Convergence

by Brian W Claspell

  After his meal, he made his way to the bar to pass the time a little while longer before heading back to the hotel. He had all but given up on the Englishman making it. He was staying in a local hotel, pricy for the location and not as clean as he would have wanted. However, it wasn’t the low end and nowhere near the high end. In the middle there were a lot more and that made it a lot harder to trace someone.

  As he sat at the bar in the restaurant and watched the French news, he saw the news about the Chunnel being backed up. He couldn’t understand the words but could make out the story with the pictures on the screen. He guessed that Sir Arthur was somehow among those caught in the Chunnel. It was a guess, but figured he could give him until morning.

  He ignored calls and text messages all day. He did not have a lot. As he glanced back through he saw the one from Ricardo and decided to respond.

  Chapter 30 – Ricardo in Style

  Ricardo arrived in Paris on a personal jet. It stopped in New York to refuel, but then made the rest of the journey all the way to Paris. Ricardo liked living in luxury. That was a legacy from his father that he intended to keep. His father had many connections in South America, Mexico, Cuba and the States. Ricardo had these, but as he shifted his family business to a less violent business he established many more contacts in Europe and Asia. He even did a little business with a few rich Arabs on occasion. His clientele, unlike his father’s associates, were often not criminals–just people looking for unique items or skills.

  However, many of his contacts that procured these “unique” items were a bit shadier. Some were violent, some just devious and others downright evil.

  He intentionally avoided conducting business while traveling. It was his time to relax, reflect and sometimes even fly his personal jet. When he got off the plane he had several text messages and a few voice mails. Several contacts had described what they might be able to get, but only a couple already had something in hand. Three of the texts were of most interest to him.

  The first read “RM, one of my clients has something very unique and is looking for bidders. This is a very trusted source– recommend you put your name on list. Steve.”

  The second was “RM, I might have something unique and want to get rid of. Meeting a contact, if he is not interested let’s talk. Dragos.”

  The final text simple read, “Daddy, your granddaughter took her first step today. Havoc in the house. Lots of Love. Mary.”

  Mary was his daughter, the oldest of his three children. From an early age she was the apple of his eye. She was raised in the states and she attended a public school in Chicago where his family lived. His father liked living in the town of Al Capone and fancied himself the “Al Capone” of the modern age. His dream was to build a crime syndicate that had the power, influence and ability to avoid the law as the crime families of the early gangster period. Ricardo was one of three brothers that were to inherit this “kingdom”.

  His brothers were killed before his parents died and he inherited the whole network when his family was still young. He was asked by his daughter to come to a career day at school and talk about his career. He was with a panel of parents and was asked about what he did by one of the children he simply responded “I’m an art dealer”.

  An inconsequential teacher that was probably just out of college said on his way out with his daughter there “It is so good to have a Hispanic example like you in the community. Helps get rid of those terrible stereotypes.”

  He started to dismantle his drug empire the next day and decided to go into the art business. He never left the crime business, but certainly changed the nature of his crimes. By the time Mary was a teenager, she had figured out her father’s new and old profession. She became “born again” as a Baptist and never let her father forget that she was a proud Hispanic that would not take anything from the crime syndicate.

  He found a way to get her a scholarship that she never knew came from him and she married a wonderful man who was an architect. He made a decent living. But Mary loved her father and he loved her. There was no animosity between them, just different lives. At times, he would trade it all in to follow her example. But he lived a lifestyle that would be hard to maintain and had two sons that would want the family business one day. He never felt he could just walk away from this.

  He texted her back, “Take some video and give to your mother. I am traveling now and am anxious to see my little pumpkin. Grampie”

  He sent a few more text and messages. Then he got to Steve. Ricardo’s response was, “Put my name on the list. Can I see a photo? Place picture in the usual place.” Ricardo had a bulletin board set up on the internet where he exchanged photos and information. It was cryptic enough that it would be nearly impossible to trace and even if it were traced, no specific information was shared. For example, one time a client wanted a rare sculpture from the early Bronze Age. A source had “procured one from a private collector in Spain”. This private collector had his collection displayed on a web page. The bulletin board simply referenced several pieces of fine bronze art work and that this one fine piece had been recently stolen. There was no other reference but it was enough for Ricardo to have a picture to share. The sale netted Ricardo several hundred thousand US dollars in royalties.

  Finally, his text to Dragos; “If buyer falls through I am in Europe and can meet. Hey - would be willing to look and maybe bid even if buyer doesn’t fall though. RM.” It was a soft peddle, but he felt some anxiousness in Dragos’ tone in the text and looked for an advantage in bargaining for something on the cheap. He thought, if it were cheap enough maybe he could just throw it into the mix for free for Jim and prepare him for something bigger.

  Ricardo turned his phone off and entered an out of the way restaurant where the food was delicious. It would be him and one other gentleman alone in the restaurant. He had some final arrangements to be made before the next day. He slipped into the restaurant and the older man was already waiting at a table with a bottle of wine open and two glasses. Ricardo contemplated winning Jim Conrad’s business and more importantly his trust. Things were beginning to be fall into place.

  Chapter 31 – ANOTHER Evening in Paris

  The walk to the Eiffel Tower was short and the conversation was limited to the city and the sights that neither had really experienced. Even late in the evening there was a line to get on the elevator up the tower. It took a little over an hour to reach the top of this 1,063 foot structure. They spent the time going up the elevator trying to name as many movies as they could that featured the Eiffel Tower. Jim won by two or three. They could never quite figure out if Casablanca just referenced Paris or actually showed a scene with the Eiffel Tower.

  The view from the Eiffel Tower was breath taking. On a clear day it is said that one can see for nearly 45 miles. Of course at night the vision is somewhat limited. However, even this was breath taking with many of the more popular sights lit in the Paris evening. Easily seen were the Musee de Louvre and the Dome Church. They also were able to spot Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur and the Arc de’Triomphe.

  Jenny looked at Jim, “I want to see them all.”

  Jim thought for a moment and suggested. “You know that they are closed. Perhaps we can start to see some of them tomorrow–would be good for someone as interested as me in art and ancient manuscripts to visit some of the locations around Paris. We may need to stay a few weeks.”

  Jenny smiled, “I like the way you think, but you know my skills do not limit us to just the posted hours of these locations.”

  Jim understood and hoped she was just kidding. On the way down the elevator, Jim pondered his journey over the last year and how hard life had been. He glanced at Jenny as she continued to look out over the city as they descended and the breadth of the city became less visible. Perhaps it was just the dim light, but Jim felt that Jenny was a bit more relaxed and more like a real person– even if just for a moment. Then he realized that he had not felt this real since his wife died. This made hi
m feel a bit guilty, he almost felt as though he should not enjoy life without her.

  As they walked off the elevator Jenny observed his solemn postures and said, “Is this whole adventure making you uncomfortable. I mean we are asking a lot of you in this thing.”

  Jim saw real empathy. He looked past the elusive spy into her real character. “No. This is kind of exciting. It beats accounting anyway.”

  As they walked to the subway to catch a train to the Arc de-Triomphe, Jenny delved deeper. “Are you thinking of your family?”

  Jim didn’t say anything for a minute. Then he walked to a bench and sat down. Jenny sat on a bench that set perpendicular to him so she could face him and listen. She wasn’t good at listening and caring–it had been about misdirection and cons since she was out of college and into the CIA. But this was not a con–this was a man’s life.

  “I got a call. I don’t know how to say this. I got a call at work on a Tuesday. It is something you never forget–you know, like where you were when the towers came down on 9-11 only a lot more painful. I suppose it is the same pain that was felt by those who had loved ones in the twin towers. I never really thought of it that way until later. I mean I was working a normal day and in a meeting arguing about how IT couldn’t get the system up when I got the call.”

  Jim sat for a few more minutes holding back tears and not really knowing what to say. He started with the appropriate, the truth. “My wife, she was my life. And my two kids, they were my life.” He paused to maintain composure. He knew that he couldn’t lose it, not as Jim Conrad and he was never quite sure who might be watching. Jim continued. “So when the state police called and said my wife was in an accident and I needed to come to the hospital right away, I thought she might be okay or seriously injured.”

  Jenny was a little taken back. “I read your file. They had you come to the hospital?”

  “I know. The craziest things bother me now. The simple things bother me. All the way to the hospital I am trying to call neighbors to get the older kid, my son, from the bus. The younger one wasn’t in school, too young. I am wondering, they didn’t say anything about her. Was she hurt also or is that why they were having me come to the hospital, to get her. Then I had the thought that she is hurt and my wife was okay. But then my wife would be calling me and not the police. I am struggling with remembering neighbor’s names and don’t have any numbers so I finally just call our preacher and ask him to wait for my son. Which he agrees to do . . .”

  “But . . .” Jenny starts to jump in and then decides that she just needs to let Jim continue. Her instincts tell her to look around and make sure no one is watching or listening that might blow their cover. She determines that they are not being watched at this time. “I am sorry, Jim, please continue.”

  Jim started as though he hadn’t even taken a breath. “I am making so many calls that I almost wreck. I missed a few incoming ones but decided that they could wait. Well, I get to the hospital that they said and the emergency room has no record of my wife or child being checked in. Then she searches the entire hospital records and finds my wife’s appointment and that she had completed it.”

  “I don’t understand, your wife was in the hospital and then checked out.” Jenny wasn’t clear on the whole story. In her briefing it was simply the facts and this didn’t quite fit with all of the facts.

  “She had an ultrasound. She was two months pregnant. We hadn’t told anyone yet.” Jim explained.

  “Jenny’s face lost expression, “Oh my God.”

  “I was going to be a father again. And the realization hit me. She had taken my son with her because he wanted to see his little brother. He was convinced it was a boy. She had the whole family. My phone rang again about this time and it was the state police. He must have seen me answer the phone because he was standing near the emergency room entrance and made his way over as I picked up.”

  “So why the emergency room?” Jenny asked still a little perplexed.

  “They had never told me the emergency room. My wife was hit by a truck just a few blocks from the hospital. The state police officer had tried to explain it to me, but I only heard pieces and had not understood. They wanted me at the scene. The van had exploded and killed my wife and children instantly. There were only burnt remains–it was hard to even have a proper funeral.”

  Jim wiped the tears from his face, “Just what you want on your first night in Paris – a grown man crying.”

  “Jim, that is terrible. It must have been devastating.” Jenny was genuinely concerned.

  “I lost everything on that day. The stupid driver of the truck had stolen the truck and he was burned right along with my family. So there was not even anyone to blame. I took about one week off of work and then went back. Nothing has been the same since. I wake up every day not caring if I make it to the end of the day – but somehow I always do.” Jim pondered the reality of his situation and how desperate his life really was. The adventure he was on had been a slight distraction, but reality awaited him in a couple of weeks when he returned to his life.

  Jenny wondered if that is why he was so willing to take on this assignment. However, she decided that was a question she should not ask him. They ended the evening at a quiet little restaurant near the Arc de’Triomphe and then headed back to the hotel.

  They agreed that somehow they would convince Frank that they should stay in the city for a while. Then they could both see some of the sights. In any case, they would see the Louvre in the morning when they met Ricardo.

  Jenny decided she wouldn’t offer another evening with him, but she would have easily allowed him in the bed if he asked her.

  Chapter 32 – Sir Arthur Arrives in Paris

  Sir Arthur had a lot of time to ponder life and the murder of his wife while trapped in the tunnel. He slept much of the time. He must have talked himself into and out of going to Paris about a hundred times while waiting. By the time he emerged from the tunnel it was still light outside and he had favored seeing where meeting Dragos would lead him. He felt somehow the events of the plates and the death of his wife were connected but he had no idea how. A second motivation for moving forward would be that he could avoid the condolences and concern of others. This alone might have been enough. He did not want to listen to how others had empathy for him. If he couldn’t get his wife back, he just wanted to be sad by himself for a while.

  The remainder of the trip took longer than necessary but was relatively uneventful.

  Dragos was already asleep when the phone rang. Sir Arthur, the professor let him know that he was in Paris and would meet him tomorrow. Dragos felt re-assured that he would somehow be able to live through this and hopefully return back to Transylvania to his normal life.

  Chapter 33 – Early Morning Egypt

  Amir knocked on Yuri’s door. Yuri had anticipated this and she was ready before he got there. Ready for Yuri meant, even though she was expecting Amir, that she was fully dressed, armed with a weapon and in her mind had at least three escape routes if needed. Amir, who may have known Yuri better than anyone, wondered how Yuri always seemed to be ready for anything. It was a gift that had kept her and him alive on many occasions before.

  He stepped into her room with a backpack. “Were you followed?” she asked instinctively. She always asked, even after 15 years of working with Amir she still asked.

  “No, of course not. The KGB scum is at the hotel down the road. He won’t leave until the plate is verified.” Amir answered as he shut the door.

  “Did you threaten him?” Yuri always liked how Amir was extremely straight forward in his communications. He seldom left anything to guess or wonder about. Yuri could always trust that a mission spearheaded by Amir would not go wrong because someone did not understand what was expected.

  “I just told him he wouldn’t get the rest of the money until we were sure this was the bronze plate we needed. After about 5 minutes of him rambling about this being the only plate and he followed it all the way fr
om his motherland I just left. He is probably still babbling in Russian or whatever dialect he used to curse me out.” Amir concluded.

  “I have never liked dealing with the ex-KGB, but they are effective.” Yuri pulled the plate out and looked over it. It was plain and incased in some kind of wood backing that had been sealed with wax. Yuri spoke and read many languages but she had never seen anything like the writing on this plate. She thought that is probably why they needed a professor–somebody who could read this darn thing. “Amir, you will take care of this personally tomorrow. I will go with you, but you will take the lead. I want to make sure this goes exactly how we want it to.”

  Amir was shocked. He had never seen Yuri personally involved before. “Yes, but why not the usual layers? I mean, you are never this close to a sting, usually we add a couple more layers.” Amir didn’t really expect an answer, Yuri seldom explained herself to anyone. However, he was hardly ever in the middle of the action. He had people who did that and sometimes people who had people to do that. It was harder to trace and effectively shielded Yuri and him from any scrutiny from law or others.

  “Amir, this one is personal to me.” Amir looked inquisitorially at Yuri. Amir thought that nothing was ever personal for Yuri– not since he had started to work for her. Yuri caught herself, “besides this is my last job and the pay is good. Your cut will be quite handsome. It will be a good start for your retirement or your next adventure.”

  Amir already knew that Yuri was nearing retirement, so this came as no surprise. He had also amassed enough wealth to keep him and his family comfortable for the rest of their lives. He left the room assuring Yuri he would return in the morning for the plate to take to the professor.