Early morning coffee smell filled the cabin and drifted up to the loft where was Eyal still sleeping very peacefully in a double bed that accommodates his 6'2" frame nicely. He shifted slightly to turned his head and gradually open his eyes, staring at him with a cold black nose and brown eyes was Butch with his tail wagging and quickly giving Eyal several licks on the face.
"Morning to you too." Eyal patting the dog's good shoulder. Swing his legs around to rest on the floor, he focuses the eyes between the rails on Danielle in the kitchen fixing breakfast. Running his hand through his hair and then over his face he watched Annie hobble into the main room.
"Good morning sunshine." Annie looking up and smiled at Eyal who was now standing looking down into the great room. "Bathroom is all clear. Clean towels on the top shelf." She was moving toward the huge stone fire-place to turn up the gas logs, there was a bit of a chill in the cabin. The weather for the middle of March was mixed with pleasant days but mostly cool rainy days and this morning was no exception - rainy.
"Hi Neshema, sleep well." Eyal was not looking for an answer - he grabbed his jeans and a clean sweat shirt, underwear, toothbrush and headed down the steps and to the bathroom.
Annie had set the table and Danielle was pouring coffee when Eyal emerged from the bathroom ready to eat. The three sitting at the table, Danielle passing a large plate of eggs, bacon and sausage, a bowl of home fries and biscuits.
"You are feeding an army Danielle?" Eyal was heaping on his plate a nice portion of each.
"A hardy breakfast is the best way to start a day." Danielle turning to Annie, "Michael called late last night, Katia has come down with the flu. Sorry I'm got to drive back to San Jose today. I don't want to leave you here."
"Don't worry, I'll stay with her. I want to take a little break anyway from work and a rain filled escape is just what I need." He knew Annie wanted to stay, work on the Jamison murder case and so did he - unfinished business and unanswered questions.
"I'll be fine Danielle, one thing for sure I'll be eating well - Eyal is an excellent cook." Annie was somewhat glad her sister was planning on leaving, she hated keeping things from Danielle but it was for the best. She loves her sister and trusted her but still there was the veil of secrets pertaining to Annie's work and now carrying over to Jamison's murder and the connection to Eyal.
"I'm going to take Butch with me, the dog needs a home and the girls need a pet."
"That's a wonderful idea, yeah they will love Butch." Annie helping clear the breakfast dishes with Eyal's help.
Her belongs loaded in the car, Butch riding shotgun, Danielle was off for her long drive south. Watching the car disappear in the light fog which had settled, Eyal turned to Annie, "Hope her little girl will be alright."
Annie laughed, "Katia is not sick. It's my sister playing matchmaker. If she really had the flu Danielle would have been out of here last night and you would had to cook breakfast."
With a chuckle and shaking his head, "You know your sister."
"Yeah I do. She has been trying to set me up for years."
"She doesn't know about Auggie?"
Annie looking at Eyal with a tiny grim, "No." Looking out at the ocean which was obscured because of thick fog just off shore, thinking about the reason she had for not telling her sister - maybe she knew in her heart it wasn't real.
"Let's go inside - it is chilly and damp out here." Eyal placing his hand on the small of her back and guided her gingerly into the cabin.
"You still want to go next door? What do you think you'll find in Jamison's cabin?" Annie was pouring more coffee and the two set at the dining table.
"I want to get that picture of him with his wife, a man in deep hiding doesn't keep any personal items of his past - way too dangerous. We are going to need local help with our digging, what about this Sheriff Southerland? You trust him?"
"Don't know - I think we can. He wasn't too happy about the state boys becoming involved but his department wasn't equipment to handle the detail characteristic of trace evidence and forensic. I don't think we have any choice. Should I give him a call?"
"Go ahead, we'll roll the dice and see what happens." Eyal with a nod of consent.
The fog was lifting by the time a black Dodge Challenger with a powerful Hemi V8 rumbled down the gravel road and pulled into the driveway beside the end cabin behind a dark blue Ford 150 pickup. Softly tapping on the door, Eyal opened it to a tall slender man with jeans, blue Seattle Seahawks sweat shirt and brown leather jacket.
"I'm Sheriff Southerland, is Ms. Annie Walker here?"
"Hello, I'm Eyal Lavin and please come in. Can't we get you some coffee".
"Yes thanks, black." Seeing Annie sitting at the table he took a seat, taking off his jacket.
"Weather turned on us today." Eyal placing a mug before him and pouring a hot cup of coffee.
"Yeah, you never know about this time of year. So tell me what's shaking down?" Jim holding his hands around the hot mug.
"Remember me telling you about a friend of mine that could translate the Greek?" Annie smiling.
"Mossad." looking at Eyal and pointing with his thumb, "I take it this is the friend." reaching over shaking Eyal's hand, "This is great you're here."
"Annie tells me the state crime scene unit will be checking out the house where the victim lived and I would like to have a look around before that happens."
"This murder has international involvement right?"
"Yes it does and we are going to need your help. Annie also tells me you ex-LAPD, you still have a few connections?" Eyal was feeling out Jim as to his desire to be involved.
"I'm not at all happy with turning this over to the state boys because I'll be given the cold lock out. A small town Sheriff has got to be a country bumpkin. Plus I don't think they have the resources to handle any international investigation without calling in the FBI or CIA and that won't be a top priority - agency turf battles. Sure, I'll be glad to lend a hand but don't know what I can do."
Annie picking up a donut that was in a box on the table, "Here have one." Shoving to box toward Jim, "You are trusted around here and people would be more willing to talk with you that either one of us or state guys. We are guessing this was a paid hit and maybe locals were the ones hired."
"You said it was international, why? Anything to do with the Greek picture?" Southerland was asking.
Eyal also reaching for a donut, "A great deal to do with the picture and I want to take a look at it. Let me give you the background. Your victim's name is Filip Jovanovic a Montenegro national and a brilliant electronic and data control engineer. He was employed as chief engineer with Blu Brillare Elettronica, an Italian data control and electronic manfacturing company supplying components to Israel for their guidance system in missiles using Israeli engineering and specifications."
"He was very unassuming, seem to be a simple minded man but pleasant." Jim was taking another donut and another mug of coffee.
"When you go into deep hiding as he did, you change your entire being, looks, speech, mannerism - becoming the opposite - a totally different person with a new location and new identity. That is why I want to take a closer look at that picture. It is something from his past he should not be holding on to."
"You said you knew him?"
"Back in 2007 I was given the mission to find the leak of data specifications for our missiles guidance systems and we believed it to be within the manfacturing company. After collection all the intel, the assumption was drawn that the information was being passed by Filip Jovanovich's wife who had Russian ties. We were half right. Nada, his wife, was from Belgrade, Serbia and a total knock out. Super gorgeous, highly fashionable and enjoyed a lavish life style. She was everything an average man could only dream of and she was a plant by the Russian. Her job was to seduce Filip to fall in love with her and spend money and she was good at both. The bonus for the Russian was they got married. Her appetite for more and more expensive stuff started putting Filip in a financial bind - perfect for recruitment."
"So he was the leak."
"Yeah, sold out for two million Euros." Eyal pouring himself another mug of coffee, "Thinking the wife was the source, my cover was an upscale Europe antique and art dealer helping her with the furnishing of their newly purchased villa on the Greek coast. Didn't take very long before all indications pointed to Filip. By the time we were ready to nab him for treason, he had vanished and Nada was brutally murdered."
"And the two million?"
"Vanished also." Eyal standing up and walked over to the window, looking out at the light rain, "My guess that is what they are after, the two million. It wouldn't be the Russian, they had already received the data specification they wanted and payment rendered."
"What, someone else that knew about the two million but who?" Annie was asking.
Turning back to look at the two sitting at the table and shaking his head, "Haven't a clue and that's where our work begins."
Jim standing, "Thanks for including me and of course I do what I can. Let's take another look at his cabin."
Stepping out front, Annie admired the black Challenger, "Nice ride, your personal car?"
"Nope, the baby is fully equip - blue lights and all. I have to play cowboy at least once a week and drive her, the guys back at the station have named her Lady Midnight."
Entering the cabin, "Someone has been here, the picture is gone." Annie walking to the mantle.
"Damn, well at lease you have a picture now all we need is a computer guru to enhance the image." Eyal was shifting through hunting and fishing and some organic gardening magazines.
"Got you covered on that one, our dispatcher is our resident computer expert and taking graduate courses in computer technology. What should we be looking for, anything not normal to a simple minded man."
"Precisely." Eyal picking up an American classic novel, The French Lieutenant's Women. Flipping through the pages, he noticed different words had tiny marks beside them. Just as he was ready to say something, the door swung open and two men appeared.
Everyone was caught by surprise, and Jim pulled his gun and yelled out "Sheriff stop where you are."
One man pulling his gun and aiming at Annie - instinctively Eyal quickly stepped between them shielding Annie from the gunman. The man taking the shot at a moving Eyal but missed. Trying to fire off another shot as he turned to run out the door following his buddy that was half way to their waiting car. Jim had fired one shot at the second man running through the door. When reaching the door before Eyal, Jim fired off another shot but missing both men as they jumped into an idling car - speeding away.
Eyal pitching the book to Annie and in Hebrew yelling, "Hide it." followed Jim out the door.
Jim running into the road, firing off two more shots at the fleeing car and Eyal reaching to the edge of the road as Jim was running to his car and Eyal watched the fleeing car make a clean get-away.
Annie on one crutch had move to stand next to Eyal. He looked at her and again in Hebrew, "You got the book?"
She nodded yes, "Where is your gun?"
"Back at the cabin, who in the hell would think we would have a shot-out now. Remind me to keep my gun with me from now on." As they took a few more steps onto the gravel road.
Eyal catching Annie as she stumbled a bit and both watched Jim pull his car to the front of the cabin and park. "You guys okay."
"Just fine and dandy." Annie answered.
"Backup is on the way and I've issued a BOLO but I think that is hopeless. We don't have the man power."
"Wonder who they are? Have you ever seen them before?" Annie asking the simple question.
"Nope, they must have come back to do some more searching."
"Nothing like dumb criminals to come during daylight hours." Eyal holding Annie by the arm as she tried to balance herself on one crutch.