Indigo by Richard Wiley Page B

day.”
    Though Jerry was irritated with Leonard’s tone he and Lee shook hands, and then Jerry suggested that they step outside. The moon was over the water and he wanted to be under it when he talked about how he was going to get away.
    The three men walked across the lawn and sat at a picnic table on the edge of a bluff, far away from the house. Lawrence Biko was at the party but Jerry wanted to leave Lawrence out of this. Though he’d thought constantly about Lawrence during his time in jail, and though the idea of leaving had come from Lawrence too, Lawrence’s version of things was too cryptic. And with the hard involvement of the U.S. Embassy, whatever was going on in his attorney’s mind seemed beside the point. It was as if he were being asked to choose between the two countries, and the choice was instantly in favor of the United States. Jerry had, however, seen Sunday walking around, and he knew that if he was going to trust any Nigerian to help with his plan, his administrative assistant would be the one. When a steward came by he asked him to call Sunday over, and to bring fresh drinks as well. After that he simply said, “I’ve decided to think, again, about finding a way to get out. I mean now, of course, before my trial. Let Lawrence Biko prove my innocence after I’m gone.”
    Leonard Holtz said, “All this is completely off the record,” but Lee Logar nodded, saying, “We think so too. It would be easiest to go by way of Accra. Overland through Benin and Togo and then by air back to the States.”
    Leonard Holtz stood, saying he didn’t want to hear any discussion that would leave the school without a head, so Jerry asked him to keep Sunday away for another five minutes. And when Leonard left Lee spoke up. “This really is the strangest damned thing,” he said. “It’s much more complicated than it seems. You’ve probably guessed that the whole visa thing was a setup, but I’ve got to tell you, we haven’t got a clear idea as to why.”
    â€œNo shit,” said Jerry Neal.
    Jerry Neal rarely spoke like that, but he was suddenly too impatient for other words. Why was he sitting here with this young man? He should be talking to the ambassador or to the D.C.M. He had expected that his government would know by now whatever they needed to know to extract him from this mess. Who had done the setting up, for example, and why? And was Lawrence really right in believing that it was only the coincidence of the visa problem that made him the hapless dupe that they’d used? Jerry wanted answers and he wanted a plan, a way to get out of the country without mistakes.
    Lee Logar stared out across the lawn. He could feel Jerry’s disregard for him but he nevertheless continued. “All right, listen,” he said. “The majority opinion is that this has nothing to do with the ministry’s books. If you were to stay, and if your attorney went into court ready to take that line, arguing that it was all a cover-up for a financial scam, it might be a big mistake. The prosecution would likely pull out sets of unscorched records and the ministry would be cleared. You might then find out that what was really burned were records having to do with the permanent residencies of foreign nationals, in other words nothing more than the files containing visa information about the school, and that would put a strain on Nigerian-American relations. We think, as a matter of fact, that that’s the point of this whole thing. They want you to think exactly what you are thinking, don’t you see? If you believe the case is ridiculous you won’t be afraid to stay and stand trial. So far, except for the secretary’s death, everything seems to have gone just as they’ve planned.”
    Leonard and Sunday were standing off to the side but Jerry said, “What are you talking about? Who are the they you’re referring to?