Chapter Seven

It was only the middle of the day, but Steve poured a glass of brandy for Jaime, to try and calm her frazzled nerves. She hated hard liquor - never drank it - but accepted the glass without argument and immediately took a long, hard swig. Steve drank a little bit himself and set the bottle on the coffee table beside them. He had a feeling they might want to keep it handy.

"Lydia's real name is - was - Claudia Spencer," he explained. "She wasn't Soviet; she was American."

"I...don't understand."

"I knew her a little over a year ago, while you were still struggling with your memory. We were both part of a very, very top secret project the Air Force was conducting. Not even the NSB, OSI or FBI knew what we were doing. The Air Force had set up its own Intelligence Force, completely autonomous, separate from any Federal agency. Without all the government's regulations and red tape, things could be accomplished twice as well in less than half the time. It wasn't treasonous or anti-American; we were working solely for the good of this government, but without government interference."

"Doing what?" Jaime asked, fascinated in spite of their predicament.

"Anti-terrorism, mostly, and some counter-intelligence when the need popped up. I was Claudia's trainer, and her cover was as a Soviet defector. If Oscar and Hansen still believe that, then we did our jobs well."

"You dated her, too?"

"No. The job we were doing was too important and besides, my mind and my heart were with you; always have been."

"You had your arm around her -"

"I don't know anything about a picture like that, but if I did, it was purely casual, possibly trying to mislead someone who might've been watching. If there were files or papers in the picture, I was giving them to her, not the other way around, because once she was fully trained, I was the one who usually gave her travel orders and assignments. Any picture of Claudia with me has to be at least a year old, because just under a year ago, we sent her overseas. When she returned to the States, the program was folding and I'd gone back to California to be with you. Never saw, or even spoke to her again."

"What did she know that could be up for sale?" Jaime inquired.

"Not a lot, really...she was instrumental in putting over a dozen very dangerous men behind bars, but that brought each of their cases to a close; nothing there to sell. I really can't think of anything...oh."

"There is something?"

"The very last job we sent her on, she 'acquired' the designs for some brand-new prototype weapons systems. She turned over the information -"

"All of it?"

"Well, we can't know that for sure, but I'm guessing whoever she physically gave the plans to, they may have decided to let some time pass and then use them for personal gain."

"Steve, why does everyone seem so sure that Lydia - I mean, Claudia - didn't sell this stuff herself?"

"Like I told you, the men she helped put away were violent, dangerous people. That's why, when the program folded, she was given a new identity -"

"Lydia Spence."

"Right. And 'Lydia' was sent underground, deep and well-hidden so that none of them could find her. If she ever surfaced, even long enough to sell information, it would literally be suicide. They wouldn't hesitate to have her killed. Instantaneously."

"Um...Steve?" Jaime's eyes met her husband's as they both realized that was undoubtedly what had happened.

"Since Hansen and Oscar never knew about the Air Force program, the way you've described that picture, I can definitely see why they'd think I did it."

Jaime decided it was best to not tell Steve that Oscar thought him innocent of treason and guilty of cheating; didn't seem to matter much, in the end. With her death - deserved or not - Claudia Spencer had proved them both innocent.

------

"And that's why we couldn't tell you, Oscar, even after the program had ended," Steve explained to his boss through the safety of the telephone. "Jaime never even knew; no one did, except the people involved."

"I never did think you were guilty, Pal, but I want to apologize for what I was thinking."

"What was that?"

"...Jaime didn't tell you?" Oscar felt like he should open his mouth and insert a foot.

Steve smiled at his wife before resuming the conversation. "No, but I'm sure she will. Ve haf vays of making her talk."

Oscar chuckled with him for a moment, then grew serious once again. "Until General Bailey confirms what you've told me - which I'm sure he will - the two of you are still considered to be wanted for murder and treason. Now, I can't tell you to break the law, but..."

"Thanks, Oscar; I get it. We'll stay put for now."

"Call me in about 72 hours. Hopefully I'll have everything cleared up by then. In the meantime, try to have at least a little bit of a honeymoon, ok?"

"Is that an official order, Boss?"

"You bet."

------