The Ingenue: Political Spy Thriller

by Terry Toler

  “Are you sure they were on the flight from Frankfurt?” Hamid had pressed the airline employee.

  “Positive. They definitely made the flight. However, they didn’t get on the flight from Seoul to Wonsan.”

  “Is it possible they missed the connection?” Hamid asked.

  “It’s possible. But they had more than an hour, and the gates weren’t that far apart. According to my records they never checked in for that flight.”

  It didn’t make sense. They made it all the way to South Korea and then disappeared. There had to be an explanation, but he had no idea what it was. Complicated by the fact that there was still no sign of the first two men sent to North Korea. They hadn’t answered their cell phones, and their rental car hadn’t been found.

  Soon, he’d have to deal with the government agency that authorized the vehicle and let them know that the men and the government-owned car were missing. There would be severe ramifications from that. He had circumvented many government rules to get the men transportation and permission to travel around the country without a monitor.

  How did the men, their car, and their cell phones just vanish off the face of the earth without a trace? Where was the car? If they were killed, where were the dead bodies? If alive, who had them?

  For that matter, where was the satchel with the codes? It had disappeared as well. That was the most important thing. Men were expendable. The satchel was not. The Iranian government spent billions of dollars to acquire those codes.

  He took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. Then he dialed the number to his boss, Amin Sadeghi, the Director of Intelligence for Iran and the MOIS. The Director wouldn’t be happy.

  “Dorood,” Amin answered on the first ring with the formal greeting in the Farsi language. If one wanted to sound educated, they used “dorood” instead of the traditional Arabic greeting of “salam.”

  “Salam,” Hamid replied, using the word for peace. He desperately wished he had a way to make peace become a reality. This conversation was going to be anything but peaceful.

  “Man komak niaz duram,” Hamid said. “I need your help.” He tried to get right to the point with the maximum amount of urgency.

  There was silence on the other line.

  “Your two men never arrived from South Korea,” Hamid said as he broke the silence. “There’s no sign of them. They don’t answer their cell phones.” Hamid braced for the explosion of expletives that never came. That gave him a glimmer of hope. Maybe, Amin had been in touch with the men.

  Instead Amin calmly said, “You must return to Iran at once.” The hope faded as quickly as it came. Like a lightning bolt strike that suddenly appeared from the sky, struck its target, and then disappeared back to where it came from in the blink of an eye. Those words could only mean one thing―Amin believed he was behind the death of the men.

  “Director, I had nothing to do with the disappearance of these men,” Hamid pleaded his case. “They made their connection from Frankfurt, arrived in South Korea, and then disappeared. The lady at the airlines said they never boarded their flight. Something happened to them in South Korea. I’m in North Korea, miles away.”

  “I have lost five men, now,” Amin said surprisingly calm. “I’m further away than you are. You and I are the only two people who knew these men were coming to North Korea. Somebody tipped off the Americans, and it wasn’t me. That leaves you.”

  “It wasn’t me either. I would never betray the motherland.”

  “Tell that to the interrogators,” Amin said, then the line went dead.

  Hamid winced. The interrogators would torture him until he confessed, even if he wasn’t guilty. He had only one option.

  To disappear like the others.

  ***

  Signiel Hotel

  South Korea

  Jamie picked Bae up off the ground and body slammed her into the bed in Alex’s hotel room. Bae scurried off the bed before Jamie could jump on her and like a cat was across the room. Jamie was almost as quick and was on her before Bae could react. She picked her up by her waist from behind as Bae turned her back to her. Bae tried to stomp on Jamie’s foot, but Jamie anticipated it and had her leg just out of reach.

  Bae struggled, and flailed left and right, back and forth as she tried to break the grip but couldn’t. She pulled on Jamie’s hands, but they were locked around her like a boa constrictor. The more Bae struggled the tighter Jamie made the vise.

  Jamie picked her up to body slam her again but instead fell backward onto the floor with Bae on top of her. She wrapped her forearm around her neck and started choking her. She continued to hold the choke until Bae quit struggling, and then she released it.

  Bae jumped to her feet and clutched her throat, trying to catch her breath. As soon as she did, Bae said, “Let’s do it again.”

  “Okay. But you have to listen to me,” Jamie said. “Don’t flail around and struggle like that. It makes your opponent more intent on harming you.”

  “But what do I do? I tried to stomp on your foot but couldn’t.”

  “I was ready for it. You can’t use the same move every time. Just because one doesn’t work doesn’t mean there aren’t more options.”

  Bae had told Jamie how she disabled the guard. She’d stomped on his foot, kneed him in the groin, and then crushed his head with her laptop, destroying the computer in the process. What was left of the worthless piece of dented metal lay on the floor,

  Alex left the hotel a couple hours before to run some errands, and Jamie was trying to teach Bae more moves. The girl was relentless in not wanting to stop, and Jamie was happy to dish out the lessons—and the punishment as it turned out when Bae refused to go down easily.

  “The reason it worked on the guard is because you were going by instinct. You weren’t thinking. You just reacted.”

  “That makes sense,” Bae said. “Everything was in slow motion. Like I could see everything clearly and knew just what to do.”

  “The more you gain confidence, the easier that will be,” Jamie affirmed.

  “Can you teach me that hold you just did, where you choked me?” Bae asked, seemingly with as much excitement as she could muster. “That was awesome. And teach me how to get out of it.”

  Bae turned grabbed Jamie’s arm, turned her back to her, and put it around her neck.

  Jamie smiled and held back an audible laugh. She didn’t want Bae to think she was mocking her. It was obvious why Alex liked this girl. She never quit.

  “Remember how I taught you to tap out,” Jamie said. “We’re just practicing here. If you ever feel like you want to give up, just tap on my arm, like this.” Jamie showed her a tap. “Do that, and I’ll release the hold immediately.”

  “Never! I’m going to get out of it. Show me how.”

  “It’s called a rear naked chokehold. The key to getting out of it is to never get in it in the first place. You have to stop the choke before your opponent gets it locked in. Don’t give someone your back if there’s anything you can do to help it.”

  Bae nodded in agreement. Jamie saw it in her eyes. She wasn’t listening. Bae was too excited to get to the action. Jamie had been the same way in training. She remembered how Curly broke her of it. That wouldn’t work in this situation in that it would border on child abuse.

  “Bae, listen,” Jamie said sharply to get her attention. “Face me. Try not to ever let anyone get behind you.”

  Jamie positioned Bae’s shoulders, and they faced off. Before Bae could even react, Jamie was behind her. Jamie didn’t apply the chokehold, she just did it for effect.

  “Wow! You’re so fast,” Bae said.

  “Let’s do it in slow motion,” Jamie said as she stepped back in front of her “If I go behind you, the first thing you do is lower your chin and raise your shoulders. Try it.”

  Bae made the funniest face and Jamie laughed. Her eyes squinted to where they were almost closed, and her nose crinkled. “You don’t have to make a face, silly,” Jamie sai
d. “You look like you’re constipated.”

  That caused Bae to burst out laughing. The training stopped until they could regain their composure. The two were bonding. Jamie saw Alex’s dilemma in not wanting to turn her over to the embassy to never see her again.

  Jamie demonstrated how to lower her chin and raise her shoulders in a defensive position without making a weird face. “That’s how it’s done. See no one can get their arm under your chin,”

  Bae went back and forth between raising her shoulders and lowering her chin and then returning them to the normal position. Jamie got behind Bae and tried to slide her arm under her chin. Bae got in the defensive position. Jamie could have overpowered her and forced Bae into the choke, but for training purposes, she wanted Bae to think she was successful. In her training, Jamie spent nearly a week practicing applying the choke and learning how to get out of it.

  “I get it,” Bae said. “Chin down, shoulders up.”

  “Always! Always! Always!” Jamie said. “If someone is behind you.”

  “What do I do if they do start choking me?”

  “Anything you can to get out of it. Don’t go for the arms, though. Most people reach up and try to pull the arm off. Go for the fingers. Rip them off of his hand if you have to.”

  “That would hurt,” Bae said, her nose crinkled again.

  “If someone’s trying to kill you, then no mercy,” Jamie said in a stern voice. “You do anything you have to do to get out of it. Gouge their eyes out. Pull on their ears or nose. Use the heels of your feet to kick them in the shins. Or ankles. Whatever you have to do, you do it!”

  They kept practicing until Alex returned. Bae couldn’t get enough, and Jamie was enjoying the banter. When Alex walked in, they barely acknowledged him until they saw he had three bags in his hands. Two larger and one smaller.

  “What’s in the bags?” Bae asked.

  “It’s something for you,” Alex said.

  That got Bae’s undivided attention. “What is it?” she asked as she tried to grab the bags out of his hands. He held them high in the air to keep her from doing so.

  “None of your business,” Alex retorted.

  “If it’s for me, then it’s my business,” Bae retorted with a sideways grin.

  “It’s for your birthday. That’s not until tomorrow. You can’t open it until then.”

  “I can’t wait until tomorrow. If you don’t let me see it, I’m going to put you in a naked chokehold.”

  Jamie burst out laughing as Alex had a confused look on his face.

  “That’s a rear naked chokehold,” Jamie corrected Bae. “You should have clothes on when you do it.”

  Bae’s cheeks turned bright red.

  Alex changed the subject and said, “I guess it won’t hurt for you to open your present a day early.”

  Bae squealed with delight. She grabbed the bag out of his hand and pulled out a package that was wrapped.

  Jamie was surprised Alex had gone to the trouble to wrap the present. She tried to remember if he’d ever done that for her. A little twinge of jealousy rose inside of her, but she tamped it down.

  Gifts weren’t really her thing anyway. Nevertheless, by that point, she was as curious as Bae. She had no idea what was in the package. Alex said he was going shopping for a birthday present for Bae but wouldn’t tell her what it was.

  Bae tore into the package like a monkey in a zoo attacked a meal. Inside the package was a box. “What is it?” Bae said with her eyes widened.

  “Open it,” Alex said.

  Jamie suddenly thought she knew what it was.

  Bae ripped the box open and pulled out a shiny, new, metallic, laptop computer. She held it carefully, like she held a newborn baby. Her eyes were affixed into a stare of amazement.

  “Is it mine?” Bae looked at Jamie who nodded and then at Alex who also wore a wide grin. That was the first time Jamie had really seen Alex interacting with a kid. That brought a bigger smile to her face as she thought about the possibility of Alex being the father of her kids.

  Don’t go there. We’re not even engaged.

  Bae clutched the laptop to her chest and spun around in a circle and danced.

  “Happy birthday,” Jamie said.

  Bae sat the computer on the desk and ran over to Jamie and threw her arms around her.

  “Thank you so much,” Bae said.

  “Hey! What about me?” Alex shouted.

  “Don’t thank me,” Jamie said. “Thank Alex. He’s the one who bought it for you.”

  Bae walked over to Alex and into his arms and clutched him tightly. “Thank you so much. This is the best birthday ever.”

  “Let’s get it set up,” Alex said as he walked over to the desk, sat down in the chair, and plugged the laptop into the electric socket. For two hours, he taught Bae everything there was to know about the computer. Jamie noticed that he had spared no expense and had gotten her the top-of-the-line computer.

  Alex loaded all kinds of games and apps on it. He did things to boost its performance. Bae was set up with a new email and an account to purchase music and videos. Alex purchased wireless headphones as an accessory and Bae had them on and walked around the room humming to the music.

  “What’s in the other bags?” Jamie asked as she walked toward them. Bae took off her headphones.

  “One is a case for the computer,” Alex answered. “The other is a present for you.”

  A sudden warmth came upon her. Gifts might not be her thing, but she still liked it when she got one. Especially since she was feeling a little left out. Alex had spent so much time with Bae, it started to bother her. She’d come all this way to save his life and wanted him to acknowledge it. The fact that he bought something for her was so unexpected and made her feel better immediately.

  She opened the small bag. In it was another bag with a square box that was also wrapped and had a ribbon around it. It looked like a jewelry box.

  Jamie took off the wrapping carefully as Alex stood from the desk and walked over to her. She sat down on the bed and took off each piece of tape. Bae came and sat next to her.

  “Hurry up,” Bae said. “I want to see what it is.”

  Jamie got the wrapping paper off and inside was a box. She opened it. An empty ring box.

  Alex reached into my pocket and lowered to one knee.

  Jamie gasped and put both hands over her mouth.

  “Jamie Austen, will you marry me!” Alex said.

  “Are you serious?” she asked.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Alex said excitedly as he took her left hand and slid the finger on her index finger.

  Jamie held out her hand to look at the ring. A large solitaire. White gold. It looked to be at least two carats. She’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  Before she realized it, her arms were around his neck and her eyes were wet. She squeezed her cheek into his and then kissed him warmly.

  Suddenly, Jamie felt incredibly special.

  39

  Jamie and I decided to give Bae a taste of what freedom was like. Our plan was to spend the day seeing the sights of Korea and lavishing her with all kinds of fun, food, and gifts. While I finished up some work on my computer, Jamie and Bae were on Bae’s laptop making a list of things to do in Seoul.

  A few minutes later they had a list. Much to my displeasure, only one thing was on it.

  “All you want to do is shop?” I asked with exasperation.

  “Yes!” Jamie and Bae said in unison.

  Turns out the best shopping was right by our hotel. The Lotte World Tower and Mall boasted hundreds of stores. Bae wanted to go to the electronics store first. Then the clothing stores.

  I insisted we do something fun.

  “There’s an ice-skating rink at the Tower.” Jamie said.

  “I meant like an amusement park. With rides. Roller coasters. Arcade games.”

  Jamie pulled up trip advisor and the list of top fifteen things to do in Seoul.

  “There�
�s the DMZ tour,” Jamie said.

  “No!” Bae and I said in unison. After having made two illegal border crossings, I saw all I wanted of the DMZ.

  “There’s the Gyeongbokgong Palace,” Jamie said. struggling to pronounce the name correctly.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  Jamie started reading something from the computer screen. “The National Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum are located on the grounds of this palace, built six centuries ago by the founder of the Chosun dynasty.”

  I looked at Bae and shook my head no, which she confirmed by wrinkling her nose.

  “That sounds boring,” Bae said.

  Jamie kept reading.

  “At the heart of Seoul lies this ancient, yet historically significant, center of the Joseon dynasty. The eternal, grand, beautiful and enchanting Gyeongbokgun Palace, the largest and grandest of the five.”

  Bae and I started laughing as Jamie totally butchered the pronunciation again. Jamie ignored us and kept reading.

  “Here’s a review. This palace thoroughly impressed me, especially the great statues of Admiral Yi Sun Shin and King Sejong the Great.”

  We kept laughing at her jokingly. She was ignoring us and kept reading.

  Finally, I asked, “Are there any amusement parks?”

  “The Tower has rides but they are mostly for little kids.”

  Jamie peered at the screen and typed something into the computer. “The Coex Aquarium is home to 40,000 sea creatures from over six-hundred-fifty different species. There are fourteen themed exhibits.”

  “That sounds good,” I said.

  Bae walked over to where Jamie was and looked over her shoulder and read from the screen.

  “They have a mermaid show!” Bae said excitedly. “Can we go there?”

  “It’s not far from here,” Jamie added.

  “That sounds better than shopping,” I said.

  “We’re still going shopping,” Jamie said, looking at Bae and both of them nodding. “We’ll go to the aquarium after we go to the Tower.”

  That sounded like a good compromise. I would like to go to the electronics store as well.