by DJ Steele
It didn’t matter how angry she might get with this annoying woman, her bright blue eyes always melted her anger."
The two embraced. "How did you get a key to my front door. I no longer keep one hidden outside."
The older woman’s seasoned face with pale lips surrounded by wrinkles from years of smoking, laughed. She opened her hand holding some small tools. "Lock-picking is a very useful skill," Elke said grinning. "One I should teach you some day."
"Is it impossible for you to call first and not break into my homes?" Julia remembered the last time her grandmother had broken into her home.
"I didn’t break into your duplex." Elke put the tools in the pocket of her jacket. "You left a key outside in one of those fake rocks. I’m glad you don’t do that anymore."
"A lot of good that did. You still got in." Julia walked over to her nightstand, pulled open the drawer and deposited her pistol inside. "You could have called. I’m sure if the Bridge Club gave you lock picking tools, they’d give you the number to the burn phone they gave me."
"I knew if I called, you’d tell me to stay out of your business."
"Even though you knew what I'd say, you break into my house anyway," Julia said stiffly.
"This is a dangerous situation, Julia."
"It’s always a dangerous situation when you’re involved. And almost always illegal."
Elke frowned. "Why don’t we go in the kitchen and have a glass of warm milk and talk?"
Julia was now certain the Russians were involved. Otherwise, Elke wouldn’t be here. She placed her gun in her nightstand and led Elke to her kitchen, but somehow, she was sure that the woman knew where it was located.
"I like your new place," said Elke walking through the living area to the kitchen. "It’s much larger than that cramped duplex."
"Glad you approve," Julia said sarcastically.
In the kitchen, Elke sat down at the table and Julia heated up the milk. "Do you want chocolate in your milk?" Julia asked.
"No. Chocolate has caffeine. I won’t sleep if I drink it."
The clock on the oven said 1:30. Julia rolled her eyes.
The electric kettle quickly heated the milk. She poured the milk into two mugs and handed one to Elke.
"I remember when I used to do this for you as a little girl before your bedtime," Elke reminded.
Julia remembered too, yet those times were far and few between Elke’s extensive travels. She used to believe Elke traveled for work, which was technically correct, only now she knew that job was with the CIA and not as a traveling nurse.
"Alright, Elke, let’s cut the bullshit and get to why you’re in my kitchen at one thirty in the morning."
"You never were patient. Not even as a little girl." Elke held the mug up to her lips and blew on the hot liquid. She took a sip. "We have reason to believe…"
Julia interrupted, "We? As in the Bridge Club?"
"Yes. We have uncovered some chatter that’s very disturbing. The Russians are planning something. We don’t know what yet. The fact you were hired for surveillance and then there's a bombing at that motel could be a coincidence. Or..."
"Or what?
"The Russians might be sending me a message."
Julia’s mouth fell open in disbelief. "What message?"
Elke’s face had a cool indifference as if they were merely talking about the weather and not a Russian plot or homicide.
"Honestly Julia I don't know."
Julia felt the blood drain from her face realizing that Elke might think the bombing was a message to remind her grandmother of how the Russians had murdered her mother and father. The fact Julia was working an assignment when the bombing took place was why her grandmother was here.
Again.
Her grandmother was drawing a nexus between Russian activity and what had happened at the motel.
Maybe this was Elke's lame attempt to get her to quit her new enterprise.
Elke heard it first. She pressed her finger against her lips and slipped out a pistol from her holster in the back of her slacks.
Albert was making noises.
Only this time he was hissing.
Elke, with her pistol drawn, switched off the lights in the kitchen. Julia knew somebody or something, maybe a dog, was on her porch. Albert didn’t get upset unless he was startled or scared.
"Stay here while I check this out," ordered Elke.
Julia fumbled over to the backdoor in the dark to make sure it was latched, and the deadbolt engaged. Elke crouched into a crawl and moved cautiously toward the living area. Julia needed to get to her bedroom and retrieve her pistol from her nightstand. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as she stooped low and rounded the doorway heading to her bedroom.
Elke’s silhouette was below the living room window. Julia entered her bedroom, hit the light switch with her finger cutting the lights off. She moved swiftly toward her bed smacking her shin on the iron frame, mumbling curse words under her breath. Using her hand to guide her around the bed to the nightstand, she pulled the drawer of the nightstand open. In her peripheral she caught movement outside her window. She retrieved her gun and took in a deep breath and let it out slow. She squatted and moved to the side of the window. Easing upward she kept a firm two-handed grip on the pistol. She sucked in another deep breath, let go of the pistol with one hand and pulled the blinds back. Nothing. No movement could be discerned from the moonless night.
Maybe her mind had played tricks on her. Albert had quit making any noise. Tiptoeing, she headed back into the living room to check on Elke. The front door was ajar, and a cool breeze was chilling the air in the room.
Elke was gone.
She rushed to the front door, kept to one side and peered out. She anxiously searched the porch and down the street keeping a strong grip on her weapon. Albert was no longer on the porch. A streetlight located several houses down from hers was casting a dim light on the cars parked along the curb. Julia strained to try and catch sight of Elke.
Where was she? Julia wasn’t sure if the goose pimples on her arms were from the coolness of the air or from fear. Or both.
"Elke?" she whispered. No answer.
Again. A little louder. "Elke?" Silence.
She raised her voice, "Elke, you out here?" Why would Elke leave the door open? Maybe the wind blew it open.
Waiting a few more seconds, she stepped back inside, shut and bolted the door, still holding her pistol. "Elke are you in here?" she kept her voice low trying not to wake Laquita.
No answer.
Her hands were clammy around the pistol grip. She alternately wiped each hand on her sleep shirt. A noise from the front doorknob caused her to instinctively whirl around. Her eyes fixed on the knob as it turned back and forth. With a two-handed grip on the pistol and arms extended she called out, her voice unsteady, "Elke, is that you?" She took a step back prepared for whoever was trying to get inside.
"It’s me."
She heard the aggravation in Elke’s voice as she hastily unlatched the front door. Elke hurried inside.
"Why’d you go outside?" Julia reached under the shade of the lamp on an end table by the couch and turned the switch several times to light up the living room. "You always told me not to chase the danger, let it come to you."
"This is a danger I need to deal with, not you," said Elke cocking her head to one side as she headed to the bathroom.
Julia wanted to challenge Elke, tell her grandmother to get out of her life, but the adrenaline had drained from her body and her mind was too tired to start a fight. It was late. Instead she went to the linen closet and got sheets, a blanket and pillow. Elke didn’t protest her getting the couch ready for her to sleep on. Matter of fact, Elke didn’t even question why she couldn’t sleep in the spare bedroom upstairs. Probably because Elke already knew Laquita was staying with her. Her grandmother didn’t just have eyes in the back of her head, she had them everywhere, courtesy of the Bridge Club.
Chapter Eighteen
>
Morning came too soon for Julia.
It wasn’t the sunlight streaming through the slats in her bedroom blinds that woke her. It was the annoying noise in her living room.
Drilling?
And hammering?
Somebody had shut her bedroom door. What was Elke doing? She turned the alarm clock and read 9:30 am. Right now, she didn’t care if Elke had decided to remodel her home, she just wanted caffeine and lots of it.
The reflection in her mirror over her dresser told her she didn’t get enough sleep last night. Her tousled hair was not the sexy look she saw on Cosmopolitan magazine, it was a Medusa-like mess. Dark circles beneath her bleary eyes made her look like she could audition for a part in the zombie apocalypse. Her grandmother had a saying for people who looked like this, death warmed over.
She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Time for caffeine and check out what Elke was up to. Opening her bedroom door, she stepped into the living room. There was something hanging from a cut out in the wall next to the front door with multiple wires attached. What the…?
She blinked and ambled over to the door. A man’s voice caught her off guard, "Good morning, Sunshine."
She balled her fist and spun toward the voice in a fighter’s stance. "Whoa, cupcake," said the man holding up his hands. Julia dropped her arms and her mouth at the same time. It was Mr. Milk Dud. At least that was the nickname she gave him when she was a little girl. It was payback for all the nicknames he made up for her. He was shorter than she remembered. His brown eyes still intense and his tan face heavily lined. His thick hair was thinner now, mostly white. She was impressed he still appeared to be fit.
"What are you doing here Mr. Milk…" she stopped, realizing she never learned the man’s real name. When she asked her grandmother the man’s name, Elke would reply, today it’s Tom, yesterday it was Fred and tomorrow who knows.
He was a spook from the same clandestine agency as her grandmother. At the time she was told he was a family friend who had memory problems. Now after learning about her past, she knew Mr. Milk Dud was, according to Elke, one of the best spooks in the business.
Was.
That was the key word. He was too old to be in the agency now.
The older man had a wide grin pasted across his face. "Didn’t mean to startle you, sweet pea."
"I’m old enough now, you can call me Julia. What’s your real name?"
"Adam. Adam West. My friend and I are installing a security system for you."
"A what?"
"No big deal, Sunshine. Elke and the Bridge Club thought it might be prudent to lock this baby down to keep you safe."
"I don’t want a security system, Adam. Maybe you could take it out." She lowered her chin to her chest, looked down and felt conspicuous in her night shirt.
"Please excuse me, I need to get dressed." She started to turn but quickly stopped, giving instructions, "Don’t do anything else till I’m out here to discuss this. Elke doesn’t pay the bills. This is my place." Julia marched into her bedroom, shut the door and felt bad about how she must have sounded to Adam. Adam West? Was that really his name?
She slid on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, along with some slip-on canvas shoes. After running the brush through her hair, she pulled it tight into a ponytail. She brushed her teeth and still not satisfied with how she looked, added a little blush and lip gloss. It was stupid to care what this man thought about her appearance, but she did.
Now ready to handle this situation, she opened the bedroom door and saw Adam West and another older man along with Laquita sitting in her living room drinking coffee. They all came to attention when she walked in.
"My goodness, ain’t this excitin’ Julia?" Laquita said with a toothy smile.
Julia rubbed the back of her neck, turned and headed for the kitchen, Laquita close on her heels.
"I made a pot of coffee. That okay? Them men wanted some."
"Sure. I can use some myself." Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Julia asked, "Where’s Elke?"
"Omigod, that woman is sure ’nuff the real deal. You one lucky girl to have a grandma who works for the CIA."
"She’s no longer employed by them." Yeah, she was lucky alright. Julia didn’t even know her real name till recently and that was told to her by her grandfather living in Germany. A man she never heard from growing up.
"I know Elke ain’t on their payroll, she told me that. But she still helps ‘em. That’s what this whole Bridge Club thing’s ‘bout."
"Sounds like you two got real chummy while I was sleeping. Where is she now?"
"Left bout an hour ago. I ’spect to meet with 'em club members and figger out our next move."
"I need to talk to Adam." Julia took a long draw on her warm drink. "I checked my phone this morning. Max hasn’t gotten back in touch with us. Why don’t you go into my bedroom, get the phone and try to contact him again?"
"Adam’s a nice man. That Marvin man is kinda weird, but smart. Grossed me out, him spittin’ tobacco in that empty soda can. Remember they just wanna help, that’s all." Laquita walked out of the kitchen.
She remembered Adam was a nice man and she believed they thought they were being helpful. The problem was Elke. The woman never considered how others felt about what she decided was best for them. Never consulted them. That was because Elke thought she was always right and knew what was in everyone’s best interest. But Julia wasn’t a little girl anymore. She resented Elke’s continual intrusions in her life. Tired of Elke taking charge of her life without so much as a single word. Dammit, she was an adult and could take care of herself.
When she entered the living room both men’s heads snapped up. She didn’t recognize the man sitting next to Adam.
Adam looked younger than Marvin who had a truck driver belly on him.
"I want to thank you for your concern about my safety and I do appreciate it, but…" It was the man next to Adam who interrupted.
"I have known Elke for a very long time. She’s stubborn and strong-willed, but this decision was not made by her. She just agreed." The man raised the soda can to his mouth and spit.
"Who? The Bridge Club?"
"Sorry for my bad manners, Julia." The man wiped his chin dribbling drool with the back of his hand and stood. "My name is Marvin. I don’t work with the Bridge Club. I own a company few people can afford." Marvin sat back down. "I have been commissioned to install a high-tech security device for your home."
"Who hired you Marvin?"
Marvin leaned back on the couch. He appeared to be done talking.
Adam shifted on the couch, picked up his coffee mug and took a swig. "Julia, can we go into another room and discuss this?"
"No. I want to know who authorized a security system for my home," she demanded.
"Sorry Sunshine, but even that information is above the Bridge Club’s pay grade."
"Bullshit. Was it Elke?"
"Not exactly. Elke wanted to move you to a safe location. But somebody, we really aren’t sure who, authorized this security system and wants you to stay put for now. Elke finally agreed, but it took some convincing. She really wants to keep you safe Julia."
Julia looked at the men, not sure how she felt about having the system installed without her permission. Something inside her said maybe the security system wasn't such a bad idea with all that was going on. Flustered, she started to speak when Laquita came in the room shaking her head.
"Still no answer from Max. I’m worried about him," Laquita said as she plopped down on the couch next to Marvin. She looked at the man and continued, "Marvin, tell Julia bout this fancy ass security system you puttin’ in her house."
Marvin had given the sales pitch before. He spit in the can he was holding and began, "Don’t worry about it spying on you. It’s designed for you, the owner, to keep tabs on anybody who approaches your home."
"I think everybody is over-reacting with my involvement in whatever they think might be going on," Julia said.<
br />
Marvin continued, "I’ve installed a five-camera system that records 240 frames per second and includes night vision and motion detectors. Best of all, remote viewing software allows you to monitor all the cameras’ views in real time from a PC, laptop or even your phone. All you need is an internet connection or cell service."
Julia knew this meant somebody other than her had access to this monitoring. She didn’t like it.
"That could be a problem since our neighbor’s cat likes to visit," Julia added.
"This system has thermal cameras that detect the body heat of humans and animals."
Adam must have sensed her discomfort with the security being installed in her home. "Julia, we need to figure out why you’re being targeted or even if you are indeed being targeted. Why don’t we start by looking at the photos you took at Willow Oaks Motel the other day? You did take photos, correct?"
Julia’s gaze darted from Laquita to Marvin before locking eyes with Adam. She paused, feeling uncomfortable. Maybe she was reading too much into Adam’s request for the photos. He did work for the Bridge Club. And the man on the elevator said they’d get in touch with her. If she gave him the photos, then what leverage would she have to be part of the investigation? Something didn’t feel right about handing over the photos.
Julia firmly reminded Adam, "If this is a serious matter then should Marvin be privy to our discussion? I believe he’s not a member of the Bridge Club."
"Don’t worry Julia, I’ve known him," Adam nodded toward Marvin. "For almost as long as I’ve known your grandmother. We worked together for a long time at the agency. He knows the importance of what the Bridge Club does. The Club vetted him decades ago. He can be trusted. Marvin was known as Einstein in the analytical arm of the CIA. That’s why he quit and decided to go into the private sector and get paid what he’s worth with his high-tech company. We, the Bridge Club, like to use the old ways."
"Yeah and it’s long past time for you to come into the technical age," Marvin said. "That’s why I can’t work with a bunch of paranoid ol’ farts who are afraid to use modern technology unless their old ways don’t work. Which they usually don’t." Marvin stood. "Julia, I’m going to finish this up and get out of your hair. I’ll show you how to operate the system before I leave. Whoever’s paying to have this installed knows the old ways can’t protect you." He lumbered over to the front door, reached into his work bag pulling out tools to finish installing the security panel.