Return of the Clonsayee

by Elaine Bassett

  He put his disk away and brushed past her. She kept up with his long strides. He could tell she wanted to pass him but she was uncertain which way he would be going. It was awkward and he secretly reveled in the fact that she would have to restrain herself. Once they reached their destination, he stopped.

  Anjoleah gave orders to her officers to stay where they were. She followed Dimitrios through the door. Anthony stood from his chair and handed them an official notebook. Anjoleah sat down in a chair across from Anthony’s desk. She opened the book. She scanned the pages and went back to the beginning. When she read the second page, she stopped.

  She closed the book and sat forward in her chair. “I am confident that the agents in place can handle this situation.”

  Anjoleah turned to Dimitrios and then looked back at Anthony. “I have my own idea on how to protect Charles. Just hear me out. I’d like to enroll Natalie in classes to shadow Charles.”

  Dimitrios slammed his book shut. Out of reflex he shouted, “Are you out of your mind?”

  Both Dimitrios and Anjoleah became enraged, and began talking at once to Anthony pleading their case. Arms were flying and faces were bright red. To Anthony they looked similar to little children bickering. The prime minister sat transfixed and expressionless as he listened. Amused, he let them continue to debate. When he felt they had gone far enough, Anthony raised his hand. Dimitrios and Anjoleah stopped simultaneously. They turned to pace in opposite directions then they both came rushing back to plead their case. Once again the prime minister raised his hand. Dimitrios knew he was going to lose this battle and he was livid. He had heard every word Anjoleah had said. He had to admit to himself that she made an undeniable argument. How dare she bring Natalie into this disaster? She was his only reason for living. He cleared his throat and flared his nostrils as he took a deep breath.

  Then calmly he said in a very controlled voice, “I consent.”

  Deep down he knew it was the right decision. It was smart and savvy. Natalie was in some ways just as prepared as Anjoleah’s best agent. She was up to speed and could handle herself in the most difficult of situations. She also had a rapport with Charles and his family.

  Anthony raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at Anjoleah and said, “Brief her and send her out into the field.”

  She looked at both Anthony and Dimitrios, and asked, “Is my job here finished?”

  “Yes.”

  Anjoleah left her notebook and walked out of the room.

  Anthony looked at Dimitrios and said, “If I didn’t think Natalie could successfully handle this mission, I wouldn’t send her.”

  Dimitrios knew the prime minister was sincere.

  Chapter 106

  Non stood over the dead man, shook his head and thought: It was a mistake to involve Joseph. He picked up the man’s paperwork and read through it. He found what he had suspected. Non placed the papers in his suit pocket and left the room. He contacted the cleaning “crew” to remove and dispose of the dead body. Then ignoring Joseph’s command to report to the intelligence room, Non headed for his house. He went in through the back door and straight to his Passageway.

  Once he walked through to familiar surroundings, Non made his way to the garage where he uncovered a classic convertible vehicle. He raised the garage door, got in the car and turned the key. The car’s engine sounded like music to his ears as he revved it up. Vehicles on the compound didn’t have the same sound. To him there was nothing better than the sound of an engine built for high performance. At that moment Non realized how much he’d missed it and this place too. He riffled through the glove box and put his sunglasses on. After he backed out of the garage, he stepped out of the car to put the garage door down. He proceeded to drive down the long driveway to the old wrought iron gate set into a burnt-red brick wall. Non stepped out of the car once again to unlock the gate and open it. Then he drove through, got out once again to close and lock the gate. He stepped in the car and drove as swiftly as possible to his destination. He had a pretty good idea where he would find answers to this morning’s questions.

  When Non pulled up in front of the mansion, he stopped the car and stepped out. He opened the heavy gate, got back in the car and drove up the long tree lined driveway as fast as he could. The gate closed slowly. Up ahead in the distance he could see a huge opulent fountain. He pulled around the circular driveway in front of the house. From there he walked up the grand stairway to the stately hand carved front door. He took the shiny brass knocker in his hand and was just about to knock when he heard her voice from the front patio. She’d opened the double doors at the side of the house and walked out onto the patio to intercept him. He bowed his head briefly; relieved he didn’t have to knock. He turned to face her as she walked over to him.

  “I knew you’d come.” She gave him her knowing look as she was coming toward him.

  Non growled, “Maureen, what have you done?” She stopped and folded her arms. He walked over to where she was standing. He put his hands gently on her arms.

  She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Half the inventory for tonight’s auction is missing.”

  Maureen looked away and quietly said, “I know. It was the only way I could think of, to get you to come to me.”

  He took her chin in his hand and gently lifted it so she’d look at him. “Maureen, this is very dangerous. Do you want to get me killed?”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “No, Darling. I miss you. I’m so lonely here without you. You don’t understand.”

  Non gently took her hand. They walked inside the house, closing the tall French doors. He went over and locked the doors to the room. Then he came back to her and took her in his arms.

  He whispered to her, “Darling, I miss you too. Every day and night I think of only you.”

  Non released Maureen and looked into her eyes. “We will figure this out. I promise you. It’s long overdue but right now is not the time to play games with me. There are serious things going on in the universe. The events that are occurring right now-- I cannot afford to take my attention off of them for one moment. I cannot be distracted, or I may pay for it with my life.

  “I have to get through this auction and I need your help. Honey, please tell me where you hid the auction pieces. I have to get back before they discover I’m missing.”

  Maureen told him that she and the auction manager checked over the entire inventory of auction items. They placed the items Maureen believed would bring the highest bids into crates the previous night. She confided in Non that she’d talked the manager into her scheme.

  Non pulled her close, closed his eyes and hugged her. It all made sense to him now. “Joseph knows it was you who hid the merchandise. He threatened the manager and the man told him what happened when I left the room. Joseph shot him.”

  Maureen covered her mouth. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  Non took a deep breath. “I bet Donovan is there now. Maureen, I’ve got to go back.”

  She nodded her understanding and said, “The work is finished for tonight. It’s all catalogued and ready. I made sure it was all completed before I crated the merchandise. I’m sorry.”

  Non kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tonight at the auction. We’ll talk about this later when things calm down.” He let himself out the doors that went onto the patio and ran to his car. He’d have to be quick in order to straighten this mess out. He thought: It’s no wonder I have gray hair.

  Chapter 107

  Natalie was shocked to see Anjoleah at her door. She asked, “Is my dad okay?”

  Anjoleah nodded as she thought: As well as could be expected, after winning my first successful spar with your father in years. It was a huge win for her. She was confident in her decision or she wouldn’t have suggested it. Natalie looked the part. Anjoleah couldn’t think of any of her other agents who could possibly blend in with the hip crowd.

  Natalie opened the door wide enough to let the commissioner in
. Anjoleah paused to gather her thoughts before entering. She followed Natalie into the sitting room. Natalie offered her something to drink, but Anjoleah declined. Anjoleah began explaining the reason for her visit. The commissioner apprised Natalie of the relevant facts.

  Natalie was initially puzzled by the information she had been told. The solution seemed simple enough to her. She said, “Let me get this straight. Charles is in danger? Then why not just send him to another school? I realize this is his senior year but he could finish somewhere else or even be home schooled.” Anjoleah didn’t say a word.

  Natalie thought about the words she had just spoken. Then she realized, to have Charles in that school had meant years of preparation. Natalie rubbed her aching neck. Come to think of it her whole body ached. She figured there was a lot more to the situation than what Anjoleah had just told her. She could quickly think of all the reasons not to proceed with Anjoleah’s request.

  She whispered, “I’m in.”

  After Anjoleah left the apartment, Natalie sat on the couch in the dark. It had been years since she was home schooled for high school work. Now she would be thrust into a high school setting with no prior knowledge of how teenagers behave. She looked at the open file on the coffee table and sighed. She sorted through the box of clothes Anjoleah had sent to her by courier. “Yuck” came to mind since the garments were definitely not her style. She was depressed.

  Natalie used her tablet to contact Wayland, asking him to come to her apartment. As he walked through the door, she told him of Anjoleah’s request. He couldn’t believe she had volunteered to become a high school student. After a passionate discussion Wayland stood and mumbled something about not letting her go it alone. He was going to locate Miss Anjoleah and sign up too. He left her apartment slamming the door shut.

  Natalie thought: That didn’t go well. Wayland’s right, I shouldn’t be going. It could be dangerous working in an unknown environment. She slumped her shoulders and reached for a tissue. If that wasn’t bad enough, she was fighting a cold as well. How embarrassing. She rubbed her aching head.

  Her thoughts switched to a conversation she recently had with Sensei. The master mentioned Charles was getting very good at his sparring. Natalie thought: He’s almost too good. He has really exceeded my expectations. Sensei had his own parameters as a guide for success. This morning he joined their early morning exercises. She was surprised when Sensei began to teach Charles a few personal exercises. Natalie was very curious about their conversation. She wished she could ask Charles about it, but she had learned over the years not to ask such questions. She knew that one day Charles would have to pass some extreme challenges. She wasn’t envious of that either. One day Charles would be the most important man on the face of the earth. Natalie smiled to herself when she thought of the fact that she knew him.

  She thought: Acting the part of a teenager is going to be challenging, but it might be kind of fun too. I wonder if I can pull it off. I will have think of myself in the role of a secret agent. She looked in the direction of the box of clothes. She walked over and dug around inside the container. At the bottom of the box was a teen magazine. She picked it up and flipped through the pages. She thought: They actually wear that? Ugh. Oh, that’s what that thing is used for. She lifted an outfit out of the box and went to try it on. She looked in the mirror. Not bad. She took a few accessories out of the box and put them on. I can actually make even this look good.

  When Wayland left Natalie’s apartment, he didn’t walk, he ran. The Journeymen observing his behavior became suspicious. They watched him, and wondered why he was racing through the Hub. What could be so important that a member of their society would attract notice? His leader took several turns down the Hub before their paths crossed. He stepped out in front of Wayland.

  Steele asked, “Where are you going? Why are you in a hurry?”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to draw attention to myself,” was Wayland’s response.

  “You did,” his uncle said taking a bite of an apple.

  “I understand. I will blend into the crowd and take care not to create more suspicion.”

  “Do that,” the man said calmly and stepped out of his way.

  Wayland looked around before disappearing into the crowd. He was very good at disappearing. Where was Anjoleah? He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned and headed in another direction.

  The Journeyman figured his peers were watching. He could feel their gazes. He had caused suspicion.

  Wayland reached into his leather jacket and pulled out hypnotic contacts. He rubbed his eyes placing them over his corneas. When he reached his destination he walked up the steps and was met by one of Anjoleah’s senior agents.

  The authority officer approached him and started to talk to him. “Wayland.” Then the Journeyman turned and looked right at the man. Wayland held up a finger as if to ask him to wait a minute. The young man turned and coughed. The assistant raised an eyebrow and stared at Wayland. Before the man knew what had happened, he was in a trance. Wayland made the same face mirroring him.

  Then Wayland said, “I need to see Anjoleah.”

  “She is in a meeting with the prime minister.”

  Wayland was surprised at the news that Anjoleah would be in a private meeting with Anthony. The prime minister was reported to be in another country.

  “Okay, thank you. Now how do I find her?” The authority gave him directions.

  Wayland thanked him and took the officer’s access pass. He noticed the building was very stark and bright past the first entryway. All the walls and the floor tiles were white. The Journeyman was certain he had been detected so he needed to work fast. He quickly followed the officer’s directions.

  Once he faced the last door, it opened. Anjoleah and her angry assistant met him. The door opened to an entirely different atmosphere. The decor was modern and sleek. The walls were adorned with large paintings that looked to Wayland as if they belonged in the best of museums.

  “Wayland, what a surprise. Why have you gone to all the trouble of meeting me here and interrupting my meeting?” Anjoleah asked.

  Wayland looked at the angry assistant. Then he focused on Anjoleah. “I need to talk to you in private. It is very important and can’t wait.”

  She thought about his statement then motioned for him to follow her into a room that had a long rectangular table surrounded with chairs. “Please have a seat.” Wayland sat down.

  “How may I help you?” The tone of her voice was very matter of fact.

  Wayland said, “I have just come from Natalie’s. She explained in detail your plan to enroll her in high school. I understand that she may be in harm’s way and I would like to discuss the possibility of having me enroll on this assignment as well.”

  Anjoleah sat on a chair next to Wayland. She thought: This is an advantageous turn of events; it only gets better and better.

  She perched at the front of her chair and chose her words very carefully. “Wayland, aren’t you a bit overly qualified to accept this mission?”

  Anjoleah thought of all the ramifications of accepting him in the role of a student. He certainly would be an asset. “The decision isn’t up to me alone. You know that.”

  She wondered why the Journeyman hadn’t gone to Dimitrios and asked him first. She considered this as she watched his facial features.

  Wayland responded, “What is the procedure for being assigned to this operation?”

  “Wait here.” Anjoleah stood and walked out of the room. Anthony was waiting for her in a small conference room next to the observation room she had exited.

  Wayland figured Anthony had been monitoring their entire conversation. Now he was certain. Wayland turned and looked right at the painting that was actually a hidden double window. He could sense them observing him.

  Anthony smiled. “The Journeyman is brilliant. He was trained by the best to be the best of his kind. Set up a meeting with his superior and convince him to agree. Then br
ief Wayland and enroll him tomorrow as a foreign exchange student in Charles’ school. As a matter of fact enroll them both as foreign exchange students and have them living at the Jones’ farm.”

  Anjoleah left Anthony and entered the room with Wayland. “I will have to discuss this with Steele. I will meet you at your base point.” Wayland nodded and stood to leave. He dropped the access pass on the table and walked out the door.

  Anjoleah returned to the conference room and wrapped up her meeting with Anthony. Then she set out for her office. Locating the head of the Journeymen wasn’t too difficult. He had followed Wayland earlier. After seeing where the young man was heading, Steele walked directly to her office. When Anjoleah walked through the door, he immediately wanted to know the particulars. The meeting didn’t take long. She suspected he had an idea this was coming, since his main request was to have jurisdiction over his Journeyman soldier.

  Anjoleah said, “I have to clear this matter with Anthony before agreeing that you can keep jurisdiction.”

  She stepped away and confirmed with Anthony using her technology tablet. Anjoleah returned and informed Steele that he could keep jurisdiction. She wrapped up the meeting with the Journeyman.

  She completed her office work then headed for Wayland’s base point. Anjoleah was aware that she had a lot of work to do before morning. She met with Wayland and briefed him. She informed him that his gear would soon be delivered. After the meeting, she headed back to her office.

  She arranged for Dimitrios to meet with her. When he arrived, she informed him of all the particulars. He wasn’t happy but he didn’t have any questions for her. Dimitrios left her office and headed for Natalie’s apartment.

  Natalie opened her door and saw her father standing on the step holding what would be considered a bouquet of wildflowers on Earth. She smiled and invited him in. He updated Natalie about Wayland joining her assignment to protect Charles. She let out a loud laugh and clapped her hands. She jumped into his arms and hugged him.