Mitch turned from the window to look at Adam sleeping beside him. He slid down in his seat, closed his eyes and tried to relax. Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes again.
Right then, forget that. He reached for his iPad, read the report from Ellen on last night’s NAO meeting and fired back a response. He updated his budget on the spreadsheet John had emailed through and sent that back. An hour had passed; he looked to his right, and still Adam slept.
Unbelievable. Dan Tarrow had sent through a note trying to pin him down for his second and final counseling session. He emailed back that he was overseas for an indefinite time. Maybe forever where you’re concerned Dan. He smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” Adam asked, sitting up straight beside him.
“Dan’s chasing me for another session. Good to be out of the country.”
“He’ll hunt you down. They’re good at that.”
Mitch turned to Adam. “Where did you learn German?”
“I started it at high school and spent a year on one of those exchange programs; best way to learn the language is to live there.”
“Where, in Berlin?” Mitch asked.
“Yes. I studied it at university as well and…” Adam stopped and then continued, “my wife—ex-wife—is German.”
“That makes it easier when you’ve got a practice partner. Is she in Germany now or the UK?”
“UK last time I heard from her.”
Mitch looked away and then back at Adam. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. But you had a go at it, that’s got to count for something.”
Adam smiled. “Have you been married?”
“No. I’ve had one or two I thought I could have gone the distance with, but this job makes it pretty hard for any woman. She’d have to like me not around.”
“And what woman would want that?” Adam asked just as the flight attendant arrived and offered them both coffee.
“Exactly,” Mitch joked.
“You might need to get yourself a woman who works with us,” Adam suggested.
Mitch looked over at him. “Did Nick tell you to push that? There’s some sort of conspiracy going on with Nick, Ann and Henri to get me hitched. If I didn’t know better I’d say Lyn my housemate was in on it too.”
“It’s people with partners; they love to match those of us without. Don’t know what Nick’s excuse is though.” Adam thought about it.
“He’s just taking the focus off himself. What is her name, your ex-wife?”
“Astrid. We met at school in Berlin when I was an exchange student. When I returned home, back to the States, we kept in touch and then my folks split, Mum stayed in the US and Dad moved to the UK. I went to university in the UK and I’ve been there for the last fifteen years. Astrid moved there for work after she graduated, and we married…and divorced.”
“There’s no formula, is there?” Mitch asked. “You can get married young, mid-life, old; no guarantees it will ever work.”
“According to Betty, the guru of love, you have to fall in love as much as you can. But we had a bit working against us,” Adam said. “I proposed when she first joined me in London, but she said she wasn’t ready. So I waited. Then she wanted to know what she was missing, what else was out there. So I set her free.”
“So if you set them free and they return, they’re yours or some bullshit like that?” Mitch asked.
“Yeah and if they don’t return, hunt them down and finish them off,” Adam joked.
Mitch laughed. “Well clearly that didn’t work since you got divorced and she’s still alive.”
“No she came back of her own accord. But then we had a bit of a crisis, so to speak.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Mitch said.
Adam shrugged. “Astrid was attacked. You wouldn’t have heard of it in the US but she was one of the victims of the Essex rapist; kidnapped from a car park after she helped a man on crutches put his groceries in his car.”
“Christ, that’s horrendous,” Mitch said.
Adam nodded. “After he was finished with her, he tried to strangle her and dumped her in bush land but she regained consciousness, got to help and could identify him from police shots. He was caught that same day but she was never really the same after that.”
“How could you be?” Mitch agreed.
“We got married, but she was frightened to leave the house. Then she started disappearing for weeks at a time. She’d go to a friend’s place or her parents or a women’s shelter. I’d be sick with worry looking for her. I used up all my leave finding her several times. Then I’d bring her home and we’d talk through it, work through it and try and make her stronger.”
Adam stopped talking as the flight attendant passed again with drinks.
“That’s hell,” Mitch said, and exhaled.
“The awful thing was that she couldn’t believe I would find her attractive after what had happened and she wouldn’t have sex. She wanted a divorce because she was convinced that she trapped me into marriage by making me feel sorry for her. She went back to Germany for a year.” Adam sighed. “This went on for three years; disappearing, returning and disappearing again. Then she returned and began to work in a women’s shelter. She studied psychology and the original Astrid was on the way back. Then one night she asked for a divorce because I reminded her too much of her past and she wanted to go forward.”
“So you agreed. Is that why you wanted a stint back in the US?” Mitch asked.
“Yes.” Adam looked to his watch.
Mitch nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Only an hour until we land.” Adam looked past Mitch out of the small window.
As if on cue the plane lights came on and the cabin crew began to move through the cabin collecting items.
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but how long have you been divorced?” Mitch asked, trying to ascertain Adam’s state of mind.
Adam swallowed and thought before answering. “Just under a week.”
Mitch exhaled. “Is your head on the job?”
“Every minute of the day; it’s keeping me sane. You can trust me on that,” Adam assured him.
Mitch nodded. “I get it.”
Thorsten Schmid met with his brother Dirk after the NAO members left. They sat and shared a quiet drink.
“Who do you think has the most potential amongst the new lot?” Dirk Schmid asked. “Any stand-outs?”
“Yes, one by the name of Ellen Bauer who I get the feeling is keen to impress and another woman, Cecilia, who seems to have strong convictions.” Thorsten puffed on a thin cigar and sat back on the leather Chesterfield.
“Ellen Bauer.” Dirk nodded. He leaned over and topped up both of their glasses with scotch. “I’ve got my eye on her too; I’m keen to have her. Her husband Nicholas is an excellent specimen; he will be wonderful for procreation, just wonderful. Imagine him with Cecelia.”
They heard a noise outside and Dirk rose, heading to the door. He opened it to find Ulric Adler letting himself in.
“Ulric, good to see you.” Dirk shook hands with the Presidential candidate that the NAO was funding and showed him through. Thorsten rose and greeted him, grabbing another glass.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier for the new members’ first meeting, crazy day.” He undid his tie, put it in his pocket and took the opposite end of the couch from Thorsten. He faced Dirk, raised his glass and toasted.
“To the Führer our leader,” the two men repeated the toast and they clinked glasses.
“Any news from Julian?” Adler asked.
“Yes, they have arrived in Berlin and are at the safe house,” Dirk said.
“Are you sure it’s worth it?” Thorsten asked.
“Over a million dollars? It’s worth it, not just for the money but for the principle.” Dirk bristled. “Shame on his treachery!” Dirk exhaled a plume of cigar smoke upwards. “Doesn’t matter, we’ll more than compensate for his weakness. But his son Benjamin will get a rude shock.”
“Just don’t let it infiltrate what we are trying to achieve. We have to stay focused—get nominated and get elected, then everything falls into place,” Adler said.
“Don’t worry Ulric,” Dirk assured him, “my eyes are firmly on the prize. We’ve got some excellent new Aryan women too. There’s a couple that we may be able to accelerate for the Fountain of Life 2 program.”
“I agree,” Thorsten said, “it’s a better intake than our last group I think.”
Adler sighed. “I can see the future. I want it so badly I can taste it.”
“Me too, Mr. President.” Dirk raised his glass. “Now that sounds right.”