With an hour to spare before the major briefing, Mitch rang Adam and Eva and, talking on speaker phone, went over the final Berlin plan and the issues raised in the meeting so he could be forewarned before the local briefing. After the call, he printed a dozen copies of the Berlin model and saved it to his laptop from his email to project it on the boardroom screen. He glanced at his watch—twenty minutes left. He had time to visit Henri.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Mitch headed for Henri’s lab area. Henri’s two young assistants were both at their benches.
“Yeah, love the hair,” Jared said as Mitch entered.
“Sinister,” Tom agreed.
Mitch grinned. “Thanks. Not planning on keeping it though.”
“I would,” Jared said.
“Yeah but you’d do anything to stand out,” Tom baited him. “Like the time you had it all blue.”
Mitch left them to continue their verbal sparring.
“Henri.” He entered the professor’s office.
Henri looked up and for a split second did not recognize Mitch.
“You’re back and ran into a bottle of bleach.” Henri rose and went to give Mitch a hug. Mitch braced and Henri, reading the body language, gripped Mitch’s shoulder instead.
“Welcome back. Is this part of the German disguise?” Henri asked, returning to his desk.
“I would have stood out at a convention without it. How are you?” Mitch asked, lowering himself onto a stool on the opposite side of Henri’s workbench.
“I’m very well son, more importantly how are you?” Henri asked. “When did you get back?”
“An hour ago,” Mitch said. “Got a meeting in fifteen minutes so got to run.”
“Well I appreciate you dropping in. Did you want to come around for a good meal tonight? You know Ann likes to see you eating when you’re on a case.”
“Thanks,” Mitch said, “but I’m exhausted, it was a long flight. I’m going home to my own bed and to make sure Lyn hasn’t rented out my room to someone else. Can I ask you something? Did Nick seem okay in my absence?”
Henri frowned. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
Mitch looked around before speaking. “Dan, the counselor, seems to think Nick’s a bit lost at the moment and that my sending him in undercover to the NAO might not be good for him. I figure no one would probably notice a change in him except you, given our history.”
Henri nodded. “Nick and I had a coffee late last week when he dropped in. He seemed fine, was asking after you actually. Nick’s very anti the NAO, so I think you can rest easy there.”
“Good. Thanks Henri.” Mitch rose and with a wave, he was gone. As he headed up the stairs, Dan Tarrow was coming down.
“Mitch, when did you get back?” Dan asked.
“An hour ago,” Mitch said. “Got to run.”
“Hold up. You owe me a second counseling session and you know how it works, the sooner the better. Counseling is more effective if consistent,” Dan said.
“Yeah Dan, really busy this week. The case is about to come to a head.”
“Tomorrow for an hour?”
“Can it wait until next week?” Mitch frowned.
“And what will come up next week?” Dan asked.
“I can’t talk about this now, I’ve got a meeting in five minutes,” Mitch said.
“Just commit to a time then. Ten a.m. tomorrow?” Dan continued to push.
“For chrissake Dan, seriously I’m really busy.” Mitch realized Dan would be watching his reactions. He drew a deep breath. “I’ll come back to you.”
“Thanks Mitch, sometime tomorrow then.” Dan smiled and continued down the stairs.
Mitch wanted to punch Dan Tarrow or the wall. He turned and continued upstairs to the boardroom. He saw a number of heavies entering, went to his office, grabbed his diary and files and followed them in. John Windsor was the last to enter, closing the door and thanking everyone for their attendance.
The next five hours were spent locked in the boardroom plotting out a similar plan to that established in Berlin. Mitch and Nick, along with leaders from the SWAT team and key police leaders, marked where the first outbreak of trouble would begin, how it would be initiated and carried through, and where agents would be, blended undercover in the rally.
Mitch and Nick discussed their pending work visiting a few underground neo-Nazi organizations to get word out. The media and communications team took the NAO’s key messages from Mitch to release to the media with the appropriate photos to be captured as the rally heated up. The potential issues were flagged out and crisis plans put in place. By the end of the session, all parties were clear and a plan had been drawn up.
Mitch knocked before he walked in to his new home and called out. Lyn emerged from the kitchen with a grin and raced towards him. She surprised Mitch with a hug.
“Welcome home, you don’t have to knock, you live here!” She let him go and stood back.
Mitch grinned, looking embarrassed. “I’ve been away a week, I thought you might have found a new housemate.”
“Seems longer, but thanks for letting me know you were coming home tonight. Wow, blond!” She studied him. “I like the dark you better.”
“Yeah, me too,” he agreed.
“I’ve cooked dinner so we can catch up and then you can hit the hay early, I bet you’re tired,” Lyn led the way into the kitchen. “Get changed if you like.”
“I’ll be tired when I stop, you know how it is.” Mitch stopped off at his room and threw his bag onto the bed. He slipped off his suit jacket and tie, hung it up, removed his watch and then joined her in the kitchen. Mitch watched her at the oven, dressed in jeans, a baggy jumper and an apron covered in bright sunflowers.
“What can I do?” he asked.
“Why don’t you pour us both a drink? I’ve got a few good bottles of red there or you’ve got beer in the fridge still.”
“Red, yeah?” Mitch said.
“Perfect.”
“Thanks for cooking, you didn’t have to do that.” Mitch inhaled the aroma.
“I wanted to catch up, plus, it’s not often we’re both home and home alone. I’ve done a beef and zucchini lasagna with a ginger vegetable side.” She grabbed two plates ready to serve.
“Wow, that beats the bowl of cereal I had last night.” He offered her the glass of red and they clinked glasses. “How’s Sandy?”
“She’s great. I’m in love.” Lyn grinned. She raised her glass, sipped and turned back to the oven. “Mitch, I know you’ve just walked in, but I do have something I need to talk with you about and it can’t wait.”
Uh oh, sounds like a partner is moving in and I’m moving out.
“Did I leave my socks in the lounge?” he teased.
Lyn smiled. “No.” She bit her lip. “I’ve thought a lot about whether to bring this up or mind my own business. I really like you, Mitch.”
Mitch nodded. “I like you too, Lyn. But … you’ve cooked dinner and organized a night at home to soften the blow. What’s the blow?” He willed her to cut to the chase.
“I don’t like to be judgmental but we all have things we believe in or have to stand up for. You know what I mean?”
“Sure,” Mitch said.
“For me it’s animal cruelty, I can’t bear it and—”
“Lynnie, spit it out,” Mitch cut her off.
She turned and looked at him, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a badge. She walked towards him and put it on the counter between them.
Mitch recognized it. It was The New Aryan Order badge; he had purchased half a dozen for his team to wear before he left for Germany, just in case they needed to blend in.
“Where did you find this?” he asked.
She picked it up again and studied it. “When you left for the airport, you must have dropped it. It was near the front door. Mitch, I can’t condone that, I can’t live with someone who supports what the Nazis did. I’m sorry.”
Mitch smiled. “You were very brave to confront me with this.”
Lyn stepped back.
Mitch held up his hands. “Sorry, no, I’m not threatening you, I didn’t mean that.” Mitch rose to assure her and she stepped back again.
He sat back down. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you, Lynnie. Do you know where I work?”
“You’re an investigator,” she said.
“Yes, for the FBI.”
She mouthed the word FBI. “How do I know that’s the truth?”
Mitch motioned for her to stay put. He went to his room, grabbed his badge from his jacket and returned. Lyn stood farther away, this time holding a knife.
Mitch sighed and sat back down. He passed over his I.D. She moved closer and grabbed it.
“I’m in the middle of a confidential case.” He waited while she studied his identification.
He extended his hand for the badge and she gave both back to him. “This neo-Nazi badge is part of the case. That’s why I’ve been in Germany.”
“That’s why you’re blond and look Aryan. You’re not a member?” she confirmed.
“Hell would freeze over first, and even then I wouldn’t be a member,” he said.
Lyn groaned. “Thank God. I didn’t know what to do. Sorry Mitch, but I had to ask.”
Mitch smiled. “So can I stay now?”
“You bet! You’re the best housemate I’ve ever had,” she assured him.
“Because I’m never home?” He took a mouthful of wine.
“Well partly because you do have your own life and because I feel safe with you here, when you’re not a Nazi that is.” She returned to the stove and checked the lasagna. “I’m really sorry, Mitch, I feel like an idiot now.”
“I’m not sorry you asked, but sorry you pulled the knife maybe,” he teased her, “especially if you knew how easy it would have been to overpower you and use it against you.”
“Really?” She frowned.
“Really,” he assured her. “You’re just handing the villain a weapon.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I might have got a few good stabs and slashes in.”
“You think? Okay then, arm yourself with a butter knife, something that won’t do me any damage, and give it your best shot.”
Lyn grinned. “You’re on. You’ll see it is better than being unarmed.”
“I doubt that,” Mitch said. He waited for her to get the knife and return to the same position, brandishing it near the stove.
Mitch rose from the kitchen stool. “Ready.”
She nodded.
In three quick strides he was beside her. Her arms were pinned to the wall, he pressed hard against her and the knife toppled to the ground.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. She tried to fight him off. “I can’t move.”
“That’s right.” He moved off her.
“You gave me a fright.” She put her hand on her heart and breathed fast.
“And you know me and knew what I was going to do. You all right?” Mitch bent down, picked up the knife and put it in the sink.
“I think so. It’s been a night for high drama,” she said.
“Warrants a wine top-up,” he agreed. He filled their glasses. “Lynnie, I think you are a very principled person and as I said, very brave to bring up the Nazi membership. What are you going to tell Sandy now? I’m guessing you told her.”
Lyn nodded. “I asked her advice. I’ll just tell her the truth, but you don’t want me to reveal what you are working on or where you work I’m guessing?” Lyn said.
“Maybe just say it was research to do with my work. Will that work?”
“Works for me,” she sighed and smiled. “I’m so glad you’re not a Nazi.”
Mitch smiled and shook his head. “You and me both.”
“Want me to dye your hair brown again?”