by Jack July
She walked into the director’s office and gave the admin Karen a wave. Karen stopped her and said, “She’s with someone now, and it’ll be a few minutes.”
Amy nodded. Karen reached in a small refrigerator under her desk, pulled out a Dr. Pepper and held it up.
“Sure, thank you,” said Amy as she walked over and took it.
Karen then whispered to her, “Hey, hey...what’s he like?”
“What? Who?”
“Boguslaw Zielinski, what’s he like?”
“Oh, well, he’s not what the rest of the world thinks he is. He’s very kind and very thoughtful.”
“Yeah okay, but, what’s he, you know… like,” Karen said with a little wink.
“Oh, that.” Amy shook her head and laughed. “Kind of personal don’t you think?”
“Oh come on, just give me something,” Karen said almost pleading.
Oh, alright, I’ll play along Amy thought. She leaned over in Karen’s ear and whispered, “Take every fantasy you have ever had, multiply it by ten, and you are almost there.”
Karen looked at her wide-eyed and said under her breath, “Oh my god I knew it. You are the luckiest woman on earth.”
Just then the door opened behind Amy, she turned her body away and let her hair fall down over her face so she wouldn’t be seen. The lone person left the office, so Amy turned and walked in. “Hi, honey,” said Adele.
Amy smiled the smile of someone who had just seen her favorite aunt. They hugged, Adele pulled back a little, looked her in the eye and said, “Oh yeah, you have that freshly fucked look. Honeymoon going well?’”
Amy gave her a shocked looked and said, “JEEZ, why do you have to be so vulgar?”
“Just wait, when you’re an old broad you will be too. So ah, what’s he like in the sack?”
“Not you too,” said Amy shaking her head.
“Karen?”
“Yeah.”
“I wouldn’t be shocked if she was sniffing you.”
That made Amy laugh. Adele said, “Okay, spill it, what’s he like?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, throw an old dog a bone.”
“I don’t really know. I have nothing to compare him to.”
“That’s right, he was your first.”
Amy sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll just say I couldn’t imagine it being any better.”
Adele grinned and said, “Yeah, I bet.”
“Where’s Mr. Masters?” asked Amy.
Adele smiled and said, “He hates it when you call him that.”
“I know, that’s why I do it.”
The both laughed and Adele said, “He’s on vacation.”
“So, ah, other than being grilled about my sex life, is there a reason I burned all that jet fuel?”
Adele turned professional in an instant. “Yep, take a seat.” She sat behind her desk, hit a button which rolled a white screen down from the ceiling, and turned on a projector. “The man who just walked out of my office is Paul LaMond, commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We’ve been friends for a few decades. I wanted to give him a heads-up so he didn’t waste a lot of time and money investigating the bodies he’s going to find.”
Fenian nodded. Adele hit a few keys on her computer and a picture of two raven-haired teenaged girls appeared on the screen. “This is Daria and Danica Akhtar, twin fifteen year old sisters from Lansing, Michigan.”
“They’re pretty,” said Fenian.
“Yeah, well, not anymore.” Adele changed the pictures and the two girls lay side by side, hands and feet bound and heads smashed, broken open like a couple of eggs. Not too far away from them lay a young man who had met the same fate.
Fenian took a quick breath and said, “Jesus.”
Adele changed the picture again and said, “Their mother married and then divorced this man, the girls’ father, Farzin Akhtar. Apparently the girls were not big on Islam. Danica’s friend quoted her as saying, “I don’t play that raghead bullshit.” This attitude supposedly shamed Farzin’s family. He went for help from this man.” Adele changed the picture again. “A Toronto Imam named Ibrahim Dawud.” Adele changed the pictures again. “Dawud smuggled this man into the US, a cousin of Farzin’s named Yusef Akhtar. He did the deed, a deed known as an honor killing. Beat em to death with a lead pipe.”
“My God, yeah, there is so much honor in killing children. What about the boy?” Asked Fenian.
“Daria’s boyfriend, Kenneth Talley; wrong place, wrong time. The state department tried to get all three extradited to face murder charges. Canada’s socialist asshole Prime Minister knew President North would send them to Guantanamo and have them, after a little healthy interrogation, executed. So he refused under humanitarian grounds, if you can believe that shit.”
“So, you want me to kill ‘em?” asked a cold, detached Fenian.
“Yep, get in and get out, no fuckin’ around, got me?”
“You have a package?”
“Yep,” said Adele as she handed her a thick manila envelope. After changing the picture on the screen she said, “There is one more thing. This is Kahlid Nassar. He’s 28 years old and spent a lot of time in the Palestinian refugee camps. He comes from a family of Coptic Christians, and Hamas killed much of his family. He’s your asset.”
“My what? No, no thank you. I work alone.”
“Not this time. We need to develop him.”
Fenian’s eyes got big and she said in disbelief, “You trust someone from a Palestinian refugee camp?”
Adele assumed her role as boss and with a stern voice said, “I don’t trust anybody. But you will utilize him. He will be of help to you navigating the area, and this conversation is over. Got me?”
Fenian put her head down and said, “Yeah.”
“What was that?” asked Adele.
Fenian looked up, made eye contact and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Adele walked over to her and held out her arms. Fenian gave her a hug and Adele said, “You are going to have to learn to play well with others. I love you, honey. Be safe.”
“Yeah, I love you too.”
Fenian turned to walk out, Adele chided her one more time, “Hey, remember what I said, none of that grandstanding bullshit. They’ll know who did it and why.”
She took a deep breath, nodded and walked out the door. Karen looked up from her desk and said, “Bye, Amy,”
Fenian walked by like Karen wasn’t even there.
Chapter 29
Fenian didn’t like running to Tatiana every time she had an issue. She had been trained to work with assets, but still it was uncomfortable. As her plane left DC, she got on the sat phone and called. It was 2:00 AM in the Maldives when a sleepy Tatiana picked up the phone.
“Somebody had better be dead,” growled Tatiana.
“Not yet. Hey, I need your help.”
“Amy? Yes, hold on.”
Tatiana went into the kitchen, poured a glass of juice, took a moment to clear her head, sat down and said, “I am here. What do you need?”
Fenian explained her situation. Tatiana understood completely and said, “Be more suspicious of him than your target. You need to know how much his handler has read him in on your mission so you can figure out how bad he can fuck you over. You have his dossier?”
“Yeah.”
“Here is what you do: pick a half dozen questions that only he would know the answers to. Ask about the little things, a landmark where he is from, who he knows, etc. You’re going to have to do some research. I’d use a local library. Odds are he has memorized the file you are holding in your hand. Work the questions in during casual conversation. If he misses one, no big deal. If he misses two, you could have a problem. And if he misses three, put a bullet in his head. Make your dry runs and do your research before you
contact him. That way you can catch him lying about where you are and what you are doing.
“Yeah, I’ve heard some of that before. I like the idea of doing the dry runs first. Okay, thank you.”
“Anytime. How was your honeymoon?”
Fenian stepped aside and let Amy talk to her friend. She replied, “He bought me a castle, a real castle. Do you believe that?”
“Sounds about right. He’s good in bed, isn’t he?”
After a big sigh she said, “Not you too. Everybody keeps asking me about that.”
Tatiana laughed a low laugh and said, “That was a statement, not a question.”
“Wait, what? You slept with my husband?”
“It was a long, long time ago, heat of the moment during a lull in a mission. I doubt he even remembers.”
Amy went quiet for a moment then said, “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Hey, don’t. Time to be a big girl. I’m not the first woman you’ll meet who has been with him. It shouldn’t be a surprise; you know who you married.”
Feeling hurt, Amy said, with a little edge to her voice, “Why do you have the need to tell me something like that?”
“Because you’re the only person in the world I don’t hide anything from. Things have a funny way of getting out, and I want you to hear it from me.”
Amy let out a deep breath, thought for a moment and said, “That’s fair. I guess I’m sensitive about it. Sometimes I feel I’m not enough for him.”
“No, you don’t ever need to feel that way. He’s used many women for his entertainment, but I don’t know if he has ever been in love. That’s very different. This is new to him like it is new to you. You know, I almost killed him during Golden Angel.”
Amy laughed and said, “Yeah, he told me. But why?”
“Because you are my friend, and I knew you were a virgin. I was afraid he was going pull his playboy shit on you.”
“Oh, I saw it. I knew what he was doing.”
“Well, you did see some of it, he’s smooth. Then I saw the way he looked at you when we were at that whorehouse in Prague. I get that same look from Brandon every single day. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
Amy chuckled under her breath and said, “We darn near got in a fist fight walking out the front door.”
“Yes, that is another reason I knew he was serious about you. He never gave a shit about any woman enough to get that upset. Then I left it up to you. You don’t just have sex with him, you have something else, something beautiful, I am sure of it.”
Amy contemplated for a moment what Tatiana had said and replied “I guess so. At least that’s how it feels. You know, that’s exactly what my Aunt told me.”
“I like her. She is a very smart woman.”
“Yeah, she liked you too. They’re coming to the castle for Christmas. Why don’t you come too? I’ll send a plane.”
Tatiana laughed and said, “Listen to you, ‘I’ll send a plane.’ That didn’t take long.”
Amy laughed and said, “It’s easy to get used to.”
“I bet. Thank you for the invite, but I can’t fly after the seventh month.”
“That’s right. How’s the baby?”
“I think he is going be big like his daddy, unfortunately.”
“Oh, yeah, OW!” she empathized. “It’s a boy?” said Amy with excitement.
“Yes, he is. We found out yesterday. We are naming him Carl after Brandon’s father, and his middle name will be Marc after my father”
“I’m so happy for you. Call me when he shows up. I’ll be there.”
“Oh yes, you will be the first call. We also have some paperwork you need to sign.”
“Paperwork?”
“Well, yes. You will be his Godmother, and if something happens to us you will raise him. You will be his Godmother, won’t you?”
“Really? You trust me with that? I, ah… don’t know what to, ah…” Then Amy choked a little, her chin quivering as her eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t! You’ll get me crying too. This kid has made me an emotional wreck. I cry looking at pretty flowers. Besides, who else am I going pick? He could do worse than a hillbilly billionaire living in a castle.”
Amy wiped away a few tears, laughed and said, “Yeah, I reckon.”
Tatiana toughened up a bit and said, “Get your head on straight and do your job. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay. Ah, hey, one more thing.”
“Go.”
“Do you know any assets about a hundred miles north of where Torch grew up?” asked Fenian not divulging any names, places or dates on the phone.
Hmm, Torch is Adele, she grew up in Buffalo and a hundred miles north would be…Toronto. Big Muslim community, thought Tatiana. “Maybe, I’ll check. If you need something call me back.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Brandon walked in the kitchen and kissed Tatiana on the head, “Hey, what are you doing up?”
“Talking to a friend.”
“Amy?”
“Yes. When you are at the restaurant, pay attention to CNN International. I think Toronto is going to burn.”
Harold Renner, a Scotsman and a former RAF fighter pilot, called over the intercom and told Fenian to strap in because of gusting cross winds. Her plane touched down hard with a bang and a little skid at Billy Bishop Executive Airport on a small island just off Old Toronto on Lake Ontario. She had changed clothes and wore a blue business suit with a modest skirt. Her hair was up and her make-up was done to show a woman a bit older than her twenty-five years. Harold was used to seeing her in jeans and a hoody. When he walked out of the cockpit he said, “Aye, you pretending to be a grown-up?”
Fenian laughed. She liked Harold because, unlike the rest of the people who worked for Bogus, he didn’t kiss her ass. She was getting some things together and said, “Yeah, but ah, I was jus’ wonderin’, did we crash or were we shot down?”
His eyes went a little wide and he said, “There be another seat up there if you wish to give it try.”
“Hey, ya know, Garrett wouldn’t have slammed my plane down like that, just sayin’.”
“Garrett,” Harold said under his breath with exasperation. “I’d kick his arse in F3 Tornados.”
She put on her overcoat and checked her face in the mirror. At the door she leaned in and said, “I’m sure of it, until you had to land.”
He grunted and she laughed, then gave him a little bump with her shoulder. He followed her out of the plane and unloaded her bags. An immigration officer stood waiting, so she handed him her diplomat ID. He smiled and said, “Welcome to Canada.” Harold took her bags and they walked to the helicopter with its rotor already turning. It was the quickest way off the island.
Her helicopter landed atop the Children’s Hospital three blocks from the US Consulate, a special access made possible by a few large donations. It was 5:00 p.m., and employees from the big bank and insurance company high-rises were flooding the streets. Despite the sunny sky, the brisk air brought a wind chill in the forties. She wrapped a scarf around her face until it touched the bottom of her sunglasses. She changed her walk often and stayed in tight groups of people, to conceal her identity from the street cameras as she navigated the crowds to the back entrance of the consulate.
She flashed her ID, got a marine escort, stepped onto an elevator and went to the basement. She was ushered into the office of Mona Richards, CIA station chief. Adele told Fenian she would like Mona, calling her, “A tough old cold warrior, like me.” The door closed behind her, latched, and then she heard a vacuum noise as the room was sealed followed by the unmistakable buzz of white noise. Mona reached in her drawer and pulled out a pack of Camel filters. She offered one to Fenian. “Smoke?”
Fenian stayed sto
ic and shook her head no. Mona lit the cigarette, took a drag and blew the smoke up toward the vent. In a raspy voice she said, “So, you’re the one they call Fenian. Welcome to Canada.”
Fenian nodded and sat quietly. Mona leaned back in her chair, took another drag and said, “Are you the one who holds the Bible?” Completely ignoring the question, Fenian said in a monotone voice, “We need to talk about Nassar.”
Yep, just like T Mona thought. She put out her half-smoked cigarette, leaned forward and said, “Okay. Just understand something. Once you leave here, you’re not going to get much help. If you need anything, you need to tell me now.”
Fenian nodded and asked, “What does Nassar know?”
“He knows who we’re interested in. He doesn’t know why, or what you plan to do.”
“Do you know what I plan to do?”
Mona just looked at her and smiled It was her turn to be coy.
Fenian nodded and with a little smirk said, “Okay then, does he know anything about me?’
“No, but there is a meet set up for tomorrow.”
“Cancel it. Make it for the day after tomorrow. I also need the most recent aerial photos of the Mosque and the apartment complex.”
“I can do that.”
“Two safe houses, a car at each one and an emergency number.”
“That’s been taken care of.”
Fenian gave her the crooked half smile and said, “That should do it. Thank you.”
Fenian got up to walk out, Mona said, “Do you know it means to have that Bible?”
Fenian lowered her chin and tilted her head as if to say, What?
“It means you are the chosen one; the number one female operative. You are not allowed to fail. I’m honored just to know that bible exists. And, ah, I’m honored to know you.”