turned toward me. He looked relaxed, his mission accomplished, and he spoke in an offhand manner.
“We’ll set up a way for you to file progress reports from the field, of course. Details to follow. Don’t sweat it—we’ll be in touch.”
“How will I know when I’ve given you enough information?”
“We’ll make our feelings known. In the meantime the best rule of thumb is to tell us anything and everything you learn. Names, numbers, we want it all. You’re to go where he goes, see who he sees. If Omar has a meeting, find out who it’s with. Crash it if you can, ferret out the details later if you can’t. Whatever files he has, you need to see them. And whenever you find a money trail you’re to follow wherever it leads, through records if possible, or on foot if necessary. Even if it’s someplace you don’t particularly care to go.”
He glanced forward to check our progress as Gray bumped the car into the rocky driveway. The headlight beams swung across the front of the house.
“The less you can get away with telling your wife, the better, you know. That’s the best policy with spouses. It’s in their own best interests.”
Interesting that he had arrived at the same conclusion as I had, if for different reasons.
“Is this what passes for training?”
“Relax. Amateurs do surprisingly well in this business. All their mistakes look like honest ones. It’s the professionals who have to be extra careful. Which only makes them easier to spot for anyone who’s watching for them.”
“And who will be watching for me?”
“If I told you, you’d just waste all your time looking for them. Nobody you need to worry about.”
“Comforting.”
“Just concern yourself with Omar.”
We pulled to a stop. Gray left the engine running. Black handed an envelope across the seat.
“Here’s your plane ticket. Tell White we’re waiting outside, if you don’t mind.”
“You’re not leaving him behind to make sure we behave?”
“You’ll behave.”
“And if I can’t make the flight Tuesday?”
“Then trade in the ticket for Thursday.”
“What if I’m not on that one?”
“Then Gray and I will be back in touch. Even more up close and personal than this time. I don’t think you’d like us very much.”
The locks thumped open, and I stepped into the night. White opened the front door of the house before I could even turn the handle, and he passed me without a word. Mila stood behind him in the alcove, still in her robe.
She slumped into my arms as they drove away. We watched until the taillights disappeared on a switchback far above us. I felt the air leave her body in a huge sigh like the beginning of a sob. But when I pulled back for a look, her face was dry.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “Did he…?”
“He was fine. Very polite. Just sat in a corner and made sure I didn’t go anywhere. What did they want with you? Where did they take you?”
“Up to the DeKuyper place. They had a key. We went to some kind of boardroom. Why don’t we sit down?”
She nodded, and we sleepwalked to the couch, the one with the fine view out the picture window down to the sea, except now the curtains were drawn. After being in DeKuyper’s house the room felt tiny.
“They want me to go to work for them. Just for a few months. Then they’ll let me go.”
“They scared us like this just to make a job offer?”
“I guess they wanted to make an impression. It’s secret work. In the Middle East.”
She shook her head.
“Why you? Doing what?”
“Remember Omar al-Baroody? From Jordan? They want me to spy on him.”
She had met Omar on our honeymoon, when we had toured Cairo, Jerusalem, and much of Jordan. To her Omar was a big smile and a deep, booming laugh. I’m sure she could easily recall our dinner with his family in Amman, at a Chinese restaurant run by an old diplomat from Taiwan, reputedly a retired spy. The image was still vivid in my mind: Omar, his wife, and their three
“We’ll set up a way for you to file progress reports from the field, of course. Details to follow. Don’t sweat it—we’ll be in touch.”
“How will I know when I’ve given you enough information?”
“We’ll make our feelings known. In the meantime the best rule of thumb is to tell us anything and everything you learn. Names, numbers, we want it all. You’re to go where he goes, see who he sees. If Omar has a meeting, find out who it’s with. Crash it if you can, ferret out the details later if you can’t. Whatever files he has, you need to see them. And whenever you find a money trail you’re to follow wherever it leads, through records if possible, or on foot if necessary. Even if it’s someplace you don’t particularly care to go.”
He glanced forward to check our progress as Gray bumped the car into the rocky driveway. The headlight beams swung across the front of the house.
“The less you can get away with telling your wife, the better, you know. That’s the best policy with spouses. It’s in their own best interests.”
Interesting that he had arrived at the same conclusion as I had, if for different reasons.
“Is this what passes for training?”
“Relax. Amateurs do surprisingly well in this business. All their mistakes look like honest ones. It’s the professionals who have to be extra careful. Which only makes them easier to spot for anyone who’s watching for them.”
“And who will be watching for me?”
“If I told you, you’d just waste all your time looking for them. Nobody you need to worry about.”
“Comforting.”
“Just concern yourself with Omar.”
We pulled to a stop. Gray left the engine running. Black handed an envelope across the seat.
“Here’s your plane ticket. Tell White we’re waiting outside, if you don’t mind.”
“You’re not leaving him behind to make sure we behave?”
“You’ll behave.”
“And if I can’t make the flight Tuesday?”
“Then trade in the ticket for Thursday.”
“What if I’m not on that one?”
“Then Gray and I will be back in touch. Even more up close and personal than this time. I don’t think you’d like us very much.”
The locks thumped open, and I stepped into the night. White opened the front door of the house before I could even turn the handle, and he passed me without a word. Mila stood behind him in the alcove, still in her robe.
She slumped into my arms as they drove away. We watched until the taillights disappeared on a switchback far above us. I felt the air leave her body in a huge sigh like the beginning of a sob. But when I pulled back for a look, her face was dry.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “Did he…?”
“He was fine. Very polite. Just sat in a corner and made sure I didn’t go anywhere. What did they want with you? Where did they take you?”
“Up to the DeKuyper place. They had a key. We went to some kind of boardroom. Why don’t we sit down?”
She nodded, and we sleepwalked to the couch, the one with the fine view out the picture window down to the sea, except now the curtains were drawn. After being in DeKuyper’s house the room felt tiny.
“They want me to go to work for them. Just for a few months. Then they’ll let me go.”
“They scared us like this just to make a job offer?”
“I guess they wanted to make an impression. It’s secret work. In the Middle East.”
She shook her head.
“Why you? Doing what?”
“Remember Omar al-Baroody? From Jordan? They want me to spy on him.”
She had met Omar on our honeymoon, when we had toured Cairo, Jerusalem, and much of Jordan. To her Omar was a big smile and a deep, booming laugh. I’m sure she could easily recall our dinner with his family in Amman, at a Chinese restaurant run by an old diplomat from Taiwan, reputedly a retired spy. The image was still vivid in my mind: Omar, his wife, and their three
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