Convergence

by Brian W Claspell

  “I appreciate your help.” Jim answered politely taking Gretchen’s business card.

  Gretchen walked them to the door. They caught Fritz as he was on the way in. Gretchen had to introduce them. He had dealt with Jenny but never met her. He had never even talked to Jim before. Fritz looked at Jenny. “Good to meet you in person, how are you Jenny?”

  “Good to finally meet the person I speak to so often also. I am doing well. How are you?” Jenny responded.

  “Oh, just fine. The grandchildren are sick but hopefully they will be over that soon.” Fritz indicated.

  “Including Harriet, the baby?” Jenny asked.

  “She was spared. We are glad of that. What can I help you with?”

  “Gretchen helped us, but I am glad to have finally met you in person and that you were able to meet Jim.” Jenny assured Fritz.

  “All right. Come back when you can and we can talk further.” Fritz offered.

  Jenny agreed. They shook hands and thanked Gretchen. Jim expressed his appreciation for the work that Fritz put in on his behalf. “Well, it is my job and I enjoy it very much.” Fritz said with a sense of pride.

  Jim and Jenny were then on their way to the next bank.

  After getting the basic information from Gretchen, he once again left the bank. Instead of going back to his previous engagement he stopped at a park bench and made a phone call reporting the visit of Jim and Jenny to the bank to his contact at the CIA. It was very early in the AM in Maryland, so Frank’s boss thanked Fritz for the information. He decided that Frank might already know this and if he didn’t, it could wait until the morning, morning in Maryland that is.

  Chapter 61 – Palace of Versailles

  The majestic Palace of Versailles is visited by millions every year. King Louis XIV turned it into a royal palace in the 1860’s. It is a cultural center piece on the edge of Paris. The rich history includes being a home to royalty and the place where dignitaries meet to discuss world events including surrender conditions of superpowers. However, before Louis XIV, it started as a small château used for hunting.

  Yuri was once again using this extravagant château to hunt. This time it was primarily a hunt for more information on her past. For this she intended to use the Captain. She disguised herself with a new hair color and clothes that she would not normally wear. She knew that by the end of the conversation, if she was not satisfied with the information provided the Captain would be dead.

  Yuri positioned herself at the end of a long table. There were only two chairs. A glass of water was placed at each end of the table. She faced the main door, one of two exits from the room. She ensured that the one behind her was secured from the inside. She would see the Captain as he walked in. The bronze plate was placed at the opposite end of the table from her. The translation was on top of the plate. These were really insignificant items in her mind. She figured out that the numbers were likely tied to a bank account and the other numbers were coordinates. What they meant was more important to the Captain than to her. All these years she was pretty sure she knew who killed her parents and how they were killed. However, she never knew the “why”. It might not bring her satisfaction but it would complete the picture. The Captain might provide insight into this.

  Yuri sat for almost 45 minutes, then at precisely 10:00 AM the door opened and a tall slender man walked into the door. He looked like he was in his late forties or perhaps even fifty. He did not make his way around the table. It was clear by the set-up that there was no expectation of a formal handshake. But he introduced himself in a clear and distinguished voice. “Hello, I am the Captain.”

  Yuri had intently listened every time she spoke to the Captain and listened to each inflection in his voice. He was clearly American. This voice was clearly American but it was not as raspy as the man she had spoken to. Both voices were experienced, maybe sounding a little “used” or “old” but there was a difference. She was convinced this was not the man on the phone. “You are not the Captain. My agreement was to talk to the Captain, not some carbon knockoff.

  The man sat down. “I am not the man you have been talking to, he works for me. But I am the Captain and I am the one you want to talk to.”

  Yuri was not convinced. However, she sat down anyway. She had mounted a gun under the table and put her finger on the trigger just in case she didn’t like what she heard. “All right, you have my payment in front of you. What do you know about my parents?”

  The man picked up the bronze plate and examined it. Then he picked up the paper. Yuri pulled a second gun and pointed it across the table. “Set the paper down, upside down. You owe me some information first.”

  The man placed the paper upside down and looked across the table. Yuri placed her gun on the table and looked at the man. He spoke. “Stephanie, the first thing you may not know is that the man you knew as your father is not your real father. He married your mother shortly before you were four.”

  “You are lying. I have seen the records.” Yuri said emphatically.

  “It is easy to forge a birth record and the parent’s name. The marriage record you have seen is a duplicate online record. If you go to the actual courthouse you can see the real marriage date.” The Captain replied.

  Gaining her composure, she continued. “Okay, but he was my father. Why was he killed and did Jim Conrad the senior have anything to do with my parent’s death?”

  “Your parents were both spies.” The man explained.

  “I know that.” Yuri said a little impatiently.

  “Yes, but what you do not know.” The man pulled a gun and aimed it at her before she could grab her gun from the table. “What you do not know is that the man you knew as your father was Jim Conrad.”

  As his sentence was finishing a quick and quiet whistling sound could be heard from under the table. The silencer insured that the visitors outside of the room would not be disturbed. And the shot caught the man off guard. He was not able to get off a shot himself. Yuri quickly gathered the plate and the translation. She knew that the man probably would have someone in momentarily. She grabbed her two guns and made her way out the back door.

  Inspector Pierre would now have another random non-Frenchman homicide to investigate.

  Chapter 62 – Amir

  Yuri made her way to a nearby church where she could just clear her mind. Her internal debate was whether she should pursue the information that was on the plate or should go figure out if her parents were married when she was four and if so who was her real father. Might she have a parent she never knew about? As she used her phone to do a little research, she realized where the coordinates that had been translated would lead. It was in the same town where her parents had been married. As she researched the history of the bank at those coordinates she found that it was once the “Des Moines Workers Savings and Loan” or “DMW S&L” for short. The connection between the three letters on her necklace (DMW) and the bank seemed strong. What she would do next was becoming clearer to her. It was not long after this realization that her phone rang. “This is the Captain. You still have something I want.”

  “I gave your other Captain a chance to get it until he pulled a gun on me.” Yuri said with disgust.

  “That was not authorized. He had a personal issue with your step-father.” The Captain explained.

  Yuri knew that this was too well orchestrated. This was the Captain executing his contingency plan in case something went wrong with her execution. She continued. “Maybe so, but the price has increased. I want ten million Euro in cash and additional information. And as a show of good faith I want the answer to one question now.”

  “I can agree to that. But what assurance do I have that you will keep your part of the bargain?” The Captain asked.

  “You don’t have any. But if your information is useful, then I will want to talk to you again.” Yuri teased the Captain.

  “Deal. What is your question?” The Captain asked.

  “Who is my biological father
?” Yuri asked.

  “I know the answer to that. But that is an important piece of information that will get you to come back and talk to me. I will tell you this though, he is already dead.”

  “All right. I will call with arrangements later today. And I better get you and not another knockoff. I won’t talk at all this time unless it is you.”

  Yuri called Amir. ”Amir. I am going to the states. I need you to wait here and help track down the Captain for me.”

  Amir listened intently as she explained her plan to set an appointment with the Captain. He may or may not be the one to attend but when she didn’t show, Amir could follow him and figure out who he really was. Amir could use their entire network of connections in Paris if necessary to track the Captain. She hoped to be back to Paris to deal with the Captain within a couple of days. Amir assured Yuri that he would not let her down.

  Yuri changed her appearance once again and changed her identity. Then she left immediately for the airport.

  Amir picked up the phone. “Hello, do you know who this is?”

  The Captain answered, “Do you have information for me?” Amir explained to the Captain the extent of Yuri’s plan. “Amir, I will need the copy of the translation you made.”

  “She will know that it was from me. You will protect my family?” Amir asked.

  “I am surprised your family is even a concern for you. But yes, we will keep them safe.” The Captain continued. “This is the time. I do not cherish losing the direct connection with Stephanie, but this information is more vital now. It will complicate things a little.”

  Amir understood and made arrangements to get the information to the Captain.

  Chapter 63 – A Small Swiss Bank

  After a brisk walk, Jim and Jenny agreed that they would take a taxi to the bank instead of walking. They did not mind the walk, but the distance was a little unclear and they were anxious to understand this mystery. It only took a few moments to hail a taxi.

  The taxi dropped them in front of what appeared to be a medium size house. Jim and Jenny felt they might just be walking into someone’s front door and not a bank. The driver insisted this was the appropriate address and then finally gave his personal cell phone number in case he had to come back to get them. The yard was nicely manicured and the walkway very picturesque. There were businesses around and a few other structures that looked like houses. This was not downtown Zurich, but it was not residential either. As they reached the front door there was a small brass plate that indicated it was the bank they were looking for. Jim and Jenny were relieved to see that.

  Walking in the door, there was a foyer with a desk in the middle. A staircase led to the next floor. The edge of a kitchen could be seen behind the foyer. There were two private rooms that could be used for consultation and another two that were offices. An older lady behind the desk asked in German, then French, then Italian and finally English if she could help them. She managed to ask in all four languages before she received an answer.

  Jim explained in English, “I have an account I would like to access.”

  She answered in only English. “Let me take you to one of the bankers to assist you.”

  She stood up and led them to one of the offices. A younger gentleman stood from behind a desk and greeted Jim and Jenny. “I am Hans.”

  Jim explained again, “I have an account I would like to access. I am not sure it is mine, but the number was with my family papers and I just want to make sure the rightful owner has the information.”

  Hans assured Jim that the security features would only allow the appropriate person to access the account and that he might not be able to provide information on the account if it did not belong to him. He then asked for the name and account number. Jim provided his own name, not knowing what other name he should give, and the account number. Hans perked up immediately. “James Conrad, it is my privilege to meet you. I will need to verify who you are first. I hope you understand.”

  Jenny asked first. “The account belongs to Jim?”

  “The account is Jim Conrad’s account and that is the appropriate number. As I said, we will need to verify that you are the Jim Conrad that owns this account.” Hans explained.

  Jim and Jenny were both surprised the account was in his name but just decided to play along. Jim said as he started to reach for his passport. “Sure, I have my passport. What else do you need?”

  “Per our policy, I will need to check you DNA.” Hans interjected.

  Jim looked confused and was a little worried. “You can validate who I am by calling my banker over at USB. I am sure he would come over here if needed.”

  “It will not take long. I already have sent a message to have a nurse come over. She will be here shortly. Do not worry; this is standard practice for the first time you come into the bank in person and subject to spot checking after that. We have been doing this since the early 1980’s.” Hans tried to be reassuring but even he could tell Jim was nervous. “It is a simple needle prick, perfectly safe. We used very advanced techniques that provide quick results.”

  Jenny looked at the banker, “I am his business manager and I do not recall Jim ever giving a DNA sample.”

  “I can look it up while we wait. We keep pretty good records.” Hans typed on the computer and turned the monitor so that Jim and Jenny could also see. “We even have a video of getting the DNA from you. I remember hearing about this. Perhaps you do not like needles so they took the DNA while you were already out? If we need a more extensive medical team I can arrange that.”

  Jim stood dumbfounded as he watched a nurse take several DNA samples from his hair, mouth, skin and blood as he lay unconscious. Jenny asked Hans to step out for a moment so she could talk to Jim. Hans agreed. They needed to wait for the nurse anyway.

  “Jim, what is this? I don’t recall this ever happening and I was in on the planning of this for over a year. Your name didn’t come up until just about two weeks ago as playing this role.”

  “Jenny, this is footage from when I had my appendix out over five years ago. This is several years before my wife and kids died. My second child was not even born when I had my appendix out. I don’t understand.”

  Jenny continued. “It means that the DNA will match. But it also means that this was the operation all along and I did not know it.”

  They motioned for Hans to come back into the room. Jim started, “I was a little queasy but am fine now.” Hans was not sure what “queasy” meant but understood “fine now”.

  While waiting for the nurse, Jenny continued to ask questions– a little surer they would pass the DNA test but a lot less sure of why they would pass. “So, when do you take the DNA sample? I mean how did you make sure Jim was Jim when you took the sample?”

  “I cannot answer that directly for Jim until we have completed the validation. I hope you understand, we try to protect our clients in every way.” Hans explained.

  “I understand, but in general how do you do it.” Jenny asked.

  “It is the beauty of the DNA test now. We give one when the account is opened and then we have a true lineage of the owner. If someone gets an account number through fraud or deceit, the account integrity is protected by matching the DNA to the account. If an owner forgets his or her account number then the DNA is the best proof of ownership. It also helps on survivorship of an account. Of course, legal documents can trump this sometimes, but according to the account when opened there is a clear line of succession. If it is by ‘bloodline’ which is almost always the case after a spouse then this ensures no fraud.” Hans seemed pleased with the measures as he explained them.

  “Okay, but what about accounts opened before the 1980’s.” Jenny pressed.

  “We had to do extensive work to collect everyone’s DNA at the time. The science was still new and there were skeptics at first. But getting the DNA that early provided the integrity we needed. We still have a few accounts not converted to the DNA standard, but that is a very low percentage
even with the few clientele we maintain.”

  It was enough information for now, but there still was not a connection that could be made. Jim certainly had not opened an account and it seemed unlikely that Jim could have been part of a plan 5 years earlier. Yet, somehow he was. Jenny kept it to small talk until the nurse arrived.

  It took less than 15 minutes to validate that the Jim Conrad standing in the room was indeed the authentic account holder. He was present in person, had a valid passport, knew the account number and passed the DNA test. Hans had now met the account holder of one of the most prestige’s accounts at the bank.

  Hans invited them into one of the conference rooms. There were a few computers and a large flat screen TV that could display information on the screen from the computer. “Per the account instructions, we have managed your account and sent updates to the prescribed email account. You understand that you have one primary account with us, but we manage an entire portfolio that includes other accounts around the world.”

  “That makes sense.” Jim interjected not really knowing what to say or even what to expect.

  “Would you like to review your assets, Jim?” Hans continued.

  Jim was a little excited, even though he knew the money wasn’t really his. He had always dreamed of being a multi-millionaire. He kind of got that when he took on the persona of Jim Conrad, but this bank believed that was who he really was and would probably write him a check if he asked for it. “Yes, let’s see the summary.”

  The screen filled with an historical chart that went back to the mid 1980’s. It trended up considerably over the years. There was a small ledger that listed cash assets, business assets, assets held at other institutions and liabilities on the left side of the screen. Jim looked, “That is a lot of dollars.” Jim exclaimed.