Sheba's Gambit

by Kristine Frost

  “I’m on my way,” Sheba said cheerfully. She picked up her notebook where she had jotted her ideas on Sheba. When she opened the door, a marine was standing by the door. “I’m to escort you to Director Maitland’s office.” He said.

  “Lead on,” she said, turning toward the elevator.

  Nodding at the Marine guarding the door, Sheba stepped into the room, stopping in shock. Not only were Ms. Nagle and Mr. Maitland standing there, but the President of the United States, Gerald Sherman, was seated at the desk. She barely noticed the man in a dark green uniform with enough ribbons and bars to cover his chest standing next to the President. There were several other men in the room she didn’t notice at all.

  I’m glad I wore a nice dress, she thought. She looked desperately at Ms. Nagle who immediately stepped forward in response to her unspoken plea.

  “President Sherman, I would like to introduce Sheba Bentley. Sheba, I’m sure you know who this is.”

  As Sheba nodded, the President stood, extending his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Ms. Bentley.”

  “Please, sir, call me Sheba. Ms. Bentley is my mother.”

  “Will do, Sheba.” He said as he patted her hand. “Please everyone sit down. We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time.”

  Once everyone was seated, he said, “Sheba, Ms. Nagle has told me a little about what happened in Florida. I would appreciate it if you would tell me everything.”

  Sheba quickly repeated the events that had been set in motion when she purchased the books. “But I wonder when I’m going to have to talk to the police.”

  Maitland said, “That’s been taken care of. Terrorist activities are more important than a murder.”

  When she had finished, Sherman looked over at a man in a dark brown suit. “Wyatt, what do you think about all of this?”

  Wyatt nodded to Sheba. “We haven’t been introduced. My name is Allen Wyatt. I’m the Director of the CIA. Nathan Breckenridge’s activities are of great interest to us.” He added, “Ms. Nagle gave me the copy of the books you purchased. I sent them down to analysis to have them typed up to make for easier reading. He handed stapled copies to everyone in the room. “The one on the top is a transcript of Captain Elmer Seacliff’s diary.”

  Sheba said, “The woman who was shot was Elmer Seacliff’s widow.” She paused adding, “I want to read the originals.” When Wyatt started to say something, she held up her hand. “I need to read the originals because I need to get a feel for what kind of man he was. The diary will tell me if I can trust what’s he’s written. Some of these old diaries are the work of people who are just trying to get a thrill by writing lies. I need to know if he is one of them.”

  President Sherman said, “She makes a good point. Perhaps we need to give Sheba some background information that she doesn’t have access to, then I think we need to discuss what we want her to do. General Stevens would you tell her what you told me?”

  “Certainly, Mr. President.” He looked at Sheba, “Nathan Breckenridge has always resented his half-brother inheriting their father’s title. As you know, Breckenridge is convinced he’s the heir to the Queen of Sheba.”

  Sheba said, seriously, “Does he have any proof? Because I have read everything I could find on that visit. I know Solomon is reputed to have tricked Sheba into having sex with him. That’s where the Yemen’s get their idea that they are descended from her. However, it can’t be proved.”

  “It doesn’t matter if he’s able to prove it or not. It’s enough that he thinks he is. Rumor has it that he is looking for the lady’s tomb so that he can have her DNA compared to his,” Wyatt said.

  Ms. Nagle said, “We’ve been watching him for a number of years. His crime syndicate has agents in most of the principle cities in the world. We know he’s funneling money into different terrorist organizations. If he was able to prove his claim, he could use that to unify the Muslim nations. With Sheba’s gold he would probably try to rule the world.”

  Sheba looked thoughtful, but she didn’t say anything.

  He continued. “He has been increasing the size of his organization in the Middle East especially with Isis and the Taliban. Even though we know he is funneling money to the Middle East, we can’t prove it.” He frowned. “If he finds the Sheba treasure, the balance of power will tip and slide into oblivion.”

  Sheba looked from Wyatt to the president. “You are going to ask me to find Sheba and at the same time, get rid of Breckenridge.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “No. You aren’t qualified to do either job. You are an analyst and a very good one, but that doesn’t make you a field agent. We want you to read the books and give our agents the benefit of your expertise and let them handle it.”

  Sheba froze. “How can I give them the benefit of my expertise? They have no background. It’s taken me twenty-plus years to get that background. That’s like telling a concert pianist to give a beginning musician the benefit of her expertise so she can play at Carnegie Hall next week. It won’t work.”

  Wyatt said, “I’m sure we can figure it out with or without your help.”

  Feeling the anger surge, she grabbed her books that were piled on the corner of the desk. “Sorry guys. You can count me out. Expertise, indeed!” She slammed the door behind her.

  Maitland said, “Wyatt, do you ever think before you open your mouth? She’s right. She can’t teach a couple of your people everything she’s spent a lifetime researching. She’s spent the last four days doing field work and done it well.”

  Wyatt snarled. “Four days of field work isn’t going to help her capture Breckenridge. You are so concerned with keeping this an NSA operation that you can’t see that you are setting her up for failure. If my people were doing the operation, we’d know that we’d succeed.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean.”

  “Just that--”

  “Enough,” President Sherman commanded. “I’d heard about the in-fighting between departments that should know better, but I didn’t believe it. I guess I’m going to have to change my mind.” He looked at them sternly. “Don’t make me regret calling you in to help with this project. It could be hazardous to your job security.”

  Nagle looked at the President. “We can pair her with Tony Bond. He’s been working on Breckenridge plus he speaks a number of Middle Eastern languages. He’s a bit arrogant, but he’s good. He knows both Europe and the Middle East.”

  Maitland took a deep breath, fighting his temper, then he looked down at her. “Good idea.” He turned to the President. “What do you think, sir?”

  President Sherman stared at his clasped hands for a minute or two. Then he looked at Wyatt who was struggling to contain his temper. “Wyatt, I think he’s right. Sheba has the right instincts--”

  “But she just stole those books,” he snapped. “She broke the law.”

  “Except for one thing,” Maitland said. “Those were her books. She bought them with her money, not ours.”

  Ignoring him, President Sherman continued, “I like the idea of partnering her with Bond. I think it’s a good move. It feels right.”

  When Sheba left Maitland’s office, she turned right. They’ll lock down everything if they want to stop me so I’ll do what they won’t expect. Moving quickly, she hurried down the stairs, using her card again to let her into the staff parking lot.

  She was half way to the bus stop when Marshall caught up with her.

  “Hi,” he said with a smile.

  Angrily, she held up her hand. “Don’t pretend to be nice to me. I’ve just been told I’m worthless. I’m in no mood to stay here around any longer.”

  “Wow! You’re not worthless. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”

  “You’re laying it on pretty thick, Marine.”

  “You know me better than that. What happened?”

  “Marshall, you know what happened. I know Wyatt told you to stop me, but I’m free, white, and twenty-one. I’m leaving.”

  “Then let
me go with you. It’s not safe for you to wander around by yourself.”

  “Why?” She snapped not slowing down.

  “What?” He asked, looking confused.

  “Why do you care? I’m not your responsibility anymore unless they told you to stop me.”

  “No one has said anything to me. You look upset. Since we’re friends, I thought I’d see if I can help.”

  She looked close to tears. “No one can help. I just want out of here. I can find another job in a heartbeat. I don’t need to be told that I’m just a decoder. This ‘just a decoder’ has broken fifteen terrorist operations.”

  Marshall nodded. “I know you are good. I’ve been with you for several days now.”

  He looked at her hard, closed face. “Let’s go get something to eat and talk about this. My car is right over there.”

  “Oh, they can take out Breckenridge, but it will be a long cold day in hell before I give them my Sheba dream.” Her tone was bitter, but Marshall could feel the hurt under the anger.

  “I don’t blame you,” he said quietly. “Did Braden get to London okay? He seemed a little young to fly that far, but I’m sure Rob took good care of him.”

  She smiled for the first time. “Thanks for asking. He did get there safely. He told me that they drove past Buckingham Palace. He saw the guards with the big fur hats. Now he’s not sure if he wants to be a palace guard or a marine like you when he grows up.”

  Marshall looked startled. “Like me? I’m no hero.”

  “You are to him, but don’t worry about it. He’ll change his mind forty times before he gets old enough to really decide.”

  She looked out the window, fighting the tears that kept trying to come. I won’t cry. I won’t give them the satisfaction of making me cry. Swallowing hard, she said, “Where are we going for lunch?”

  “I thought you’d enjoy Senora’s. I know you like Mexican. They make the best Mexican this side of the border.”

  She leaned back in the passenger seat. “That sounds good. I’m starved.”

  “You’ll probably feel better when you eat. I think it’s easy to let people get you down when you’re hungry. At least, it works that way with me.”

  As they entered the restaurant, Marshall’s radio buzzed. He turned it off.

  Nagle said, “Marshall has taken her to lunch. I’ll meet them there and talk to her about the new plan.”

  “And if she’s reluctant?” Sherman asked.

  Nagle frowned, “I’ll have to try to convince her. I think she’ll agree with the plan because you asked her to do it. She really is a patriot at heart.”

  She glared at Wyatt. “But your comments certainly didn’t help—just a decoder—pshaw!” She said in disgust. “I wish I had a dozen ‘just decoders’ like her. If I had a hundred like her, this country, the world would be safe for a change.”

  Wyatt held up his hands. “I’m sorry I put my foot in it,” He didn’t sound sorry.

  She caught the tone of voice, glared at him, then turned to the President. “I’d better be off if I’m going to smooth over his blunder.”

  “Good luck,” President Sherman said, adding, “She should have a government expense account since she is doing this for us.”

  Maitland nodded, “I’ll make it happen. Tony can give her the card.”

  “Tony,” Wyatt snorted under his breath, but there was a satisfied gleam in his eye.

  Chapter 11

  The waiter set Sheba’s Chimichanga platter down in front of her. Then she put Marshall’s ‘a bit of everything’ platter in front of him. “Careful. The plates are very hot.” She warned as they picked up their forks.

  Sheba took a bite. “Wow! This is really good.” They ate in silence, enjoying the food.

  When they were nearly done, Nagle walked up to their table. “Can I join you?” She asked pleasantly.

  Sheba turned to glare at Marshall. “You said that they hadn’t talked to you. You lied to me.”

  He held up his hand in a stop motion. “When I’m on duty, my radio is on. I usually leave it on when I go to lunch in case of an emergency. When I was talking to you, I totally forgot about it. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  She sighed. “Okay, but I’m not going to change my mind.”

  Nagle said, “Before I begin, I wanted to apologize for Wyatt. He’s a jerk. He’s been jealous of NSA for years. He thought he’d make points with the President and make this an all CIA operation, but it backfired. The President was not impressed.

  “Anyway, after you left, Director Maitland stated that he thought you should be the one to look for Sheba. He backed you up when he said that you had a lifetime of research behind you. There was no way you could tell anyone else everything you had learned. A lot of it you won’t even remember until the time comes that you need to use it.”

  Sheba nodded. “That’s true.”

  “So it was decided to pair you with Tony Bond.”

  Sheba started to say something.

  “I know you don’t like Bond much. I know he’s arrogant and obnoxious, but,” she said, “He knows the Middle East better than any agent we have. He speaks several of the languages. He has informers in every country. He’s been working on Breckenridge and his connection to the Middle East terrorist groups for several years. I know he would do anything to take out Breckenridge, but he hasn’t been able to. With your help, he should be able to fill his mission. You should be able to find the Land of Sheba. We are all hoping that it will be located in a country that is friendly to the United States because that much gold could change the balance of power. Are you okay with all of this?”

  Sheba paused, trying to swallow her hurt and anger. “I don’t know. I guess I can work with Tony as long as he doesn’t pull a Wyatt on me.

  The Transformer’s theme song began to play. Marshall looked around, then grinned, “Isn’t that your phone?” He asked Sheba.

  Sheba looked embarrassed. “I forgot Braden programmed the theme from his favorite movie into my phone so I’d know it was him.” She hit a button. “Hi, Braden. How’s it going?”

  “Aunt Sheba, I saw the squeenchy eyed man.” His voice was shrill.

  “Hold on, honey, let me put you on speaker.” She pushed a button then said, “Say that again.”

  “I saw the squeenchy-eyed man again.”

  “Braden, it’s Marshall. Where did you see him? Was it in London?”

  “Hi, Marshall. I looked out my window and saw him. He was looking out the window of a building across the street.”

  “You’re sure it was the squeenchy-eyed man?” Sheba asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’m not a little kid.”

  Sheba smiled. “No, you’re not a little kid. Did you see him anywhere else?”

  “I thought I saw him outside my school.”

  Ms. Nagle was pushing buttons on her phone. She tapped Sheba’s arm. “I can get you on a flight to London that leaves in three hours if you are willing to work with Tony.”

  Big eyed, and scared, Sheba nodded. “Okay, Braden--”

  Before she could continue, her sister, Theo took the phone saying, “Braden, I told you not to call Sheba. It costs a lot to call overseas.”

  “Sheba, I’m sorry he called you for this foolishness. “Squeenchy eyed man, indeed. I’m not going to let him watch any TV if he dreams up stuff like this.”

  “Theo, Braden isn’t making this up. There is a squeenchy-eyed man. He attacked us at Universal Studios. Please don’t let Braden leave the embassy. I can get a flight that leaves in three hours. I’ll be at Heathrow airport--” She looked at Nagle who said, “7:30 a.m.

  “At 7:30 a.m. Can you pick me up or do I need to get a taxi?”

  “Sheba, you don’t need to come. Braden is just making this up.” Theo said stubbornly.

  “No, he isn’t.” Sheba said in a near panic. “Theo, we haven’t had time to talk about Braden’s trip to Orlando. Please believe me. He could be in danger. We can talk about it tomorrow when I g
et there. I’ve got to go, if I’m going to get packed. Love you, sis. Tell Braden, I love him.” She hit the off button.

  She looked at Ms. Nagle. “I thought Wyatt said that he is having someone watch the embassy.”

  “He did. I’ll make sure that they know about the man. It’s just that no one has a picture.”

  Marshall said, “I was looking at my pictures last night. I found this.” It was a picture of a bald man.

  Ms. Nagle took the phone. “Forward it to my cell and Sheba’s. He looks really familiar. I’ll bet Bond will know who he is. I’d guess he’s Breckenridge’s hired muscle.”

  Sheba looked at Marshall. “Well, I guess we’d better be going if I’m going to catch a plane in,” she looked at her watch, “Two and a half hours.” She looked at Nagle. “Is Tony going to meet me on the plane?”

  “He should, although he may be in the Middle East. I don’t have anything to do with his assignments. That’s Wyatt’s job, but if he isn’t on the plane, he’ll meet you in London.”

  An hour later, Marshall escorted Sheba to the waiting area near the door to her plane. As they sat down, Sheba said, “I have to admit that I didn’t think we’d make it to the airport. I was sure our squeenchy-eyed man would try one more time to get the books even if he had to cause an accident to do it.”

  Marshall nodded. “I thought he might do the same thing.” He looked around slowly, carefully, “I hope that Bond gets here on time.”

  “It doesn’t worry me, if he doesn’t. The last time I had to work with him, my urge to kill was sitting so close to the surface that if I’d have had a gun, I’d have shot him in the most painful place possible.”

  Marshall laughed. “He’s your new bodyguard so you’d better repress the urge. When they called for first class boarding, he walked her to the boarding official, giving her the carry on. He kissed her cheek. “If things go wrong call me. I’ll be on the next plane, boss or no boss.”

  “Thanks, Marshall. I really appreciate all you’ve done for me and for Braden.”

  As she started down the ramp, she waved at Marshall, suddenly feeling alone and vulnerable. Once around the curve, she squared her shoulders. Come on Sheba. You’re a competent woman, you don’t have to feel like someone is going to jump out of the woodwork and attack you. She giggled. Mainly because boarding ramps don’t have woodwork.