Ten days passed in an uneventful manner as Holly waited to get more information on Roger's whereabouts. In the meantime, she spent her time between the beach and Gilly's home, where she always managed to work for a couple of hours each morning.

Then one evening, Gilly came home from work with a meaningful look on her face, a sure sign that she had finally heard from her contacts. She dropped her purse and her jacket on the sofa and sat beside Holly, who looked at her expectantly.

"Did you find him?" she asked, unable to wait any longer.

"Well, we found somebody, but I'm not sure that it's him."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me start at the beginning. I spoke to Chris today and he said that he tried all of his contacts involved in venture capital. None of them has heard about a new import-export business being financed in the State. That's very unusual, Holly, because these types of businesses cost a fortune to start up."

Holly scratched her forehead pensively. "Roger has a lot of private money since he went back to Spaulding."

"Even then, it's more than just one man could handle, unless we're talking about Donald Trump or Bill Gates."

"Okay, so what do you think this means?"

"Either the business doesn't exist, or he financed it by illegal means."

They stared at each other as Holly tried to understand the possible implications of Gilly's words. Neither case scenario boded well. "What else have you learned?" she asked after a few seconds.

Gilly reached in her purse and took a slip of paper where she had scribbled information. "The phone number that you gave me is linked to an office in Santa Monica. I contacted the owner of the building and he said that that office space had been rented a few weeks ago by a certain Adam Malik. That's also the name linked to the cellphone number."

Adam Malik. Holly gasped audibly when she heard the name. "That's him, Gilly! We found him!"

Gilly gave her a confused look. "I don't understand. Are Adam Malik and Roger the same person?"

"Exactly! Don't you remember when Roger first came back to town in 1989? He came back under a false identity, and went by the name of Adam Malik!"

Recognition finally flashed on Gilly's face. "Of course," she said, slapping her forehead, "I knew the name sounded familiar." She handed the slip of paper to Holly. "Here's the address. Are you going to go?"

Holly hesitated before replying. "I guess I've come to far not to pursue this now."

"Are you still planning to go through with that plan of yours?"

Determination crossed Holly's face. "Yes. I bought the device earlier today."

Gilly nodded with a resigned air. "I hope he won't disappointed you again, Holly, but you better prepare for that possibility."


"Any news about Casey?" Roger asked to his interlocutor on the phone.

"Yes, we are watching his every move. He's back in New York as planned."

"As he been in touch with the members of his organization?"

"Several times. Our informant tells us that they are still planning to go ahead with the operation on the 16th."

"That's in four days. I'll be heading at the winery later today to make sure that everything is ready for his arrival."

"Perfect."

Roger hesitated for a split second then asked: "Has Casey tried to contact Holly Lindsey?"

"As a matter of fact, I wanted to talk to you about that. He did tried to call her to her home and workplace in Springfield a few times, but he's been told that she's not back from California yet. Would you like me to put a tail on her too?"

Roger sat up straighter. "Any idea where she might be?"

"Not exactly, but she never used her return ticket."

So she was still in California, Roger thought. His mind started racing. Why hadn't she left yet? Was she waiting for Richard to come back? But if she did, why did Richard try to contact her in Springfield?

"Roger?" his informant asked at the other end of the line.

"No. Don't follow her. I'll take care of it."


The next day, Holly set out to Roger's office. She was greeted by his secretary.

"Hello," she said with her most candid smile, "I'm here to see Mr. Malik." She held her breath, hoping with all her might that this was the name that Roger went by.

The secretary eyed her suspiciously. "Mr. Malik is out of town."

"Out of town? How could that be? We made an appointment for this morning!"

"Then I'm afraid something more urgent came up," the other woman said before clasping her hands on her desk and looking straight at Holly. The latter refrained from cursing and flashed another smile at her opponent.

"Then he must have left a message for me. Our business was urgent as well…and personal. Could you check if he left a message for me before leaving?"

"He hasn't," the other deadpanned.

"Maybe he didn't have time to give to you and left it on his desk," she said. She looked around and spotted a chair near the entrance. She went and sat comfortably. "I'll wait here while you go take a look."

The secretary sat speechless for a few seconds, then, seeing that Holly wouldn't budge, slowly got up.

"What's your name?"

"Mrs. Lindsey."

She waited for the woman to disappear into Roger's office before running to the desk and planting a small bug inside the phone. She quickly went back to her chair, just in time before the secretary returned.

"There are NO messages for you. I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave now."

Holly made her best to look disappointed and got up. "I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Have a good day."

She went back to her car where Gilly waited for her and turned on the radio she had bought along with the microphone. An hour passed without them hearing anything, and Holly began to chastise herself for forging such a silly plan.

She was about to put the key in the ignition when she finally heard a dial coming from the radio. The secretary was finally making a call! They waited as the phone rang once, twice, three times, then exchanged a look when they heard Roger's voice.

"Thorpe here," he said.

"Roger, it's Melissa. A woman just came by the office looking for you. I tried to shake her off but it took forever for her to leave."

"Who was she?" he asked, even if he immediately knew.

"A Mrs. Lindsey. Mid-forties, red-head, attractive."

Roger sighed. "My ex-wife."

"What? How did she know to find you there? She asked for Adam Malik!"

It was Roger's turn to be shocked. How could Holly have known to ask for that name?

"Roger! I know better than to ask, but did you go and blab about our operation?"

"Of course not!" Roger exclaimed in an offended tone. "I have no idea how she found me, but I'll take care of that as soon as the operation is over. There's no time now, and besides, there's no way that she can trace me back to Ariana now."

"I hope you're right. I'll keep you posted if she ever comes back. Good luck for the delivery."

Holly waited for them to hang up before turning to Gilly. "Who the hell is Ariana?" she asked angrily.

Gilly shrugged. "How should I know?" She glanced at her friend who was barely able to contain her jealousy. "Can we replay the conversation?"

Holly nodded and played the tape again.

"You know," Gilly said as she scratched her face. "It doesn't sound as if Roger is referring to a person. It sounds like he's talking about a place."

Holly played the tape once more. "You might be right."

"You know, there's a winery up in Napa Valley called the Ariana. Didn't you say that Roger exported wine?"

"Yes! Do you think he might be up there?"

"It's a long shot, but it's worth to go and have a look."