Chapter XLII. A Lead

-You are not a professional, and this is not your field. We have a lot of people who tried to get close to them, but we have not yet been able to get past the membership barrier of the site. We do not know anything confirmed about them, but your girlfriend got special attention from them, and we think that the ultimate goal is you. You are subjected to an advanced brainwashing process, you have to share with us everything that happened with you in the recent period, those strange and unexpected things, that crept into your head inadvertently, those that you did not plan for and were suspiciously repeated.

Robert: Why me?

Alex: We have good reasons to believe that you are an important target for them.

He was not late in answering the call, when Jack told him that CIA officers had come from Washington specially to meet him tonight, an informal meeting, a regular conversation, in a crowded coffee shop, nothing suspicious of it.

Around a table in the corner of the café, Alex sat in her entirety, and John and Robert sat. Around them, there were eyes watching, cameras recording any suspicious who might intrude on their meeting.

ROBERT: Madam, I cannot help you with that, and besides, I am not an American, unless you give me a good reason.

Alex: What about your girlfriend? Do not you think she is in danger?

-I can act on this matter, just thoughts in her head, and the ways to get rid of her are many.

-What about your grandfather? Is not he worth it?

-My grandfather? What does he have to do with this?

-We believe that those behind this site are the ones who killed him, Robert.

Once again, my grandmother was right, this was the first thing that crossed his mind, she insisted that his grandfather died unnaturally, despite his old age, and no one believed her at that time, she requested an autopsy, but there were those who refused and insisted on burying him urgently, and she was unable to resist their powerful powers on the island of Malta.

Robert: Was my grandfather murdered?

Alex: Before you go ahead with this conversation, you have to sign a document promising not to say anything we are going to say.

-Should I ask a lawyer first?

She looked at him coldly, raised her eyebrow, and tilted her head a little, quickly retracted what he said, she asked for confidentiality and he was thinking of consulting a lawyer, what a stupid question!

-Overwhelmed by the physicist’s curiosity, by his love for his grandfather, if it was for my grandfather, I would not hesitate: Ok, I will sign.

Alex: Not here. Tomorrow morning, we will meet at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

-Why the hotel? Do you not have a workplace here?

-It is for you, Robert, your coming to an official residence, makes everyone ask about your identity, and the nature of our relationship. Confidentiality is the basis of our work, and when it comes to civilian collaborators, this is one of our best options to meet in secret.

The next morning, they met in one of the opulent suites of the Fairmont. It seemed an ordinary one, but it was not, it had been fully secured and had been booked for ten years, and one of the hundreds of hotel suites in various states reserved for such secret meetings, always ready to use.

For two hours he told them everything that had happened to him lately, starting with Mousa to Christine. Alex was asking and he was answering while John was writing all the details.

Robert: Will you now tell me who killed my grandfather?

Alex: We think so, I cannot talk about everything, but after he left the Mossad, he did not stop his intelligence work, he moved to something else, a non-governmental organization, providing advice and reports to many security bodies, including us and Israel, and only exceptional people work with them; Your grandfather was among them, but the best out of them, and headed them.

John: The big master, that is what the general manager is called over there.

-She went on to say: A few years ago, one of our agents was asked to work with them, our bosses accepted this, and things were done according to protocol, nothing was wrong, but two years ago, we were asked to follow him! They say they lost his trace, and we have reason to suspect he is behind your grandfather’s death, and then we were told that they neutralized him.

Robert: What does neutralize mean?

Alex: They killed him

-She added: But then a lot of things happened; Information leaked out that they found out that he was still alive, and they wanted to pick up the case, so we were pulled out.

She was silent for a moment and then added: However, the appearance of this website has harmed us greatly, it has begun to cause internal chaos, targeting people who work with us, and has succeeded in brainwashing some of them and losing them forever. We have many indications that the one behind this website may be him.

-Any confirmation on this? How do I ensure I am not being scammed by you?

– We will coordinate your next visit to Israel with the Mossad, many of the managers there know your grandfather, and your grandmother, as soon as you arrive you will find the evidence.

-Go to Israel? What do you say, madam? I have no intention of going there.

-We want Mousa, he is the tip of the line. This is the biggest chance we can get from them. All we want is to confirm his identity. Just meet him and the Mossad will take care of the rest. Do not worry, you have two of the most influential countries in the world. You will not get involved in anything, Robert.

– If this is the case, why do not you ask them to check the security cameras in the streets, and the cafes where we sat, I gave you the dates and time.

-What you are saying means that many parties are involved in this investigation, the police are one of them, as well as official papers, communications, and everything else we will have to do.

She was silent for a moment, lost her mind a little, and said: As he always said, “We are the sons of the shadows, in which we were born and in which we die.”

For your grandfather, Robert, for democracy, for freedom, and for Christine.

-What does Christine have to do with this, is that a threat?

Alex: No, of course not, sorry if I misinterpreted, I mean in order to protect her from them, they are evil, and her mind is theirs, they will use her for other things, what they are doing takes a lot of effort, they will not do it to use her for one task only. This already happened to others.

-Breathed, then looked away: I would do it, not for Christine, nor for you, but for my grandfather. I have always felt him in me, I am like him, if I had the chance to be an intelligence man, I would be like him, and if that bastard was behind his death, I would make him pay.

He added: I have one condition: I want to see Mousa receiving his punishment.

Alex: Wait, do you think it is Mousa?

John interrupted her: Do not rush to a conclusion, perhaps it is not him, but certainly it is not him.

-She hesitated for a moment, then said: I would be really amazed if he was Mousa; that man, Robert, is a professional, a coach, we trained him and he increased his own training, and his work in the field, the conditions refined him and taught him life, it will not be easy to undermine him, but perhaps Mousa is a lead to him.

Robert: If I continue until I get to him, my mission will not stop at Mousa, this is my condition, and I will not back down.

Alex: Well, you will get what you want, I promise.

They were about to leave, he turned to her, shyly.

He hesitated, not wanting to appear as one who began to doubt everything around him…

He was encouraged, then said, “There’s one more thing. A girl at the airport said strange things that I thought might have something to do with it.”

-He immediately retracted what he said: Forget about it, madam, it does not matter, I began to doubt everything around me.

Alex: Well, do not get distracted, focus on Mousa, that is for sure now, and forget about anything else.

Walking towards the door, he muttered in a low voice, and with a sense of humor: How can I forget her! What a beautiful Ukrainian girl!

Alex in a stern tone: Wait….what did you say?