The flight from London to New York was uneventful and they decided to do a little shopping once settled in. Estelle knew of the top fashion houses, picking Michael Kors an American fashion designer appealing to women who craved for rich uptown pieces of luxurious reboots of the classics. Perfect fit for Estelle style and she purchased a utility pale blue shirtdress dress of luxurious silk-georgette with three-quarter sleeves and semi-flare skirt, perfect for balmy days. The heavy leather belt instantly cinches the her narrow waist and she layered the outfit with several chains of delicate gold jewelry - the elegance of simplicity outfit to wear to the polo match on Saturday,
After being shown several outfits, Annie found a soft lavender color blouse to wear with her standard gray slacks. She would have loved to buy one special floral embroidered dance dress with knee length flared skirt and sleeveless. The in soft cream and white had a V-neckline, a single button at center of an open back. Very famine and alluring, the dream dress to wear on a romantic night with one Israeli but the price tag was way out of her reach. All in all, the entire shopping spree was pleasant and she didn't come away empty handed.
Dinner that evening at the Black Duck located in a serene Midtown refuge boutique hotel, Park South was congenial with light chit-chat. Annie was being treated to the wealthy side of life all because of the graciousness of Estelle Bruce Hathaway, bestselling author.
Early morning flight from New York to Tampa and Annie had rented an Audi A8 for the drive to Ocala. Estelle and Annie laughing about hob-knob with the upper crust, little did Annie know her new friend was part of the landed gentry of England and Annie completely enjoyed the swanky outings as she got to dress in a few fine clothes on an expense account. Annie had just purchased both a new evening dress for Saturday night and cocktail dress for Friday evening dinner. Estelle on the other hand found the one she likes in her closet all clean and ready to wear. The fashionable Estelle Bruce Hathaway was always ready for any occasion.
It was a less than a two-hour drive to the Von Friedric-Kristiansen magnificent estate, Evening Mist. Friday evening and the start of the charity event, the cocktail party was to start at seven with dinner after. Landric Von Friedric-Kristiansen being their host for the weekend and they were staying in one of his guest houses on Evening Mist's property. As they were driving through the massive front gates of Evening Mist a red Saleen S7 sport car whizzed past them in a blurry streak - it was Landric. He was out of the Saleen and waiting for them at the arches to the main house. It was a warm greeting and he was genuinely pleased the famous author of bestselling books was going to be one of his guests. He had a footman show them to the guest house if anything they needed, let the footman know, he was at their service for the weekend.
"Macs is my name and anything you wish I shall collect." The footman had a slight British accent which added to the grandeur of the estate. He would be back at 6:45 pm to get the ladies for the cocktail party and dinner. This was the life of the very wealthy.
The cocktail dress Annie had chosen was the standard little black dress, a sheath off-the-shoulder opera length charmeuse with three-quarter length sleeves and flair ending. She paired it with crystal dropped earrings and black evening stilettos. Estelle wore a red lace one shoulder creation with a flair skirt, her nodded to the American Heart Association drive for women's heart health.
The cocktail party had soft music playing and guest mingling about, chatting with one another. Fashionable attire was the standard protocol for the week-end and the guest were more than happy to oblige. Estelle spotted someone she knew and went to talk with her while Annie looked at the beautiful art work on the walls. That is when she noticed a piece that she believed had been missing from a St. Petersburg, Russia museum for over thirty years. New found knowledge she had just acquired from studying for her covert art dealer cover background. She took a closer look and decided she needed an expert to look at the painting. But first she had to check online that the painting was in fact, still missing.
As she turned from the painting, she spotted, Ariel Heber, the Jewish diamond dealer from Tel Aviv and he was part of the file Eyal had shown her. Looking around, pondering her next move, she spotted Joseph Neilson, turning her back quickly to him, trying to go unnoticed. Was Annie in a den of thieves, well sure she was, after all it was Landric's home. Just as she was looking for Estelle or Landric, a very nice looking man with a soft spoken English accent handed her a glass of wine.
"You looked as if you could use some refreshments." He said softly, a little above a whisper.
"Thank you kindly." Annie with her good-natured smile.
"I noticed you studying Angel Rosalie by Francesco Solimena."
"Old habit of mine. You are?" Annie turning to face the older gentleman.
"Allow me, Sebastian Tombs and I'm in the company of?"
"Nicole Cohen." Annie answered.
"My pleasure, are you alone?"
"No, my friend is somewhere mixing and mingling. She seems to be able to do that very well."
"And you are a loner and a lovely woman shouldn't be alone. They should be calling us to dinner shortly, please allow me to escort you to the dining room. It would please me greatly to have a beautiful lady on my arm."
"Thank, that would be nice." Annie looked around for Estelle but didn't see her any place, maybe off wheeling and dealing a new book agreement.
Sebastian and Annie were seated next to each other and during the course of conversation; Annie told him that she was an art dealer from Paris. Sebastian tells Annie that he is an oil and gas commodities broker both in England and the Middle East and that he is in New York on a business trip. The side trip to Florida was both business and pleasure as he supported the American Heart Association's work. They both got along especially well chatting about world travel and spend most of the evening together.
During dinner, Annie tried to see who was who; make mental notes of the guest but there were so many. Estelle was seated at the head table and introduced as one of the VIP guest from London. Others included big business men and women, some of Washington's elite in government and Dr. Ralph Sacco the president of the American Heart Association.
Landric had arranged entertainment for the night, a troupe to perform different excerpts from many of the current shows playing on Broadway and for Annie a touching scene from Matilda and the singing of Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera was her favorite. All in all the evening went very well without anything out of the way for Annie to take note with but for the collection of an international shady few.
As the evening came to an end, Estelle join Annie for one final drink and a nice gentleman was tagging along, one of her book editors and he look bored to death. Lines of chauffeured limousines awaiting the few hundred guests outside and everyone biding goodnight to their host, Landric Von Friedric-Kristiansen.
"The night is absolutely beautiful with that gorgeous full moon. Do you feel like walking back to the guest house?" Estelle asking Annie, breathing in the fresh night air. "I dearly love nights like this, so romantic and it give me reason for writing.
"My dear Estelle please keep those wonderful words flowing and I shall call you next week when I'm in London." The nice gentleman giving her a double kiss on each cheek and look very relieve to leaving.
"Such a put on." Estelle scuffed once he was out of ear shot. "How about the walk, you up to it."
"Of course, I love to walk." Annie looking one last time to see if she recognized anyone but no.
Estelle taking Annie by the arm, "Nicole I sorry to have abandoned you this evening but there was an old dear friend I wanted to chat with and then Landric insisted on my presence at the head table. I saw you found a nice looking man to accompany you to dinner."
"Yes and a charming person, Sebastian Tombs. Do you know him?"
"The name is not familiar but if he is at this shindig there must be money involved."
"Must be. Said he was in the oil and gas commodities market."
They talked about different non-important things as the slowly strolled along the pave drive leading to their guest house. About halfway from the main mansion, Annie spy sense picked up, she felt there was someone following them. Looking back several times but couldn't see anyone.
"Anything wrong?" Estelle asked.
"Don't think so, just though I heard something behind us."
Estelle also looking over her shoulder, "Must be your mind at work, I don't see anything."
"I didn't either, could be some animal moving about." Annie and Estelle kept at their same lazy slow pace, taking in the beauty of the night. But Annie, being Annie couldn't shake the felling she had eyes on them. Were they watching her or Estelle?
"We do keep strange hours. One of these days I going to find a job that is normal."
"Rossabi you will never be normal." Joan looking to her right as Vincent Rossabi slipped into her parked car. "You G-men are all alike."
"Unlike you stealthy spooks that roam about in the dark."
"Hope you have something juicy." Joan smiling at him. It was well past midnight and Arthur wasn't jumping with joy for Joan to leave their bed in the middle of the night. He being supportive and forced a smile but wished the lives of spies where different, especially spies with families.
Vincent handing Joan a flash drive, "Pictures of those arriving at Landric Von Friedric-Kristiansen's estate in Florida for the week-end charity event. Also pictures from this evening's cocktail party and dinner. Thought you and Auggie would be interested in the upstanding citizens of the underworld. The tech boys back at the Hoover Building are still identifying who is who."
"Looks like Auggie isn't going to have his Saturday off." Joan taking the drive, "Have you looked at these pictures?"
"I have and our spy in the cold decided to warm herself in some Florida sun. She is with a woman as yet unidentified but must be someone high on the ranks of VIPs because she was seated at the head table for dinner."
"Was Annie also seated at the head table?"
"No she wasn't and I only saw one image of her, it was in the car when they drove through the main gate. Might add she has expensive taste driving silver Audi A8."
"High-roller cover I'm sure. Thanks Vincent" Joan placing the drive in her pocket and started her car, "I've got to get back to a husband before he sends out the hounds."
"Me too, the wife can only be so understanding. Goodnight Joan."
Early the next morning Joan quickly made her way with two cups of coffee in hand to a park bench near Auggie's apartment. There the sleepy man sat, his head resting on folded hands under his chin - elbows squarely placed on his thighs as support for a heavy, sleepy head.
"This has to be good to get me out of bed this early." Auggie heard Joan close by and smelt the coffee, "At least you are bringing a gift."
"Coffee but no beagles this morning. Have some news from Rossabi." Taking a seat beside Auggie, Joan hand him his cup of Starbucks. "Here this should cheer you up."
"He's been helpful with Henry Wilcox's undoing, a personal axe to grind."
"Henry burned him a new one and the man has since changed, not all that black and white about rules and justice as he once was."
"Good for us." Auggie taking a long drink of the hot liquid, his morning wake-me-up and closed his eyes felling the coffee roll down his throat.
"He gave me a flash drive of pictures taken by the FBI yesterday in Florida. The high power event Von Friedric-Kristiansen is hosting." Joan paused a second, "Annie is there."
Auggie didn't say anything, he knew Joan was looking at him intensely for any change in expression or sign of emotion and he was good at deception. There might have been a small twinge in the pit of his stomach or it could have been just the first drop of hot coffee, after all he hadn't eaten breakfast.
Seeing no expression on Auggie's face, Joan went on, "She is with another woman as yet unidentified but that shouldn't be any trouble for you. You know it wouldn't be long before..."
"Everyone else knows she isn't dead. Wilcox was on the run when Annie ended his foul life but we don't know if he was able to pass on the intel of her being alive."
"Anyway this drive contains the people who arrived for the week-end as well as last night's cocktail party and dinner. Sorry to ruin your Saturday but we have the first hard lead in months and I want to work it."
"I want to work it too. Don't worry about my Saturday and I'm now going to pull Eric in full swing. My problem is how to tell Eric we have been lying to him for months about Annie."
"You'll find a way. I've got to run, this being a mother is putting a damper on these secret meetings but you know what?"
"You wouldn't change it for the world." Auggie with a slight chuckle.
"My little boy is my world. Talk to you later Auggie."
Next stop, Eric Barber's apartment and his equipment. As Auggie knocked on the door he could smell eggs and ham cooking, 'Oh yes the right place to come.' he mused.
"Glad you call first. Breakfast is almost ready and then we can get down to business." Eric opening the door with a full coffee pot in hand. "You know me, can't work on an empty stomach."
"Could be a long day, sorry to mess up you Saturday."
"Didn't have any plans so tell me what's up." Eric filling two plates with hefty portions of food.
"Not sure how to tell you I've be lying to you about something..."
"Annie Walker is alive and kicking. Anything else you've been hiding."
"Well... Err... How did you know?" Auggie being lost for words at Eric's revelation.
"I'm a high-tech spy. Know a lot of things. Let's eat and then I'll bring you up to par on what I have already found out."
After breakfast Auggie settled in an easy chair to listen to a recording Eric had made about Diego Fajardo while Eric started with the intel on the flash drive. Over two hundred people to ID and it would take time and they had to use several different data bases - all through the back door leaving no foot prints.
As Auggie listen to what Eric had uncovered his blood ran cold, the Colombian connection and fresh memories of Teo, his time spent in South America and Teo's death. Diego Fajardo is a strong leader of a large drug cartel with an army of assassins operating not only in Colombia, Mexico but also the US. Several top level homicides of important people in the US have been attributed to Fajardo and his group. He joined forces with Lexington three years ago and the crimes have multiplied as well as the murders - they are on a rampage throughout the states and into Canada.
Auggie pulled off his head set and look at Eric busy with his work, "I going to step out back for a breath of fresh air."
"Okay boss."
Eric's back enclosed yard was small and Auggie's shock at the feeling he got. The sweet smell of flowers gave Auggie amazing visions of a beautifully kept back garden with plants, flowers, a small dogwood tree and comfortable lawn furniture. Eric's hobby must be gardening and did it beautifully. Auggie listened for any sign of activity from the neighbor's yards - all was silence. He reached for his phone, the burn one and untraceable.
"Morning Duncan this is Auggie Anderson... Yeah I do need your help and it is a big one." Auggie holding his breath for the answer from Duncan James an old buddy and now head of a small unit with the CIA's Special Operations Group, one of the most secretive and lowest profiles black ops organizations, being a covert paramilitary unit. The CIA's Hard Squad."
"I'll be there with all the intel and Duncan this is so off book, under radar and certainly not to be reverberated in the halls of Langley, you know our problems there... Sure thing, I shall have everything you need and the locations. Can't thank you enough."
Tel Aviv already late afternoon and Eyal ready to leave Mossad HQ for a dinner date with his family. One last check with Eliam.
"What's new on the Lexington front?"
"Your asset, Nicole Cohen has left Europe and is in the United States. Any reason for that?"
"Crap, she would." Eyal taking a closer look at the computer screen and the travel intel with passport movement.
"She landed in New York on Thursday from London." Eliam typing in additional information and it looks like she took a United flight to Tampa yesterday. That's it Eyal, that is all I have."
"Thanks." Eyal patting Eliam on the back as he left and headed for his car. Checking his text messages but nothing from Annie. Her heading to America was a major risk and that was just like her, putting herself in jeopardy, taking risk and jumping without thinking - impulsiveness and one of the days it was going to get her hurt or worst, dead. Being headstrong and a bit reckless is what makes her tick and at times infuriated Eyal but he also admired her cunning and bravery. She must have found a way to get close to a lead and striking out on her own but what else could he expect. Annie was a capable spy and could take care of herself but still there was some worry on his part but that was also customary with him.