Chapter 31: A Talk With Jax

As soon as he saw the Captain was with me Jax knew something was up. He is smart, he figured it out quickly. Jax had been through the wringer before, he knew what to expect. He never liked it, but it was a part of doing business.

FBI agents are sometimes called “human lie detectors” because they have been trained to read suspects during interrogation. Some agents, like those in profiling, get more training. British, German, and Israel have made advances in doing similar work. There are techniques that can be taught, but the skills to teach such things are not common.

There was a man, Dr. Percy, who was a top surgeon until he injured his hands at 47. Instead of retiring and living a life of leisure he began to study these methods of reading people. He was granted great access. For a time he taught a small part of what he learned at the University in Buenos Aires, one of his requirements was that he be allowed to teach people from Brazil and Chile. Eventually he retired to Belize, which is where I found him during my teenage years.

He knew what I was in about 92 seconds, and he was fascinated; I lacked so many of the subconscious reactions that most people could not avoid. Marta help me to installed my own alternate reactions that were hard to distinguish, but he read them easily. I was by far the most successful liar he ever met; he could not tell when I was telling a lie, but he knew I was far from normal. He wanted more of my time, so we made a trade. Marta and I stayed with him for 6 months while he taught me what he could and learned what he could from me. During this period he studied me intently, like me he needed only four hours of sleep a night. I held nothing back, although we agreed to leave unspoken some details, especially the “defining” event of killing my motherÔs rapist.

Because he kept his part of the bargain, did not offer any advice, and swore to keep what he knew of me a secret, I let him live when I left. I think we both appreciated the efforts we each made. He gave me a copy of his manuscript, which he could not, in clear conscience, publish. It was the most meaningful gesture of thanks he could make.

Perhaps my family or somebody else did not agree with some aspect of my deal, or maybe they just wanted what he knew, or perhaps it was to keep what he knew forever secret. Whatever the reason, the good doctor was buried 7 months after I left. The cause of death was a tropical fish venom, the doc liked to fish for his supper and he loved exotics so it could have been an accident or suicide. He was as good as his word, taking my secret to the grave after making me a superior human liar and lie detector.

My talk with Jax went smoothly, he did not like it but he played along and answered my probing questions. After 18 minutes I switched from questions about him to questions about ThursdayÔs operations, including the fact that it was not a drill in the morning but a live fire operation starting just after sundown. In this I treated Jax like an equal to the Captain. That was not true, but it make Jax feel a lot better because he knew a little of the CaptainÔs history. The shift in how I treated him said he had passed and was again my most trustworthy warlord. It took Jax only a few moment to send the revised orders out.

On the way back to the Casa the Captain confessed to me why his wife was here. It seemed the Patron was not pleased with his lack of progress in making babies, and had ordered new efforts. Sophia would be “optimal” in 5 days and the Captain was ordered to exploit this period “with a saturation effort” no matter what. Sophia would stay more than a month, through her next optimal period, them would return home. The same day the CaptainÔs younger wife would fly in and stay for the same type of schedule. This would continue until things were successful.

Women living together usually get their cycles in synch; that means they are both indifferent to sex at the same time, and are demanding of sex at the same time; it is a serious problem with the popular but unrealistic “two ladies, one guy” fantasy. The Patron had used the mountain people, who have made a science of breeding, to aid the two wives in getting their ovulations a few days out of synch, so this plan could work. The adjustment had taken them more than six months, living at high altitude in more primitive conditions than they were used to, but now the wives were out-of-synch enough to use this system.

“It seems you will be living in my house for the some time, uncle,” I said.

“I appreciate the generosity my Prince. It is my wives, I fear they and their expressed needs will be a burden to you.” Both wives always asserted command of anyplace they lived - except on the mountain.

“The solution to that is simple. I will have Zar and Brisk trade homes, and make Zar the mistress of my house by putting her in the bedroom next to mine instead of the guest house. Your wives may be used to ordering around men, but Zar of the mountain admits no authority but me. Understand, that includes you.”

“Thank you my Prince.” He was almost overcome with the idea. “This I have seen, Zar is a force of nature. I would never have thought of such an idea. You are a true genius when it comes to the fair sex.”

“I am not sure my Grandfathers share your opinion, they have noticed I am not married ... I fear they will seek to remedy that soon as well, perhaps when your other wife comes to visit she will bring a cousin of mine with her.”

“Copy that,” he said with a sigh, and a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. When that day came I would really have a female problem in my home.

When we returned to the Casa less than 70 minutes had passed. Sophia had changed into festive clothing and was quite tame next to Marta, who she regarded as royalty. Then when the Captain returned with me, she held her tongue about whatever snide or critical remarks she had intended to say in greeting her husband, and the fact that he was not there to greet her. I made a comment that I was sorry I could not arrange things better for her schedule, but I had not been informed, putting the blame on her. Of course she bowed to me and said she was sorry.

I insisted that the least I could do was to share the first dance with her, with her husbandÔs permission. The Captain said he had to get some orders we had discussed right away, so he was grateful that I could take her. This, of course, settled Sophia in her place even more; she was not in charge, but was okay with Marta being in charge, and felt properly exalted to be dancing with me. She really was attractive and a pleasure when she was in a mood to be, and for the next hour she blended in well, including several dances with her dashing husband where they looked very much in love.