by D. E. Daum
Being the fun-loving, freewheeling woman she was, Jane was upset. “That is truly awful. Do you think you could turn her?”
“I doubt it. Her Nazi beliefs are deeply ingrained. She thinks they’re going to save the world. I guess blowing up three atom bombs is going to help save the world.”
“Tell me what else you found out?”
“We’re going to a castle somewhere in Bavaria. I think she said Hitler’s old headquarters.”
“That could be one of several. Did she mention a name?”
“It began with an ‘A’ is all I—”
“Adlerhorst,” Jane interrupted. “I know where it is. When are you going and how are you getting there?”
“A week from Friday. We’re taking a private jet. Are you sure you know where it is? I’m a little wary.”
She gave him a reassuring smile and proceeded to tell him that Mariam would not be ready in time for the trip. He should insist upon taking his secretary, Rayya, since he planned to work on the trip. They would need a computer connection for their laptops. Then she proceeded to say that she would be Rayya if makeup people could make her look enough like Rayya.
“Are you nuts?” exclaimed an incredulous Kelly. “Rayya has brown eyes and olive skin. You have green eyes and are light skinned, with freckles no less, plus Valerie has seen Rayya, at least two times that I know of. Then there’s your voice? What are you going to do about that?”
“Kelly, I’ve done stuff like this before. I’m the best, remember? We’ll try it. If I can’t pull it off, Rayya will go and I’ll back you up outside. In the meantime, I’ve got to get going. I need to take Rayya’s place at the office, in case Valerie comes back. Then she can start to get used to me as Rayya.”
“What if they don’t let Rayya go either?”
“Insist on it. Say you have too much going not to make it a working trip. That way we can keep her out of your bed over there.” She gave a self-assured nod. “They’ll let you bring me.”
“You’ll have to cut your hair.”
“I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. In fact, I wouldn’t let you go except we need to get the two extra nukes off the board.” She grabbed Kelly’s face and gave him a big kiss. “I can smell that woman on you. Anyway, I need to run.” Before Kelly could respond, she was gone.
Chapter 8
The next day when Kelly got to The Hand, Rayya was not there. He was enjoying a cup of coffee when he began to feel sad. He missed Mariam and felt guilt for what had happened yesterday. Especially with Valerie. With Jane, he had a history, and although she didn’t say it, he thought Mariam probably expected the occasional infidelity with Jane. Valerie was different. Still it was part of his job. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, Mariam might have to do something similar someday, Jane too. He knew Jane was a tough broad, but Mariam was a fledgling when it came to sex. If she had to, he hoped he could be as tolerant with her as she had been with him.
Kelly’s direct line rang, jolting him out of his thoughts. It was Rayya, telling him something had come up and she would be late.
Kelly got back to work. After a few minutes, the phone rang again. This time it was Valerie. She sounded like she was glowing. She said she was so horny after he left that she had sex with his memory four more times. Kelly wasn’t sure what she meant, but said, “I had a fantastic time, too.”
“Could you come by for a cocktail later in this afternoon?”
“I’m sorry, Valerie, but I’m busier than a five-dollar hooker at a porno convention.” What a lousy expression to use on somebody who’s trying to get me in bed.
Valerie roared with laughter. “Where do you get these American expressions? Does your wife know you talk like that?”
“My wife and I met at school in America. And, yes, she knows. She may not like it, but she’s a liberated, understanding woman, which brings me to a couple points. I am happily married, and I don’t fool around. You are truly a beautiful, exciting woman and yesterday was sinfully wonderful. I will always remember and cherish it, but it was a mistake.”
Valerie laughed. “Why, Saleem, are you dumping me?” Before Kelly could answer, she continued, “Well, don’t worry about it, I was never after a long term relationship. I’m too jaded. How’s that American expression go? Ah yes, too much water has passed under my bridge.”
Now Kelly interrupted. “I thought I was the first one you ever choose to be with?”
“Ya, ya, das ist true, but I was never after you. Saleem, you are the most attractive man I have ever met, but we live in two different worlds. I wanted to have a fling with you. Now, what was the other point you had?”
“What?” Kelly was a little surprised that she was using him as much as he was using her. “Oh yes, my wife won’t be going, but I will be bringing my secretary so I can make it a working weekend. We will need internet connections for our laptop computers and, of course, Haman, my bodyguard, will be going, also.”
“I don’t know if you can bring them with you. I will have to check.”
“I’m so far behind, that if she can’t come along I’d have to stay here and work. As for Haman, I never go anywhere without him. He saved my life in Saudi Arabia,” said Kelly. “Did you check to see if my wife could come?”
“Yes, but I didn’t get an answer yet. Why don‘t you come up to my suite, and we’ll discuss it?” proposed Valerie.
“Nein, nein, if I do that I’ll be even further behind. Why don’t you come here, and we’ll discuss it?”
“I’ll be there at two o’clock. See you then.”
No sooner had Kelly hung up than Rayya walked in. She sashayed up to his desk, spun around like a model and asked. “What do you think?”
Kelly said, “Nice dress. What’s all this about?”
Rayya said, “You know.”
“No, humor me.”
“How good are your powers of observation?”
“Fine, why?”
“Well, you know, Saleem, I’ve always kind of had a crush on you. What do you say, big guy?”
Confounded, Kelly stared at Rayya, “I’m flattered Rayya. Incidentally, I have an eleven o’clock appointment with…”
Suddenly, Kelly realized something. “Jane, is that you?”
Almost simultaneously, Rayya said, “That Harschkopf woman is coming here?”
“Jane?”
Rayya nodded.
“How?”
She smiled and shrugged.
“Well I’ll be hogtied and branded or any other corny expression you can think of!”
Jane asked, “Will I pass?”
“I would say so, except you’re about an inch taller than Rayya. How’d ya do it and how come you sound like her when you talk?”
“It’s all training. When you go undercover, you have to do all sorts of things to pass.”
“Where’s Rayya?”
“I dropped her off at field headquarters. She’ll be staying there. I’ll stay in her apartment until the trip is over, if you think I’ll pass, that is.”
Kelly remembered. “Well, we’ll know at two o’clock. That’s when Valerie will be parading in here. She’s the only one who has seen Rayya.”
“Kelly, if you decide to reprise yesterday’s tryst with Valerie, use apartment 1. We have it wired.” Before Kelly could say a word, Jane turned and left the office.
* * * *
At 1:55 P.M. Valerie burst inside, slammed the door shut, and sat down in a huff.
“Are you sure you want to bring that woman?”
“Of course. What’s the problem?”
“She’s always so rude, asking me to wait while she gets your permission for me to move.”
“Well, that’s the way it works.”
“And, today, she asked me if I had an appointment! Really, do I need an appointment?”
“Of course not. I will speak to Rayya about our relationship with your organization.”
“And your bodyguard. Is he that brute of a man in the l
obby reading an Arab newspaper?”
“Yes, he is. He speaks a little English, but cannot read it.”
Valerie’s dour expression changed to one of mirth. She rose from her seat and came around the desk. She stood behind him and started rubbing his temples. Kelly remembered her massage and the aftermath of yesterday. This woman could excite a eunuch. Suddenly, he realized why he felt guilt from yesterday’s tryst with Valerie. Because I had enjoyed it. Eventually, she said, “I have something else to tell you. Can we go somewhere private?”
“This is private.”
“No, this is important. We must go somewhere very private. Can we go upstairs?”
The boy part of Kelly wanted to go upstairs, but the loving husband part thought, “No, you’ve done enough for your assignment yesterday.” Then he realized this was the bargain—the way it was going to be with Valerie—Information for sex.
With resolve, he stood up, turned around, and faced her, “There is a nice couch here. We could lie down and talk.”
Valerie smiled and simultaneously reached down and grabbed Kelly, bent forward, kissed him violently, forcing her tongue down his throat. When she pulled away, she said, “Nein, nicht gut. I must have you totally alone.”
Kelly shrugged and led Valerie out of the office, past the made-over Jane, to the stairs. When they entered apartment one, Valerie jumped on Kelly, knocking him backward, both of them sprawling across the bed. She started frantically undressing both herself and Kelly. They romped for about an hour. Valerie finally wore Kelly out. He got up, fixed himself a drink, and sat down at the table. The apartment was a big studio apartment with a small kitchenette/bar, a round four-chair table, a couch with end tables, two easy chairs, and, of course, the king-size bed.
Valerie also fixed herself a drink and came over, but she didn’t sit down. She came up beside Kelly and started rubbing her mound against him. She said, “You stopped early today. Can we go one more time?”
Kelly said, “After yesterday, that was all I had. You had something to tell me?”
“Yes, actually two things. Your secretary and bodyguard can go with us. The second thing I will tell you after you satisfy me one more time.”
Chapter 9
Back in his office, Kelly called Jane in. “We’ll talk when Valerie leaves.”
Five minutes later, Valerie waltzed into the office and kissed Kelly chastely on the cheek. Jane was there, pretending to take dictation. Valerie whispered, “I can’t see you again until we meet at the castle.”
“What about the flight to Germany?”
“Duty calls, but I’ll meet you there.” She turned to Jane and gave her a disdainful look. “Dress warm,” then stormed out.
“What a bitch! What’d you need to talk about?”
“Trouble in River City. Apparently, this Rudolf creep, who is like their chief of security, is suspicious of me. I’m liable to get the third degree when I get there and I don’t have a clue what they’re suspicious about.”
“Shit, didn’t Valerie tell you why?”
“She said she wasn’t certain. She was told there were a few things that didn’t add up.”
“Well, we’re going to have to figure out what things might not add up, figure out answers and hope to hell, we didn’t miss anything! I’ll meet you at the F.O.. We’ll call Colonel Dickens for help.”
* * * *
At the field office, Jane, Kelly, Haman, Rayya, Evans and Jimmy went into the conference room to start brainstorming. They couldn’t get the Colonel and left an urgent message. After deliberating for hours, they couldn’t think of anywhere they may have slipped up. “Perhaps the Israelis screwed up,” Jimmy finally said.
“I doubt it,” said Jane. “Only a couple of agents knew Saleem supplied the info on the attack.”
“Yes, but we told the Israelis to lay off Saleem because he’s our guy. That knowledge could be widespread by now,” added Rayya.
“It’s possible, but it’s really just hearsay. No, it’s got to be more than that,” Jane thought aloud. “Saleem, are you absolutely sure you haven’t been tailed lately?”
“Jane, you know I can’t ever be absolutely sure, but I doubt it.”
“What about the crew of the Seven Seas? What happened to their bodies?” Jimmy asked.
“They were supposedly left and blown up with the boat. There wouldn’t be a piece of them large enough to identify, let alone to know how they died,” responded Jane.
When the Colonel called, he had nothing new. He said he would put it to his boss, who would run it by the President. Kelly said, “I thought no one other than us, the Colonel, and his boss, knew of our operation?”
Jane said, “I didn’t have permission to tell you before. Only the President, who has given his tacit approval and the National Security Advisor, to whom Colonel Dickens reports directly, know of our operation.”
They decided the Nazis must have some minor items like the fact that Kelly had been in American custody as a suspected terrorist for five weeks, or that Saleem was Kelly’s translator while he was still alive. It could be guilt by association, working for a suspected CIA agent. However, it was also known that Saleem had a part in Kelly’s murder. Another thing was the fact that Saleem had spent his college years in the United States. His wife Mariam had taken a trip to parts unknown. All of this was somewhat explainable except Mariam’s absence. It was decided to create an alibi for her; visiting an ill, possibly dying relative.
Kelly mentioned that Valerie was going to see if she could find out more. They disbanded until more information could be divined or acquired.
Kelly asked Jane if she thought he was in danger. She said, “If you are, it won’t be until you get to Germany. They won’t do anything to you on your home turf, in front of other Muslims, especially with your newfound notoriety.”
“What about you and Haman?”
“Well, if they try to eliminate you, they certainly are not going to leave Haman and I to run around to tell what happened.”
“Should we not go?” Kelly asked.
“I’d love to say yes, but if they’ve got two more nukes, we can’t ignore that, we’ve got to go. How many participants will be at the convention?”
“I think Valerie said three hundred all together, I guess that will be something like a board meeting. All plus guards of course,” Kelly answered. “Do you think they made up the nukes to get me there?”
“Possible, but I doubt it. We got a feel for the first bomb when we disarmed the nuclear part. It was most likely of Russian manufacture. It seems they have three unaccounted for nuclear devices.” Jane’s large blue-green eyes widened. “Wait. That could be it.”
Kelly scrunched his nose as his eye lids narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Maybe they found out that we disarmed the nuclear bomb!”
“Yeah, that would certainly make them suspicious, except how would they find out?”
Jane looked unsure, then as her eyes flashed a bolt of understanding, placed a hand to Kelly’s forearm. “Didn’t they insist that you give them date of arrival and the name of the ship it was aboard?”
“Yes, to make sure the container wasn’t one of the one in twenty that gets checked. But again, how would they find out?”
“I don’t know, Kelly. Maybe the ship stopped somewhere, and they got someone on board who checked it. If they knew what ship it was on, they could check to see when it stopped and have somebody there. I know it stopped at the Panama Canal for certain.”
Haman said, “I think they said the boat had cargo to take off in Bermuda.”
Kelly shrugged. “I suppose that’s a possibility, but how would they locate it? It’s a big ship.”
“That wouldn’t be hard. They could have installed a beacon via a radio signal. If nothing else, they could detect it by latent radioactivity.”
“Well, we could speculate all night and still not know with certainty. Let’s see if Valerie gets back to me. In the meantime, have you bee
n able to find out anything about this Hitler character?”