Chapter 10

October 2012

Berlin

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

Irene reached across her nightstand to turn off the alarm on her iPhone when her hand collided with a solid wall of flesh. Alarmed, she sat up and realized that she wasn't alone and had fallen asleep beside someone – Godfrey Norton. Confused as to why her editor was in her bed, she tried to recall the events of the previous night and she remembered that Godfrey had insisted on accompanying her home because he didn't want her to take a taxi alone in her inebriated state. They'd parted ways with Sigerson after dancing in a club called Schlawinchen at around four am. Henri had charmed quite a few beauties into dancing with him but neither of them could keep up with his seemingly inexhaustible energy. They were both too drunk to do anything amorous and she recalled that she had asked him to sleep in her bed because the couch was uncomfortable and it was far too late to call another cab. Both were still fully dressed in the previous day's clothes, reeking of alcohol and smoke. She observed Godfrey's sleeping face and she couldn't help but notice that he really was handsome, even in drunken repose. She was just about to reach for her phone when Godfrey's voice interrupted her –

"For God's sake, kill it. Whatever it is, kill it." It was pretty clear from his irate tone that he was just as hungover as she was. She tried to locate her phone in its usual spot on the nightstand and upon finding it missing, she remembered that it was still in her handbag. She got out of bed to locate her purse and found it on the floor. After rummaging for a few seconds to find the offending item, she turned the alarm off but noted that she had two unread text messages in her inbox. Upon seeing an unfamiliar number, she opened the messages to find that they were requests for a lunch meeting later that day in KaDeWe's dining hall, signed "HS." Sigerson. She looked at the bed and noticed that Godfrey had gone back to sleep, with a pillow over his head. Sighing, she grabbed some underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans from her closet before retreating to the bathroom to take a nice, long shower.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Irene noticed that Godfrey had made himself comfortable on her couch while watching BBC news on her television. Seeing her, he raised the steaming mug of coffee he had in his hand and gestured to the pot in the small kitchen. "Sorry, I needed the caffeine." he said somewhat apologetically. "I'm unbearable without it in the mornings." Irene smiled indulgently at him. "That's ok. I need to wake up as well." She poured herself a mug and joined him on the couch, at a loss for words. How exactly did one address her boss after a drunken night together? Damned if she knew what the protocol for these things was.

After an awkward pause, she finally addressed him. "Thanks for keeping me company last night. I had a great time." She wasn't lying, she really did enjoy herself. After her brief conversation with Sigerson, neither had broached the subject again and he had referred to her exclusively as Vivian for the rest of the night. Irene was happy to have people to talk to and she didn't realize the extent of her loneliness until last night when she realized she really appreciated Sigerson and Norton's company.

Norton blushed. "Thanks. I'm sorry about all of this although in hindsight I should have expected it from Henri. He's ridiculous and old age has only made him worse." He winced, obviously still feeling the effects of too much alcohol. "I don't suppose it would be too much of an imposition to ask for some aspirin?"

"Not at all." Irene immediately stood up to go to the kitchen and rummage for the Alka-Seltzer she always kept around. She found some in the cupboard and she poured two glasses of water, dissolving the tablets in them. She returned to her seat on the couch and handed a fizzing glass to Godfrey. "Cheers." They clinked their glasses together in a mock toast and watched the news in companionable silence.

"You have… interesting friends" she said, after a few minutes. She was wildly curious as to why Sigerson and Norton would ever be acquainted but it was clear from last night that they had a deep bond that had spanned many years. At her remark, Godfrey snorted. "That's putting it mildly." he said, chuckling to himself. He finished his drink before speaking again. "I met Henri a long time ago when I was in Boston but he wasn't a photographer then. He was a civil servant of some sort." He paused, obviously trying to choose his words carefully. "When we met again in London, he'd given it up and moved to Ladakh after a drastic career change. I tried asking him about why he'd left government work but he didn't want to talk about it." Irene did some quick internal calculations – that meant that Sigerson and Norton had met while the latter was working for the ACLU in the early aughts.

"To be honest, I was quite surprised that he'd taken a liking to you." Godfrey was looking at her now and Irene had to remind herself that she couldn't indulge her feelings while on a mission – it had already cost her dearly before and she couldn't afford to get involved with another potential target. "Oh?" she asked, almost too casually. "Why is that?" Godfrey grinned before lowering his eyes. "The man's paranoid. He's convinced that everyone is a spook." He chuckled again, seemingly oblivious to Irene's nervousness. "He was pretty convinced that you were one until he met you last night." He laughed again. "Honestly, if he still thinks you're a spy, he needs to come see your apartment." He gestured towards her flat, which was strewn with all manner of books, documents and different articles of clothing in every direction. Irene had been meaning to spend her weekend cleaning up, having been used to having a maid at her disposal for many years but she hadn't gotten around to it because she wasn't expecting company. The flat was littered with the garments she'd discarded when she tried to choose an outfit for the previous night.

Still laughing, Godfrey plucked a stocking from underneath the coffee table and passed it to Irene. "Vivian, I can really see this coming in handy when you interrogate someone for state secrets." Embarrassed, Irene snatched the errant piece of clothing from his hand and gave him a glare. "Don't you have somewhere else to be on a Saturday morning apart from rummaging through women's underwear?"

"Sorry" he said apologetically, trying to stifle additional laughter. "Although I must admit, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday than rummaging through your underthings." He'd spoken without thinking and he immediately flushed red once he realized the implication of his words. Despite herself, Irene was having fun but she knew she had more errands to attend to that morning or she was going to be late for her appointment. Feeling awkward because of what he'd inadvertently revealed, Godfrey stood up to leave. He reached for his coat which was hanging on a peg by the door.

"Thanks again for everything. I'll be in Hamburg next week but Henri said he'd be in touch about his story on Somalia." His tone was a little more formal now, far more professional. "I gave him your number so he said he'd get in touch before he left Berlin."

"I'll keep you posted." Irene replied. Their eyes met again before Godfrey looked away nervously. "See you soon" he said brusquely and he left without another word.

For a few minutes after she had closed the door, Irene allowed herself to feel a small thrill at what had transpired between herself and Godfrey Norton that morning. After she recognized the danger signs for what they were, she carefully locked whatever she felt away into another compartment as she prepared herself for her meeting with Henri Sigerson later on that day.