True Lies - Redux Ch. 10

"Rob, any luck tapping his electronic communications? I think at a minimum I should meet with him tomorrow afternoon..."

Rob said, "I've got my guru carefully trying to set up the ELCOM monitoring of Grayson already. Somebody definitely doesn't want that happening. I have to think that even Harrera doesn't quite have that clout with us - but the DNI probably does. Does Harrera have that kind of influence on the DNI - Jason Broadwell? Or was Broadwell himself directing things? If so, why? Broadwell is a Presidential appointee, as is the Secretary of Homeland Security. It's just the DNI is NOT at the Cabinet level. How high up does all this go?"

Elaine said, "Start investigating Broadwell? Shit, might as well start spying on POTUS. How far can we take this? Now that Rachel's free, should we just make sure we get her safely away and maybe we should all melt into the woodwork ourselves? I'm not saying I recommend this but I'm putting it on the table."

Rob spoke next, "Someone, quote THEY unquote, have already used deadly force and killed Rachel's mother and almost killed her father. I have a strong suspicion that Rachel and Jim and everyone in this room WILL be disappeared if we ever do surrender ourselves to the Gilbert/Harrera cabal - which might not actually be a cabal at all if it is authorized by the DNI or even at a higher level. I am afraid just walking away isn't much of an option. Unless everyone is comfortable living the rest of your lives on the lam and probably always outside the USA?"

"I might do that if I could be sure Rachel herself was allowed to live her own life normally. But I'll need some real credible information that is the case before I just drop it all. I really need to talk to this Harrera - hopefully with enough leverage on him to get to the truth."

Adel finally spoke up, "What if we just tried to take SOME of their presumed motivation off the table? Why don't we go ahead and publish everything we've learned about Grayson and the Iranian continued Nuclear weapons development programs?"

Jennifer, "We could pass the info to Wikileaks and put it on all kinds of other blogs, as well. Maybe with enough detailed info other real "authentic" news sites might actually start digging into it. I think Adel has developed some other info from within Iran we might also be able to include. Could we do that - and still protect your sources?"

One of the real intelligence challenges is actually USING good intel - without practically spotlighting the good source the info comes from. Plausible deniability is good but preventing any suspicion at all falling onto one's asset is best.

Emergency extraction plans is the minimum a good agent owes his assets ethically. With these thoughts in mind, Adel answered, "I think I can provide a few more true details the international community and UN nuclear regulatory agency - IAEA - especially might be interested in. Like the exact locations of two more centrifuge farms for enriching uranium that Iran has not disclosed to them."

Rob, "What about Grayson? Would this maybe impact him helping Jim get Rachel back safely? Jim?"

I said, "Screw it. Let's do it and get it posted as soon as possible. Grayson will just have to live with it. Maybe just wait until Adel's people manage to bug his room? Hotel phone and audio-video? Adel?"

"We can do that pretty quickly. He's at the Watergate Hotel? Just need to identify his room number and find a time period he's OUT of his room."

"It's time I talked with him right now after all. I'll try to set that meeting up for tonight. You, Jenn, and I will work on that and the info for web blasting right after this meeting is finished."

I looked at Rob.

Rob, "Anything else real critical we need to talk about? We all in agreement to basically continue fighting back?"

Everyone looked pretty grim and but also resolute. That's the problem grabbing the tiger by it's tail. You hold on and you might end up getting ate. You let go and you'll definitely get ate. That's how my Tennessee Grandpa put it to me once, a long time ago.

Bradley was a wuss and easily handled. Harrera was basically an unknown but potentially a much more difficult objective to handle. And just who was behind Harrera? That guy might be more of a dragon than a tiger.

Adel and Jennifer worked as a team to identify Grayson's room and get him out of it to meet me. Jennifer looked like a VERY high class call girl. And she was able to sweet talk the clerk into disclosing Grayson's room number.

Adel called Grayson from a lobby phone. "Mr. Peterson. We have a mutual friend who wants to talk with you tonight about his wife. It is important. Yes?"

"Yes. Have him come on up to room 717." OK, that verified Jennifer's discovery.

"He would rather meet you somewhere else. Could you please come downstairs and just leave the hotel and start walking? That would be best for all, all around, I think. If everything looks fine he will join you in your stroll."

"Fuck...OK. Two minutes and I'll be downstairs." Grayson might be just a tad worried.

I was outside the hotel across the street with a good view of the main doors. Whichever way Grayson went I'd tail him for a bit before meeting him. One of Adel's lads named Herb was watching MY six as well. Two more were ready to break into room 717 as soon as Adel verified Grayson had left the hotel, and bug it thoroughly enough to MAYBE find out what was what.

Grayson came out of the elevator in less than two minutes. He glanced at Adel but didn't recognize the cameraman who shot the videos of him and Jennifer in Paris. Adel used a cheap radio and only code words to let me know Grayson was headed for the hotel exit doors, and also to greenlight the bugging.

Jennifer had already left the hotel and was changing into "street clothes" in a van - baggy homeless woman disguise clothes - which allowed her excellent concealed weapons carry for her next assignment of the night: more backup for Jim in his meeting with Grayson. In fact, a questionable man eyeballed Grayson in the hotel lobby and then casually exited the same door Grayson had used.

Adel noticed this and clicked a radio warning to me, Herb, and Jenn. Then waited just a few minutes more before finally impatiently leaving the same way himself.

The unknown man seemed to be following Grayson but not too closely nor carefully. Grayson seemed oblivious to him as he strode along. The van dropped Jenn off a whole block in front of Grayson but around a corner and out of his sight. Jenn slowly ambled around the corner and back towards Grayson while mumbling to herself and occasionally sipping from a vodka bottle.

Grayson soon stepped aside and skirted her while grimacing. Jenn smelled the part as well. The strange man following half a block behind did the same while hardly noticing her. Just as soon as he passed, the "bag lady" made a very fast and graceful move and tasered the man in his neck. He collapsed and spasmed and the van, which had circled the block, drove right up and a man jumped out and helped Jenn move the tasered dead weight body into the van.

They quickly frisked him and removed his Glock 9mm and a small .32 backup revolver, and also his wallet - and a badge. Another DHS agent - at least someone with an ICE HSI badge and ID.

Interesting. Maybe someone thought Grayson was an illegal immigrant? Or breaking customs rules and laws? Homeland Security Investigator, eh?

Worth keeping and interrogating or not? Shit. Jenn just decided to rob him of his weapons and cash and badge and dump him back on the street as if he had been mugged.

Grayson was way ahead and hadn't noticed a thing. I had hung back and watched it unfold and now I sped up and caught up with Grayson at the next intersection light - and walked him down the cross street.

"Hello, Grayson. How are your balls? Your shoulder?"

"Yeah, fuck you, too. I'm trying to put that crap behind me. I've already apologized to your wife and she accepted. You don't? You won't?"

"Screwing around with my wife? Never. But...I can work with you, maybe. If you tell me what's going on and why. Mess with me and I'll just cap your ass. You won't even know it - you WILL be dead - and undoubtedly in Hell before St. Pete knows it..."

"Fuck. Alright, I believe you. Look, I was in a meeting with some folks right after that all went down with Rachel and her parents. That's when and how I heard of it. I made a recording of the meeting and this is it. It was a couple of Senators and a Congresswoman and Secretary of Homeland Security and the President's National Security Adviser. Hell, you can recognize their voices and know who is saying what. You'll hear they basically promised me $50 million to get me back on my feet - but that hasn't happened and now they're ignoring me. So fuck 'em. I'm not sure anyone of them caused Rachel's kidnapping. But I suspect one of them did - probably that Homeland Security prick, Jeb Jameson. Just listen to the tape."

And he handed me a very small USB stick.

"Who has Rachel now?" I asked quietly.

"Nobody has her, but I'm pretty sure she is voluntarily with some people I've used before. His name is Allie Roth and he might just be affiliated with some Jewish Mob types out of Chicago. But he's a good trustworthy honest crook type."

"Can you get a message to him or Rachel in some roundabout way? Better yet - give ME some people who always just might know where he is."

"Shit. You know how that is. I'd hate to piss Allie off. I might need him again in the future and I seem to be running out of friends fast, here!"

"Too damn bad. Tell me, anyway. Saying no isn't an option for you right now."

So he broke down and gave me some names and two other phone numbers. One a landline and one a cell.

"So, why are you doing this now? Helping Rachel and me - basically turning on your own high-and-mighty friends? You won't be getting any money from this - at least from us."

"Shit. I don't like being stiffed. And maybe I really just don't like what they did to Rachel and her parents. I thought those admin assholes actually knew what they were doing with the whole Iran situation, but now I'm having some second thoughts. And hell, maybe going against them will somehow generate some revenue opportunities for me again, eventually. They're almost out of office anyway. And as long as they don't KNOW I'm helping you, I can't see a downside. And I don't think you'll tell them - not until Rachel is completely out of the woods..."

"OK. Look, I just want Rachel and her family and MY family to be completely safe. You need to keep helping me on this. You have all kinds of contacts I don't even have. Ask around a little OK?"

I thought about telling him of the web blitz coming naming him as specifically helping Iran acquire nuclear weapons capability, but decided I had sufficient deniability of that disclosure, myself. I just hoped all our bugs were in place in his room. I was hoping for some interesting conversations soon occurring there.

"I'll do what I can," Grayson finally replied.

"OK - here's a couple of numbers you can contact me with. I would suggest you buy some cheap prepaid phones before you try either number. Understand?"

"Sure. I know you guys like your little spy games." And he actually grinned.

"Yeah. And thanks for helping Rachel out of that mess. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. If it does turn out I have to cap you - it won't change that. Capische?"

He suddenly stopped grinning as I turned and walked away quickly.

Now it was all hurry up and wait, for me personally. I wondered where Rachel was right now, and if she was the least bit comfortable? I sure hoped so. I prayed for it to be so. And that she was safe from harm, above all else.

Tomorrow I would start my own inquiries on this "Allie Roth" person and the other names and numbers Grayson had given me.

As I walked away the van drove by me and then stopped ahead of me a few steps. The door opened and after a final casual check for possible surveillance I quickly got in. Jenn, Adel, and most of his crew were already inside. I got dropped off back at Elaine's and the rest of them headed back to their hotels. I was pretty sure Jenn was staying with Adel to help on the web blast confidential expose of the Grayson Affair. And most probably they would help each other in certain more intimate ways. I was happy for them both. At least both knew all the basics about the other, and both knew the other was in a very real sense "a player" - at least both were equals in this regard, unlike me and Rachel. I was always the player, from the very beginning, and she wasn't.

I missed my own loving wife and I wondered if we would ever be back together again? I honestly did not know. I still didn't know what I wanted for me. I just knew that I would now be forever sorry the mud she had been dragged through - and I felt responsible for a whole lot of that and that included a lovely and gentle woman's death, Mrs. Rosenbaum, someone who liked me even though her husband didn't. And had many reasons to dislike me, effectively stealing her own loving daughter away from her hometown, her family, and just maybe even her faith.

Actions ALWAYS have consequences, some can be foreseen and others not so much. History is full of examples on the largest scales, and also the most individually personal. I thought of Roman Emperor Theodosius, arguably the greatest man alive in his time. Emperor of the Western Roman Empire and the man who unilaterally first declared that henceforth Christianity was to be the one and only official religion of the Empire in a series of decrees starting in 380 AD. In particular he specified Nicene Christianity as opposed to Arian and other heretical sects.

He never imagined these actions would limit his own Earthly powers - but that is exactly what happened a mere 10 years later in 390 AD. The Roman Procurator of Thessalonica had a popular charioteer (think professional horse racing jockey) arrested for homosexual sexual activity. The mob (all chariot racing gambling addicts, basically) rioted and killed several Roman officials including the Procurator.

Theodosius ordered a swift and brutal reprisal and his reinforced troops in Thessalonica basically then slaughtered 7,000 civilians in a massacre.

Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, was a close political and spiritual adviser to his friend Theodosius. Though not the Pope, Ambrose was widely accepted as the de facto head of the Church at that time. Ambrose excommunicated Theodosius for his disproportionate response and intemperate actions in ordering the reprisal.

It took more than a year of this public humiliation of Ambrose scolding Theodosius, and only after an obviously sincerely sorrowful repentance did Ambrose readmit Theodosius to the full rites of the Church, including Mass.

This was a major turning point in history, establishing the Christian Church as a real mediating power over even the most secularly powerful rulers - at least in Christendom. But it was also an example of unintended consequences for Theodosius in so many ways. Edward Gibbon and many other later anti-Catholic historians view this kind of "restraint" on powerful secular rulers as somehow leading to the "fall" of the great Roman Empire. But a more careful analysis might conclude this was a huge first step towards modern Western civilization and the liberal basic idea that "all men are equal before God, all should be equal before man's law."

Right now I seemed to be fighting some men in quite "high places" that seemed to believe otherwise. Perhaps they needed some reminders of the basics and a humbling as serious or worse than the Great Emperor Theodosius...I finally fell into another night of troubled sleep, wondering what tomorrow might bring.

*****************

Rachel - that same night -

It was about 2AM and I was awake and just couldn't get back to sleep. I had dozed already so much today after my rescue by Allie and his people that I almost felt jet lagged. I was also still achy from my beating and I finally gave up and got out of bed and headed to the kitchen for something to drink and some more ibuprofen.

Allie's "safe house" was pretty large, four large bedrooms upstairs with two complete baths, and a nice downstairs with an entrance foyer and just a large great room on one side and a den on the other, then a large kitchen and dining room combination like an old style farm house in back. There was also a half bath, and mudroom just off the garage entrance into that back part of the house. I wasn't sure but I thought there might be a basement as well.

The steps leading upstairs also began at that entrance foyer, and as I came down them I heard murmurs coming from that den area. I went around through the great room to the kitchen and looked for something to drink. Some kind of juice first and then just maybe some wine.

I was dressed for sleep in basically some way too big for me sweats. Allie promised to get me some better fitting clothes tomorrow from the local WalMart. Allie must have heard me as he came into the kitchen as I was looking in the fridge. He was dressed in sweats as well, including running shoes though and a shoulder holster with gun.

"You don't sleep?" I asked him.

"I will in a bit. Just doing my 2 hour shift right now."

"Guard duty? Should I worry?"

"Please don't. It's just better safe than sorry. We have extended security here and I like to keep some live eyes on the monitors and telltales whenever we feel it's appropriate. And tonight is one of those nights. My guys need the practice anyway." And he grinned at me again.

"You having trouble sleeping? Please don't let worry keep you awake."

"It's a bunch of things. I'm a little achy and there IS a lot running through my mind. I really do feel safe knowing you're around, so that's not it. Uh, got any ibuprofen? And wine? That's my pain remedy of choice," and I smiled back as best I could.

"I think I can fix you up..."

And I quickly ended up with a couple of Advil and a glass of a nice Pinot Grigio to take back to bed with me. As just a little thank you I wanted to kiss Allie on the cheek as I went back to bed, but somehow I ended up kissing his lips, and I felt a shock like the first time I had ever kissed Jim, so many years before.

I gasped and pulled back and I knew I was blushing. Allie apologized for the little accidental kiss.

I was speechless and almost ran back upstairs and to my bedroom. I was shaking and just a little distraught. Why such an extreme reaction? Well, I was certainly stressed out and vulnerable right now and I desperately needed Jim around me. And he wasn't here!

I decided I'd just make sure I kept my distance from Allie from now on - and not think about that kiss...sure, just like NOT thinking about a giant pink elephant after someone mentions it...

I finally did get to sleep - and was shocked awake about 4AM by a huge explosive noise.

Allie rushed into my room with his gun out.

"We're under attack! Put this on quickly," and he threw me some plasticky kind of dark overalls like he was already wearing.

As soon as I slipped these on over my sweats he grabbed my hand and pulled me.

"Come on."

He glanced carefully out the bedroom door and I heard some full auto gunfire coming from downstairs. But after a quick glance Allie pulled me out and right into a small hall closet and shut the door on us.

Then he said, "hug me and hang on!" And I did while he reached up a pulled a lever. The floor we were standing on suddenly fell in a free fall. My scream was muffled a tad by Allie's breast I was smashed into in our mutual desperate hug. Suddenly we hit bottom, at least two floors down - but it was like falling into an air bag. Neither of us was hurt beyond a certain jarring. The back of this new "closet/elevator?" opened directly into a tunnel. Obviously a rat hole and we quickly exited the safe house - which turned out NOT to be so safe after all.