Polar Bear in Australia, Book Two of the Polar Bear Trilogy

By Charles Petterson

Book Two of the Polar Bear Trilogy.
Jason Beckman assumed he was without a love in his life and accepted a commission and an assignment as Assistant Defense Liaison at the U.S. Embassy in Australia. He could have taken a medical discharge and gone on with his life as a civilian. The position sounded like it would be enjoyable and the time there would give him an opportunity to consider what direction his life would take when his enlistment was complete. Joyce returning to his life was an expected turn of events, but they agreed the time would pass quickly.
Australia is a strong ally, they speak English, the populace is friendly... what's not to like? What could go wrong?
Maybe Jason could have given more thought on what motivated Cdr. Finster to hustle...er...recruit Jason so stridently. Then there is the Joyce's maternal extended family, the Coniglianos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Petterson
• Release date: Feb 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311948137

Charles Petterson

Thanks for visiting my smashwords page. I'm originally from Minneapolis Minnesota. After Graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1963, I joined the Navy. I served in the Atlantic Submarine Force following Nuclear Power training until 1972. I served with Cdr Crispin, Mack, Greene, and Peterson. I participated in operations that were awarded two Meritorious Unit Citations,and a Presidential Unit Citation. I was awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.I have been married to my wonderful lover and partner, Lynn, for 46 years. We have lived all over the country and settled in the Omaha, NE area in 1988. We currently live with three dogs in rural Harrison County, Iowa.I write alot about the people I met in the Navy and their/my experiences with a touch of spice thrown in to make it interesting.Chuck Petterson, May, 2015

Book preview

Chapter 1

Last January

I just wanted to get the hell out of Palm Beach. The scene the afternoon before with Joyce’s family needed no reminders, reinforcement, or insincere apologies. The aunts, uncles and cousins were all sleeping in the guest houses anyway, so there was little chance of them appearing before we could leave. But Joyce’s mother, Diana, heard our rooting around and showed up in her robe and slippers as we carried our luggage out the front door to the waiting car.

What’s going on? Why are you leaving so early?

Joyce replied, Just getting an early start, mother.

You were going to leave without saying good bye? What’s wrong?

We’re just getting an early start, mother. We didn’t want to disturb anyone.

Diana gave Joyce a hug. Have a safe journey. She turned to me and gave me a motherly hug. You take care of yourself, Jason. When will we see you next?

I hope to return for Joyce’s graduation.

Diana’s expression changed; perhaps she realized the truth behind our attempt for a surreptitious departure. You shouldn’t leave angry, Joyce.

No, I shouldn’t, Joyce said without emotion.

The chauffeur returned for the last bags and as he departed I put my hand on Joyce’s elbow, That’s the last of the luggage. We’ll be on our way. Thank you so much for everything, Diana.

I doubt she still had everything sorted out in her mind, but I think it’s just as well we left right then as to have stayed an extra minute to give her a chance to try to make things right.

The limo drove us to the airport and as the chauffeur and co-pilot loaded our luggage I took the pilot to one side and asked him if it would be too much trouble to detour to Omaha. He wanted to get approval from Joyce, after all it’s her aircraft and crew, but I convinced him it was for a nice surprise. He thought for a moment. He ferried Joyce and I back and forth to North Dakota and delivered us to Palm Beach, so he had to have some insight into what was going on. Omaha, huh? Let me guess; you popped the question and you need a ring.

You got it, Ken, and I want to get out of here before any of the jewelry stores open.

Not a problem, Jason. Do you want to be advised of the ETA or anything?

No, just arrange for a car and driver waiting for us in Omaha. I don’t think it will take more than a couple hours on the ground, figure on two.

I’ll let you know what the weather is like there after we depart.

Thanks, Ken.

*****

The plane landing at Omaha woke Joyce from her nap. She looked at her watch, San Francisco so soon?

She looked out the window but only saw the airport environment, which could have been a similar scene just about anywhere. Where are we?

Surprise detour. That’s all you’ll get out of anyone.

The plane taxied to a parking spot and I could see a car waiting for us, its tailpipe producing a plume of steam being torn apart by the wind. I advised Joyce to put on something warm and she retrieved a full length ermine coat from the closet.

This will be the absolute right appearance for Joyce to make; Palm Beach dress with a fur coat.

The driver took us across Omaha to a small shopping center populated with exclusive shops and what is advertised as the largest independent jewelry store in the country. Joyce didn’t have a clue about what city we were in or why we were heading someplace until we were inside the store. As soon as she realized we were in a jewelry store she squealed, A jewelry store! Oh, Jason! We stopped to buy a ring? Where are we?

We walked farther into the store, past counters with watches and necklaces as I looked for rings. A friendly clerk in the china section asked, May I direct you to something?

Rings, please, I answered.

To the left, two more islands.

Thank you.

We stood in front of a circular display, 20 feet in diameter, loaded with rings. A clerk came around, How may I assist you?

I smiled, Whatever she desires.

We sat in small room with a gemologist and several trays of diamonds. Joyce gave the selection a lot of thought, I don’t want this one item always being an item of contention for the other women in your family. I think something around a carat. Not any larger than a carat and a half. Anything larger would really be out of place.

I said nothing.

As the engagement ring was being assembled we picked out our wedding bands. With that finished I walked across the street to a bank and deposited the casino checks I earned over New Year’s and kept out enough to pay for the rings and some walking money in Australia. An hour later everything was delivered and I slipped the engagement ring on her finger.

When we returned to the airport Joyce gave the pilot and co-pilot a hug and a kiss on the cheek as she waved her left hand in their faces, You guys were in on this! What a great surprise. Have you been to that store? It’s better than Tiffany’s.

Joyce stayed awake from Omaha to San Francisco and maintained a high level of ebullience until she finally had to relinquish me to the navy as I approached the international departures security check point. Her smile was contradicted with tears, which fell right into place with the convoluted path that brought me to her, her to me, me departing for Australia, and both of us impatient for the next eighteen months to pass quickly and without incident.

I passed through security, customs and immigration in compliance with their wishes and reasonably close to the two hours in advance of international flights recommendations. I was ignoring the string of duty free shops lining the concourse between me and my departure gate when a TSA officer approached me, Mr. Beckman? Please come with me.

The door was unlabeled, but required a code to be entered on the lock, so I guess it wasn’t necessary to have employees only or such painted on it. The door opened into a dreary space decorated in government-preferred sea-green and much worn, GSA furnished, Steelcase™ tables and chairs. Commander Finster, my nominal officer in charge, stood next to an anonymous woman, About time you showed up. Where the hell have you been?

Happy New Year to you, too, sir. The recommendation is two hours before departure. Boarding is still an hour off. I can give you my entire life story, including explicit details of all sexual encounters, during that period. What’s up?

Yeah, Happy New Year. Where did you go after you left Florida? You should have been here hours ago.

Things have changed since I saw you in Portsmouth last November and since I was in Newport.

I thought you said you dumped Joyce Bancroft.

She came back. We’re engaged. I wanted to get her a ring, so we stopped on our way here this morning. You going to introduce your partner?

What, they don’t have jewelry stores here? This is Special Agent Jackson

My pleasure, I said as I offered my hand to the reasonably well dressed woman in her mid-thirties. She didn’t respond to my pleasantry. All business, I guess. I ignored the slight. I was becoming more and more sensitive to such snubs and at the same time seemed to be more exposed to them.

Returning my attention to Commander Finster I said, Something else has changed. I inherited Liz Day’s estate. I’m a millionaire now, commander. Another wrinkle is I deposited two hundred thousand bucks in a bank in Omaha this morning after we went shopping for a ring.

I know about the two hundred grand. That’s why I’m here. What the hell happened over the holidays?

No, you tell me what surprised you. Nothing that happened, in general, should have been a surprise with regards to the people involved. I included Joyce and her parents on my background investigation application.

Commander Finster, the man who recruited me to join Office of Naval Intelligence for my final navy assignment, scowled.

Come off it, Commander. I don’t know what the burr is under your saddle, but you gotta be here for some special reason. I’m your resource and I have nothing to hide, but you could offer me a little respect. C’mon, what’s on your mind, let’s get through it quick and we can have time to have a drink before I leave.

We didn’t know about the Coniglianos.

That’s not my fault. I didn’t know either. But you should have, it’s why Carl divorced Diana. It was in the papers years ago. Diana is sister to the Conigliano brothers who have their fingers in a lot of pies from Philadelphia to Providence.

I turned my attention to Ms Special Agent Jackson, They have a cousin who runs things in Rhode Island, Mario Giordano. By the way, I encountered Joyce’s second cousin, Kevin Giordano, an heir apparent, in a Boston night club last spring.

I returned my attention to Commander Finster, Joyce and I went to the farm for Thanksgiving so she could meet my folks. She returned the favor by us spending the holidays with her family in Palm Beach. We left there early this morning and flew here, via Omaha.

Commander Finster nodded and looked at Ms Special Agent Jackson. A few moments passed and I said, Times a wastin’ here, Commander. I don’t know what else you want me to tell you that you don’t already know. I’ll answer any question you have, but let’s not waste time pretending, unless Mizzz Special Agent Jackson is contemplating arresting me for violation of some obscure provision of the criminal code.

The only noise was the faint whoosh of air exiting the ventilators. I don’t know if Ms Special Agent Jackson didn’t know why she was there or if she was uncertain how to proceed, but as the silence continued my irritation with the situation grew. I looked at Commander Finster, I thought we understood each other, commander. I thought our relationship on official matters was established and agreed to in Norfolk. Nothing has changed for me.

He turned to Special Agent Jackson, Ensign Beckman has a plane to catch and I need a drink. Sort out what it is you need to know and get on with it or else you will be standing here by yourself.

She inhaled, What happened to the drugs?

I nodded. I anticipated this was the interrogation du jour. Three packages, I assume kilos, in the harbor at Freeport. I discovered them hidden in a cabinet in the pilot house of the Lucinda Marie. I was operating the boat because I could and it saved the family the complication of hiring a crew.

What about the money you deposited this morning. I didn’t know about that, but if the question comes up we won’t have to waste any time on it.

I won it playing poker with the family. Two nights’ worth of poker. The male cousins don’t have a clue, the female cousins are better but impatient and the uncles are sore losers. I got respect from the elders because I cleaned them out. I’m a good poker player, keep that in mind.

She nodded and didn’t appear to have anything else on her mind. Commander Finster must’ve drawn the same conclusion as he said, Let’s find that drink, ensign. I have a couple of details to pass along before you leave.

As we moved toward the door Ms Special Agent Jackson said, I may have a few more follow up questions. Will you be available once you are in Australia?

Don’t show up with a stick up your ass.

*****

Commander Finster was irritated with my attitude as we sat at the bar. What was that all about?

I took a sip of my drink, You wouldn’t believe what happened yesterday. The whole family is pissed at me because of that idiot Dario. Screw ’em. Screw the FBI. Australia is looking so good, because it is the farthest place on earth from all of those ass holes.

I took a healthy pull on my drink and continued, Here is something to pass along to your friend mizzz Special Agent Jackson: all of the female cousins have near identical birth marks on their left breasts. That’s how close I am to that family.

I hauled out my tablet computer and waited for it to boot. When the screen indicated it was ready I found a folder of pictures. I used the smart phone camera for these. This is the Lucinda Marie, I said as I scrolled through a series of pictures showing most every nook and cranny of the large yacht.

This is the family album. I scrolled through pictures of everyone in various states of dress and undress. See, this is Celeste, Cettina, and Francesca. They all have the same birthmark, even though they aren’t sisters.

Commander Finster whistled softly, She’s going to have to eat a lot of shit, isn’t she?

Who are you referring to?

Special Agent Jackson.

Without benefit of segue Commander Finster asked, Is Joyce going to be a complication, from a fidelity standpoint? I mean, you do understand why we prefer single guys on these assignments and if married guys are selected the assignment is unaccompanied.

Joyce understands. She never wants to hear about any of it from anyone and she will always assume nothing happened.

She’s a lot more sophisticated than I would have imagined.

She changed. I don’t know what triggered it, but I’m happy as hell she did, her family notwithstanding.

We each took a sip of our drinks. The commander’s conversation was completed. I broke the silence with, Are you going to clue me in on this assignment?

Nothing to advise you on. It’s a billet being rotated.

Bullshit.

By the way, Jason, congratulations. The report from Newport said you were the model of military bearing. Go figure. You may be good at poker, but you probably aren’t a good liar.

Chapter 2

I handed my packet of orders to Air Force Colonel Alex Slosberg. Welcome to Australia, Beckman. Pardon me if I’m not chummy. I requested, and expected Master Sergeant Fletcher to be filling the billet.

That was the first indication all wouldn’t be as it seemed since first being advised of this assignment two months earlier, Yes sir. I wouldn’t know about that sir.

It might be a test. Offering information not asked for is the first test. Compartmentalize. The key to successful intelligence gathering is separating resources. What I know or don’t know is none of your business. Same for you.

I’m sure it has nothing to do with you. He waived his hands in defense. There was a problem in Spain a year or two back with another Air Force pairing and I think the civilians are suspicious of senior officers who carry their own assistants from command to command.

That’s a tradition I’m not aware of, sir.

The navy is all different. Well, Beckman, I won’t hold the situation against you.

The Colonel turned away and stepped behind his desk, An embassy staffer will handle your orientation and briefings starting at 0800 tomorrow. Your office is in room 306, two doors down. Get your turnover from Captain Nowell. Welcome aboard. Dismissed.

After being in Australia for a few weeks I understood why Commander Finster was so keen to have me take the assignment as Assistant Defense Liaison. Australia and North Dakota have a lot in common: lots of land and few people.

The assistant I relieved left it in no uncertain terms that, as far as he was concerned, the under in Land Down Under was for underarm.

I wasn’t as critical of the situation. Aside from being on an unaccompanied assignment and separated from the woman I proposed to the previous New Year’s Day, I fell into the routine without any hiccups.

Against the advice of Col. Slosberg and a reinforcing bit of discouragement from the consul office, I purchased a three unit townhouse structure in a nice neighborhood with two of the units occupied. The deal required some manipulating from my Australian attorney, but the sale went through and, by keeping the same rental management company, the tenants were unaware their new Yank neighbor was actually their landlord.

I did try to stay in line with my automobile purchase, a three year old Nissan GT-R, warmed over by a performance garage in Brisbane. Who could bitch about a guy buying a used car? Anyway, it wasn’t like I bought a Lamborghini, just an average rice-burner coupe. I took driving lessons for a week to get accustomed to driving on the opposite side of the road, and then spent two more weekends at a nearby track learning how to get the most out of my new toy.

The second weekend in February I was settled in my house and held a low key house warming/get to know your neighbors gathering on Sunday afternoon. I grilled some steaks and tried my hand at grilling shrimp and veggies. All in all I thought it turned out well. New friends were made and I had a chance to get to know more of the folks I worked with. A few comments passed among the gathering about my cooking, my cheap beer, and store bought salads. They were just busting my chops. Everyone left in good humor.

*****

The formal duties were straight forward enough; make arrangements for visiting military units, mostly ships, and gather intelligence.

Intelligence gathering centered mostly on cooperative harbourmasters sending weekly reports on export cargo. I compiled the information monthly and submitted the reports to the Liaison and the data would be forwarded to the great intelligence agencies in the sky, or someplace.

There wasn’t much one would consider surreptitious about the work. A few harbourmasters hinted they were fond of Jack Daniels Black Label and the embassy provided it, by the case, without challenge.

The most interesting work, in my mind, was restitution resolution. A U.S. Navy vessel pulls into Perth, for instance, and damages a pier. Perhaps a visiting airman ends up in jail after destroying some property. I would assess the damage and negotiate with the offended party and authorize a payment.

During my first visit to Perth the harbourmaster offered a substantial bribe in