CHAPTER 27--NO MAN'S LAND

June 1997

F

inally, when we saw the structure sticking out in a cramped but gorgeous canyon, I began to feel relieved. We had made it. Took a look over my shoulder and didn't see any sign of a black BMW. Of course I didn't. I blew it off as coincidence, Queen. Laughlin and the Silver Bowl. These were DDT's stomping grounds. Figured once I finished this job for Rooster, I'd stay as far away from Nevada as I possibly could.

That was when the mountain moved, literally. A camouflaged entrance. Like the bat cave or something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Swung the Dodge into the opening and proceeded down a ramp to a subterranean garage. Louie and Ginny were both wide-eyed with amazement.

"It's like Batman," Louie observed.

"Yeah, Rooster always has been a little batty," I tossed in for good measure. He appeared in a doorway up above that led to stairs that worked down the side of rock. Shit, Queen, he'd tunneled out a garage in solid rock.

"Well, I'll be damned, but if isn't the Jack of Hearts?"

He was wearing one of his white lab coats. Have to tell you, Queen, it was good to finally see the old man's face. OK, something was weird, Queen. Rooster was unusually jovial. And I'd completely forgotten about the girl. Shit. Good thing the crazy motherfucker was in such a good mood, I thought. Turned out he was high. Real high.

We piled from the Dodge and looked up as he made his way carefully down the stairs. And instead of anger, his reaction to Ginny was to completely embrace her. To make her feel at home. And I have to tell you at that point, I was very relieved. Rooster was on our level.

In more ways than one.

"Hey Jack," he said, going straight to Ginny and extending his hand.

"And who is this lovely young creature? A sister?"

"Sort of," I said.

"It's Ginny. Ginny Seton. It's great to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

She took his hand.

"Yeah, well, whatever Jack said, well, OK, it's probably all true. But that's OK. I can change. Can't I, Jack?"

Rolled my eyes. Was trying to figure out what kinds of drugs he was on. Figured it was probably Ecstasy, because he was just way too happy.

"OK, we're here Rooster. And so what's with the all this bull shit you had us running around?"

He had his arm around Ginny and was walking back towards the stairs. Louie and I followed.

"One can never be too careful, Jack. Didn't really want to tell you on the phone, but me and my business partner, a certain Mr. Al D'Alfonso, have had what you might call a falling out."

The name rang a bell. Then I remembered. Yes, Rooster mentioned he was getting money from some fat cat downtown, ongoing investment money for R&D on his virtual sex machine.

"Yeah, like I said, we had a falling out. Turns out he doesn't think this machine is worth what I think it's worth. Which is funny, because, other than not wanting to pay off the balance of what he owes me, he desperately wants to get his hands on it."

"How desperate?"

"I'm not sure. The last time we talked, he threatened to have me killed. That's when I realized, since I was already building this place, that I wouldn't be sending him my forwarding address."

"By the way, where are we?" I asked.

"You know, I'm not sure. Depends on who you ask. Some dispute the border around here. Some of the Kaidab Native Americans claim this is their land, free and clear. The guy who sold it to me says it's in Arizona, and nobody in the state of Nevada even knows where the hell I am. It is something of a no-man's-land up here. Bought the land from a very mysterious person. Everything seemed legit, though."

Walking through the door that Rooster appeared in saw that it was a hallway that lead up to the house.

"Realize of course, that these are just temporary digs."

"Seems like you put a lot of work into this place for it just to be a way station."

"Didn't start out that way."

And we were standing in what seemed like your normal, everyday American kitchen. "Emma designed it. Put her heart into it, that woman."

"Yeah, hey Rooster, how come you never told me you were married?"

“Jack you’ve always been on a need to know basis. And I didn’t want you to know.”

"Hey, Mr. Rooster," Ginny spoke up. "Would it be OK if I used your restroom?"

"Sure thing sweetheart," he said. "Right over there. Oh, Ginny, The name is Rooster, not Mr. Rooster."

"OK, Rooster," she said, disappearing into the bathroom.

"Well, while she is preoccupied, you two care to see the garden?"

"Why not," I said, still kind of miffed with his last comment to me. Louie, who'd been unusually quiet, just shrugged.

Rooster led us out a side door, and we strolled into a lovely garden. Rooster, as he continued talking, unconsciously began tending to the plants, grabbing a water pitcher as we walked.

"Yeah, Emma used to take care of things here. I've forced myself to tend to it, in her memory, even though my expertise has always been artificial intelligence and artificial life, not real living things. Think I'm doing a good job, though. Think Emma would be proud."

At this point I could have sworn the guy was crying. And in all the different times I'd been around Rooster, I'd never seen him cry. Of course, I never even knew he was married, for that matter. As I watched him talk and water plants, I really felt I was seeing another side to Rooster. And it made me love him all the more.

"Come," he said. "I want to show you two the most spectacular view."

He led us to a trail just beyond the wall of the garden that cut back up the side of a steep hill. No wonder the Rooster stays in such good shape. Was panting and gasping when we reached the lookout point.

"You really oughta think about quitting that habit, Jackie Boy," Rooster admonished.

"Not you too," I said.

"Yeah, listen to Rooster," Louie jumped in.

Suddenly I felt ambushed.

"Just looking out for your best interests," he said, gesticulating with a wave of his hands at the spectacular "desertscape" upon which we were feasting our eyes. "We just care about you Jack, that's all."

"Isn't it gorgeous?" he said, changing the subject.

"Spectacular," I concurred.

He pointed somewhere towards the south, I think. It was hard to tell, Queen. "Over there," he said, still pointing, "cutting off from the road up here is a poorly maintained, but passable, road that twists and turns across the Kaidab Indian Reservation, across Shivwits Plateau all the way to Toroweap Point, a remote region of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It's a tough drive, but worth it. Great views. Just spectacular."

Suddenly, a voice shattered the tranquility. It was a familiar voice; it belonged to Junior. It rose from somewhere below, carried by echo. "Hey Rooster, Red 7 is on the phone. He says it's important."

"Red 7," I said. Rooster looked at me and said "And you're the Jack of Hearts. Code names my good friend. Code names. Now, if you'll excuse me, gentleman, I'll go take that call. You guys can stay up here and enjoy the view."

After Rooster left, Louie and I stood there for a moment not saying anything. I lit a cigarette, and Louie just ignored it. Turns out he had things on his mind beyond my respiratory health.

"Amigo, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my best man?"

"She's going to marry you?"

He smiled.

Don't know, Queen. This made me nervous. Here was Ginny, thrust into the eccentric but obviously affluent world of one Rooster. The cynic in me resurfaced with respect to her interest in this whole L.A. business. Now, that we were at Rooster's it must have seemed like more of a sure thing, so something about the fact that she would be worth about half a million married to Louie, who I always intended to give half to anyway, bothered me.

Lighten up, Old Man.

OK, I was happy for the kid.

"I'm glad to see that things have worked out for you, pal. Maybe this is the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives, in your life."

"Yeah, maybe. I hope so!"

"Was it everything you anticipated?"

"Was what?"

"You know, what went on in the Dodge last night?" I elbowed him with a knowing grin.

"Well, amigo, I have to tell you, nothing went on in the van. We thought about it. Even got real damn close. But she's afraid that if something was to happen now, and it got back to her parents, I could get in trouble. So, we're going to wait until next June to get hitched. Hell, why not? A June wedding! How's that for old-fashioned?"

Couldn't quite fucking believe it, Queen. But here I was hearing it from the man's lips himself. No sex for six months. Now, that has to be love.

"Louie? Jack?" Ginny's voice hailed from the same place Junior's had moments earlier.

"Up here," Louie said. "Take the trail to the right."

Couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, Queen. Reminded me of how we once were; as well, it really underscored how lonely I'd feel, if the two of them decided to go off and buy a house with a white picket fence or some shit like that.

God's will is God's will.

Decided to go see what was up with Rooster. Found him in his cluttered study, still babbling away on the phone to Red 7, whoever that was. Stood in the doorway and watched him. He saw me, and waved for me to come in and sit down in the chair facing his desk.

As I waited for him to get off the phone, I took a small inventory on the type of reading material a man like Rooster sees fit to put on his shelves. Next to Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time," was "The Internet for Dummies “and” JFK’s Profiles of Courage". And there was lots of poetry. Beat poets like Ginsberg as well as some T.S. Eliot. And I marveled at my good friend, Rooster, and the fact that he never failed to surprise me.

Couldn't help but overhear the tail end of his conversation with Red 7: "Listen," he shouted into the telephone. "You tell D'Alfonso that if that's his final offer, than I'm sorry, but I'm not going to cave in. He can threaten lawsuits and lawyers all he wants, he ain't getting the specs for Virtual Fuck for that paltry sum he's offering. And that's all I have to say. You got that? You can get that message to him. OK, be careful Red 7, whatever you do."

Well, Queen, given the nature of my assignment, I couldn't help but feel that the tail end of that conversation concerned me. I looked at Rooster and gave him as serious a look as I could muster. I didn't need to say anything.

"Relax, Jack," he said. "Al D'Alfonso is all talk and no show. He's really pissed that I've decided to sell the pornware to a competitor, but there ain't shit he can do about it. So relax. It's six hours to L.A., and after that it's the Bahamas, or Hawaii, or wherever it is you want to go."

"If there's no reason to worry, Rooster, why are we hiding out in a secret complex and why did I have to follow cryptic instructions on a digital voice recorder? Why did I have to meet Charlie at a Virtual Grateful Dead concert? Why all the secrecy and shit?"

"OK, I'll tell you. That D'Alfonso's been on me like flies on shit. But I've been able to hide. He doesn't know were I am, and the people he thinks know where I am, people like Red 7, are actually in the dark. Thing is, he started to look for me. He's been looking real hard."

"So what was this you were saying about a window of opportunity?"

"D'Alfonso's been associated with another crook, a slightly more outspoken one, being charged with money laundering, racketeering, all that shit. Thought he was in the clear, but then his name came up. With all the reporters and shit crawling around, he's been very distracted, as of late. And very nervous."

"It sounds like you knew it was coming down."

"Of course, I've still a few friends downtown. Kept thinking it was gonna happen earlier. Didn't want you showing up at the wrong time, and all."

"Your concern for my well being is appreciated."

"Still, there's an outside chance. Always. That's why I asked if you still had your piece. Now, I don't know how badly he wants the pornware, but you know me, I'm paranoid."

"Hey, I'm paranoid, too."

"How right you are. Maybe that's why we get along so well.”

Rooster laughed at his own joke. After a brief silence, I popped the question.

"So?"

"So, what?" Rooster shot back, trying to read my mind.

"So do I get to find out what it is that Mr. Al D'Alfonso is so keen on owning?"

"Well, I must apologize, Jack. Indeed. I have been a terrible host. A most terrible host. Of course, of course. Come, follow me."