by J. C. Fields
“Call for you on line one.”
“You could have used the intercom.”
“I could have, but I want to hear the conversation.”
“Who is it?”
“Uri Ben-David.”
“Shut the door and sit down.”
Griggs smiled and did.
Placing the phone on speaker, Joseph touched the key with the small blinking light. “Good Morning, Uri.”
“I wanted to thank you for the tip, Joseph.”
Frowning, Joseph looked at Griggs whose response was a shrug and a shake of the head.
“Refresh my memory, Uri. What tip?”
“Where to find Asa Gerlis.”
“Really? Glad we could help. When did you find him?”
They heard a chuckle. “You have no idea what I am talking about do you?”
“To be honest, no. What happened?”
“We received a tip through the proper channels about the location of Gerlis—or I should say, where his body was. We found him on the seventeenth of last month. It was a Saturday, I believe. It took us several weeks to get his body back to Israel. DNA tests confirmed it was him.”
“Where did you find him?”
“Abandoned farm in southern France. He was obviously ambushed. The tires on his car were slashed and he had a gaping hole in his chest. We found a Sig Sauer next to him with two spent magazines. Lots of holes from the Sig Sauer, only one from the opponent.”
“Huh.”
“One other thing. There was a poster of a famous painting in a frame inside the house. It had one bullet hole through it.”
“Huh.”
“Can you enlighten me about anything, Joseph?”
“We know he was dealing in stolen art—maybe it was a deal gone bad.”
“Maybe. Did your CIA have any assets in France at the time?”
“Now, how would I know that?”
Another chuckle. “Joseph, you and I have known each other for over two decades and you expect me to believe you?”
“While I am sure they have assets in France, as far as I am aware, the CIA did not have anyone searching for Gerlis.”
“Well, whoever sent the tip, we want to thank them. The questions about Gerlis are now answered. We have officially closed our inquiry.”
“Good.”
“Talk to you soon, Joseph.”
The call ended and Joseph stared at the now-silent phone. “Jerry, find out when Wolfe and Nadia left Spain.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two Hours Later
“They flew out of Madrid on the fourteenth to Paris and then on to Atlanta.”
Joseph stared at his assistant. “That’s good to hear.”
“I spoke to Mariana Torres.”
“Oh…”
“She told me they stopped by early on the fourteenth to thank her for her hospitality, but their search did not produce any results and were flying out at noon.”
A small smile appeared on Joseph’s lips.
“What are you thinking, boss?”
“Michael has always been good at creating plausible alibis. What is my schedule for the next few days?”
“Normal stuff. The president is going to Camp David this weekend. You’re not scheduled to accompany him. Why?”
“I need to check on my house.”
“I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”
“Thanks, Jerry.”
Griggs turned to leave the office but hesitated a few moments. “Ah—boss?”
“Yes?”
“Can I take the weekend off, too?”
Joseph smiled and nodded.
Once his assistant left and the door to his office closed, Joseph took his cell phone out of a drawer in his desk and dialed a number. The call was answered on the fourth ring.
“I haven’t heard from you in a while, Joseph. How are you?”
“I’m good, Michael. How are you and Nadia?”
“We’re fine. You seldom call unless it’s important.”
“I’m going to be at my place in Christian County this weekend. Would you and Nadia like to join Mary and me?”
There was a short silence. “I would have to check with Nadia, but I’m sure we can. When?”
“Saturday evening, let’s say around four. We’ll cook out and have a nice meal.”
“We’ll see you then.”
Saturday
As evening fell, Joseph and Wolfe retreated to the back deck by themselves. Each held a crystal tumbler with a few ice cubes and twelve-year-old Glenfiddich.
Wolfe smiled and sipped his drink. “You never told me why we’re here.”
“The right opportunity hadn’t presented itself, Michael.”
“There appears to be one now.”
Joseph nodded. “Asa Gerlis was found dead near Toulouse, France about four weeks ago.”
“Good.”
Turning to the ex-sniper, he asked, “Know anything about it?”
“Why would I?”
“Because it happened three days after you left Spain.”
“Well, see, there you go. I wasn’t even on the continent.”
Another smile appeared on Joseph’s face. “You and Nadia spent a week looking for him and three days after you leave, he’s found dead.”
“We went to Spain, Joseph, not France.”
Joseph nodded. “You’ve done this before. Who used your passports?”
With a grin, Wolfe looked at his old controller. “Trade secret you taught me years ago.”
Joseph chuckled. “Who contacted the Mossad?”
“Nadia.”
“Figured. She would know the correct protocols.”
Wolfe nodded.
“Is it over?”
“Yes, I believe it is.”
“Are you going back to your old identities?”
“We’re not sure. Now that you’re the National Security Advisor, we can’t work for you. So, we really don’t know what to do.”
“Think it over, I might have a solution for you.”
Epilogue
Southern Missouri
Two Months Later
A re you sure this is what you want, Michael?”
Wolfe nodded as he signed the listing agent contract. He looked at Nadia. “I want a place you and I design together.”
She smiled and put her hand on his arm.
Handing the contract back to the real estate agent, Wolfe said, “How long do you think it will take to sell?”
Ronda Blankenship accepted the contract and placed it in her leather portfolio. “Not long. I already have several inquiries. When the rumors started floating around West Plains you were going to sell, well…” She smiled. “I anticipate a bidding war, to be honest with you.”
Wolfe remained quiet.
Nadia stood and offered her hand to Blankenship. “Thank you, Ronda.”
“You are welcome. If I were you, I would start looking for a new place. Know where you two want to go?”
“Michael mentioned a plot of land near Ozark. I haven’t seen it yet, but he says it’s beautiful.”
The real estate agent smiled. “Better make an offer. I’ll be in touch.”
Wolfe and Nadia walked out of the real estate office and stood on the sidewalk in front. Located in a busy strip mall on the south side of the small city, the parking lot was full with numerous cars searching for empty parking slots. He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and lifted his gaze toward the cloudless blue sky. “Not only do I want a new place, I want to put our old lives behind us.”
She nodded and hugged his left arm. “How do we do that?”
“Break all ties to the past.”
“Start over?”
“Yes. Start over.”
“Using what names?”
He chuckled. “Michael and Nadia Wolfe.”
“We have never officially been married.”
With a sly smile, he looked at her. “We’ll have to correct that.”
She smil
ed and placed her head on his shoulder as they walked toward the Jeep.
Neither spoke for the next twenty minutes while Michael drove out of town. As they passed the exit for the airport ten miles north, Nadia turned to him. “Where is this land Joseph told you about?”
“West of his place about fifteen miles.”
“When can I see it?”
“We can head there now if you want.”
“Yes, I want. What’s so special about it?”
“Joseph told me it used to be a private airport. There’s an abandoned hangar and fueling station already present. It will take a lot of money to restore, but the proceeds from the sale of my land will be more than enough.”
“You can keep your plane there.”
He nodded. “The runway needs to be resurfaced, but other than that, it’s in good shape.”
She smiled. “What about a house?’
“There’s one on the property built in the 1940s. It would give us a place to live while we build.”
“I believe I will like this, Michael.”
He glanced at her. “I hope you do. If you don’t, we can find somewhere else.”
“I see no reason why I wouldn’t like it.”
“Have you listened to yourself recently?”
She frowned. “Why? Do I sound silly?”
He laughed out loud. “No, your accent is almost gone.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
The silence of two individuals comfortable around each other, filled the Jeep for ten minutes. Nadia broke the silence. “I am curious—what are we going to do with all the money we found in Gerlis’ bank accounts?”
“Pay cash for the property.”
“That will only take a small portion.”
“Yes, I know. I thought we could give some of it to Martin and Jana. After all, they had to disrupt their lives because of Reid and Gerlis.”
“Another idea I like.”
“Have you heard from Jana?”
“Yes. They are married and she is pregnant.”
“Good.”
Nadia’s smile disappeared. “Do you believe Martin shot his half-brother?”
“I don’t think he executed him, if that’s what you mean.”
“What do you think happened?”
“I believe Martin took his drunk half-brother out into the woods and helped him end his life.”
“Why would he do that?”
Taking a deep breath, Wolfe hesitated. “It’s hard to explain. Martin was in real bad shape when I started helping him. We now know it wasn’t PTSD, but a fear of the people Bobby associated with. In a way, I think he looked at me more like a brother then his real one. When Bobby showed up and started threatening the people he cared about, well…”
“You think he did it for you?”
“No, not so much me, but to protect Jana.”
She nodded. “That makes sense.”
Another lengthy quiet period filled the interior as the Jeep moved west on Highway 60. As they passed the last exit for the small town of Mountain Grove, Nadia asked. “What are we going to do after the house is finished?”
“Glad you asked. Joseph made a proposal to me the other day.”
“And you chose not to tell me?”
He smiled. “I chose not to tell you until I had a few days to think it over.”
She crossed her arms, a frown appearing. “How thoughtful.”
Chuckling, he glanced at her. “My first inclination was to turn him down. Now that I’ve thought it over a little, I’m not so sure. It would involve both of us.”
“I see. Care to enlighten me on my future?”
“Nadia, why did you join the Mossad?”
The only sound he could hear was road noise as the tires turned rapidly over the highway. She lost her frown and stared out the front windshield. “I did it to help my country.”
“As did I when I joined the Marines and the CIA. But what is the underlying motivation for doing that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it before.”
“To help people.”
“Okay.”
“You and I have specialized training. Training most individuals haven’t even thought about.”
“True.”
“What if we put our specialized training to good use instead of all the international intrigue and bullshit we used to get caught up in?”
“How would we do that?” Her frown returned.
“During his work as the National Security Adviser, Joseph discovered a problem both the government and society have ignored.”
She rolled her eyes. “Just tell me, Michael?”
“What do I do best, Nadia?”
She thought about it for several moments. “Find people who don’t want to be found.”
“Exactly. What do you do best?”
Smiling, she straightened in her seat and raised her chin. “I am French. I do many things well. Why?”
He chuckled. “Yes, you do, but what is your specialty?”
“I was trained to blend in…” Another smile appeared. “I am good at changing my appearance and blending into a crowd.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, so what does this all have to do with working for Joseph?”
He glanced at her. “Joseph wants us to find missing persons. People who have disappeared, either by their own accord or at times, with the help of others.”
“I do not wish to chase delusional faux jihadists anymore.”
“Neither do I and I told Joseph that. He replied they are still working out the details, but if we are interested, they’ll start figuring out the specifics.”
“Will we work for Joseph?”
Wolfe shook his head. “No, he might be involved, but we would get our assignments and any needed assistance from Jerry Griggs.”
“Who is he?”
“Good guy. Ex-Army Ranger who spent a decade or so overseas with the CIA. I met him a few times when I worked for Joseph.”
Quiet returned to the Jeep. Nadia turned her head toward the passenger window and watched the countryside pass. Five minutes lapsed before she turned to Wolfe. “Tell Joseph I am interested.”
He nodded. “As am I.”
“So, Michael, when do we get married?”
“Glad you asked.” He opened the Jeep’s center console, removed a small black box and flipped it opened with one hand. “I believe this is the one you’ve been eyeing on the internet for weeks. I bought it the other day.”
Wolfe heard a gasp as Nadia’s eyes grew wide. She stared at the wedding ring nestled in the cushioned box.
“Oh, Michael…”
About the Author
He is active with numerous writing groups and serves on the board of the Springfield Writers' Guild.
J.C. has previously published five novels, The Fugitive's Trail (2015), The Assassin's Trail (2016), The Imposter's Trail, (2017), and The Cold Trail (2018). His fifth installment of the Sean Kruger series, The Money Trail, was released on February 4th, 2019. All are available on Amazon.com and Audible.com. His sixth novel, A Lone Wolf is the first in a new series. Sean Kruger will return in a new adventure early 2020.
The Sean Kruger Series has won numerous awards. All five novels have been presented with the Literary Titan Gold Book Award. In addition, The Imposter's Trail was awarded Best Mystery/Thriller at the 2017 Ozark Indie Book Fest, and in 2018, Readers' Favorite announced The Fugitive's Trail won a Silver Medal in the Fiction - Suspense genre.
He lives with his wife, Connie in southwest Missouri.
Visit his website at www.jcfieldsbooks.com.
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