The luggage, Jimmy decided, belonged to the women, the babies, and Cletus Marcus Howell.
When two of the armed men in the station wagon opened the rear door and put Jimmy’s suitcases on the ground, he thought he would be next. Somebody would come out of the house, take care of the luggage, and show him where breakfast was going to be served.
That didn’t happen.
The men got back in the station wagon and drove off. And the floodlights that had illuminated the unloading point went out.
Jimmy was left with his three suitcases in the moonlit dark.
He would have tried to carry them into the house himself, but he didn’t feel up to that, and he didn’t know where to carry them to.
He sat down on the saddle leather case holding his new wardrobe and the Admiral Byrd Antarctic clothing and waited to see what would happen next. He yawned.
Five minutes later, Cletus Frade appeared.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he demanded. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Since I can’t carry these goddamned suitcases by myself, I’ve been thinking of putting on an Admiral Byrd suit and catching some shut-eye.”
Frade ignored that.
“We have to talk, Jimmy.”
“About what?”
“In Buenos Aires, just before we took off, Martha jumped all over me for what I thought about you and the Squirt. She said my imagination is wildly out of control.”
“You don’t say?”
“And, now that I’ve thought it over, she’s right.”
“You don’t say?”
“So I apologize.”
“Not necessary.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You were right all along, Clete. The truth of the matter is that the Squirt and I are madly in love. We’re even thinking of eloping.”
Frade laughed.
“That’s absurd! Fuck you, Jimmy. I’m trying to make amends.”
“Is that why you left me out here in the dark?”
“That just happened. It wasn’t on purpose.”
“You don’t say?”
“Goddammit! Stop saying ‘You don’t say.’”
“Whatever you say, Colonel.”
“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen now,” Frade said. “I’m going to go in the house and get somebody to deal with your luggage. The canvas cases might as well go to the BOQ, where we’ll work on the dossiers. My father’s case goes to your room in the house. As soon as the people come out for the luggage, you go into the house. Third door on the left off the foyer is the dining room. Get yourself some breakfast.”
“Okay.”