When Frank returned to the room he told Jim, “Jenny is just frustrated we didn’t clue her in on the plan. She knows it’s the right thing to do. She will get over it and be back.”
Jim figured he was probably right. He figured Frank knew Jenny better than he did and things would be fine. He decided to read through the paper.
Jenny was mad but her thinking was clear. The threat to Jim’s life was minimal but still real. She knew his fate if something were to happen. The local paper would report of a man in a recent traffic accident had died while in a coma. Jenny was determined that Jim would not suffer such a mundane fate. She decided that she would ensure that there was a record of the sacrifice he would make for his country. He may have signed up for this operation but he didn’t sign up for the service as a career. If necessary, he would be remembered for his service to the country and not shuffled under some bureaucrat’s desk as though it never happened.
Once she was sure she was not being followed she stopped at an ATM and took out several thousand dollars. She then made her way to another bank and opened a safety deposit box where she placed the money and Jim’s wallet that contained his real credit cards and driver’s license and a brief note. She had the banking attendant notarize and date her note.
Even though she was nearly absolutely sure it would never be needed, she had created her own little insurance policy for Jim. With her mind clear and her little policy in place, Jenny started back for the hotel.
Jim was reading a quip in the gossip section about the mayor and his dinner at an “exclusive downtown hotel restaurant” when he heard the cell phone on the coffee table vibrate. The ringer was not on and Jenny was still out. He instinctively picked it up and answered. He regretted it as soon as he touched the talk button, but by then it was too late. He knew that this was beyond protocol and both Frank and Jenny would not be thrilled. He also realized that hanging up at this point would probably only make the situation worse.
So he answered, “Hello, this is Jim.”
“Jim, I thought this was Jenny’s cell phone.”
Jim immediately recognized Ric’s voice on the phone. “This is her phone. She is occupied at the moment but I figured it was you calling.”
“And I suppose you know why I am calling too.” Ricardo added.
Jim thought he should at least guess at this. He was supposed to be brilliant and a great judge of people. He also figured there was only one reason Ric would call this early, he must have something already. “Ric, we selected you because we know you know how to get things done. You have found something for me.”
“I have.” Ric knew it was a good guess but he was really impressed Jim would even venture the obvious guess instead of just being illusive. “You are going to France this morning?”
“Yes we are.” Jim admitted.
“Good, then meet me at the Louvre when it opens tomorrow morning. I think you will be pleased.” Ricardo said in a confident and sure voice.
“I am looking forward to it.” Jim hung up the phone just as Jenny came back in the room. She saw him setting down the phone, “You didn’t make a call did you?”
Sheepishly Jim looked up, “Uh no, I uh just answered one call.”
“You answered my phone.” Under threat of life and an undercover assignment over the last day, this is the first time he had seen her uneasy with him. Even when she had it out with Frank, she seemed controlled and deliberate. “And who did you talk to?”
“I just made arrangements for us to meet Ricardo at the Louvre tomorrow morning.” Jim proclaimed.
“Us?!”
Chapter 20 – Bucky
When Bucky finally walked in, Dragos had already pulled himself from the computer and was just reading a book. It was a dated text book from the communist rule period. The views were very contrived and directed at directing thought instead of opening the mind. Dragos was at least trying to stay interested since Bucky’s office was filled with academic books and trade publications. There was no real literature that was for purely mind numbing amusement. Dragos could have used something lighter than an academic library after his night.
Bucky was a taller, very athletic looking man. He had received his nickname because he was from Bucharest (it seemed close to Bucky) and the fact that he went to the University of Ohio for his masters and doctorate degrees and was a “Buckeye” by affiliation. With those two references, he got the nickname early and now nearly everyone calls him Bucky, including his wife.
His wife was almost an arranged marriage. He married the daughter of a senior communist party member just before the fall of communism in Romania. He was a rare person that had been allowed to go to the United States to study and then return to his home country. He had always been a nationalist that loved his country. And even though he did not speak out publicly about politics, he favored the free enterprise system as opposed to the rigid communist regime.
He was surprised to find his old friend Dragos in his office. They went to undergraduate university in Bucharest together. Happened to be roommates and Dragos had helped Bucky with a research paper on the history of Romania. It was a positive piece on the whole history and also spoke positively of the regime in power at the time. The paper got international acclaim and earned Bucky a scholarship to Ohio State.
Dragos had taken Bucky to his secluded castle which had more history in it than any museum in all of Romania. Dragos’ father was furious. Bucky agreed to keep it secret and also told Dragos that he would like to see most of the items in a museum. Under the regime at the time it was more likely it would have been distributed between elites and never seen by the common people.
Bucky has put more pressure on Dragos to turn the artifacts and other items over to the museums in the country since the fall of communism, but Dragos holds out. It is a slight bone of contention but has not hindered their long standing friendship.
“To what do I owe this privilege?” Bucky asked his friend as he walked in the door and sat on his chair.
Dragos was across a small table from Bucky. Dragos didn’t say a word. He placed the backpack on the table and slowly pulled out the first tablet and then the second tablet.
“What is this?” Bucky asked as he eyed the curious bronze plates.
After getting the full story, Bucky was a little intrigued by the prospects of what these plates might be. However, he was not the adventurous type. “Dragos, these are poison. You should get rid of them as soon as possible. They have blood on them; recent blood and it could be yours soon if you aren’t careful.”
Dragos was frustrated; He had hoped his friend would have better advices. “You think I should just wait for the Russian and say ‘here you go’?”
“Dragos, I would not even be on the long list to try to figure out what these are. They aren’t Romanian so I don’t have an interest in getting you to turn them over to a museum, at least not one of our museums. Maybe you should just call a museum . . .” He caught himself in mid thought. He didn’t know which museum to call. They came out of Russia. However, from the description that Dragos had they could be Egyptian or Israeli. Picking the wrong one there could be a bad idea in and of itself. “What about the professor that you mentioned, the one that the Russian Professor had emailed?”
“Yes, Sir Arthur Borden.”
Bucky pulled up a directory of scholars that he thought might have the contact information for Arthur Borden. He surmised the Professor Borden was British based on his title. He found a home phone and an office phone, no cell phone number was provided. They rang the office number hoping they would catch him in the office.
Chapter 21 – The Professors Connect
Arthur still set dazed but focused enough to contemplate what he should do next. The death of his wife had still only barely sunk in. The realization that he might have been the target still seemed farfetched, but plausible. After much deliberation, he decided that his best course of action was to seek help from the authorities. He had nearly resigned himself to
this conclusion when the phone rang.
He anticipated that the office secretary would pick up the phone until he realized he had not even told her he was in. He glanced at the caller ID hoping that it was the police. It was not. The readout was “Romania +40”. “Who in the world?” He thought to himself.
He answered the phone, disguising his voice a little and said “Hello”.
In clear American English with a distinct Slovak accent the voice on the other end of the line said, “This is Professor Bucky Christianson from the University of Bucharest. I am with a friend of mine Dragos Sabir. How are you Professor Borden?” Bucky had not even considered that it wasn’t the professor. He had the speaker phone on so that Sabir could hear the conversation also.
“Do I know you?” Sir Arthur asked with a bit of skepticism.
“No, but I am calling about a matter I believe that you became aware of a day or two ago.” Bucky responded.
Arthur was not really ready to talk, but he had the politeness of an Englishman and the directness of an American. “It really is not a good time, perhaps in a few days.”
“A few days may not be good, you see we have come across some bronze plates . . .”
Arthur had to cut in, his mind now racing. They didn’t say they knew about the plates but that they came across the plates. He also noted that there was more than one, the Russian’s pictures and text had not really indicated that. “Have you seen these plates?” He quickly responded.
“We have seen them and have them in our possession.” Bucky knew he had him hooked. He knew that Professor Borden at least knew of the plates and had an interest in them. “Shall we bring them to you?” Bucky knew that however they handed the plates over to Sir Arthur it had to be somewhat public so that they trail would shift from them to Sir Arthur. Besides, if it were public then the danger might become less. He envisioned an official handoff in Oxford from the Romanians to the British.
“Here is not good, I am planning travel to mainland of Europe today and can come your way as my first stop.” He was now thinking and acting on the spur of the moment. He had unwittingly decided against going to the police until after he got the plates in his hands. And he did not feel safe anywhere near his familiar settings.
Of course, Bucky feared that the Russian would catch up with them long before Sir Arthur made it to Bucharest. “Perhaps we can meet you at your original travel location?”
“I will be in Paris later this evening.” It was a lie, but it was the quickest place he could think to go where he could “get lost” for a few days.
Sir Arthur lied again when he told them he didn’t have a cell phone. He took Dragos’ number down and told them he would call to meet for dinner on the next night in Paris. As he hung up, it occurred to him that perhaps they were the people doing the killing. He checked the directory for the University of Bucharest and found a Savor Christianson. He called the switchboard and asked if Savor Christianson was in the office. The lady on the other end of the line said in broken English. “Bucky, yes–would you like me to connect.”
“No thanks.”
Chapter 22 – To the Airport
The morning chill had worn off as Jim made his way to the limo with Jenny. He was carrying only the small metal brief case as the door was opened. Jenny climbed in and Jim was right behind her.
They could see Frank and Trevor get into a black SUV across the street. “Seems a bit stereotypic, the black SUV,” Jim said as he picked up the Wall Street Journal that had been neatly folded and laid out for him. He noticed a pre-poured glass of juice and it occurred to him that it was still morning, even if it were late morning.
“Well I suppose, but they have to drive something and all of the big white Fords and Chevy’s were already taken by the Chicago PD.”
Jim could see Frank texting on his phone. He figured that it was an update to Langley or a note to his wife–if he was married.
Frank was simply sending a text to his superiors, “We have Jim on board. The operation is a go.” Frank got a text back a few minutes later, “The operation was already a go.”
As the limo pulled away from the curb Jenny said, “Okay, it is safe to talk in here. The driver is CIA and the car was swept.” Jenny figured that Jim had lots of questions about the operations and that they might not have a chance to step out of character for a long while once they left the limo.
Jim seized on the opportunity, “Are you married?”
It was not the question she was expecting and certainly wasn’t what she thought would be top of mind. “Jim Conrad, are you going to hit on me now?”
Jim never liked the non-answers when they came from someone else. “I do not think you answered my question. Are
you married? I mean if we are going to work together for a while it would be nice to know a little bit about you.”
Jenny was about to give another coy remark but instead decided to try to change the subject by giving him the 30 second life story with no details. “I am not married, never have been. I am glad that I am not in my home where I grew up – nice home and nice family but very ho hum. I left home for a scholarship to the east coast. Then I went into West Point on a special scholarship for the last two years of college. From there I went directly into the CIA for immediate work in the field. Trained by some of the best on missions I cannot talk about. Then, finally my life’s dream, I took this assignment to meet you.” She ended with a bit of sarcasm.
“Are you trying to pick me up now?” Jim said playfully back.
“I already know that you are mine for the next two weeks, even if you do sleep on the couch.” Jenny said with a slight grin.
They both had a chuckle and talked for a few more minutes until Jenny got serious. “Jim, we are only a few minutes from the airport. Do you have any questions? After we get out of this limo it may not be safe to talk freely for a long time.”
Jim thought for a moment. Then he spoke, “Can I get a gun and learn how to use it? Can you show me?”
“OK.” Jenny pulled a gun from her purse and looked at Jim. “My Glock, here is the safety. You can turn on the safety by hitting this and pulling out the clip.” She pulled a bullet from the clip explaining how you would load it if needed. She then added a few comments about safety. “Then you aim and shoot. The bullet goes in the direction of the barrel, so don’t aim it at anything you don’t want to shoot.” She continued, “Especially me.”
“So can I get one?” Jim asked anxiously. He was not a gun user, but figured that being a spy (albeit for two weeks) he should carry his own gun.
“We will figure that out in Paris. It wouldn’t do well for you through security at the airport anyway. Anything else?” She was all business now. She had had a little fun but knew that time was short.
“What exactly do you want me to do when we meet Ric?” Jim asked.
“You are a natural at this. Just remember that we are waiting to meet criminals. He knows them and that is why we are getting to know him. Have an interest in what he offers but always take time to think about it and get back to him. You may be a billionaire, but the project has a budget and we are only going to buy certain things. Buying everything would make it appear as though you were overly anxious. That might draw suspicion and would at least hurt your persona.” Jenny looked in the mirror to make sure she looked her best and then adjusted Jim’s shirt and fixed his hair so that it was not out of place.
“I have a persona?” Jim asked.
Jenny laughed. “I didn’t give it to you but I will have to live with it.” The limo pulled to the curb at the airport. “I will teach you a few self-defensive moves tonight at the hotel just in case you need them. We should be able to go through some basics fairly quickly.”
“Sounds fun,” Jim responded. With that the door opened and Jenny stepped out. Jim followed. Jenny took his arm and they headed into the airport to catch their flight to Paris.
Chapter 23 – Bucky’s Last Gift
Bucky remarked on the slig
ht color changes on the plate with the blood. He suggested that Dragos go to the lab and clean it off. “I want to photograph the plates. I will take pictures of this one while you clean that one.”
Dragos knew the lab and he was an expert at cleaning artifacts carefully as to not affect the condition. Most people know that cleaning a car before selling often brought a slightly better price. Dragos understood this about cars and artifacts. Most of the cleaning he had done was to increase value as opposed to protecting an artifact out of a duty to preserve history.
Dragos was off to the lab and left Bucky with the clean plate.
It was only a moment later that Bucky glanced up to see a man in a long coat with a fur collar. He shut the door as he pulled a gun and pointed it at Bucky. It had a silencer attached. In broken English the man said, “You have the plate I see.”
In a flash, Bucky realized the man may not know of the second plate. “Yes, you can have it.”
“And where is this Dragos Sabir?” The Russian asked in a calm voice.
Bucky hoped his friend Dragos would not return and that the Russian would take the plate and leave. “He, he wanted nothing to do with the plate. He gave it to me to put in the museum. But you take it. It is not even Romanian.”
“I will.” With that, the gun went off and Bucky lunged back in the chair and then slouched forward with a bullet to the center of the head.
He took a moment to text a message in Russian. “Yuri, I have the item. I will provide at the pre-agreed to location.” He then left.
Dragos stopped at the restroom on the way back. He realized he had gone all night and well into the day without a break and without much to eat. He was feeling a little relaxed, but still anxious about the situation. He returned to Bucky’s office with the cleaned bronze plate. Opening the door he saw his friend slouched over. There were a few blood splatters. He was not going to stick around to see if the second bronze plate needed cleaned. He grabbed a green bag from Bucky’s office to stash the plate in and then left immediately, taking a taxi to the airport to find a way to Paris.
Convergence Page 6