Читать книгу The Killing Grounds: an explosive and gripping thriller for fans of James Patterson - Jack Ford, Jack Ford - Страница 26

15

The long cream hallway, adorned with family photographs, on the second floor of the Executive Residence, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is a section of the White House only the first family, and those closet to them, get to see. And it was here in the quiet hush of the early morning that Cooper found himself.

‘Coop!’ Jackson stuck his head round the door of the east bedroom, his face conveying delight.

‘Hey buddy!’ Cooper gave a wink and a smile and watched as Jackson walked towards him with a wide grin on his face.

Even from part-way down the hall, Cooper could see the thick raised scar running down Jackson’s forehead; the result, as well a constant reminder, of what happened on the boat with Ellie that day.

For a while no-one – least of all Cooper – had thought Jackson would recover from his head injury, but he’d been flown to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, an eminent neurological hospital, and slowly things had begun to turn around.

Rehabilitation had been long and painful and frustrating for Jackson, but he was a fighter. And he’d battled. Battled hard. And eventually after sixteen arduous months, that fight had paid off and he’d been discharged – though he certainly hadn’t been left unscathed.

His head injury from the boom had been of sufficient force to twist and turn Jackson’s brain on its axis. Interrupting the normal nerve pathways. Tearing and damaging its surface and leaving him with a left-side partial paralysis. A direct corollary of his injuries.

And the large, disfiguring scar ran visibly but the deeper, unseen ones ran right to the heart of Jackson, triggering him on occasion to be lost, unreachable in the dark, debilitating days of depression.

Cooper grabbed hold of Jackson before he was really near enough to do so. Embracing him and making it last long enough to let Jackson know he cared. Damn, it seemed easier than words.

‘Can anyone join in?’

John Woods stood a few feet from Cooper and Jackson, immaculately dressed in a tailored blue suit, a starched white open shirt and a pair of mismatched socks. His warm smile reflecting in his green eyes. ‘Coop, it’s really good to see you. We were worried… Hey Cora, it’s good to see you. Don’t you look beautiful? I like your dress. How about a hello hug?’

‘No.’

‘Please?’

‘No.’

‘Just a small one.’

‘No.’

Cooper put his hand on her shoulder. ‘You want to show him Mr. Crawley, honey?’

‘No.’

Jackson smiled. ‘Maybe she knows you’re a democrat, Dad.’

Cooper returned the smile John was giving him. But he knew his was more guarded. ‘Good to see you too, sir.’

John Woods shook his head. ‘Do we have to go through this every time? Coop, come on, it’s me.’

Cooper said nothing.

With a sigh and still with his eyes on Cooper, Woods said, ‘Okay, guys, I gotta get out of here.’

‘Hold on,’ said Jackson. ‘Let me go and get that book you wanted to read… Oh and Dad, change those socks… Cora, why don’t you come with me? I’ve got something for you.’

‘A flamingo?’

‘I’m afraid not. Is that what you want?’

‘No.’

‘Has anyone told you, you’re a funny little girl?’

‘No.’

‘Well hurry up, Jackson,’ said Woods. ‘I’m on the clock.’

*

Cooper followed President Woods into the West Sitting Hall, an informal yet elegant living room, classically decorated in creams and quilted gold. They stood by the large lunette window looking out onto the West Wing.

‘Jackson looks happy. Is it for real?’

Woods shrugged. ‘Who knows? He hasn’t been good recently. Sometimes I don’t know how to reach him, Coop, he’s like you in that respect. Maybe that’s why you understand him so well. Each time I think I’ve got him back, a few months later, like a wave it hits him, and I lose him all over again.’

Cooper stayed silent. Watched the Secret Service through the window doing their morning sweep of the White House grounds. Then after a time, he drew his attention away. Turned to Woods. Made sure his manner was biting. ‘Is Rosedale something to do with you?’

‘What?’

‘Rosedale. Is he something to do with you?’

Woods shook his head. ‘Come on, Coop.’

Cooper’s poise stayed hostile. He knew when somebody was trying to be a wiseguy. ‘Is he or not?’

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘Stay out of my life when it comes to my work.’

‘You want me to stop caring? Is that what you want Coop?’ Woods’s tone appealed, but he was wasting his time.

‘I don’t need babysitting, and especially not from Rosedale. I want you to stop thinking you can make it alright.’

‘Then tell me what you want.’

‘I want you to tell me the truth about Rosedale. Is that so hard?’

Woods poured himself some water from the glass decanter sitting on the French antique silver tray. Tried to ignore his toothache. Gestured to Cooper who shook his head at the unspoken offer of a drink.

‘Look, okay. All I did was make a few calls. Granger and I go back a long way, you know that, so it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like I was calling up a stranger. And Granger was happy to give Rosedale a job.’

Exasperated, as Cooper often was by Woods, he said, ‘Of all people. Rosedale?’

‘Relax. Rosedale’s a good guy. He’ll look out for you. Okay, he has his oddball ways but he’s one of the best. He owed me a favor, plus the man was bored. God knows why he thought retirement would suit him… Look, I know you’re pissed, but Granger’s been keeping me in the loop. Coop, there’s been too many near-misses in the past and now, according to Granger, it’s started again.’

‘The hell it has, and Granger should keep his goddamn nose out of my business.’

‘It has, Coop, and I know why and so do you.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Oh I think I do. It’s about why you went back to Africa, when you said you wouldn’t. Breaking your promise to Maddie.’

‘What do you know about Maddie? You’ve never even met her.’

‘And is that my fault? You’ve kept her away, Coop. God knows what you tell her.’

‘I don’t tell her anything. Might surprise you but you’re not the conversation of the day.’

‘Why is it that every time I see you there’s so much hostility?’

‘Listen John, I don’t want to talk about that. Let’s just stick to the point shall we?’

‘Which is?’

‘That I just want everyone to understand that they need to keep out of my business and realize I was just doing my job.’

‘No, that doesn’t cut it… Granger told me about Ellie’s death certificate finally coming through… I’m so sorry.’

The heat behind Cooper’s eyes began to blur his vision. He pressed his palms into them. ‘It didn’t just magically come through. Granger couldn’t send off for it fast enough, could he? Almost as the clock struck seven years, he was applying to court for a notice of legal presumption of death.’

‘Coop, it’s only right. You know as well as I do, if the accident had happened in US waters, the death certificate would’ve been issued years ago because the element of peril would’ve accelerated the presumption of death. It’s only because it happened in international waters that things were different.’

‘I don’t need a legal lecture. I know how it works.’

‘Then you know it’s the first time Granger has been able to get some kind of proper closure. Maybe now this is the time for you to get it too.’

‘Closure? Because of a piece of paper saying she’s….. so we’re all supposed to just shut it away and pretend it never happened?’

‘You know I don’t mean that.’

‘Then what do you mean, John?’

‘What I mean is, it’s there. Written down. It’s like an anchor to hold onto. It’s tragic, but maybe now it’ll help you accept it. Accept what we’ve been saying for years, rather than it send you spinning.’

‘So this is about you being right, is it? And now you want me to just get on with my life?’

‘Yes, because you were doing good with Maddie and with Cora. You’d moved on. I could see it. We all could.’

‘Had I? Or is that what you all wanted to believe, so that’s all you saw?’

‘Jesus, listen, Coop. Do not throw your life away over this. Nothing’s changed. Not since yesterday or last week, or last month or even last year. Everything’s still the same. You’re just struggling to see it now the death certificate’s come through. But you need to accept this… It’s finally over.’

‘And what if it’s not? Think about… No… no, just hear me out. So let’s say I accept it because there it is on that damn piece of paper. The date stamps her death… But what if she’s alive and the day after the date stamp there’s no-one there to keep on looking for her? Don’t you see, John? If the truth dies, I’ll kill her all over again!’

‘Goddamn it, Cooper. The truth is she’s dead! The best thing you can do is try to get things sorted with Maddie.’

Cooper shook his head and eyes wide he counted on his fingers.

‘One… Two… Three. Three skiffs that day. Three, not two. I know how many there were. I’m not crazy. I wasn’t then and I’m not now.’

John Woods strained towards Cooper. ‘There were witnesses Coop. And they all say there were only two skiffs.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Jesus. I can see it. That look in your eye. I haven’t seen it for a long time, but it’s come back and it scares me Coop. No-one wants to lose you… Think about Jackson. How do you think he’d cope if anything happened to you? Please, just tell me you’ll accept it. Accept it’s over.’

Cooper’s eyes darted manically round the room. His breathing. Shallow. Short. Teeth grinding down. Biting hard. Panting, he rested his gaze back on John. ‘Whatever you say… I accept it.’

‘Coop…? You okay?’

‘Fine.’

‘Your mouth’s bleeding.’

Cooper touched his lips with his fingers. Saw the blood. ‘I’ll be damned, must’ve bitten my tongue.’

‘You sound real strange. Coop, are you on something?’

‘No.’

‘You know you can trust me, right? I don’t want to see you going down that road again.’

‘It wasn’t that bad.’

‘Come off it. You were doctor shopping with the best of them. What was it? About twenty, twenty-five different doctors, all writing prescriptions for you in different aliases for painkillers, benzos and opiates, and God knows what else. The way you were and what you did, it’s amazing the court only sentenced you to psychological sessions.’

Cooper shifted uncomfortably. He said, ‘It’s not like that anymore. It’s all good.’

‘I hope so Coop, because you don’t realize how much your behavior affects everyone around you. I’m not laying the blame here but when you just took off to Eritrea and then fell off the radar, Jackson was in a real dark place. I wasn’t sure what I’d find from one morning to another when I went into his room…’

The president stopped. Embarrassed. Overwhelmed. Cooper decided it was probably a bit of both. But whatever it was, he wasn’t going to push it, he could see John was unprepared for his emotions taking such a stranglehold.

After a minute or so, and regaining his composure, Woods continued. ‘Jackson needs you, Coop… he values your friendship above anything else.’

‘And that’s why I lie to him is it? Because my friendship’s so valuable…? It’s all based on a house of cards, John.’

President Woods stared at Cooper in disbelief. ‘You want me to tell him the truth? Is that it? Is this what this is all about?’

Cooper tried his best to mirror Woods’s look of incredulity, but the pills were making his face feel strange. Kinda numb. ‘The truth?’ he said with scorn. ‘Don’t make me laugh, John. Everything’s secrets and lies. So no, that’s not what I’m saying. I just want you to keep the hell out of my work and my business. So you don’t have to worry, I’ll continue being part of your lies. Though, on reflection, I guess it also makes it convenient for you to keep Jackson in the dark because we both know it sure as hell would destroy you if it got out.’

‘Wait a goddamn minute, you really think…’

‘Hey guys…’ Jackson, burst exuberantly into the room with Cora piggybacking. He stopped by the door. Frowned. Glanced at Cooper. Glanced at his father. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I was just telling Coop about last month’s Redskins game.’

Jackson pulled a face. ‘Why does everyone say they’re talking about football when they don’t want to say what they were really talking about?’

President Woods winked at his son as he popped a peanut in his mouth. ‘Okay, I was actually telling Cooper he needs to look after himself.’

‘He’s right, Coop.’

Not wanting to get into it with Jackson, Cooper picked up a small framed photo of the president standing next to Captain Beau Neill. ‘I haven’t seen this before.’

Woods moved round to look at which of the numerous photographs sitting on the mahogany cabinet Cooper had picked up. He gave a small laugh. ‘That’s the day your Uncle Beau became Captain. He had to go and see the promotion board, but he’d been staying with me and he’d left his jacket at the base. My car wouldn’t start, so I had to get my next door neighbor to give him a lift on the back of his Harley to get there in time, and you know how much Beau hates bikes… They were good times.’

There was a knock on the door.

‘Yes?’

A young woman, with a quiet demeanour and hair scraped back too tight, entered. Said,

‘Mr. President, they’re waiting for you downstairs. Senator Walmsley’s call is due in seven minutes.’

‘Thanks, I’ll be with you in a moment.’

John Woods waited for the woman to leave the room, always liking to create a discernible divide between his private and public life. ‘Jackson, I’ll see you tonight. Coop, will you still be around later?’

Cooper gave a small nod. ‘I don’t think so, sir, so I’ll see you around.’