by J. C. Fields
Joseph sipped his coffee while leaning against the breakfast bar. “JR, that would be Mossad.”
“Got it.” He started typing as Nadia glared at Joseph.
Wolfe put his hand on her arm. “It’s okay, Charlie—uh—Joseph knows more about us than you think.”
Her face tightened as she nervously flipped her hair over her shoulders.
Looking up from the computer again, JR turned his attention to Nadia and Wolfe. “I’ll need a supply of blood from each of you.”
Chuckling, Wolfe nodded. “Our blood in the apartment, but no bodies, correct?”
“That’s the plan. Bodies disappear in Mexico City all the time. Your IDs will be discreetly hidden, but findable, within the apartment. Since it’s a safe house for the Mossad and you’ve both worked for them, they will have your blood type and DNA profile. They’ll assume you two are dead.”
“Is this man you know in Mexico City reliable?” Wolfe’s eyebrows pinched together.
“Actually, I don’t know if it’s a man or a woman. I’ve never met them. But we’ve both, at times, been associated with a like-minded group of computer hackers.”
Joseph said, “Michael, he’s talking about Anonymous.”
“Thought they were a myth perpetuated by the media.”
JR nodded. “The group exists, but the public persona is a little more nebulous. To answer your question, yes, the hacker is very reliable.” Retreating into a focused fury of typing on his laptop, JR concentrated on his next task.
Joseph motioned for Wolfe and Nadia to join him at the breakfast bar. “When he’s concentrating like that, he won’t communicate with anyone.”
Wolfe went to the kitchen cabinet and removed two coffee mugs. In one, he placed a tea bag retrieved from a canister underneath. After filling it with water, he placed the cup in the microwave oven above the stove. While the tea heated, he filled the remaining cup with coffee. When the microwave signaled the end of the cycle, he removed the tea and handed it to Nadia.
She accepted it, and with a half-smile, checked the tag on the tea bag. “How did you have the type of tea I like?”
“I like Earl Grey, too.”
“You hate tea, Michael.”
“I don’t hate tea. I prefer coffee.”
“I’ve never known you to have tea on hand.”
He shrugged and sipped his coffee.
Nadia swept the back of her hand across her eye.
Joseph asked, “Michael, who did you get your assignments from?”
“My broker.”
“What’s his name?”
Hesitating, Wolfe raised the coffee to his lips, but before taking a sip, he put the cup down. “A retired MI6 chap I met in Tel Aviv.”
“Name?”
“Geoffrey Canfield.”
Hiding his surprise, Joseph took a deep breath. “When was the last time you heard from him?”
“He’s the one who told me about the Barcelona contract.”
“How many times has he contacted you in the past year?”
“About three. Why?”
“Geoffrey Canfield died of a sudden heart attack about a year and a half ago.”
Wolfe was silent as he studied the contents of his coffee cup. Nadia drew closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, an arm around his waist.
“Whoever contacted me knew the correct protocols.” He paused; his eyes glued on Joseph. “The contacts were no different from past ones.”
“Except the details on Barcelona?”
Nodding, Wolfe put his arm around Nadia. He looked at her and then turned his attention back to Joseph. “What’s going on here?”
“That’s what we need to determine. When was the last time you saw Canfield?”
“About three years ago in a London pub.”
“How did he look?”
“The same. Geoffrey never seemed to age—he always looked like a university professor.”
“Yes, that he did.”
“You knew him?”
“Very well. He and I worked together in Africa for a while. I don’t like the coincidence of Asa Gerlis and Geoffrey Canfield dying so close in time to each other.”
Nadia raised her head. “Asa’s body was never found.”
Tilting his head, Joseph raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
She nodded.
Joseph studied the floor for a few moments and then looked back up. “The more I think about it, the more I believe Canfield’s heart attack was not natural. I saw him just before it happened. He looked fine, but seemed preoccupied.”
“Did he still have contact with MI6?” asked Wolfe.
“I believe he did. He and I performed similar functions for our respective governments.”
Wolfe frowned. “I didn’t know he still worked for MI6?”
“He didn’t. He worked for the Prime Minister, same as I work for the President.”
“Huh.”
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine, but what kind of assignments did he give you?”
Pinching his eyebrows together, Wolfe took a deep breath. “Mundane stuff, really. Until the last three.” He paused and sipped his coffee. “Normally I’m asked to find individuals classified as terrorists.”
“Makes sense. What made the last three different?”
“Just two actually. I turned one down.”
“Why?”
“Money and country weren’t right.”
Joseph frowned. “Where?”
“Russia.”
Joseph nodded. “What about the other two?”
“First was Turkey. The second was the Barcelona gig.”
“So, after years of being assigned individuals who were known terrorists, he suddenly starts giving you political targets?”
“When you put it that way—it doesn’t make sense. Guess I got complacent.”
“Dangerous, Michael.”
“Yes, I’m very much aware of that, Joseph.”
JR lifted his head from the laptop. “Okay, everything is ready. I’ll need a few days to get the details worked out. I’ll be back—uh, let’s say Thursday.”
Chapter 5
Somewhere in Southern Missouri
Two Days Later
W olfe opened the envelope JR handed him and peered inside. He extracted the contents and placed them on the kitchen table. There were several documents, each looked official. He saw a birth certificate and a social security card, one set for himself and the other set for Nadia. He also saw a marriage license. All were issued by the state of Missouri. Two sheets of paper showed a computer printout of driver’s licenses, one for each of them. While their first names were the same, the last name on the IDs read, LYON.
Michael smiled as he looked at JR. “Where did you get the photos?”
JR shrugged.
Nadia picked up the sheet with her license and chuckled. “This is my old Israeli driver’s license photo.”
Michael looked at his. “Now I recognize it. It’s the picture from my CIA ID. How did…”
Joseph said, “I told you he was good.”
After placing the sheet back on the table, Michael folded his arms. “This is all well and good, but these are not useable as identification.”
“The birth certificates, marriage license and social security cards can be. The printout of the driver’s license tells anyone checking the database you have a DL on file. All you have to do is go to any Missouri Department of Revenue office, present your birth-certificates and social security cards and tell them your licenses were stolen. Or if you prefer, lost. They will find the ones on file and be happy to replace them. For a fee, of course.”
“Goes without saying.”
JR pointed to the documents. “Everything I’ve given you exists in the system as of yesterday. You both have a work history within the Social Security database and you’ve been married for ten years. You’ve even been filing and paying your taxes on time, all very official, all very real in the
digital world.”
Wolfe looked from JR to Joseph. “What does the IRS think I’ve been doing?”
Joseph removed an envelope from the breast pocket of his navy blazer. He handed it to Wolfe. “Read this.”
Extracting a document from the envelope, he read it quickly and then passed it to Nadia. “Hedge fund manager? I don’t know the first thing about hedge funds.”
Shrugging, Joseph gave him a mischievous grin. “Neither will anyone you talk to. You have a degree in International Business Management. It’s a perfect background for a fund manager. If asked, just say you felt burned out and left. No one will question you. It’s an obscure field normal people don’t understand. Plus, positions like that produce a lot of cash, which will help explain your lack of employment at the moment.”
Wolfe shook his head and stared at all the documents he and Nadia were given. “These are better than forged documents.”
JR nodded. “Every day of the week because they’re real. No one can or will question them.”
Nadia frowned as she stared at her birth certificate. “This says I was born in Kansas City. How do I explain my accent?”
Joseph answered, “First of all, never explain it. Second, if someone does question you, tell them your father was a diplomat and you grew up in France. Simple. Your English is impeccable. Most people from around here will think you’re from the east coast.”
Michael frowned. “What about passports if we need to travel abroad?”
JR pointed to the documents. “Simple. Use those and your new DLs to apply for an official one. There will be one in the system for Nadia as a child, but it expired long ago. The background checks will pass. Trust me.”
Turning his attention back to JR, Wolfe said. “This is better than I could have hoped for. I have to owe you something.”
“You don’t owe me a thing. I enjoy screwing the system. They’ve made it completely digital but haven’t figured out how to keep it from being manipulated.”
Wolfe nodded. “Very well, but I owe you.”
Joseph folded his arms. “Tell them about Mexico City.”
“I need a sample of your blood.”
Nadia tilted her head. “How much?”
JR reached into his ever-present computer bag and withdrew four vials and a blood collection kit. “Two each, six milliliters per vial.”
Wolfe chuckled. “Who precisely can do that in this room?”
“I can.” Nadia offered. “I am a trained EMT.”
Everyone in the room smiled.
After Nadia finished drawing blood, she handed the vials to JR. “Now what?”
“These will be sent, along with the Spanish passports you gave me, to an address in Mexico City via Fed Ex. I’ve already made a wire transfer that can’t be traced to my contact there. He will handle it.”
“I can’t let you pay for that, JR.” Wolfe frowned.
“You didn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say your former employer gave you a severance package. Did you know the CIA had a hold on your bank accounts in Zurich?”
Wolfe’s eyes widened. Through clenched teeth, he said, “No, I didn’t.”
“They don’t anymore. In fact, your accounts in Switzerland no longer exist. I’ll give you the access codes before I leave. You’re solvent again.”
“Where is my money?”
“Untraceable and residing in very safe banks in Dubai and Hong Kong.”
Closing his eyes and nodding, Wolfe asked, “When were they seized?”
“The day you two escaped from Barcelona.”
“Who did it?”
Joseph answered. “A man named Gerald Reid.”
Wolfe blinked several times, his gaze still on JR.
JR continued, “I assumed you had access to cash.”
“When I work, I always make sure I have enough to get back without leaving a paper trail.”
“Very wise.”
Nadia asked, “So you think we were set up by the CIA?”
Joseph shrugged. “While I don’t have any proof, I don’t believe so. Reid was reacting to an alert from the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia in Madrid about your activities.”
Wolfe nodded. “Covering their asses.”
“Pretty much.”
“So, the CNI set us up?”
Shaking his head, Joseph paused for a moment before answering. “My source doesn’t think so. CNI was reacting to a tip they received via the Turkish National Security Service.”
Wolfe was quiet as he stared out one of the front windows. “Apparently my accepting the job in Turkey started a cascade of events.”
“I would agree with you. I’m still confused as to why you accepted the Turkey job. It’s not like you, Michael.
Nadia held his arm and placed her head on his shoulder. “Tell them.”
Wolfe looked at her and nodded. He turned his attention to Joseph. “How much do you know about my activities after I left Israel?”
“Sketchy. Just what you’ve told me, which wasn’t much.”
“I’ll start from the beginning. This piece of land belonged to my grandfather. Since my parents were gone and I was his only grandchild, he left it to me when he passed. Because of my situation overseas, I set up a trust fund to pay the taxes each year and then forgot about the land. That is, until I returned to the States after leaving Israel. The first time I saw it, I fell in love and decided it would be my home. Any desire to be around my fellow man was gone, so I sequestered myself.”
Nadia took his hand. He gently squeezed hers and continued.
“I was ordering building material one day at the Meeks Lumber Yard in West Plains when I noticed an old Marine buddy stacking lumber in the yard. He looked horrible, so I asked one of the sales guys handling my order about him. They told me he was a temp who came in when they needed extra help. So, after he got off work, I took him to a restaurant and bought him dinner. He briefed me about his situation, which was not good. I made a decision while we sat there and presented it to him. If he would help me build my place, I would give him some land, a cabin and help him get back on his feet. He’s the one who suggested we build an earth-sheltered home. In fact, most of the designs in this structure are his.”
JR asked. “How’s he doing now?”
“Extremely well. Thank you for asking.”
“I understand the connection.”
Wolfe tilted his head slightly. “Were you in the military?”
“Yes, but this is your story.”
Wolfe continued. “Anyway, it took a year to build this place, but as you can see it was worth it. I can hide in plain sight and no one will know I’m here unless I tell them.”
Joseph stood and went to the coffeepot. “Michael, that still does not explain why you took the job in Turkey.”
“I’m getting to it.”
Joseph nodded.
“After we completed construction, I reached out to Canfield and told him I was ready to get back to work. That’s when he started giving me assignments. All the targets were classified as terrorist by European governments.”
“How did he communicate with you? There’s no internet service here.”
“Sat phone.”
Nodding, Joseph sipped his coffee but remained quiet.
JR pursed his lips and said, “Figure out how to get internet here and I’ll show you how to mask your location.”
Wolfe looked at JR with a frown. “How the hell can you do that?”
The hacker gave him a toothy grin.
Nadia squeezed his arm. “Go on, Michael. Tell them about your last three contracts.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There was a lull in the assignments for six months. Then I got one in early February. My phone pinged, which is my signal an email landed in a blind email account I keep. To receive the email, I have to travel to a Wi-Fi location and log into the account. I try to rotate the locations for each access.”
JR
nodded. “Good.”
“I think this one was a McDonald’s in West Plains. Anyway, Canfield always identified his emails with a specific word in the subject line. When I reviewed this email, it had the correct word but was different from most of the other contracts I’ve been offered. Normally, it’s from an intelligence agency identifying someone associated with a known terrorist network. This one was for a Ukrainian First Vice-Premier. The money wasn’t that great and the risks were unacceptable.”
Joseph tilted his head. “Why?”
“The contract called for completion inside Russia.”
“Ah—got it.”
“I turned it down.”
“Wise.”
Wolfe glanced at Nadia and returned to his narrative. “The next communication was in May. I really don’t remember the date, but it took two days to retrieve the email. The money was triple the amount offered in February and the location was acceptable—Istanbul. Bulgaria is close and so was the eastern peninsula of Greece. I accepted the assignment.”
“Why?” Joseph’s tone held a note of concern.
Shaking his head, Wolfe pursed his lips. “I don’t know. The money was good, the ingress and egress were non-problematic, so why not?”
“In other words, easy money.”
“Yeah.”
JR asked, “Who was the target?”
Wolfe stared at the ceiling for a few moments. “A leader of the Republican People’s Party, which is the main opposition group in Turkey.”
“And you agreed?” Joseph’s tone was now accusatory.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Like I said earlier, I hadn’t heard from Canfield in almost six months prior to the job in Russia. I thought I was being eased out of the rotation.”
Joseph chuckled. “Okay, I get it. Go on.”
“The job went off without a hitch. I was in and out of Turkey and back in the states in two days. Easy money. The next time I heard from Canfield, or whoever it was by then, was in July.
“This was another political target, a female opposition leader in the Catalonian movement. I was given a date and location. The money was five times my normal fee.”
“Didn’t that set off an alarm, Michael?”
Wolfe did not answer immediately. “It should have, but with business down, I looked at the money first. The location was non-controversial and the site very public. Easy in and easy out, just another Istanbul. I didn’t question it.”
