Chapter 1

It was Sunday morning, the middle of it to be exact. I didn't often get up this late, but I was out on a date last night. I had taken the lady dancing and then we had returned here. I saw her to the door about four-thirty and then went to sleep. Both the dancing and the exertion here wore me out.

I had just sat down with my coffee when the doorbell rang. Christ, I didn't need this. Probably some church group wanting to read to me. One of those groups whose Sabbath was on Saturday.

It wasn't. A man about my age stood waiting for the door to open. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't immediately put a name on him. "Hey John Brooks, long time no see. Invite me in."

"Do I know you?"

"Sure you do. We were in school together. A class ahead of you at BUHS. I was from Putney so maybe you don't remember me."

I tried to place him and it did come to me. "Gordon, ah, Gordon Smith, right?"

"You got it. I smell coffee and I could use a cup." This person was pushing me and I began to resent him. I opened the door and he brushed by me. He was carrying a briefcase and set it down just inside the door. "Geezus, John, you sleep late. I've been sitting in my car across the street waiting for some sign of movement. I didn't want to wake you."

"Yeah, and I didn't expect company today. Is this business or social?"

"Maybe both. I would like to talk to you. It'll take an hour of your time at most.

"Well I might as well brew a fresh pot of coffee while you tell me what you're here for."

"That would work." He said this, but at first didn't enlighten me further. He was looking around and I took the time to observe him while building the pot. He had on a baseball cap, jeans, and a nondescript shirt. The only thing that struck me out of place was his shoes. They were black and highly polished. This jarred my mind enough to remember that back in the far distant past Gordon had gone on to college and then joined the FBI. All of this happened possibly ten years ago.

"Still with the bureau, I notice."

"What do you mean? What makes you say that?"

"Your shoes are polished. Nobody polishes their shoes in today's world. Especially no one from Putney, Vermont."

"You're sharp. I'll have to remember about the shoes."

"Why don't you get to why you're here? You didn't come to see me to remember old times. Not when we'd only had a speaking acquaintance."

"Okay, but first let me rattle off some facts about you. You graduated high school 11 years ago and you are twenty-nine now. You were married with one child, losing both in a single car auto accident with your wife driving. You are partner with your older brother in a business that designs, builds and installs factory inventory transfer systems. The business is quite lucrative, giving you and your brother more than an adequate income of approximately eighty thousand a year. How am I doing?"

"Your nickel. It sounds like I have been investigated. I can assure you it is a legitimate business."

"I agree. Our investigation confirms that it is. Now to your social life; you're dating three different women all with benefits. If you sleep over, you never stay for breakfast and on the same note, if they sleep over, they never stay for breakfast. You have sworn never to get close enough to another woman where marriage is in anyway suggested. You make that understood by the third date so there is no misunderstanding. Would you care to explain why marriage is off the table?"

"No."

"No? You must have some good reason."

"I have, in my own mind, but it is nothing you need to know about."

"I can guess the reason, but I'll let that drop for now. I'll try to get to the point of why I'm here. First let me recap your life just a little more. You work everyday, but you are not in charge of the day-to-day operation in the business. You could take a couple of months off and your business wouldn't suffer that much."

"You're correct in that, and with today's technology I can stay connected no matter where I am."

"The proposition I'm leading up to is one where that wouldn't be possible. It would be one where you would be out of touch completely. The cover is that you would be on vacation. At the end of that time, you would come back and resume your daily work habits. When you return you could tell everyone about the wonderful vacation you had and how you met the love of your life."

I stared at Gordon and started shaking my head, denying that this was going to happen. "John, there is a little child involved. The government has invested a lot of time on this project. This has to happen in the next few days or an agent may be killed and possibly the child too. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

"Damnit, Gordon, cut the bull shit and spell it out. You've been dancing around something and all you've given me are some hints. Just enough so if I turn this down I'll feel guilty. I'll probably turn you down anyway. Get with it. Right now I'm telling you no to whatever you are going to suggest. I'll only leave the door open just a crack. You can try to convince me to open it up fully, but I doubt it."

"Okay, John, now I have your attention. I knew after we looked at you this was going to be difficult. My superiors just ordered me to do it and I said I would try."

"Keep talking. You still haven't given me anything. You're going about this all wrong. Spell it out or get out." I think now I had Gordon's attention.

"John, this is the FBI's protection program I'm referring to. We've built a background for a woman, but we find it isn't enough. We have taken an orphan child out of social services to be with the witness, but still it isn't enough. We need another level of safety for her. She could be killed if she is found. We think adding a husband, a child and a change of name will do it. I'm here to convince you."

"It's a damn poor way you've gone about it. I'll listen, but I won't promise anything until you explain it all." I stopped and looked at Gordon. He was weighing what he was going to say. "That is if you ever really get to it."

"Fair enough. Capsulated it's this. Homeland Security and various other agencies worked this person into a terrorist cell years ago and she has been working undercover for the last four years. You know those leaks that have been happening? Well, we realized early on that she may have been outed. When this was confirmed, a five-man team went in and got her out of there. This happened a few months ago. We lost two men because the terrorists were waiting for them. The agent was also wounded, but has survived. Now we need to find permanent protective cover for her."

"How old is she?"

"She's twenty-seven. She is so paranoid she claims she probably won't see twenty-eight. The bureau has retired her and we need to put her somewhere far away from her former life."

"Was she in and out of the country? I'm asking, would she be recognized if she traveled to certain areas here in this country?"

"Definitely."

"Just what was her job, anyway?"

"She worked mainly as a courier between the U.S. and the mideast by way of Spain. She was pretty damned visible and that was intended by the terrorist thinking if she was visible she must be just a tourist and just what she appeared to be. She's never been to New England. Her travel was always from the District of Columbia and points south."

"So what is it you want from me?"

"John, it isn't what is wanted, but what is needed. This woman served her country extremely well and saved untold American lives in her capacity as an undercover agent. We believe her terrorist cell has been wiped out. The problem lies with the parent organization. They want her dead. You would be serving your country if you would take her on as your wife and the child that she brings with her. Everything is in place for the child to be adopted. This would take place at the time of your wedding. This makes the cover deeper."

"So what you are trying to convince me of is my gaining a wife and child within the next two months. Why don't you just have them move in with me?"

"Not safe enough. The plan would be for you to take on a false identity and get married under an established false identity. You both would be secreted in a safe house. You would then marry using your real name and the child would join you at this time. This should cut her trail to the bad guys forever. They won't be looking for a married woman with child and living in a community where she apparently grew up. In essence, two levels of security. We have the paperwork already generated to make this happen."

"Why would this take two months?"

"Because she has a distinctive southern drawl that she should get rid of. We would want the child to bond with you and your wife by calling you Mommy and Daddy. You would have to settle on a common background. We expect that in two months time she can eliminate her southern roots and take on New England ones. If she is ever looked at they will see she knows the history and events that have happened around this area. She'll be good at that. She is quite intelligent and will pick it up very quickly."

"What's her name and where was she originally from?"

"That's something that is better you don't know."

"So after we learn all of this we will be acting as husband and wife and all that goes with it?"

"Of course. She really will be your wife. Your marriage will be a true marriage. Not one in name only."

"Can I at least see a picture of her before I agree to this?"

"Sure. More importantly you should look at the child. My superiors worked hard to choose a child that was similar in looks like the one you lost."

"You really want to tear me apart don't you? I think I'll pass."

"You can't. Your country needs you. Think what will happen to that woman if she is found? She already has had three bullet holes drilled in her and has survived. The government needs to get her into an environment where she is safe for the rest of her life. Think of the child if not the woman. The child is an orphan and we've already taken her from the institution."

"You bastards have a lot to account for. It is you who should be thinking of the child and what you have done to her. I'd say the woman was expendable, but not the child."

"You can save them both." Gordon and I had a staring contest. He won.

"Let me see the picture of the child." I examined the picture intently. This three-year-old-girl looked so much like my lost little one it sent shivers up my spine. "Now let me look at the woman." I fully expected this person would resemble my wife, but here I was greatly mistaken. The woman in the picture was very thin and pale. She had a sad, hopeless look on her face.

The woman was dressed in a blue cotton gown which had no style. It was just something to cover her and I suspected it was something furnished by the recovery staff. It was difficult to tell if there was any womanly shape to her at all. Gordon handed me one more picture. This had to have been one before she had been shot. She was dressed in jeans and a maroon top. She wasn't overly endowed but that made little difference to me. The jeans were rounded out nicely and the rest of her appeared adequate. I made up my mind.

Gordon took my acceptance in stride, just as if I had agreed when I first opened the door an hour ago. "You will leave Boston for Chicago tomorrow afternoon at four. There will be a seatmate with you. Keep any discussion low if you speak to him. Better if you don't hold any conversation other than the weather. When you reach O'Hare he will walk ahead of you and there will be a vehicle ready to pick you up. Follow your seatmate into it. Can you get to Boston in time for the flight?"

"I'll have to get my brother to transport me. How long before I leave here and how will I be traveling? I'm always flying off somewhere on short notice. My brother and my mother expect it. Todd drives me and I take a bus home when I return."

"Your mother is still living? I wasn't aware."

"Just goes to show, you aren't perfect. One thing, you better have the woman cut her hair. A shoulder-length pageboy is pretty distinctive. Maybe have the child with her for the haircut and if the little girl wants a cut at the same time like her mother, that would help them bond."

"Aren't you going to ask names for mother and daughter? He was grinning as he said this."

"Why? I'm assuming they are all false. Maybe not the little girl's. I hope you haven't given her my dead daughter's name."

"We aren't that insensitive."

"Thank you for that. I'll make sure my brother can drive me to the airport. We can discuss the company business at that time. I'll go see my mother this afternoon and tell her I'm leaving. I'll tell my dad, but he won't pay attention. There is a ball game on this afternoon."

"You seem to have everything covered. Here are the tickets for your flight. You haven't asked about what the government is paying you for remuneration."

I smiled at Gordon. "I would suspect they will pay me anything I ask for within reason. I'll take it up with your superiors. I doubt you have the power to haggle."

Gordon was shaking his head. "You'd make a good agent. Being an agent takes attitude and you seem to have a lot of it. Anyway, I'm supposed to hand you $3,500. It will be two months before you return. That will cover your monthly expenses here on your home. It is made out to your company. My superiors will explain why. Something about not burdening you with extra taxes. Oh, and leave your credit card home. You won't need it. Here's one you can use."

"Thanks."

"I'll leave now. I don't know if I will see you again. I've accomplished what I set out to do. John, you are doing the right thing for your country and I have faith it will be for you too."

"You had better get to hell out of here, Gordon, before I change my mind about this."

I called my brother and asked him to come see me. "I'm busy. I'll see you tomorrow at the shop."

"Todd, I need you to see me now. This is urgent."

"You in trouble of some sort?"

"Maybe. I can't tell you much, but I do need to see you."

"Okay, put the coffee on." I could always count on Todd.

Twenty minutes later, "Hey Todd, thanks for coming. Coffee is poured."

"Good. What's got your shorts in a bind?"

"Todd, I had a visitor this morning. He was a government man. He has asked me to do something for the country. That's about all I can tell you. Also I need you to drive me to the airport in Boston by two tomorrow afternoon. I think I'll be gone about two months. I'll be talking to Mom and Dad and telling them I'll be on a vacation paid for by one of our clients. I want you to back me up on this."

"Where are you flying to?"

"The midwest. After that I don't know."

"It doesn't sound like you know much about this?"

"I don't but it is something I have to do. I also need you to keep my house up. I may not be able to tell you just when I'm coming home. I have a check here to pay my bills. It is made out to both of us c/o the Material Handling Company. I'll give it to you now." I scribbled my signature and handed it over.

Todd peered at it. "Why is it made out to us jointly?"

"Probably to confuse anyone who might question me. I can say it was to pay a bill for services rendered. Just deposit it. I'm sure it will clear."

"This is some of that damned cloak and dagger stuff isn't it?"

"More than you want to know. I'm going over to spend the afternoon with Mom and Dad. I'll pack a satchel tonight and we'll leave for Boston before noon tomorrow. You can drop me off at the airport and come right home if you want to. I'll need to go through security and get the boarding pass."

"You're sure you won't tell me more?"

"I'm sure. Anyway it doesn't concern you that much."

"Okay, I'll let it go." That was my brother. We've always had a good relationship no matter whatever we each were involved in.

I went over to my parents early in the afternoon. The first thing Mom asked was if I would stay for supper and I said I would. "Invite Todd and Mary and the kids. I'm all set to go on vacation tomorrow. Todd is taking me to the airport. I have tickets for a city out west. When I reach there, I'm going to rent a car and travel around and see the sites."

"John, that's great. It is about time you got away from here and broadened your horizons. You might even meet someone. Someone who will make you put the loss of family behind you."

"I doubt it, Mom, but it could change. I've pretty much come to grips with the past."

"Maybe that's good, but you do need someone to make you forget. You know all of these women you have been dating are soon going to give up on you ... and then where will you be?"

"Mom, we've gone over this before. Let it be." I wasn't giving out any hints of what had been set out for me. If I showed up with a child who called me Daddy my mother would be happy. She was as crushed as I was when her granddaughter died.

I naturally thought a lot of Todd and Mary's two kids and they thought a lot of me. The boy, Todd Junior, was seven and the girl Ginny, was almost ten. Mary worked out for a few hours a day. She arranged her schedule so she was home most of the time when the kids were. I often helped them with their homework after supper if Mary and Todd wanted to do something together. I was going to miss them during these next two months.

Mary was a little upset that I was going on vacation for so long and told me that next year it was Todd's turn to have an extended vacation. I agreed that it was a good idea and I would take over his duties. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad. Todd was staying a little longer. I knew Mom would try to find out more about my sudden decision to go on vacation. She wouldn't learn much. I could look forward to at least one more inquiring phone call from Mom before I left because she was a person who just had to know.