Wheels down, Orleans, France and Annie headed to her European home, change of clothing and wait for intel on Prewitt Laroche. She hated leaving Eyal in London but again she liked the idea of being on her own with a task to accomplish. During her past days, which seemed centuries ago when with CIA in the field working with a handler she felt secure and now, once more she had... we maybe not a handler in Eyal but backing and again she felt a sense of protection. She considered it little strange working with Mossad and one of their profilers, that was lacking back with the CIA, the field agents had to do their own assessments. It wasn't that tricky for her as she had a knack for reading people but at times she would miss and things would go sideways. Eyal would be feeding her intel as she was not an official Mossad asset and their communication was via a website he had set up.
Reaching her apartment after stopping for some fresh veggies and fruit, Annie noticed a car that looked out of place. She didn't attempt to go any further but pulled her car to the side of the narrow lane and parked. No gun but her apartment was well armed so with a bag of groceries as her only weapon, she walked up the other side of the street, tuning into her neighbor's yard and slipped around back. Easing her way into the flat, retrieving a small pistol she kept near the kitchen door, she proceeded to clear her home.
"Shit Calder, I could have blown your head off."
"Hold it girl, I come in peace." Calder Michaels sitting in one of the living room chairs with his hand waving in the air.
"We do have protocol for contacting each other." Annie placing her gun on a table and standing with one hand on her hip in front of her CIA boss and showing a contemptuous look at the pompous Calder.
"Yeah and it has been breach. From now on, you are totally cut off for your protection."
"Wonderful." A curt snap from Annie, her coming in from the cold was next to impossible now. "So why are you here in France?"
"We have some intel about Lexington's operations but are on American soil and I can't follow-up and destroy."
"Bullshit! So your poltergeist will do the dirty work?" Annie with a second cutting edge to her tone. She didn't like what was happening and at Calder's hands she was being turned into another Ben Mercer or Teo. She quickly though about Teo's death at the hands of Lexington Global and one of the reasons she when dark.
"I would have a preference for using phantom, more fitting for your missions." Calder reaching behind his back and pulling out a deep purple file folder, "Not much here but enough for you to get started." Handing the folder to Annie.
"Danish royalty living in exile." Annie quickly scanning the top sheet.
"If you can call the Florida living in exile. His name is Landric Von Friedric-Kristiansen - born 1955 in Luxembourg - a very wealthy Danish Count and also a member of the Hohenzollern royal family of Germany. He has many connections with the illegal trade of precious gems and other contraband. Landric is a mysterious Danish nobleman with a large estate in Florida, Evening Mist. He is extremely secretive, having moved to the Florida specifically to stay out of the public eye and many times uses his immense wealth to bend and break rules. He is married to a Greek woman of the upper-class and has no children."
"He is involved with Lexington Global how?"
"He and Henry Wilcox go back to the days of Wilcox being Director of CIA's National Clandestine Service and the beginning of Lexington Global."
"Is he the one pulling the strings now?"
"Don't know. That is your mission, find the extent of his involvement and destroy." Calder retrieving another folder, "We have a British asset that has a direct link to him."
"Estelle Bruce Hathaway. Says here she is an author of romance fiction." Annie reading the second file.
"You have how to contact her and now I have to be on my way. I will see your handy work but this will be the last time we speak until Lexington Global is out of business. Good luck Annie." And like a shadow in the night, he was gone.
Well shit, talking about being in the dark, she is now truly in the dark. She also missed her chance to ask about Langley and home but knew he wouldn't answer. Calder Michaels was a corporate ladder climber and she was... what had he called her at one point, 'a tool in my box of tricks'. Grabbing a beer, she started reading the rest of Landric's file and waiting for word from Eyal about Prewitt Laroche. The game board was getting congested.
She finished reading the intel and starting unpacking. Not knowing if her next trip would be to Paris or the south of France she couldn't repack. Carefully unwrapping her warrior horse figurine she felt a sense of possibly a new start, like raising out of the sea of darkness. With Calder knowing where her home in Orleans was, it's no long a warm and fuzzy feeling of being a safe harbor - if it ever was. After this Lexington mission was over, she should relocate but loved the idea of keeping her French identification. Remembering some of her wonderful childhood times spent in Le Havre on the northern coast of France. That's what she will do, move to Le Havre as Nicole Remy or perhaps Cohen, depending on the strength of her identification documents.
"Hello Neshema, we have intel." Eyal voice came over the phone with cheerfulness and enthusiastic.
"Hey Eyal, tell me what."
Eyal proceeded to read her in on the whereabouts of both Prewitt and Josette Laroche. The south of France should be beautiful this time of year and Annie was eager to be on her way to Saint-Tropez.
The annual sailing regatta held in the bay of Saint-Tropez had just concluded making it quite easy for Annie to find very nice accommodations. She knew her stay was set for at least two weeks or maybe longer, depending on what she uncovered. This was a surveillance only mission, fact gathering information for the Mossad profiler to draw an in-depth report so they find the best way to remove Prewitt Laroche's part in Lexington Global.
The villa of Prewitt Laroche and his wife had a wonderful view of the Mediterranean sea nestled on a hill-side gleaming white in the bright sun. A high wall protected much of the house with cascading red blooms draping down the side. A terrace below complete with swimming pool and colorful large umbrellas gave a postcard setting.
The first week was boring, the Laroche couple remained in their villa, only adventuring out once for dinner at the world renown Les Caves du Roy hotel, the home of jet setters. Spending hours of pure boredom Annie's mind turn to Eyal, Auggie and Danielle. There were childhood recollections with her older sister, Danielle the protector from their father's stern military ways and Annie, being the advantageous one could find trouble at the drop of a hat which brought on harsh discipline from her father. He tried to mold Annie into an obedient solider but she was defiant and rebellious. Did she have any idea what a happy childhood would be like - no, not really. From the few remarks by Eyal she was sure his childhood was a blissful one and he always spoke highly of his mother. Her mother on the other hand had been broken, turned into a sly, submissive wife but she did try to give her daughters a sense of having at least one loving parent.
Living next to Danielle with her two girls, Annie saw a wonderful mother figure in her sister, a loving, caring and domesticated woman, something she couldn't see in herself. Why? What was driving her to choose the life of a spy and was that what she truly wanted? She did in some ways envy Danielle and her stability. Unanswered questions were starting to plague Annie, questions she couldn't answer.
Nights were long for her and more nightmares. Old how she wished for the touch of Eyal, for him to hold her and wash away all the fears of being alone. The one answer to her many questions was simple, she was looking for love from the right man and all the failures, the ones in college and there was Ben, than Simon and last Auggie. She couldn't help reliving the visit to Helen's apartment, when she realized Auggie had been unfaithful - a betrayal even if they had taken a break. All her hopes and dreams of roots and security had been placed in August Anderson only to be crushed. She had made excuses for him, but the truth staring her right in the face - Auggie was still very much in love with his ex-wife although he might be in denial. Oh she was sure Auggie love her but not to the depth of true unconditional love - a lasting love for a life time. A nagging question - did she know what true love really was and had she ever been in that unconditional love?
Eyal, would he be her answer? She knew very little about him but he was at her calling when in trouble. They had created a friendship, a strong trusting friendship and he had always come through but was that enough to really fall in love. The man at times could be arrogant, supercilious and frustrating but he never refused Annie to take a chance, a risky leap. Well maybe when she jump from the second landing of a parking deck. Damn-it Annie, love, real true unconditional love isn't something you talk yourself into but it just happens, but it is easy to talk yourself into not acting on the emotions of love. For her, Eyal was her partner, best friend, and lover and was it only because she couldn't go home. Another unanswered question.
Annie wanted some action, some movement and not just more looking at a beautiful villa. Maybe the following week would look up, all she could tell was a loving couple devoted to each other. Sorry, but the following week wasn't much better, a trip to Nice for a day of shopping. Whoever said the rich lived an exciting life was wrong. She was ready to return to Orleans when she received a code message from Mossad, he had booked a flight to Paris and the wife was staying. Follow the wife; we'll cover the Paris target.
Oh great, another boring week in Saint-Tropez. Well it was all part of being a spy so button up the downer and enjoy the weather. The third week was anything but boring. Annie's target Josette Laroche was anything but a homebody, she was a lady on the move, art galleries, theater, beauty spas and trips to Cannes, Monaco and Saint Raphael. There were two other women Josette would met with for lunch and one night a little night clubbing - when the husband is away the wife will play.
Annie's nights were improving with all her thoughts of the what ifs and her future. Eyal was always there in her psyche and always to varying degrees. He was kind and caring, protective but not overbearing and the side of him she could never understand, the obscurities of his life he keep hidden although he has let her in more than he should. What had he said back in the antique shop when he was holding her precious horse figurine? Oh yes...
'This will be my first true gift to you in hopes of many more, or a lasting memory of what we had or could have had.'
She felt there was always something behind what he said and she not sure what. May times his remarks would indicate something special but he would stop short and left her frustrated and bewildered. Well all she could do was wait and she too had questions to be answered herself.
Day five and Annie was wondering where they would be going today. Parked beside the road leading to Laroche's villa, Annie spotted another car parked not far from her, it was the second time she had seen the same car and became suspicious. When Josette pulled out of her driveway, Annie didn't follow but waited, just as she thought, someone else was tailing Josette. She decided not to join the parade but to relay the information via her special website to Mossad. It only took five minutes for a simple message to come back. 'Good job. We have enough. Assignment terminated.'
Time to return to Orleans and wait. At lease Mossad told her good job but for what, spending close to three weeks playing snoop and tailing targets but she did think the wife was a player and the art collector - not Prewitt.