do any work on any Nakamoto tapes last night。 Such a thing would never happen; under any circumstances。 If my secretary said it did; she's mistaken。 It's absolutely out of the realm of possibility。 Now; I have to give a speech。 Is there anything else?〃
 〃No;〃 I said。 〃Thanks。〃
 There was scattered applause as the speaker on the podium finished。 I turned and left the room。
 
 I was driving away from the Bonaventure when Connor called in from the golf course。 He sounded annoyed。 〃I got your page。 I had to interrupt my game。 This better be good。〃
 I told him about the one o'clock appointment with Senator Morton。
 〃All right;〃 he said。 〃Pick me up here at ten…thirty。 Anything else?〃
 I told him about my trips to JPL and Hamaguchi; then my conversation with Donaldson。
 Connor sighed。 〃That was a waste of time。〃
 〃Why?〃
 〃Because Hamaguchi is funded by Kawakami; and they're in petition with Nakamoto。 There is no way they would do anything to help Nakamoto。〃
 〃That's what Donaldson told me;〃 I said。
 〃Where are you going now?〃
 〃To the U。S。C。 video labs。 I'm still trying to get the tapes copied。〃
 Connor paused。 〃Anything else I should know?〃
 〃No。〃
 〃Fine。 See you at ten…thirty。〃
 〃Why so early?〃
 〃Ten…thirty;〃 he said; and hung up。
 
 * * *
 
 As soon as I hung up; the phone rang。 〃You were supposed to call me。〃 It was Ken Shubik at the Times。 He sounded sulky。
 〃Sorry。 I got tied up。 Can we talk now?〃
 〃Sure。〃
 〃You got information for me?〃
 〃Listen。〃 He paused。 〃Are you anywhere around here?〃
 〃About five blocks from you。〃
 〃Then e by for a cup of coffee。〃
 〃You don't want to talk on the phone?〃
 〃Well 。 。 。〃
 〃e on; Ken。 You always want to talk on the phone。〃 Shubik was like all the Times reporters; he sat at his desk in front of his puter and wore a headset and talked on the phone all day long。 It was his preferred way of doing things。 He had all his stuff in front of him; he could type his notes into the puter as he talked。 When I was a press officer; my office had been at police headquarters in Parker Center; two blocks from the Times building。 And still a reporter like Ken would rather talk to me on the phone than see me in person。
 〃e on by; Pete。〃
 That was clear enough。
 Ken didn't want to talk on the phone。
 〃Okay; fine;〃 I said。 〃See you in ten minutes。〃
 
 ?
 The Los Angeles Times is the most profitable newspaper in America。 The newsroom takes up one entire floor of the Times building; and thus is the area of a city block。 The space has been skillfully subdivided; so you are never confronted by how large it actually is; and how many hundreds of people work there。 But still it seems you walk for days past reporters sitting at clusters of modular workstations; with their glowing puter screens; their blinking telephones; and their tacked…up pictures of the kids。
 Ken's workstation was in Metro; on the east side of the building。 I found him standing by his desk; pacing。 Waiting for me。 He took me by the elbow。
 〃Coffee;〃 he said。 〃Let's get coffee。〃
 〃What is it?〃 I said。 〃You don't want to be seen with me?〃
 〃No。 Shit。 I want to avoid the Weasel。 He's down hustling that new girl on Foreign。 She doesn't know any better yet。〃 Ken nodded toward the far end of the newsroom。 There; by the windows; I saw the familiar figure of Willy Wilhelm; known to everyone as Weasel Wilhelm。 Willy's narrow; ferretlike face was at this moment posed into a mask of smiling attentiveness as he joked with a blond girl sitting before a terminal。
 〃Very cute。〃
 〃Yeah。 A little big in the rear。 She's Dutch;〃 Ken said。 〃She's only been here a week。 She hasn't heard about him。〃
 Most organizations had a person like the Weasel: somebody who is more ambitious than scrupulous; somebody who finds a way to make himself useful to the powers that be; while being roundly hated by everyone else。 That was the case with Weasel Wilhelm。
 Like most dishonest people; the Weasel believed the worst about everybody。 He could always be counted on to portray events in their most unflattering light; insisting that anything less was a cover…up。 He had a nose for human weakness and a taste for melodrama。 He cared nothing for the truth of any situation; and he considered a balanced appraisal weak。 As far as the Weasel was concerned; the underlying truth was always strong stuff。 And that was what he dealt in。
 The other reporters at the Times despised him。
 Ken and I went into the central hallway。 I followed him toward the coffee machines; but he led me into the library。 In the middle of the floor; the Times had a library that was larger and better equipped than many college facilities。
 〃So; what is it about Wilhelm?〃 I said。
 〃He was in here last night;〃 Ken said。 〃I came by after the theater to pick up some notes I needed for a morning interview I was doing from home。 And I saw the Weasel in the library。 Maybe eleven o'clock at night。 You know how ambitious the little turd is。 I could see it in his face。 He had the scent of blood。 So naturally; you want to know about what。〃
 〃Naturally;〃 I said。 The Weasel was an acplished backstabber。 A year earlier; he had managed to get the editor of the Sunday Calendar fired。 Only at the last minute did he fail to land the job himself。
 Ken said; 〃So I whisper to Lilly; the night librarian。 'What is it? What's the Weasel up to?' She says; 'He's checking police reports on some cop。' So that's a relief; I think。 But then I begin to wonder。 I mean; I'm still the senior Metro reporter。 I still do a story out of Parker Center a couple of times a month。 What does he know that I don't? For all I know; this should be my story。 So I say to Lilly; what's the name of this cop?〃
 〃Let me guess;〃 I said。
 〃That's right;〃 Ken said。 〃Peter J。 Smith。〃
 〃What time was this?〃
 〃About eleven。〃
 〃Great;〃 I said。
 〃I thought you'd want to know;〃 Ken said。
 〃I do。〃
 〃So I said to Lilly … this is last night … I said; 'Lilly; what kind of stuff is he pulling?' And he's pulling everything; all the old clips from the morgue; and apparently he's got a source inside Parker who's going to leak him internal affairs records。 Some kind of a hearing about child molestation。 Charge brought a couple of years ago。〃
 〃Ah; shit;〃 I said。
 〃That true?〃 Ken said。
 〃There was a hearing;〃 I said。 〃But it was bullshit。〃
 Ken looked at me。 〃Fill me in。〃
 〃It was three years back;〃 I said。 〃I was still working detective。 My partner and I answered a domestic violence call in Ladera Heights。 Hispanic couple; fighting。 Both very drunk。 Woman wants me to arrest her husband; and when I refuse to; says he's sexually abusing her baby。 I go look at the baby。 The baby looks okay。 I still refuse to arrest the husband。 The woman is pissed。 The next day she es in and accuses me of sexual molestation。 There's a preliminary hearing。 Charges dismissed as without merit。〃
 〃Okay;〃 Ken said。 〃Now; you got any travel that's questionable?〃
 I frowned。 〃Travel?〃
 〃The Weasel was trying to locate travel records last night。 Airplane trips; junkets; padded expenses 。 。 。〃
 I shook my head。 〃It doesn't ring a bell。〃
 〃Yeah; I figured he must be wrong about that one。 You're a single parent; you're not going on any junkets。〃
 〃No way。〃
 〃Good。〃
 We were walking deeper into the library。 We came to a corner where we could see out to the Metro section of the newsroom through glass walls。 I saw the Weasel still talking to the girl; chatting her up。 I said; 〃What I don't understand; Ken; is why me? I mean; I got no heat on me at all。 No controversy。 I haven't been a working detective for three years。 I'm not even a press officer any more。 I'm liaison。 I mean; what I do is political。 So why is a Times reporter gunning for me?〃
 〃At eleven o'clock on a Thursday night; you mean?〃 Ken said。 He was staring at me like I was an idiot。 Like there was drool ing down my chin。
 I said; 〃You think the Japanese are doing this?〃
 〃I think the Weasel does jobs for people。 He is a scumbag for hire。 He does jobs for the studios; record panies; brokerage 
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