Other Eyes Smile Tenderly

by Zealous Iconoclast

It was the end of one of the darkest periods of his life. There was so much to forget. Somewhere in the shuffle, she was forgotten too. The story of Elsa, the Hungarian Calavicci.

1. Prologue

Note: Title ©1930, Hoagy Carmichael, from "Georgia On My Mind".

PROLOGUE

The sun was setting over the bay. In a quiet suburb of San Diego a man stood by the bole of an enormous elm tree. He was an unremarkable figure in the encroaching twilight, a little less than average height, his too-thin body dwarfed by his black turtleneck and trousers. He was shrunken in on himself, contributing further to the illusion of a child locked out of the house and left alone in the cold. He stood with his back to the street and his dark eyes focused on the charming bungalow to which the tree belonged.

Behind him in a low-slung blue Chrysler, a tall muscular man in the uniform of a Naval officer leaned over to crack open the passenger door.

"Sir?" he said. "Sir, you'll miss your flight."

The black-clad man did not seem to hear him.

"Sir?" the Marine tried again. "Lieutenant Commander Calavicci, please…"

The man squared his shoulders, drawing his body out of its abject posture, and turned his back on the little building one last time.