Jake and Anna checked out of the hotel early the next morning and then went shopping for warmer clothes. After his stomach settled the night before, Jake had checked out the weather forecast for Spitsbergen on the internet. Even though it was summer there now, there was perpetual permafrost and glaciers and they would have to be ready for any weather. Layers would be the best way to go. Jake had also researched the Svalbard Archipelago on the net. Interesting place.
Then the two of them headed to the Oslo airport and waited for their flight. Colonel Reed had not only arranged for tickets, he made them first class. When they got onto the plane, the flight attendant asked if they’d like Champagne. Jake considered it but declined. His right hand shook and he grasped his leg to calm himself. He needed to clean up. Not just for him, but for Anna. She didn’t deserve a drunk. Had put up with him like a saint the past few months as he had descended deeper into a funk that even he didn’t understand. He hadn’t been sober long enough to decipher why he was drinking so hard in the first place.
The flight took three hours, and most of that over the North Pacific. When they finally set down in Longyearbyen, the Svalbard capital of some 1,800 Norwegians, clouds shrouded the little town in near darkness. It was amazing the pilot had even been able to land in that soup.
They took a cab to one of the only real hotels in the town and plopped down onto a feather bed. Jake closed his eyes and his body felt like he was spinning. He needed a damn drink. Couldn’t come down this hard.
Anna ran her hand across his forehead. “You’re sweating like a pig, Jake.”
“I need a drink.”
Her hand moved to his chest and she grasped him by the shirt, catching a handful of hair. “No. You need to tell me why you’re drinking so much. Don’t you love me?”
Opening his eyes, he said, “Of course I love you, Anna. It has nothing to do with you.”
“But it does, Jake. It affects me. What happens to you happens to me.”
He rolled to his side and gazed at her. She was so beautiful. Colonel Reed was right, though. He couldn’t let this woman get away. They had had a good two years. Not perfect, with both of them gone on business so often, but pretty damn good when they were together. And even while they were separated by distance, they maintained contact by cell phone and e-mail. It wasn’t perfect. But what relationship was perfect? Maybe they needed to get away more often. . .together. This would be good for them. He only wondered if she knew how much pain he was in at this moment. God he needed a drink.
“Are you okay, Jake?”
He hesitated. “I will be. A part of my mind is telling me I need a drink, and the other part is telling me I can’t have one. My body is agreeing I can’t. Two against one.”
“Why don’t you take a shower and we’ll go get something to eat.”
“Reindeer steaks?”
She laughed. “Or salmon.”
His stomach became unsettled with the thought of fish. He thought he might lose his lunch, which had consisted of a large pretzel at the airport before the flight. He rolled off the bed and went to the shower.
Once the shower started, Anna pulled the satellite phone from her backpack, turned it on, and punched in the long number from memory.
“Yeah, we’re in place in Spitsbergen,” she said in French. She listened carefully as the shower droned on in the bathroom. “I understand. We go to the site tomorrow.” She listened again, hoping Jake would take a long shower. “All right. When I know, you’ll know.” She clicked off the phone and quickly plugged it into the wall to make sure the charge was full.
Then she pulled out her cell phone, found a full signal, which amazed her, and hit in another number.
“I know it’s short notice,” she said in German, “but I need to extend my vacation beyond the weekend.” Listening, she heard the shower stop. Hurry. “It’s personal. And I haven’t taken vacation in almost a year.” Pause. “Thank you.” She flipped her phone shut just as Jake came out of the bathroom, naked, wiping his long hair with the towel.
“That feels much better,” Jake said. “You should give it a try.”
She moved close to him and placed her hand onto his penis, which almost immediately responded to her touch. “I plan on it. But first. . .”
Once they had tested out the bed, Anna went in for a shower. Jake picked up the SAT phone and checked the last number dialed. Interesting. Then he did the same with Anna’s cell phone. Not as interesting.
Knowing Anna would be a while with the shower, the blow drying and the make-up, he took out his own phone and made a call across the pond to an old friend in Washington.
“Sidewinder Three Eight Four,” Jake said. A pause of silence on the other end. He had only used this call sign a few times in the past few years. Only when he really needed information he could not get anywhere else. And why not? Since he had left the old CIA, the Agency had called on him many times for help. Now it was his turn to get help from them.
“Lindberg one three three.”
Jake smiled as the shower continued. He still had time. “Your favorite ex-officer. I take it this is a secure line on your end.”
“Of course, Jake. What about your end?”
“Where do you have me located?”
Hesitation. “What the hell you doing in Brazil?”
“I’m far from it,” Jake said, smiling. “Tell me everything you know about any Op in Norway.”
His contact hesitated too long before saying, “You know I can’t talk to you about anything ongoing.”
“I understand.” More than he was letting on. “Tell me if Colonel Reed is involved.”
“Jake, you know the rules. What have you gotten yourself involved in this time?”
How the hell should he play this? He could need their help down the road. Better to come clean. Jake explained what the colonel had hired him to do, and then waited.
Heavy sigh on the other end, just as the shower stopped. “You’re on Spitsbergen Island right now.” It was a statement. “Colonel Reed was correct. Captain Olson, we believe, either died up there or was taken by the KGB or GRU. Either way, he’s long dead. It happened around the time of the Reagan Gorbachav Summit in Iceland.”
Jake remembered that now. He thought his old friend had died on a flight to Iceland, where he was supposed to provide intel support.
“What really happened?” Jake asked. He heard the hair dryer turn on.
“Jake,” Anna yelled. “I hope you plan on taking me out to the best restaurant in town.”
Jake turned the phone away from him and yelled back, “Of course.”
“What was that?” Jake’s contact asked.
“I have a lady friend.”
“The Interpol?”
Shaking his head, Jake guessed the Agency had done a complete background check on Anna. “Yeah.”
“I’ve seen photos. Very pretty.”
“Thanks. Now can you tell me what kind of shit I’m stepping into?”
“I’ll need to do some research and get back with you.”
He guessed as much. “I leave for some glacier in the morning.” He checked his watch. “I’ll call you in twelve hours.” He flipped his phone shut just as the hair dryer turned off.
Anna opened the door to the bathroom and looked at Jake in the mirror as she put on mascara, dressed only in a thong and a bra. “Who were you talking to, Jake?”
Jake shook his head. She had to have the best ears in the business. “Asking for a little help.” He came up behind her and placed his hand on her bare cheek. “I hope you have something to keep these cute buns warm.”
She wiggled away from him. “Hey you just got that. And you saw me buy the silk long underwear.”
He leaned against the door frame. “Well, I think I was still a little wasted.”
She set down the mascara. She rarely used much make up and needed to use none at all. She was a natural beauty. “What did the Agency tell you?”
“Not much. I have to get back with them in the morning. Ready to eat?”
“Famished.”
They headed out. Their hotel, the Radisson, was situated on the edge of Longyearbyen, which wasn’t saying much. The town was a cluster of colorful wooden structures in yellow, red and green. Walking the streets for a few blocks and finding only a pizza joint and a couple of cafes, they decided to return to the restaurant attached to their hotel.
They had barely sat for a short moment, when Jake had a strong urge for a drink. He needed a drink. No.
Anna ordered them both a strong cup of coffee, which came in a few minutes. Then they both ordered the salmon.
“You could have ordered a glass of wine,” Jake told her.
“That’s not fair. We need to have clear thoughts. Besides, I think I might be getting a beer gut.”
He laughed. “You have the nicest tummy I’ve ever seen.” And if she wasn’t so hot it would have pissed him off. She could eat damn near anything and not put on a pound. “Did you make a pact with the devil to keep that beautiful figure?”
“Ha, ha.”
Jake casually glanced at a picture on the wall, as if admiring the photo of mountains and glaciers, but in reality was looking at the reflection. He pointed at the photo. “Isn’t that a beautiful place,” Jake said to Anna.
“Yes, I hope we see that tomorrow.”
Their food came and Jake kept his eyes on the food, Anna, and through the corner of his eye, the man across the room.
“You all right eating fish?” Anna asked him.
“You know I love fish.” He smiled, put a piece of salmon in his mouth and mumbled. “We have a friend.”
She smiled and said, “Are you sure?”
He held back a laugh. “What do you think?”
“I think you should know.” She finished her fish and continued, “Let me take a trip to the lady’s room and get a good look. Which one?”
“Big guy. Dark hair. Your five o’clock.”
She dabbed her mouth with her napkin, put it down and left. The guy tried his best not to watch her, which was hard for any man, and confirmed to Jake that the guy was watching them. Otherwise he would have checked her out more thoroughly.
A few minutes later Anna returned. Same result from the man.
“Well?” she asked.
“The guy barely looked at you,” Jake said. “And, if I’m not mistaken, you added a little sway to your normal gate.”
She took a sip of water and said, “Perhaps. But maybe the guy is more interested in you.”
“I don’t think so. Let’s head upstairs.”
They paid and left. When they got to their room, Jake quieted Anna with his finger as he moved about the room. “Salmon wasn’t too bad,” he said, searching under the lamp shade. He moved along the curtains, checking inside the edges. “I was really tempted to try the whale or the seal. But I hear they’re both out of season. And I’d hate like hell to have my first whale of the frozen variety.”
Jake stopped and glanced about the room. Anna looked confused. Settling his gaze on the nightstand, he picked up the small clock radio and smiled. He went to his bag and found a Swiss Army knife; then he opened the radio with a screw driver. Inside, stuck to the small speaker, was what he was looking for. A bug.
“Let’s see what the weather report says,” Jake said, switching on the radio and cranking up the sound. With the local radio blaring at its highest level, Jake pried the bug loose and brought it to the bathroom, where he flushed it down the toilet. He swept the room for anything else, including going through their bags, until he was satisfied that was the only device. Only then did he turn down the radio.
“All right,” he said.
Anna sat on the edge of the bed. “I thought you were being paranoid. Why would someone bug our room? And how did you know it was bugged?”
“I wasn’t sure until I saw the clock radio had been moved slightly. It had been parallel to the back and side of the table.”
“Someone placed it while we went to dinner?”
“Yes. They had to move it from the other room, which was supposed to be ours.”
“That’s why you had us move rooms at the last minute?”
He nodded.
“Wow. What’s going on?”
“I didn’t want to be, but I’m back in the game.”
She put her hand over her face. “I did this.”
“In the future, when a former friend of mine, a former spook, comes calling, make damn sure you tell me about it immediately. It’s usually not good news.”
“But you’d always spoken so highly of Colonel Reed,” she pled. “In fact, he’s one of the only people you freely talked about. Why is that?”
Jake sat on the bed next to her, his eyes glancing to the table at the SAT phone, which was still charging. He had already opened the battery compartment to check for bugs, but there was something else.
“Anna, there’s a reason for that. Half the people I’ve worked with are either retired or dead. The other half are divided into the covert realm or at the headquarters. I can’t mention those.”
“I understand. But what I don’t understand is why the colonel would put you in danger like this. I thought he was your friend.”
“He is. He knows that I know that any time he would ask me for a favor, it could involve something nefarious and dangerous.” Jake got up and picked up the SAT phone from the table, checking the call record again. Even though he had cleared it, she didn’t know that. “Why did you call Interpol headquarters?”
Her eyes gave away her embarrassment. “I work for them,” she said. “I needed to extend my vacation for a week.”
Jake was going to hate himself for this, but he plowed forward. “That’s why you’d call your Vienna office.”
She rose to her feet. “You bastard. You’ve been checking up on me.” Her fists were clenched at her side.
He set the SAT phone down and came to her, grasping each of her wrists and moving his face along the side of hers. “I’m sorry. I checked the phone while you were taking a shower, seeing if Colonel Reed had left any numbers in there. I saw the number to your headquarters had been made while I was taking my shower, and deleted the record. Good thing, because whoever planted that bug would have checked the call record and known you work for Interpol.”
Her arms went limp and she leaned into Jake. “I’m such an idiot. But I still don’t understand why this is happening. Isn’t it a simple search for an old friend?”
“It’s never that easy, Anna. The colonel knew I was good friends with Captain Olson. I couldn’t refuse. At least not from Oslo. From the comfort of Vienna, maybe. He must have known I had been down and out lately, and figured I would jump at an opportunity. Especially if it involved you.”
He let her hands go and she wrapped them around his back, pulling him tighter to her. “He used me.”
“Yeah. And he did a damn good job. Just like he was trained. Now you need to tell me anything else the colonel might have told you, and what your bosses at Interpol know about this whole thing.”
She sat back onto the bed and Jake followed her down.
“Vienna knows nothing,” she started. “Just think I’m on an extended vacation. But I was required to contact Lyon after any contact with a foreign intelligence officer. You know that. They told me something was up, but they weren’t sure what at this time. Told me to keep checking in while they looked into it.”
“You trust them?”
“Of course.”
Jake thought about it. Maybe this could work to their advantage. Pull info from them and the Agency and see how far off each of them is to the truth.
“All right,” Jake said. “But from now on let’s be open with our contacts and agree on how much to feed them. We don’t give them shit unless they give us something first.”
She nodded and then kissed him.
“Let’s hit the sack. Have a feeling tomorrow will be a long day.”