Secrets

by Nancy Popovich

  “Lunch will be in approximately forty minutes, if you wish to freshen up,” BB declared.

  Within minutes, the room was empty. BB walked over to a cabinet, opened it, and poured himself a stiff scotch. He swallowed it in one gulp, closing his eyes and sighing. He never again wanted to spend another morning of his life feeling the panic that he had experienced earlier. Never!

  And never before, had he felt such helplessness. His entire life and career he had been in charge, the man of action, the one with his finger on the pulse of what was happening or the one making things happen.

  But today, he had handed over control to someone else, someone to whom it rightfully belonged, someone who was impartial and capable of making decisions based on facts and not on feelings. It had been the most difficult thing that he had ever done in his many-storied career. And there had been many stories, most of which he wanted to share with his son over a glass of beer, or even a coffee. He felt a primeval need to share every bit of experience and advice that could be shared.

  Just how to accomplish some time with his son, would be the problem. Mike had a job that could not be left indefinitely and although his grandsons were in university, it felt imperative for BB to meet them, to speak to them and to somehow include them in his life, and he in theirs.

  CHAPTER 29

  Thirty minutes later, Mike sauntered down the stairs towards the kitchen. His mind was wandering all over the place. Usually, his mind concentrated on exactly what he dictated that it should. But since the confirmation that BB was his father, it took the greatest of concentration for him to keep his mind from wandering where it willed.

  Mike liked BB as a person. He enjoyed and admired his razor sharp mind, his wit and even his sophisticated sarcasm. He was an accomplished man, obviously ruthless when need be, but with a very kind heart. He had seen that this morning, when he knew without a shadow of a doubt, that BB would have traded places with him in a heartbeat.

  Not that Mike felt that it would have been necessary. He had felt strangely calm and confident that he could handle the situation. Lise was falling apart. He was aware that she had been a trained spy, and therefore probably schooled in the martial arts, but she was hurt physically, she was hurt emotionally, and she was fighting a war in her mind to justify her son’s actions. It was easier to blame someone else than to face actual facts.

  That, he got. These past few months of uncertainty and the trip to meet BB had been an emotional journey. It relieved his mind that he actually liked the man. Otherwise, this would have been so very difficult. The problem was to get to know him, to spend time, even if it was just to enjoy having a beer over a barbequed steak. He had to get home sometime soon, and most of the visit had been spent with spy stuff.

  His father was a spy! Had he been fourteen, he’d probably have raised his fist in the air and shouted Kewel! But he wasn’t. His sons were already older than that. His sons. He did need to have them meet their grandfather. Of course, they had heard stories about Ivan Toth, about his bravery, his intelligence and his good looks. All of which were true. But their biological grandfather had all of those qualities as well.

  Mike’s revelry was cut short, as he walked into the living room to witness BB down a shot and almost choke on it. Upon seeing Mike, BB smiled, took out another shot glass and poured two.

  “I want to drink a toast to my son. You stood up so well today, you were so calm, so very in charge. I have to admit, watching was the most difficult thing that I have ever done. Someone else was in command today, and all I wanted to do was charge in and save the day. I wanted you to view me as the hero. Petty, I admit, but I wanted it anyway.”

  Mike laughed and threw back his shot. “Not petty. I didn’t want to disappoint you! I guess that we have a great deal to learn about each other.”

  BB poured them each another shot. “I have a plan,” he declared.

  Before BB could share his ‘plan’, the dining room began to fill with everyone else in the house and then some. Steve and Mimi arrived, as did Maurice.

  They sat to lunch and it was truly charming. It appeared that worries were forgotten, all that seemed to matter was the superb food, which Sonya vowed she would research with the housekeeper, and the good company. Everyone at the table was an interesting person. Each had great wit, and each had stories to tell. Their lunch was over in what seemed to be seconds.

  Their host stood. “Unfortunately, we have business to conduct. Please join me in the living room.”

  The living room was different than it had been in the previous meeting. It now housed a round table, with a chair for everyone present.

  “Given that this is my house and my dollar,” BB stated, “I shall chair this meeting.” No one objected.

  “I think it is best that we begin with what Maurice requires for his investigation. Agreed?” There were no objections. I hand this meeting over to you, Maurice.”

  Maurice seemed stunned, but he smiled and took the lead. “We wish only to obtain whatever information we need to complete our investigation. We have proof to put Grégoire and Lucien into jail, or to the gallows. That is not our judgment. We provide the information, the court make verdict.’

  Hearing it in those words made Sonya ill. Death was a consequence of treason and what those men had done was considered treason. It was horrific enough that they had beaten Bryan for information which had yet to be disclosed, but they had betrayed their country and their fellow operatives. There was no forgiveness for that, especially amongst spies. It was her understanding that they had all taken an oath to their countries. And it was binding upon death.

  “Bryan, I ask you, when you were kidnap, what happen?”

  “It was so sudden,” Bryan answered. “We were shoved into a car, and I thought it was a joke that Lucien played on me because it was my honeymoon. It was not! It became apparent immediately that Lucien was in charge, and he began to demand answers to questions that I didn’t know. Strangely enough, someone he called Serge kept prompting him. Then, he went on and on about photographs of a party. He never said where or when, just photographs that apparently I had. My hands were tied behind my back. That was when Grégoire broke my fingers.”

  “We drove for what seemed to be hours. They kept going on about a memory card. I asked Lucien why he hadn’t just looked for himself. We were staying in his mother’s house. He said that we were always gone with the camera. He did check the computer, but all the photos on it were of family and the wedding. He had almost been caught coming out of our room by his mother, so he decided to simply get the card from me. Finally, we parked, and I was dragged from the car. By then I was blindfolded and gagged. I had absolutely no idea where were.”

  “When we got wherever their destination was, I was thrown into a chair and a hood was put over my head. I heard Grégoire laugh. It’s not something that I’d forget, as we did spend a year together and I had heard him laugh many times.”

  “Then I felt pain. Someone, or something hit me, I can’t even tell you where, all I know is that when I woke, I was on a cold, damp floor and I heard voices. I’m sure that I passed out again, because there was no one there when I woke again. The hood was still on, but everything around me was so silent. I couldn’t hear a bird, not even a cricket. I was certain that I was underground, somewhere.”

  By now, Sonya was in tears. Hearing about how Bryan had been so abused was more than upsetting, it was to say the least, totally offensive. Bryan took her hand and squeezed it, and then smiled at her. “It’s okay, Babe, it’s over now. Maybe you should go, while I continue.”

  “No fuckin way,” was her response.

  “That’s my sweetie,” he smiled back.

  CHAPTER 30

  Only Mike seemed to understand their banter, everyone else almost gasped in surprise. “It’s okay guys, Sonya’s used the word before,” Bryan smiled through his bruises.

  “It was a long time before anyone came back, and I had no way to know how much time passed. There was a h
ood on my head and my hands were still tied behind my back, so I couldn’t even look at my watch. It was probably as dark as my hood was, so I played mind games. I counted, I made up crosswords, I visualized paintings that I would paint if I lived. That kind of stuff.”

  “Finally, there was a sound of the door unlocking. Guys were talking and laughing. No one seemed to know that I was even there. There was a lot of scraping and the sound of dollies being unloaded.”

  “Then, there was silence again. It was as if I wasn’t there. I must have passed out again, because it seems like I came to and drifted off a couple of times.”

  “The next thing I remember was a guy saying, 'Easy' and waking up to lots of lights. Then, it was lights out again.” Bryan sighed. “And, that’s all that I know.”

  Silence pervaded the room. It was a horrific story. Finally, Maurice spoke. “These people were looking for a memory card. Do you know why?”

  Bryan shrugged his shoulders. “Not really! The only record that I have of my time in Paris at the University is the photos of my paintings for the Crusade project as Grégoire called it, and a party that we had at the end of the project.”

  “What did you do with the memory card from those photos?” Maurice asked casually.

  “I have no idea,” Bryan replied. “It’s probably somewhere in my office at the art gallery. I have literally dozens of cards. I photograph all of my paintings from various angles. I did take one of the memory cards and put it into Sonya’s computer as a backup in case we took too many photos in Paris. It is so very beautiful. Come to think of it, the card said Paris, so it seemed perfect,” he smiled amid his brilliant bruises.

  “Does this look familiar?” Maurice asked, turning his laptop to face Bryan.

  “Yes! That is one of the paintings that I did for Grégoire. He said we had a client from the Middle East that was paying rather handsomely for a series of contemporary, original paintings. As I was a scholarship student, any extra money was a big bonus. I photographed the paintings when they were done as I would any that I sold.”

  “And the party?” Maurice continued.

  “Just a bunch of the guys that were there when we had the wind up party. The only one that I knew was Grégoire. I was leaving for home the next morning, so I didn’t party hearty like they did. I left early, maybe nine o’clock. My flight left at about six the next morning. I barely had time to grab my luggage and head for the airport. I checked in, went through security and crashed out in the waiting area.”

  BB stepped in. “What about Lise?” he asked. “How did today happen?”

  Mike took a deep breath. “It seems rather fuzzy, to be honest. After she took Sylvain to school, she came back into the house and went to her room. I was in the library, looking up what tourists normally do in Paris, when she came in all dressed in black. She took one look at me, and it’s like her eyes glazed. She left and came back with a gun. After that, we got into her car, and she told me how to drive to the hospital. She knew the room number and kept the gun on me till we got there. We entered the hospital room, then, you know what happened.”

  “You spoke of your manoeuvre as a ‘body check’. Would you care to describe this move?” asked Maurice curiously.

  “A body check?” Mike repeated, somewhat surprised. “It is a basic hockey move against an opponent, not something that I would normally use in real life, unless my life was in jeopardy. I knew that Madame Lalonde’s shoulder was hurting, so I just shoved her into the wall against the shoulder that hurt. Normally, if I full body checked someone her size into a wall, they couldn’t get up. My intention was not to hurt her, but to disable her gun.”

  “Ah,” replied Maurice. “This move is involve in a sport? Le hockey, oui?”

  “Yes,” Mike smiled. “I coach little league hockey. I played in the minors for years, as I’m not good enough for the big leagues. But, I do know the game, and I am a very good coach.”

  “I have a question, many in fact,” Sonya piped in. “Why were these people after Bryan for his paintings? He created them, was paid, and then left. Why the backlash?”

  “It is confidential but not classified,” BB began cautiously. “A mission called the Crusades was developed to help a pro-democratic movement in one of the Middle Eastern countries to access modern age technology. These paintings held in their frames, micro-thin wafers which held technology that could be used to usher this country into the modern age. The embargo on these countries denied them this technology through the open market.”

  “What Grégoire and Lucien did, was to also include space-age weapons technology for a terrorist faction. The mission was declared a disaster but Lucien and Grégoire continued, despite the order to abort the mission. They wanted the memory card for the photos of the people at the party. We have it now, and have used it to advantage against both of them.”

  “The paintings that you did, Bryan, were loaded with weapons technology, in wafers hidden between the canvas and the inside of the stretchers. The shipment was intercepted, but, they had only sent half. The other half were in the storage room that you were kept prisoner. No one knew that you were there except for Grégoire and Lucien. You would have died if Steve and his crew had not found you.”

  “Thank you,” was all that Bryan could say as emotions took over. Sonya took his hand and they both sat in silence, grateful that he was alive.

  “Why was there someone else in Bryan’s bed in the hospital?” Sonya requested.

  Maurice’s face flushed a little and he sighed. “We sent him back to BB house with his guard. We think perhaps we can flush out some of other soldiers in Lucien gang. We did not know that you and BB were come to get him. It was gap in communication.”

  Maurice stood. “Thank you all. I have what is need to finish case. Merci! Un mot, BB? (Thank you! A word, BB?)” he requested. BB rose from his chair and left the room.

  He was back before anyone else had left. “A moment please. I would like to make a proposal.”

  CHAPTER 31

  BB had their undivided attention. “Sonya and Bryan are in Paris to celebrate their honeymoon and Mike is here so that we can get to know one another better. The unfortunate circumstances of the past few days, has put all of that on hold.”

  “Steven is here because our missions crossed, and he is considering a transfer to MI6. As of this morning, I am back to retirement status, which is where I wish to remain. This creates a position for him to fill here.” Mimi’s smile grew with every word that BB said.

  “I would like to suggest that while Bryan is recovering from his injuries and until Doctor Dupont gives him the okay to travel home, that they take the opportunity to enjoy what Paris has to offer. I have Steve on loan for another week, and I am suggesting he would be the appropriate tour guide. Mimi may wish to join you if her schedule permits.”

  “In the meantime, if Mike agrees, I have a villa in Tuscany that I’d like to show him. The train ride at this time of year is lovely, and is comfortable enough to allow us some privacy to converse. The villa has a car to provide us with whatever transportation needs that we might have once in Italy”

  “Doctor Dupont has assured me that Bryan will be cleared to travel in a week’s time. Steven has agreed to extend his leave for another week. In one week’s time, Steven and I can fly you back to Calgary, if you so wish. I have a small jet that does not see nearly enough air time. Mimi has agreed to join us. Does this plan sound agreeable to everyone?” BB concluded. There was resounding agreement!

  “I have one question,” Sonya posed. “What happens to Sylvain?”

  “He remains at his school while we are away, something that he is excited about. His grandmother had the foresight to put him into a boarding school near here. She also signed over guardianship to me, in case Lucien was able to somehow wiggle out of his charges. It would make things more difficult for him to kidnap his son. They have a good relationship and the boy loves his father, which is as it should be.”

  “Those in charge a
t the school are aware of our fear of a kidnapping, and precautions have been taken. When I return from Canada, I shall have him live here. I was sent to a boarding school as a child and it is not an ideal situation. It was a matter of out of sight, out of mind, and it would be cruel to leave him alone with his father’s very life in question and with his grandmother’s breakdown.” A cloud of bad memories passed over his face.

  “If Mike has no objection, we can leave for Italy in two and a half hours. The dining car has exceptional food,” he declared.

  “Well then,” Mike smiled, “I will get packed! I’m looking forward to the trip. ”

  He left the dining room and climbed the stairs to his room. A villa in Tuscany? A private jet? He and his father did indeed, have a great deal to get to know about one another he thought, as he threw clothes into his suitcase. Was that not why he had taken this trip to Paris? Presumably, they would be returning to the house, but in case they didn’t, he packed everything.

  Sonya helped Bryan up the stairs at a pace that he could handle. He was physically tired, that she could easily see. Manoeuvring him into bed, she pulled the covers over him and smiled. “Get some sleep!” she ordered, kissing his cheek. “Do you have any pain medication to take?”

  “Yeah,” he grunted as he struggled to retrieve a pill bottle from his pants pocket with his left hand.

  Reading the label, Sonya took out two pills, placed them in Bryan’s hand and poured a glass of water. “Take them,” she demanded. “I’ll stay here until you fall asleep. Then I’ll be in the library with my computer, so don’t panic if I’m not here. I’ll check in on you after two hours.”

  Bryan smiled sweetly. “Thanks, Babe. Love you.” His eyes began to close.

  “Love you too,” Sonya replied, kissing his forehead. He was already asleep.

  Collecting her laptop and a note pad, Sonya closed the bedroom door and went downstairs to the library. It was such a wonderful room! She though that perhaps it was her favourite in the entire house, all of which was in her humble opinion, exquisite.