Chapter XXXI

Bonn, Germany

THREE DAYS LATER, Maddux settled onto a bench near a sidewalk that ran along the Rhine River. The peaceful easy flowing water soothed his mind when he was troubled. Despite the way his position with the CIA gave him a renewed sense of purpose, Maddux felt a deep disappointment. The point of agreeing to work with the CIA was to uncover the mystery behind his father’s disappearance. But so far, Maddux had found nothing but dead ends or well-constructed roadblocks

“Is this seat taken?” a woman asked.

Maddux looked up to see Rose standing in front of him. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he answered her. Rose’s hair whipped around her face in the gentle breeze. She tucked her locks behind her ears, her arched eyebrows pleading for an answer.

“Of course not,” Maddux finally said. “It’s all for you.”

She sat next to him and took his hands in hers. “What’s wrong, Ed? You haven’t seemed yourself since you got back from France. Did something happen there?”

Maddux shook his head. “Just something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Care to share?”

He shrugged and turned his gaze to the Rhine. “Things haven’t worked out like I’d hoped.”

Rose released his hands. “Regarding what?”

“The real reason why I joined the CIA—to find out about what happened to my father.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk with you about. It’s why I’m here.”

“What is it this time?”

Rose smoothed out her skirt and cleared her throat. “I don’t really know how to tell you this, especially if you’re already dealing with disappointment about how information about your father has been kept secret from you. So, I’m just going to say it.”

“Out with it then.”

“That house you went to in Barcelona, the one you found an address for in Kensington’s office.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, turns out we have someone listening to every communication that goes in and out of that house. And the day you went, someone made a call right after you left.”

“And?”

“Apparently, whoever lives there knew exactly what you were talking about and called someone else to tell them that you were looking for your father.”

“But you don’t know who they called?”

She shook her head.

“So, who’s house was I at?” he asked.

“That’s where things get really interesting. It’s a former CIA station chief, Gil Williams.”

“What station?”

“Moscow.”

Maddux shook his head. “I’m not sure what to think about this.”

“Well, your father obviously had some connection to Williams.”

“And Williams has some vested interest in making sure I don’t speak with him.”

Rose scooted forward to the edge of the bench and turned more toward Maddux. “Look, I know this isn’t great new necessarily, but I’m telling you this as a warning—and as your friend—because you need to be careful. Why the CIA doesn’t want you to know about your father is the million-dollar question right now, but we’re going to get to the bottom of it eventually. But just try not to force the issue, okay? I don’t want something terrible to happen to you.”

“What does that mean?” Maddux asked as he furrowed his brow. “It almost sounds like you’re—”

“I just mean that I’m concerned about you, that’s all.”

“You are on my side, right? I need to know that you’re with me, no matter what the agency directs you to do.”

Rose exhaled slowly. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“That’s not what I asked. I need to know that you’re with me.”

She nodded. “This isn’t easy for me to go up against the organization that I love and am passionate about. I may be naïve, but I tend to think we do good work here, the kind of work that keeps people safe and evil at bay.”

“If it were only that simple,” Maddux said. “Make no mistake about the fact that I’m a patriot, but I see far more shades of grey in this world than I do black and white. But right now, I’m seeing nothing but darkness from the agency when it comes to my father.”

“We’ll figure this out together, don’t worry,” she said. “I am on your side, Ed. Always.”

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting up and shuffling away.

Maddux buried his head in his hands as he remained on the bench. He wanted to revel in the fact that Rose had just kissed him, but he couldn’t think about anything other than the appearance of a conspiracy within the CIA to keep him from learning the truth about his father. After a few minutes, his silence was interrupted by Pritchett.

“Nothing beats the Rhine twinkling under the street lamps and night sky,” Pritchett said. “Though it’s difficult to see when you’re looking down.”

Maddux looked up at his boss. “I’m having a difficult time seeing much beauty in the world these days.”

“Well, that’s your own fault,” Pritchett said. “You’ve got a smart and attractive woman who has the hots for you. You have a job that sends you all over the world to exotic locations. You just snuffed out a mole in the CIA. And your first recruiting mission was a success with Gunnar Andersson. What in the world is keeping you from enjoying the moment and seeing your fantastic life for what it is?”

“My father—I still don’t really know much more about him, despite promises to get more information about him and what happened to him.”

Pritchett sat on the bench next to Maddux. “It’s a complicated world we live in. And to be honest, if I knew more, I’d tell you. But I can’t because I don’t know any more than you do at this point, nor do I have access to any of the files that might tell us what really happened.”

“So, this was a bait and switch with me? Try to lure me in by dangling the carrot of my father in front of me but then hope I’d just get hooked on wanting to help my country?”

“I swear that was never the plan,” Pritchett said. “I like to be forthright in all my recruitments. And I intend to keep my word and find out as much as I can for you. But right now, you can’t dwell on that. You just have to do what needs to be done, and the rest will fall into place.”

“I’ve heard that before, and it’s a worn out line.”

“Look at me,” Pritchett said as he put his hand on Maddux’s shoulder.

Maddux turned to face the station chief.

“I am on your side,” Pritchett said. “Our agency’s greatest asset is people. And I’ve never lost sight of that. If you need help, I will help you, but it might just take more time than you would like. Understand?”

Maddux nodded.

“Now, with that said, I’m still not going to discourage you from looking,” Pritchett said. “Rose told me about the phone call Gil Williams placed, so when you come to the office in the morning, I’ll give you everything we have on him. You can look through it and see if you can find something that makes the connection for you regarding your father.”

“Do you know Gil?”

“I’ve crossed paths with him in the past, but it’s been a while. He never struck me as someone who would sell out, but he was given an early retirement rather abruptly—and not of his own volition, from what I understand.”

“That sounds rather suspicious.”

Pritchett patted Maddux on his knee. “I’ll let you draw your own conclusions after you sift through all the papers. In the meantime, I’ve got a new assignment for you regarding a new recruit. You did such a good job convincing Andersson to join that I thought I’d let you try your hand again. But this time, I want you to oversee an entire recruiting program.”

“And what is this program going to do?”

“I’ll tell you in the morning. Have a good night—and don’t forget to admire the Rhine before you go home.”

Maddux nodded knowingly at Pritchett, who appeared to wink. Maddux wasn’t sure since Pritchett’s right eye was covered with a patch, but it sure seemed like that’s what happened.

Exhaling slowly, Maddux took Pritchett’s advice and stared out at the river.

Gil Williams. Just who exactly are you, and why don’t you want me to learn anything else about my father?

Maddux’s spirit lifted as he stood and began his walk home.