She was just opening the door to the apartment when her cell phone rang. It was a familiar ring tone: “You Light Up My Life.” She answered.
“Hi, babe. You on your way home?”
“Wish that I was, hon, but no. I’m sitting here in a motel room at Fort Bragg.”
“I thought this was a day trip, Michael.”
He winced as she continued.
“You are going to be home tomorrow for the wedding reception, aren’t you?”
“You bet, babe. A team of horses couldn’t keep me away. Some of the guys I came down here to meet won’t be available until tomorrow morning, so I decided to stay overnight. I’ve got Claire’s plane scheduled to pick me up at three tomorrow, so I’ll be home before you.”
“OK. Stop by the cleaners if you make it home in time. I took your best suit in for cleaning. It’s supposed to be ready by tomorrow afternoon.”
“OK, will do. Anything else?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just need to make sure he leaves before you get home.”
“He who?”
“My lover. The one I keep around when you’re off on one of your trips.”
Mike laughed.
“Well, babe, make sure he collects the garbage on his way out.”
He heard her laugh.
“I’ll do that, dear. Be safe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, good night, hon. See you tomorrow.”
He got up to fix another drink, thinking of the conversation he just had with Marcie. He dropped two cubes of ice into the glass, poured the Jack in, and then the ginger ale. He walked back to resume his position on the bed, took a drink, and savored the contents before swallowing. The details of another conversation about Claire and Scott Sandowski came to mind. It had happened over a year ago, but the flashback was surreal.
***
Mike heard someone keying the lock to the front door of the apartment. Moments later, Marcie walked in. He got up and met her halfway to the door.
“Hi, babe,” he said, reaching out to take the bag she was carrying. “You’re home early.”
“I wanted to surprise you with dinner, so I left a little early to pick up some things, but since you’re already here, that’s not going to be the case, is it?” she asked, kissing his cheek as he took the bag from her arms. “You’re home early too,” she continued. “With everything that’s going on in the world, I figured you’d still be at work.”
He took the bag, turned, and headed into the kitchen.
She followed him.
Mike sat the bag down, reached to take a wine glass from the cabinet, and filled it from the open bottle sitting beside the grocery bag.
“Here,” he said, handing it to her as he walked by. “Mine’s sitting on the coffee table.”
They walked back into the living room. He picked up his glass as she kicked off her heels and sat down on the couch, placing her wine glass on an adjacent lamp table.
“So what’s going on?” she asked, picking up the remote from the middle of the couch and turning off the TV.
“Issues with the way ops are being run at work. I told Claire today that I was calling it quits and leaving the agency. She tried to talk me out of it by offering up a division chief’s job and later chastised me for complaining about operational bureaucracy within the agency and me not willing to stick around to help her straighten it out.”
“You quit?”
“Well, that’s what she thinks. I wrote the letter, sealed it in an envelope, and left it with Miss Betsy to send to her if I wasn’t back in the office by Wednesday.”
“You’re obviously undecided about what to do, or we wouldn’t be here talking about it, but I’m not quite sure why. If you are going to quit because you think it would make me happy that you’re home more and not putting your life on the line day in and day out, then think again. I don’t want you quitting because me.”
“I know how you feel, Marcie, and I appreciate what you’ve said, but a couple of things are bothering me. I don’t like being told that I’m running away from a problem, and, second, there’s a threat of a chemical weapons attack here in the States. It’s real and must be dealt with. If the man gets here and releases that gas, a lot of people are going to die.”
“I can’t help you with the first one, but as for the latter, if the threat is that real, and if it happens and you did nothing to try to stop it, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself. Do you really think that you can find this guy?”
“Possibly, but he’s been on the move a little over a week now, and we’ve got a cold trail with no clue as to where he’s heading. It’ll probably mean another trip back to Somalia, or who knows where to look for him and try to get a lead on his plan of action.”
“Well, you’ve gotta do what your conscience tells you to do, sweetie. I’ll stand beside you whatever you decide to do.”
The doorbell rang.
“I forgot to tell you… it’s Sandowski. They’re teaming up on me, him and Claire, trying to get me to forego my resignation and get back to work looking for the man heading here with the sarin gas. He called earlier and wanted to come over for a while. I told him it was OK since I wasn’t expecting you home before six.” He looked at his watch. “And it’s four now.”
“It’s OK. Answer the door and let him in. He can stay for dinner if you want him to. I’ve got plenty.”
Marcie headed into the kitchen as he answered the door.
“Hey, Scotty. Come on in.”
Marcie walked back into the living room to greet Scotty, carrying another glass of wine.
“Hello, Scotty. Good to see you again.”
“Same here, Marcie; you’re looking mighty good. Keeping Mike away on assignment must be doing you good.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but he’s gone way too much for my liking.” She handed him the glass, and he took it, giving her a quick hug in the process.
“Mike told me you were coming by to talk, which is OK, but you are gonna have to stay for dinner. I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“It has been a while, hasn’t it? I spend a good bit of time at the home. Mary’s bedridden now and can’t bathe herself; she sleeps most of the day, but I think it’s comforting for her to know that I’m there.”
“That’s so sad. I wish things were better for her and you.”
“Yeah, it’s been two years of hell, but you gotta take what life throws at you. The good along with the bad. Lately, it seems as if it’s all been bad, but I’ll take you up on the offer for dinner. That won’t be bad, I know.”
“OK, good. I’m going to change so I can get started.”
As Marcie walked away, Mike motioned for Scotty to take a seat. When she was out of hearing range, he turned to face his long-time mentor and friend. He had a hunch and was curious to know the answer. Mike figured this was as good a time as any to satisfy his curiosity.
“I’ve been wondering about something, Scotty.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Just how long have you and Claire been, you know, more than just colleagues at work?”
Sandowski lowered his head.
“Life can get to be pretty lonely sometimes. How long have you known? It’s not been obvious I hope.”
“Not long at all; it was just a hunch on my part,” Mike stated.
“We get along well with each other; she’s good for me. She wants more from our relationship, but it won’t happen in the near term, not while Mary is still alive. And, besides, it just wouldn’t be right after twenty-five years of marriage, but I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about you and your decision to quit. Tell me about what happened in the field.”
“One other question first. You were chief of ops in the Europe Division when Claire and I ran that op together. Did the techs ever report what happened to their A/V equipment to prevent her from recording the pitch she made to the Chinese ambassador? I mean, it left us all wondering just how she managed to pull it off.
”
“Yeah, a rat gnawed through the power line, so nothing worked when she turned on the lamp switch.”
“Well, that explains it. We knew there were rodents in the building but didn’t think it would be a problem.”
“You OK with Claire, now? Anything else bothering you about her?” Scotty asked.
“Nothing except that she’s just a bit younger than you.”
“I’m a big boy. I think I can handle it.”
***
The flashback ended. Mike raised the glass for another drink; it was almost empty. He sat it on the nightstand and leaned back against the headboard. He fell asleep a few minutes later.
Chapter Five
Putting Meat on the Bones
As they sat around a table, it was just the five of them, Mike and four SEALs. The unit commander had begged off again, after introducing the SEALs, to attend to other business. They were shooting the shit, ops-wise, and discussing different things when Rick, the team leader, mentioned to Mike that he and the other members of the team were ready for some action.
“I haven’t done anything since running around Baghdad looking for members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.”
“Them or VEVAK agents?” Mike asked.
“It didn’t matter to us at the time,” Rick replied. “We were there on a classified mission to try to take some of them out—to help settle things down, to give the country and the new government a chance at governing the disparate elements of the population without interference from Iran.”
“How did it go? Did you get any of the bad guys?”
“Hell no, the op was blown, and we were pulled out without ever firing a shot.”
“Security and compartmentation is so important when conducting an operation; we all know that from past endeavors. We’ll be heading to a badass place and in deep doo-doo if our cover gets blown while there,” Mike stated. “No disrespect intended, but action-wise, comms for the operation will be handled by the CIA and not the military.”
His comment raised a few eyebrows, but nothing was said to counter his decision. Rick later advised Mike that his commander could initiate a request for submarine support, and Mike agreed, telling him to make it happen. As they ended their session, which lasted until noon, Mike promised to keep the team updated as in-country plans were finalized. He had lunch with Rick, who later dropped him at the Pope Field Flight Operations Building.
He sat biding time, playing four-deck spider solitaire on his iPad, hoping the plane would get there soon so he would have time to stop by the cleaners. He heard the airman’s voice and looked up.
“Your plane’s inbound now, Mr. Shocklee.”
Mike looked down at his watch. He’d have plenty of time to make it to the cleaners.
An hour-and-half later, the pilot descended into the traffic pattern at Dulles Airport. Mike noticed that the approach had taken them out over the Potomac River. He looked at the tracking map being displayed on the monitor on the panel in front of his seat. The wind was out of the north, which meant they’d be landing on 1R, runway one right. Mike could see his condo building at Reston Town Center out the right side of the plane as they grew closer to the airport. As the plane touched down, it started to rain and was pouring by the time the pilot taxied up in front of Signature Flight Support at the south end of the airport.
***
Mike heard Marcie coming into the bedroom as he was getting out of the shower. He dried off, wrapped the towel around his midsection, and walked out to greet her. She was standing near the bed and in the process of undressing. Her back was to him. She had already taken off her blouse and had just finished taking off her skirt. She was standing there in bra and panties as Mike walked up and placed his arms around her midsection. He kissed her on the neckline.
“Um, welcome home, babe.”
He liked the smell of her perfume. He pulled Marcie snugly against his body and then released the pressure. She turned to face him. They kissed. He started to kiss her again when Marcie pushed back a little and looked at him with a smile.
“Nice thought, dear, but that will lead to something else, and we don’t have the time. We’ve got to be at the McLean Hilton by six, and the traffic is a bear out there with the rain that doesn’t seem to be letting up.”
Mike smiled at her and backed off. He turned and walked back toward the bathroom.
“Either I’ve got to stay home more, or you need to limit the days your lover comes by while I’m gone.”
She frowned, picked up a shoe, and threw it at him. He dodged it and laughed as he hurried on into the bathroom.
***
It wasn’t your typical wedding reception. Scotty had wanted to wait a year before they got married, but Claire was tired of living the secretive life they had shared for the past two years and wanted to get married much sooner. They agreed to wait six months and then got married in a private ceremony. Lots of folks were surprised to receive the wedding announcement and an invitation to a reception that was to be held a week after they had been married.
The reception room was filled with people by the time Marcie and Mike arrived. They, like others, got in line and waited their turn to greet the newlyweds. To Mike, it seemed just a year earlier that Scotty and Claire were wishing him and Marcie all the best at their wedding reception.
Marcie was the first to greet them. She kissed Scotty on the check.
“You two look great. I wish you many years of happiness and joy. You deserve it.”
“Thanks,” he said as she stepped over to speak with Claire.
Mike moved in front of Scotty and reached out to shake his hand.
“Congratulations, old man. You’re looking dapper all dressed up in that tux.”
“It was Claire’s idea. I just do what I’m told.”
“Me too.”
They both laughed.
While the two men were chatting, Marcie spoke with Claire.
“I feel like I’ve known you for some time, even though we’ve only met once before. Scotty’s such a wonderful and loving person. May you have many, many years of happiness together.”
Mike nudged her, and she stepped aside. He bent forward and kissed Claire on one cheek and then the other.
“I wish you and Scotty all the best. He’s a dear friend. Take care of him. I’m sure he’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks, Mike, and you too, Marcie,” she said, looking at the two of them.
***
It was early morning two days later as Mike sat in his office looking at his computer screen. He was reading the response to the ops cable he had sent to the COS in Tallinn. He placed his fingers on the keyboard and began typing a response—tentatively agreeing to the plan outlined by the COS. He finished and then sent a message to the COS in Moscow, giving the station their first real update on the proposed operation. With time to kill, Mike decided to initiate a secure voice call to Rick, his SEAL team leader.
“Rick, you got a minute for an update?” he asked when the STL came on the line.
“Sure. My time is your time. I’m all ears.”
Mike gave Rick an update on the info sent in from Tallinn and suggested that he start developing an op plan to grab the target. They hadn’t gotten to know each other very well, and Mike was being overly cautious with concerns about the security of the operation, telling Rick not to requisition overhead imagery of Saint Petersburg through military channels. He was unaware that his comments and orders were being interpreted the wrong way by Rick. He continued the discussion by reminding the young STL of the very restrictive nature of the operation and the risk they’d be taking. It was something that Rick felt he already knew. This wasn’t going to be his first rodeo, and their comms were just as good as the CIAs, so why all the concern about requisitioning overhead imagery of Saint Petersburg through CIA channels?
“I’ll get that done and send you a package, or you can come up here and pick it up,” Mike stated.
“I understand, you’re the
boss. Let me know when the package is ready, and I’ll come and pick it up. Have you got any idea on how we’ll get to the target site and back after grabbing him? I mean, we’ve got to know that before we can start our planning.”
Mike detected a bit of sarcasm in Rick’s tone. He brushed it aside and continued.
“I still don’t have any answers for you just now. I’m awaiting input from the station. How about you? Any word on sub support?”
“Not yet. The request was submitted two days ago. I suspect it will take at least another two to three days. I was told, based on the nature of the operation, that SecNav had to issue the warning notice.”
“OK. Keep me posted, and I’ll do the same.”
“Yeah, will do.”
Mike hung up the phone and was immediately informed that the DDO was on her way to his office. Minutes later, she was shown in. She took a seat near his desk. Mike waited until Miss Betsy was out of the room before speaking.
“What’s up? You don’t usually make office calls, Claire.”
“I’m on my way to another meeting. In fact, it’s just down the hall. I need to give you some information about NEEDFUL QUEST. I got a secure call from Jim Taylor. It seems the navy has some concerns about using a US sub for the operation. They believe us having one in the Baltic Sea would be risky and likely draw unnecessary attention from the Russians. Taylor wants to involve the Dutch. He wants to use one of their subs to get you guys in and out. You have any problem with that?”
“It would be a little ridiculous to suggest that I know more about sub operations than they do. So, no, I don’t have a problem, especially if it enhances operational security.”
“I didn’t think you would, but I wanted to run it by you before getting back to Taylor. By the way, I read your outgoing cable to Moscow before I left the office. From my read of things, you should be ready to initiate the op in about four weeks. That sound about right to you?”
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