by JT Kalnay
"SHE wanted to know about your family, about your friends, any girlfriends, you know. SHE said it was just standard stuff for someone in your position.”
"What did you tell her?" Jay replied, catching the female indignation at his chauvinism.
"I didn't tell her anything,” she said.
"Why not?" Jay asked, curious to learn about this secretive side of his mother. He'd expected her to have spilled her guts, to have talked the agent's ear off.
"Because who you know and where you go is nobody's business but yours,” she said proudly.
"Thanks mom,” Jay said. He relaxed into his chair. The momentary tension slipping away from him. He figured he'd just earned some breathing room from whoever was stalking him.
"Now your father, there's a totally different story. He'd been drinking and he talked to that little blonde number for almost an hour. I think he liked her,” Mrs. Calloway said, emphasizing "blonde.”
"An hour? What did he talk about?" Jay asked, the tension back.
"I'm sure I don't know,” his mother lied. "I didn't listen.”
"Yeah right. You listened. You know you did mom,” Jay teased. Not a word was said within 20 yards of his mother's house that she didn't hear.
"Well... Mostly he talked about your friends from high school and how bright you were and how stupid they were. About how you were the one who went to college and wowed everybody. He sounded very proud of you.”
"What?" Jay couldn't believe it. His father praising him to an FBI agent.
"I told you he'd been drinking,” Mrs. Calloway defended her husband. "He did speak well of Rick though,” she added.
"Rick?" Jay said. "He told them about Rick?"
"Yes of course dear. He was your best friend wasn't he?"
"Shit,” Jay mouthed.
"What?"
"Nothing Mom,” Jay said. "Mom?"
"Yes?"
"When exactly did the FBI agent visit?"
"Why baby? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"No I'm not in any trouble,” he said. "Can you remember when it was?"
"It was a couple days before you left for your vacation,” she said.
"Vacation?" Jay asked. Although he couldn't that believe his mother had found out, he knew immediately how she'd found out.
"Whoops,” she said. "I wasn't supposed to know about that was I?"
"About what?"
"Well... About your secret with you know who. I was at the lawyer's office and he let it slip that you were on vacation. I guess it was supposed to be some big national secret or something? Something you couldn’t even tell your mom."
Jay could hear the hurt in her voice. It was like the night he'd come home drunk from the school dance. His mother had been crushed, she thought she could never trust her little angel again. It had taken him months to regain her trust. He heard the same hurt in her voice. He wanted to apologize and tell her everything, come clean. But he needed to find out about the agent. What did they know? When did they know it? Did they know about Rick before the vacation? Jay grilled her but soon the hurt and confusion in her voice overcame him.
"Look mom I gotta go okay?"
"Okay. I love you Jay.”
"I love you too mom.”
He sat looking at the silent phone in his hand for a long time.
Chapter
"I'm not going to take it,” Jay Calloway announced to Bill Beck and Hal Kreitzer. "Bill, it's been great working for you and with you. I'm very happy here and I don't want to move.”
The statement fell on unbelieving ears. Neither Bill nor Hal could understand. They were certain Jay would go for the money. The profile practically guaranteed he’d go for the money. They'd planned on telling him about the "special conditions" of the job after he'd signed on the dotted line for the transfer. Now they were stymied.
"What's the sticking point?" Hal asked, unwilling to give up on his candidate.
"Something my mother said,” Jay said, emphasizing the word mother.
Hal and Bill shot each other quick glances.
Did he find out about the tap? Bill wondered.
Did he find out about the surveillance? Hal asked himself. The two men quickly regained their composure.
"What did she say?" Bill asked.
"She reminded me about openness and honesty and loyalty to your family and friends,” Jay said. He looked directly at Hal as he said these words. Jay still wasn't sure if it was the CIA or Angus MacKenzie or maybe even Hal who'd been investigating him. He meant to find out about Hal right now.
"Did you read your employee handbook?" Hal asked matter-of-factly.
"Yes. What's that got…?"
"It has a lot to do with it kid.” Hal assumed a lecturing lawyer voice. "It clearly states that due to the nature of our business we have the right to commission periodic security checks on our personnel.” Hal sought to pre-empt Jay's complaint.
"But what about my…?"
Hal cut him off again. "Your constitutional rights and right to privacy and blah, blah, blah?" Hal finished Jay's sentence. "What about them? Did we do anything wrong? Did we do anything except exactly what we said we were going to do? Your parents didn't have to answer any questions. They invited us in.”
"You told them you were FBI,” Jay accused.
"The people who visited your parents are FBI,” Hal said. He let it sink in, doubting that Jay would question his version of the story.
"But why would the FBI do background checks for MacKenzie Lazarus?" Jay asked, not certain that he wanted to know the answer.
Hal leaned closer to Jay. He tossed Bill an almost imperceptible wink. He fixed Jay with his steely grey eyes.
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you,” Hal said.
Jay’s eyes widened, he looked back and forth between Bill and Hal. It has to be a joke, Jay realized. Jay's deep-seated psychological defense mechanism kicked in and he started to laugh. Soon Hal and Bill were laughing along with him, the tension was broken. The laughter died down slowly.
"So is that the only thing?" Hal asked.
"No,” Jay answered.
"What else kid?" Hal asked.
I don't particularly like being called 'kid' Jay thought but did not say. "Well now that I know about the security checks it explains a lot. But. There's two other things.”
"What are they?" Hal asked.
"First. What exactly would I be doing? Second. Why would you pay me so much to do it?” Jay released a heavy sigh. It wasn't his way to lay all his cards on the table. But things lately had been too much for Jay. He had really not expected such an open confession of responsibility, or maybe guilt, concerning the security checks from Hal.
Ask him about Tennessee, a small voice kept saying the back of Jay's head. Ask if it was Hal's personal FBI in the Smokies, the voice insisted.
"No,” Jay said out loud in response.
"What?" Bill and Hal asked together.
"Nothing,” Jay covered, trying to quiet the voice in his head. Don't trust anyone, he heard Rick's voice warn and then both the voices were silent.
"Let me answer as best I can,” Hal started. "You'll be designing new systems, fixing old systems, and even programming some extremely sensitive projects,” Hal said. "I can't tell you the exact projects before you join, that is a secret. We have tight security and impose extremely stiff requirements on our personnel. No excessive drinking, no drugs at all, no friends at other firms. You agree to let us read your emails. Some of our people say it's like going to jail. That's why we have to pay so much. We're trying to beat the other firms on trades. Sometimes we trade over $100 billion in a week, like when England was trying to shore up its Pound during their last currency crisis.”
"Okay,” Jay said. "But it's such a huge raise.”
"If the money bothers you,” Hal started, "We could always pay you less…” Bill chuckled at the joke. Jay looked at them both in that puzzled Midwestern way of his. Both Bill and Hal started to laugh again.
Just fell off the turnip truck, Hal thought.
Like Woody from Cheers, Bill was thinking.
"What's so funny,” Jay asked. "What's so funny?"
Hal and Bill stifled their laughter.
"We're going to pay you so much because you're going to earn every penny. Pressure. Late nights. Weekends. Interrupted vacations. No vacations. Tense people. People who make me look all warm and fuzzy. Most of our people are burnt out before forty. We’re going to pay you so much you won’t even listen when the head hunters start calling you."
"Burnt out but rich if they invested right,” Bill tossed in.
"Yeah,” Hal added. "Believe me kid, after six months you'll be screaming for a raise,” Hal said. “Claiming we didn’t warn you.”
Jay sat back in his chair and tried to soak it in. Hal admitted he's been checking me out, Jay said to himself. If it's been him all along, then I'm free to see Tonia, she had nothing to do with it. Rick was wrong. But what if she was in on it? What if Angus was after me too? Weren't there two sets of people in Gatlinburg? Jay puzzled for another few minutes.
"Are you sure it's okay with you?" Jay asked Bill again.
"Yes I'm sure. We're sorry to see you go but it is a great opportunity for you,” Bill answered, trying to sound sincere.
He'd been planning the transfer since the day he interviewed Jay.
"Okay then,” Jay answered. "Let me finish up what I'm working on now, go home for Christmas and then January 2nd I start in the new group. How's that sound?" Jay asked.
"Fine,” Hal answered, a satisfied look crossing his face.
“And I’ll take the 50k right now,” Jay said.
“Sorry kid. You get it on January 2nd, at the end of the day. But nice try…”
After Jay left, Bill picked up his phone and dialed a 4 digit internal number. "Get ready to hand it over, he's in,” Bill said. He waited a moment listening to the other end. "January 2nd, but he goes home for Christmas break before then so you can scale it back while he's away,” Bill said. Bill listened again.
"Good job. We'll take it from here,” he said and hung up. Bill Beck put his feet up on his desk and cast an imaginary lure into a river of his dreams.
"Hook, line and sinker,” he said to himself. "Hook, line and sinker.”
Chapter
Jay raced the last few steps back to his office, hoping to catch his phone before it rolled over to his secretary, Missy. Jay had picked up a habit of his most respected mentor, answering his own phone whenever possible. He scooped up the receiver.
"Good morning, Jay Calloway,” he answered.
"Good morning Jay, Stan Krantz here.”
"Stan?"
"Yes.”
"How are you?" Jay asked guiltily. He knew Stan was calling to offer him a job at the CIA but the ink was still wet on Jay's transfer papers to Hal Kreitzer's CTSG.
"Fine thank you. How are you?" Stan asked.
"Pretty good. What's up?" Jay asked, hoping to get down to business and have the unpleasant little scene he anticipated done with quickly.
"Jay I'll get right to the point. We'd like you to come down to the shop so we can offer you a job,” Stan said proudly. There was an anxious tone in his voice that Jay hadn't heard before.
"Stan if you'd only contacted me last week I'd have still been interested. But I just got a big raise and promotion here at MacKenzie Lazarus. I have to pass on your offer Stan.”
"Oh?" Stan asked, feigning surprise. "That's too bad. We had big plans for you here. Bigger than what they’ve got planned for you in CTSG.”
“CTSG?”
“Jay. Come on. We’re the CIA, and you’re our top prospect. We knew before you did. So it’s not a problem for us if you tell them no.”
Jay started to feel more guilty. I led them on, Jay thought. As soon as I found out I liked MacKenzie Lazarus I should have told them to stop considering me. "I'm sorry Stan. I've known for some time that I wouldn't be joining you. I like my job here and I like my new friends and it's just too late for me. I should have told you the last time you called. I’m sorry,” Jay said.
"No need for apologies. We know we’re not easy to deal with. And, it's never too late to join the Company,” Stan said. "I'll call you back in six months or so and see how things are going okay? Who knows. You might be burnt out with New York or might be fed up with Hal by then."
"Well I guess there'd be no harm in that,” Jay said, hoping it would wrap up the call. Avoidance behavior was one of Jay's defenses. Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until next week, Jay said to himself. "Uh Stan?" Jay asked.
"Yes?"
"How'd you get my unlisted number here at MacKenzie Lazarus?"
"Jay. Come on. Like I said, I'm CIA.”
Chapter
"Jay?"
"Hi Tonia,” Jay answered. With the exception of Stan Krantz, only Tonia and his mother ever called him. C. Daniel and his ex-students emailed exclusively. Rick never called, never emailed. Lately, C. Daniel had been emailing him a couple times a day about his virus research. Jay was happy to help and happy to keep in touch. He wished, but knew, that Rick would not be emailing.
"Whatcha doing?” she asked.
"Just getting ready for a jog. Want to go?” Jay asked hopefully.
"Sure why not?" she said. "Central Park?" she asked.
"I’m just getting ready to head up there now. So, meet you in half an hour?"
"Half an hour?" Tonia asked.
"Yep. I'll meet you there. I'll ride up, do a lap with you and then run home."
"Wow. What's that? Fourteen miles?"
"Around that.”
"Excellent,” Tonia said. She was genuinely impressed. “I guess you’re serious about this Everest thing.”
“Yep. I’ve even been on the Stairmaster.”
Jay and Tonia were running easily, effortless stride after effortless stride carried the pair quickly over the rolling hills.
"You're really getting in shape,” Tonia praised.
"Thanks,” Jay answered.
Their run was one of those sublime moments when physical effort meets mental comfort and friendship in perfect synergy, making the whole much greater than the sum of the parts. They moved along together, with no need to talk, each enjoying the unexpected company of the other. Truth be told, Jay enjoyed her simple company and soft friendly smile as much or more than their time in bed. When he was alone and he thought of her he usually thought of their jogging or sharing a pizza or going to a baseball game. He rarely thought of her as a woman. He just thought of her as his friend. Jay hadn't noticed the subtle change in the relationship but Tonia had.
"So how are you doing?" she asked him.
"Good. Really good. How are you doing?" he asked.
Tonia slowed to a walk.
"No. How are you? Really?" she prodded.
Jay looked at her, his head tilted to the side a little.
"I'm good. I'm glad to see you when I can,” he said. “I’m having fun working. It’s a challenge, and I like a challenge. I play golf, I play video games, I email my old students. Life is pretty good.”
Jay took her hand in his and they walked for a ways before starting back into their jog. When their hands came apart Tonia noticed that she immediately missed the warm friendly strength in Jay's hand.
"Okay I'm gonna head back to work now,” Jay said as they completed the 6 mile lap of the park.
"I'll run downtown with you,” Tonia said.
“Are you in shape for fourteen total?” Jay asked.
“Do you remember what happened the last time you asked about my fitness?” Tonia reminded him.
"Forget I asked. But what if Angus sees us?" Jay asked.
Tonia shrugged her shoulder as if to indicate she didn't care. The trim handsome couple jogged south.
"Let's stop here for a second,” Jay said as they approached a hot dog vendor.
"You're not going
to eat here are you?" Tonia asked. “After all this running you’re going to destroy it with a tube steak? No amount of exercise can compensate for a poor diet,” she lectured.
"No I am not going to have a tube steak,” he said.
Jay ordered and bought three hot dogs, a pretzel, and a big sack of greasy fries.
"Nice combination,” Tonia remarked wryly.
"Quiet,” Jay answered tartly.
When all the food was sacked up they started jogging again. Soon they were passing the West Side Highway parking lots by the Chelsea Piers. Jay started looking around at the retaining wall for Hudson River.
"What are you looking for?" Tonia asked.
"Wait for it.”
They ran another quarter mile than Jay slowed down.
"I'll catch up in a second,” he said.
Tonia looked puzzled but kept jogging. Overcome by curiosity she stopped, looked back, and saw Jay handing over the bag of hot food to an old homeless man who'd been shuffling along the retaining wall with a shopping cart filled with soda cans. Tonia turned away and kept jogging. Jay overtook her a few minutes later.
"You okay?” she asked.
"Fine,” Jay answered, his face all aglow.
Somewhere very deep inside her Tonia felt herself being drawn to this beautiful, innocent, and forbidden boy who was her assignment. He’d been a fun assignment so far. Easy to manipulate, easy on the eyes, even fun to lay with. Now that he was in pretty good running shape, he was even convenient for her running. She pushed the momentary thoughts down deeper, reminded herself that he was her assignment.
They finished the jog in silence.
Chapter
"I took the job,” Jay Calloway said to Tonia Taggert. The pair were seated on Jay's couch watching an NCAA basketball game two days before Thanksgiving.
"Congratulations,” she cheered. She swept him up in her arms and planted a big, wet kiss flush on his mouth. "Feel like celebrating?" she asked.
"What did you have in mind?" he leered.
