Chapter 4: Animal Shapes

Ellie and Sarah walked down the Santa Monica Promenade to the woodworking shop. The women chatted amicably, but Sarah was keenly aware of the people on the street. She scanned every dark haired male face looking for Chuck.

Inside the woodworking store, Sarah watched as the store owner and Ellie exchanged greetings. Nothing was out of the ordinary, until Hans, the German store owner remarked, "Ellie, I was just going to call you!"

"Well, then it's good timing that I brought my friend Sarah by to see my hope chest being built," beamed Ellie.

"That's why I was going to call. My wife's father died and we are flying to Munich to put his affairs in order," explained Hans.

"Oh no, that is terrible. I'm sorry to hear that," remarked Ellie sympathetically.

"Yes, it's tragic. But I was going to call because I finished the chest early since were leaving town. I was hoping you could pick it up today," explained Hans. "I need to close the shop early so we can pack. Can you take the chest home now," asked Hans hopefully.

Ellie demeanor changed. She looked uncomfortable. "No," she stammered, "I don't think it will fit in my car."

Sarah noted Ellie's discomfort. Trying to calm her friend, she offered, "I can help you put in your Passat. I'm sure it will fit in your trunk, if you put your seat divider down. I think the car can even hold skis."

Ellie's blue eyes widened and her agitation increased. Sarah realized that Ellie was hiding something.

Oblivious to the tension between the women, Hans exclaimed, "A Passat! That is a fine German automobile. My wife drives one. I am quite familiar with the trunk. The chest will fit fine. Just pull your car around back. I will load it up!"

Ellie looked stricken. She needed to end this conversation. She turned to Sarah and said, "I don't want to keep you. I'm parked several blocks away. Why don't you come over tonight for dinner and see it. I'll make sure Morgan isn't there."

Sarah recognized that Ellie didn't want her to see something in her car. She smiled at Ellie and decided to play along. She agreed to dinner, and with a wave left the store.

Outside the store, she called Burrows. "Pop the trunk on Ellie's car and search it. Call me back when you complete the task," ordered Sarah, taking a hidden position outside the woodworking store.

Burrows called back a few minutes later. "The doctor's trunk was empty except the usual; tire iron, jumper cables and such. She did have a few copies of L.A. Weekly in the trunk."

"Hasn't all her email and publications been monitored," asked Sarah.

"Yes. She picks the paper up off a newsstand near her hospital periodically. Morgan Grimes is corresponding to her through the personal ads. The little man likes to write about his feelings for her," explained Agent Burrows.

Sarah's spy intuition spiked. However, she didn't want to alarm the other agent. She asked casually, "Has Morgan's letters been reported in the surveillance summary reports?"

"You already reported the Grimes infatuation. So the love letters didn't seem material. The doctor never reciprocates. Is there problem," asked Agent Burrows.

Sarah didn't want to share her suspicions, so she laughed. "No, I am just surprised. I'm always amazed by people. She has this great fiancé and she is enjoying getting love letters from Morgan Grimes. Crazy."

Agents Burrows agreed. "Do you want me to steal the car for a more in depth search?"

Sarah knew that was overkill. Besides, she thought she already had what she wanted. "I don't think so. We can take the car later if we needed it." She suspected that the L.A. Weekly was the better place to investigate.

Spying a L.A. Weekly newsstand close by, she walked to the machine and grabbed a paper. She thumbed through the pages to the personal ads. Her heart stopped when she read the entry:

"E. I miss you . Remember our anniversary. I do. I remembered the boarding house that we stayed. I will always remember ZJ at the Ocean. It was one of the Main roads to my heart. I'm okay even though your with the Captain now. Eternally yours, Morgan."

Morgan was definitely infatuated with Ellie, but he wasn't the type to pen love notes. Sarah surmised that the ad was placed by Chuck. This must be the way that Chuck was communicating with Ellie. Personal ads were a fairly simple communication method. However openly making the ads look like they came from a crazy Morgan had worked well. The NSA and CIA ignored them as non-material.

She pondered what the ad meant. Suddenly, she realized that Ocean and Main were actually streets in Santa Monica and were relatively close to her current location. She began to walk towards the named intersection. Turning onto Main Street, she spotted ZJ's Boarding House at the corner of Ocean. It was a surf shop. Could it be a drop-off point? Her question was answered as she spied Ellie leaving the store with a manila envelope under her arm.

Her heart skipped. Sarah sprinted towards Ellie before the doctor could realize that she had been spotted. Coming up behind the doctor, Sarah asked, "Did you leave through the back door of the woodworking shop?"

Ellie turned in shock. Her eyes filled with fear knowing she had been caught. Grabbing the manila envelope more tightly, she stuttered, "Uh…I got lost, I'm looking for my car."

Sarah was not going to play games with Ellie. She locked eyes with doctor and in her most demanding voice, she said. "Open the envelope, Ellie."

Ellie momentary considered arguing with Sarah, but saw the determination in Sarah's eyes. She realized that there was no point in lying. Sarah knew the truth. Ellie tore the envelope open and held her breath as she pulled out a photo of Chuck with a note attached.

Both women gasped as they saw Chuck's picture. His smile was the same but they were amazed by his appearance. Sarah thought that he looked so handsome, it hurt to breathe. She touched the picture and traced the outline of his face. He was so tanned and muscular. She missed him so much. The note on the picture read, 'Ellie, Look, I cut my hair! No more animal shapes! I Love You, Chuck.'

Sarah's phone rang and it made her jump. Sarah saw that it was Casey. She had to take the call.

"Walker, who is this Jill Conrad woman and why wasn't I informed by you about your re-assignment? Dammit! Then I find out that there are two additional agencies involved in the Intersect Project, who were previously silent partners! Did you know about this Walker? What the hell is going on," demanded Casey.

Sarah knew she couldn't have this conversation in front of Ellie. However, she had felt ill when Casey told her about her re-assignment. She needed more information from him. She knew that the intelligence agencies involved with the Intersect Project must be fighting due to the re-built Intersect not performing well. Her past affiliations must be causing heartburn with the four intelligence agencies involved with the Intersect.

She carefully replied, "Casey, an Agent Conrad has just been added to our detail. This Jill Conrad must be the new agent assigned to find Chuck. I'm scheduled to meet her tomorrow. I'm not alone. I need to call you back about the rest."

Ellie blanched as she listened to Sarah's conversation. It couldn't be! How many secret agent ex-girlfriends did her brother have?

Sarah noticed Ellie's reaction and was concerned. Hanging up her phone, she turned to Ellie and asked, "Are you okay? Do you know Jill Conrad?"

"I know her quite well and no…. I'm not alright! You know how you made the analogy about being a doctor who might have to cut off a patient's leg to save his life?"

"Yes, but I don't think I used those exact words," replied Sarah, warily. She knew that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"Jill Conrad is the exact opposite. She likes to cut off legs to watch them bleed. Don't you know who Jill Conrad is? " seethed Ellie venomously.

Sarah nodded negatively. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't make the connection.

Dismayed, Ellie explained, "Jill was Chuck's ex-fiancé. The girl he dated at Stanford. She was the one who left him for Bryce."