Finding Angel

It was a struggle to get started this morning. Jetlag hit me big time and I had three cups of coffee that were thick enough to cut with a knife before I got in my rental car and headed south. I got a fast car and drove too fast all the way from Zagreb to Split. The border crossing into Bosnia and Herzogovina, then back out again wasn’t too bad, but it still puzzles me that you have to cross through a different country to get between two places in the same country. Guess I could have taken the long way around.

Before I took off, I sent a quick text message to Silas to let him know where I was headed.

3:00 p.m.

It took almost five hours to get to Split, and then I decided to enhance my wardrobe a little before continuing to the Island Brac where Angel’s villa is. She probably doesn’t know that I have the information on where her villa is, but it was part of the details that Dag left in his accounting files from when he transferred property for Simon. This piece wasn’t included anywhere in the transfers, but Dag didn’t let that stop him from locating it in Simon’s files. So, if Dag located it, it shouldn’t surprise me that much that Brenda knew about it and could track down Angel as well. Nothing is safe from prying eyes.

It’s as cold here as it is in Seattle, though I don’t think it’s going to get cold enough for a white Christmas. I’d like to be home by then.

After I got some fresh clothes and food, I got in line for the hourly ferry to Island Brac. It’s only a 45 minute crossing that I’m making now, so I’ll finish this and update later when I find Angel.

10:00 p.m.

It was a short trip from the ferry terminal to the villa that Angel owns. When I saw it, I thought I’d reached a dead end. The villa is near the center of Supetar—an immense stone structure with an iron gate separating it from the street. I wasn’t sure how I would get in until I walked up, pushed the gate and listened to it creak open. It wasn’t locked.

I walked up the stone steps to a massive front door and knocked.

Angel opened the door after a few moments and I don’t know which of us was more surprised to see the other. I assumed there would be servants; she assumed I was anybody else other than me. We stared for several heartbeats then both broke out in grins.

“Deb! How did you…? Why…? I don’t know what to say!” Angel said.

“Well, Angel, you could start by inviting me in. I’ve come a long way to bring you an important message.”

“Come in. God! It’s nice to see you! It’s only been, what, two weeks, and already I’m beginning to regret running away.”

We went into the house and I started to see what an immense place it was inside. It was an older structure, but had been completely modernized inside. The furnishings, of course, were impeccable. How much Angel had done in the two weeks since I last saw her and how much had been prepared long before, I couldn’t tell; but I had the feeling that the place had been prepared a long time ago.

She offered me a club soda and we sat in the living room to chat.

“So what have you been up to since we last spoke? You should have come in disguise. You’d have been able to fool me completely showing up here. I’d have never guessed it was you.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “But collecting on the bet isn’t what brings me here. Brenda and the Committee know you are here and I think they suspect that you may be sheltering a guy who is a threat to them.” Angel blanched. “I couldn’t call you, so I came to warn you that they are sending someone in to clean up loose ends.”

I expected Angel to ask who the guy was supposed to be that she was sheltering. I had some idea of exposing the fact that I’d fooled her as James Whitcomb and at least we’d have a good laugh about that. But instead she jumped up from her seat and headed for the door. Before she got there, it swung open and a man walked through.

“I heard,” he said catching Angel in his arms. “And who is this lovely creature?” He stepped out around Angel to look at me and I caught my breath. I’d only seen photos of him, but in spite of the fact that he now wore a full beard and his hair was dyed coal black, I couldn’t help but recognize him from the pictures in Brenda’s bedroom. I was looking at the very much alive ghost of Simon Barnett.

“You!” I gasped. “It’s you they are after, not me! You are supposed to be dead.”

“Isn’t it wonderful, Deb? I didn’t know until I arrived here and he was waiting for me,” Angel said. “I was just as surprised as you. Only, I think I was pretty furious at first.”

“Not half as furious as I am,” I exclaimed. “You let Dag die thinking he’d killed you. How could you do that? How could you use him and destroy him, you bastard? I’ll kill you myself!” I was a little out of control. I actually looked for something to attack him with, but I came up empty. I just stood there shaking.

Angel crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me and pulled me down onto the sofa. I was so furious I was shaking and tears were streaming down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Angel was holding me and I completely went to pieces. It was several minutes before I finally came down and saw Simon sitting in a chair opposite me calmly sipping a drink.

“How could you?” I asked weakly.

“I didn’t mean to,” Simon said quietly. “You must be the assistant that he was so enamored of. Angel told me about you. It’s Deb, right?” I nodded. “Please understand that I didn’t expect Dag to die. He was the only person other than Angel that I trusted. I thought sure that he’d break the code on my thumb drive and when he’d busted the Committee then I’d contact him and come out of hiding. I didn’t know he was that sick.”

“He died thinking that he’d pulled the trigger that killed you. Brenda told him that the code on the GPS set off the bomb in your plane.”

“He did do that,” Simon said. “The thing is that I found the bomb before I took off. That oaf Oksamma didn’t have much subtlety. I knew that plane like the back of my hand and I inspected it completely every time I flew it. It was wired to blow up whenever anyone accessed the GPS. I could have blown myself up if I’d switched it on once I was airborne. Once I realized that Brenda was serious about getting rid of me, I reset the trigger and flew in low over Cuba. I bailed out and let the plane explode. I’m still hurting from the twisted ankle, but I have friends in Cuba who took care of me. When I heard Dag was dead, I gave up and headed for the villa here. I thought sooner or later Angel would show up. Then here she was, telling me the Committee was trying to track down whatever evidence I’d left behind and she ran.”

“Well, get ready to run some more,” I said. “Brenda held a meeting of the committee in Belize and said she was sending someone dependable out to finish the job. I thought she was talking about finishing me, and I came to warn Angel that they knew where she was.”

“Why would anyone want to finish you?” Simon asked. I looked at him for a long time.

“Well, for one thing, I’m the one who broke the encryption code on your thumb drive.” I thought I’d seen everything, but Simon blew half his drink out of his nose and dropped his glass on the stone floor where it shattered.

“I’ll be go-to-hell!” he exclaimed jumping up and wiping himself off. Angel scurried to the kitchen to get a broom and towels. “You mean you tracked down all four tattoos? You figured out the sequence and secondary encryption? I figured Dag was the only one in the world who could break that! You did it?”

“Apparently I’m not as dumb as I look,” I snarled.

“You are smarter than Dag looked,” he said, “and that fucker was the only certified genius I ever met.”

At the mention of Dag’s name I felt tears leaking out of my eyes again.

“Oh, JFC! Don’t go crying again. I’m sorry about Dag. I really am. And I’m damned impressed with you. I wish we’d gotten you on the inside sooner. You could have run the whole operation of the Condo,” Simon said. Some compliment. I didn’t even acknowledge it.

“Well, I guess you don’t need me,” I said standing. “Message delivered. You’re on your own. Brenda is sending someone to make sure you are really dead this time. Good luck. I can’t believe I thought she was hunting for me.” I turned and headed toward the door.

“Deb, wait!” Angel said. “Honey, don’t leave. Please, stay with us tonight. If you still feel like you have to go in the morning, I’ll help make arrangements. You know, I am a travel agent.” She grinned at me and held out her arms.

Maybe it is just because I’m so tired, jetlagged, stoked on caffeine, and emotionally strung out, but I let her convince me. So now I’m in one of the villa’s eight bedrooms having had a big meal and a glass of wine, and I’m ready to sleep. I’ll sort the rest of this out tomorrow.