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“Well, I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Mary Ann said in response to Tim’s inquiry about the bondage video.
Tim had expected that this was what she would say and basically agreed with her, but he didn’t understand how a woman would submit to that level of humiliation.
When Tim put that question to Mary Ann, though, her response was, “Yes, Tim. And us gals all love getting down on all fours and letting you ram us from behind. That’s so empowering.”
The conversation was becoming uncomfortable, so Tim decided to make a drink and offered to make one for Mary Ann as well.
“I assume Toby showed this to you?” Mary Ann asked as Tim handed her a vodka tonic. “Did he mention that he played the part of the masked man? For that matter, he also directed it.”
“He’s a very talented man,” Tim said with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood. “Look,” he added, “I’m sorry I even mentioned this to you. It doesn’t bother me at all that you performed in a kinky sex video, but I thought you needed to know that your ex showed it to me.”
“So, you’re not breaking up with me?” Mary Ann wondered.
Tim sat down and gave her a kiss. “Of course not. I think this is the third time you’ve asked me if I was planning on breaking up with you. Why is that?”
“Because all of my boyfriends have been like Toby,” she explained. “You’re the first guy who’s had any class.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but thanks. Let’s drop the subject,” Tim said. He was not comfortable about receiving compliments, plus Mary Ann was probably lying.
But she had more to say about the video. “Well, it was Toby’s idea, and it really did pay very well, plus I didn’t have to fuck anyone on camera. We might have done some more videos, but then Sebastian came along.”
Mary Ann began to retell the story about how she and Toby met Sebastian, but Tim’s mind started to wander. He really was not surprised about the video, since Tim knew that Mary Ann was the kind of woman who would be up for just about anything sexual. No, the question was why Toby decided to show the video to him in the first place. But Tim also had a lot of other things on his mind, chemistry being the main one.
It had been a long day, so he took Mary Ann in his arms and fell right to sleep.
Morning came sooner than Tim would have preferred, but he was out of bed, dressed, and drinking his second cup of coffee by the time Mary Ann got up at 9 a.m. She saw Tim sitting at the dining room table reading one of the two textbooks he’d bought home from Pam’s house. “Interesting book?” she asked, kissing the top of his head.
“Not really, but this guy Tim Hall is a fucking genius,” Tim joked.
Tim really was impressed with his book. It wasn’t that he had forgotten that he studied chemistry in college—it was just something that he had not thought much about in the last 35 years. Now, he regretted that he had not continued his career as a chemist. The Agency had originally hired Tim as a Technician II Chemist GS 9, but he’d ended up being asked if he minded taking a position in the Forensic Psychology group. Tim had minored in Psychology at Berkeley and, although the laboratory was his first love, he was also interested in the science of the mind.
He’d figured that anything he did not know could be learned on the job, and he was correct. He spent the next year visiting a number of secret Agency camps known to the public as “Black Sites,” where he learned enhanced interrogation techniques. This was a term that had become a euphemism for torture, but Tim never thought that any of the interviews he conducted were torture, unless one considered boredom a form of it. Most of the time, he would ask a question to a detainee, and the detainee would then tell him a lie. Tim had had the advantage of knowing when someone was lying, since he usually knew the truth. But in the current situation, he had no clue why Sebastian and Pam had bought him back from retirement.
“Would you like some scrambled eggs?” Mary Ann called from the kitchen.
“Yes, I would,” Tim replied as he stared at her backside.
Mary Ann was really a piece of work, he thought to himself. She had been lying to him since the moment they met. He thought back to their first date and about how Mary Ann had told him that she once owned a dental lab. Could that possibly be true, or was it just part of a running story Mary Ann was making up as she went along? Most lies Tim had encountered through his enhanced interrogations where attempts to cover up something, usually some kind of plot or conspiracy—but most of these liars could be tripped up by pointing out the contradictions in the stories they were telling. However, in Mary Ann’s case, her entire life seemed to be a contradiction. Nevertheless, Tim felt that they had made a strong connection. He also felt that Mary Ann needed to be protected. Tim sensed that Mary Ann had most likely stumbled into a very dangerous situation with no clue of the possible consequences. Tim knew that he was also in danger, but he was aware that neither Pam nor Sebastian would go away empty-handed, so he would have to stay around long enough to figure out their plan.
The buzzer buzzed in Tim’s condo, and he looked up to the clock. 10 a.m.; it must be Sebastian and Toby time. Tim went into his bedroom and came back with an overnight bag. “I may be gone for a couple of days, Mary Ann, so hold the fort,” he murmured.
Mary Ann was surprised at this news. “A couple of days? What’s going on?”
Tim noticed that Mary Ann actually seemed disappointed that he might spend a night without her. “I don’t know yet, but don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
There was a knock at the door, and Tim opened the door to meet Sebastian and Toby. Tim beamed at them. “Good morning, guys. Are we ready to hit the road?”
Sebastian looked surprised to see Tim ready to go. “By all means,” Sebastian replied as he nodded to Mary Ann, who was standing behind Tim.
Tim turned and kissed Mary Ann goodbye. “Don’t worry,” he repeated. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
As Toby drove them out of the city, Sebastian motioned to him that it was time to put in his earbuds. When Sebastian could hear Guns N’ Roses come out of the earphones, he turned to Tim. “So, do you remember any of your chemistry, Tim?”
“Actually, I remember quite a lot more than I thought I would, but you know I wasn’t a chemist with the Agency. I was an operations guy like you.”
Sebastian once again seemed pleased that Tim now recalled his time as a spy. “Yes, an operations guy. I always enjoyed your terminology, Tim. So, here’s the question: what do you remember about making poisons?”
Poisons? Tim wondered. These two are taking me out of retirement for poisons.
“Well, Sebastian, I certainly know enough to be able to concoct something to put our friend Toby to sleep, but I don’t think I know enough yet to cure cancer.”
Sebastian gave Tim a funny look, but then he got the joke. “Besides,” Tim continued, “you have enough real chemists at Langley and Quantico to develop anything you need...so why are you asking me?”
Sebastian thought for a second, then answered, “Suppose you had a mission that only a handful of people were aware of, and you needed something created. Something that could not be traced back to Langley. Who would you turn to?”
Though it was long and somewhat rhetorical, Sebastian’s question told Tim what he wanted to know. Pam, Sebastian, and whoever else was involved wanted to keep the operation tight and bringing in a bunch of chemists from Langley was not the way to accomplish that.
“Okay, I get it, Sebastian. You and Pam want me to develop some sort of poison...but why?”
Sebastian responded without hesitation. “There is a current world leader who is creating havoc, and our analysis is that if this person continues unchecked, it could affect the world as we have come to know it.”
Sebastian had certainly said a mouthful, but who were they going after? After all, there was trouble in Central and South America, but Russia was once again becoming a pain in the ass, and China had also become a major concern.
“So, who’s the target and why?” Tim asked. May as well be blunt.
“Aw, that will all be revealed in time,” Sebastian said, obviously enjoying his role as the mastermind. “But first, let’s talk about poisons. Would it be possible to administer a poison to an individual over a period of time that would eventually kill him or her?”
Tim thought about Sebastian’s question. Sure, there were poisons that could be administered over time, like arsenic—but the problem with that was that they’d have to be administered every day, which might be difficult to do without the cooperation of the subject.
“We would need a sort of timed-release poison,” Tim volunteered, “but I would have to think about how we could do that.”
Tim was beginning to wonder how all of his spy-craft suddenly seemed to be coming back to him. Could the stem cells really be responsible for his recovered memory?
The SUV had crossed the Potomac, and they were now back in Virginia. Toby took the sharp left turn onto Pam’s driveway, and the SUV made the slow climb up the hill.
When they parked, Pam came out of the house to meet them. “Did you make any progress, Tim?” she asked. “Can you help us?”
“I guess it all depends on exactly what you want me to do, Pam,” Tim replied. “Let’s go in and talk about it.”
Pam shot Sebastian another one of her looks, but Sebastian just shrugged. The three of them entered the house while Toby took his usual place outside guarding the SUV.
It was just after one in the afternoon, and Pam, being the perfect hostess, had prepared a light lunch consisting of ham and cheese and tuna sandwiches. After some polite conversation about the drive, the three got down to business. “So, Tim, what has Sebastian told you about our mission?” Pam asked.
“He has indicated—or should I say, insinuated—that you two would like me to develop some kind of poison in order to eliminate some head of state. At least, that’s the impression I’ve received.”
Pam glared at Sebastian. “Sebastian, is it possible for you to be direct for once in your fucking life?”
Sebastian appeared to be somewhat stunned by Pam’s reprimand. Tim felt a little guilty for making him sound too obtuse. Still, Pam was correct. Sebastian just seemed incapable of telling someone exactly what he wanted without playing some kind of game.
Pam looked back at Tim. “I’m sorry, Tim. Yes, we need you to come up with a poison that will gradually kill someone, and we also need to develop a method to administer the poison to the individual without their knowledge. What thoughts do you have?”
Tim was looking out the window and thinking about how beautiful everything was. It was springtime, and the trees along the river were beginning to bloom. Tim thought how strange it was that the conversation they were having was about murdering another human being, but he redirected his thinking back to poisons.
“Well, I feel that in order to accomplish a slow death for the subject, we would need to employ two poisons. Perhaps a combination of arsenic and thallium delivered via a common device like a tool, maybe even a knife or a fork.”
Pam raised her eyebrows. “A knife or a fork? How would that work?”
“We could place two very small needles in a piece of silverware.” Tim got up and walked into Pam’s dining room, coming back with a very nice silver fork.
“Be careful, that’s my best silver,” Pam said, half-joking.
Tim held the fork in his right hand and then his left hand, remembering that he used his right hand for the knife. “See, if we could place the needles on the bottom of the fork, then you may have two or three injection sites.” Tim showed Sebastian and Pam his fingers and where the possible injections sites would be located.
“Will you be able to make some thallium and arsenic?” Sebastian asked Tim.
“It all depends on what Pam has in her chemistry set downstairs, but thallium was used up until 1978, so it’s not a secret,” Tim replied. “The arsenic should not be a problem at all.”
“I actually have some thallium already made,” Pam said as calmly, as she would tell someone that she’d baked an apple pie.
“Somehow, you are having thallium on hand doesn’t surprise me in the least,” Tim said as he closely examined one of the tuna sandwiches she’d made for lunch.
“I think the main issue will be obtaining the silverware,” Sebastian added.
“We should be able to get anything we need,” Pam replied, “but, in the meantime, Tim can use the fork he’s already picked out.”
“And ruin a piece of your best silver?” Tim commented sarcastically.
“Well, anything for the cause,” Pam replied.
Tim got up with his fork and half-eaten sandwich and headed for the basement. “I’m going down to the lab to start working on this.” Tim looked down at his bag. “Is it okay if I spend the night?”
“Sure,” Pam replied with a smile. “After all, it is your house too, sort of.”
“Okay.” Tim looked at Sebastian. “You and Toby can take the night off, Sebastian, but I will be returning to Baltimore in the morning.”
Tim turned and headed for the basement as Sebastian and Pam watched.
“I believe your memory restoration project in Santa Domingo worked a little too well, don’t you think?” Pam remarked to Sebastian when Tim was out of earshot.
“Yes, Pamela, you may be correct. You just may be.”