Marcus said, “It was worth it. I hope Israel isn’t too angry with me.”
Alicia shot Marcus a curious look.
Gray said, “They know what you did was to bring the Iranian nuclear effort to a screeching halt. It’ll take them years to rebuild, if ever. Too bad you had to go through such a charade to pull it off.”
“Charade?” asked Alicia. “What charade?”
Marcus said nothing, his eyes following Buddy.
Bill cleared his throat. “Paul agreed to take this on after he received the invitation from Professor Jacob Kogen to go to Israel. It was the perfect cover and opportunity.”
Alicia pulled a strand of hair behind her ears, her eyes incredulous. “So this whole thing was covert from the beginning…Paul used as a field agent to stop the Iranians?”
Marcus said, “It was to free Brandi and Adam, too, Alicia. After you told me about them, I contacted Bill and agreed to go to Jerusalem. Everything else became part of the cover — one that turned into a vortex no one could have predicted. And we, you and I, did the planet a lot of good by bringing down the Circle of 13.”
“How about the Bible codes? The prophecies? It all made perfect sense!”
Bill said, “That got the world’s attention more than anything. Everyone is wondering if it’s real. You have to admit, it certainly created a hell of a diversion to what was really going on. Also, the public’s outrage at what these billionaires did is what’s moving the prosecutions through the World Court.”
Alicia looked out to sea, her eyes following a gull over the marina. “Why didn’t you tell me, Paul?”
“To protect you. After Brandi and Adam were freed, I tried to keep you out of the rest of it. You wanted to stay, and by then I didn’t want to let you go.”
Bill smiled and said, “It can’t hurt if some people believe the world will end in 2024…it might propel change in the self-centered direction we’re heading. I have no illusions about mankind as a whole. But you have the world talking…and listening. If you two somehow stumbled upon some truths from Bible prophecies, even a hint that suggests a possibility the earth will end in 2024, issuing a warning to mankind to stop its greed, that’s a damn good thing. It would mean there’d be less need for guys in my line of work. And that’s just fine.” He cut his eyes from Alicia to Marcus. “You really didn’t, I assume, discover something concrete that I should know about, did you?”
Alicia glanced down at Buddy, and then met Gray’s eyes. She tilted her head, almost like she was trying to look into his mind. “What if everything Paul told you and the rest of the world is true, Bill? You know the dirty little secrets of millions, the places they try to hide their indiscretions, their greed. Would they change? Will they change? On a personal level, what would you do if you knew these prophecies were true?”
There was a second blast of a boat horn. Bill said, “I think I have changed, and I’d like to believe much of the world has taken notice, maybe become more tolerant and more compassionate of each other, and who knows…maybe a little more virtuous, too. We can only hope so. I guess I’d better be heading back. I don’t want to miss the boat.”
Marcus said, “Thank you for coming out here, and thank you for coming to my farm when you did. All of what we’ve been through was damn well worth it because what we’ve been given in life, I’ve learned is worth fighting for.”
Alicia bit her bottom lip. “Bill, I believe, no, I absolutely know what we discovered is very real — especially the big picture of it all. We were led to it. We may have discovered it in the context of performing something else, but that’s the way some things happen. The year 2024 isn’t that far away. It may not be the exact date, but who really knows? Perhaps we still have time to get things right.”
Bill nodded. “Maybe. Thank you, Alicia for all you did.”
Alicia smiled and unsnapped a gold-chain necklace that held a small gold cross. “Take this back to Virginia. Please, give this to my mother. That’s all you have to do. She’ll know.” Alicia dropped the necklace in the palm of Gray’s hand.
“Okay. I’d best be going. Oh, while I’m thinking of it, I was intrigued by something I read in the news recently.”
“What’s that?” Marcus asked.
“The Hebrew University Library where you spent time, Paul…that library received an anonymous gift for a half billion dollars to set up a foundation trust fund. The apparent benefactor had only a few stipulations. One, a professor in the university, Jacob Kogen, was to be the head trustee; the second condition was that the money is to be used solely for the purpose of war reparations. The reparations are to go to families of people killed or robbed of their fortunes and homes by Hitler and Stalin during the period before and through World War II.”
Marcus said nothing.
Alicia hid a smile and watched Buddy chase a leaf.
Gray said, “That was quite a gift. Do you know anything about that, Paul? Alicia? Never mind, I really don’t want to know the answer to that.”
There was a loud blast from the shuttle boat. “Marcus glanced down to the harbor. “Looks like your ride is about to leave.”
Gray released a deep breath from his lungs. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
Alicia leaned in and kissed Gray on his cheek. “Can’t you stay for dinner? Spend at least one night? It’ll do you some good.”
He shook his head, turning to leave. “I wish I could stay. I don’t know how you two did everything you did. Damn remarkable. Too bad you can’t take the credit for something truly good. Then again, maybe it’s a shared secret credit between you and Isaac Newton. Yeah, we really shouldn’t need people in our line of work.”
“Oh, that reminds me…I suppose I need to officially resign from my job,” Alicia said. “I quit.”
Gray smiled, buried his hands in the pockets of his trousers, turned, and walked back to the harbor.
EPILOGUE
Alicia watered the roses and hibiscus that grew on both sides of their small house on the hill. Buddy lay in the shade of a large olive tree and closed his eyes in the late afternoon. Soon, he heard Marcus walking up the gravel path to their home.
“Hey, Buddy, look what I brought you from town.” Marcus held up a Frisbee he’d hidden behind his back. Buddy barked and paced. Marcus tossed the Frisbee over the yard. Buddy bolted across the grass, catching the Frisbee before it could hit the ground.
Alicia stood and smiled. “What a team you two make. Does Buddy ever miss a catch?”
“Only if I do a lousy throw.”
“Maybe we could find a bat and a softball and hit Buddy a few grounders.”
“You should see him clear the bases.”
“Oh, he bats, too?”
“He’s more of a catcher and an outfielder.”
“Could you use somebody on first base?”
“The three of us would make a pretty cool team?”
“Imagine if there were four of us?”
Marcus said nothing for a moment. “Four of us?”
Alicia smiled wide, the setting sun across the Mediterranean dancing in her eyes. “Yes, four of us.”
Marcus grinned. “A baby?”
Buddy dropped the Frisbee at Marcus’s feet and barked once.
Marcus raised his eyebrows. “How long have you known?”
“Just a little while. Are you okay with—”
“Yes…absolutely. I’m not just okay, I’m thrilled.” He stepped over to Alicia, took his hand in hers and led her onto the terrace beside the house, overlooking the sea. He laced his hands behind the small of her back and gently pulled her closer to him. “I’m thrilled beyond words.”
Alicia nodded. “I was so worried that the timing was all off. I didn’t know how to tell you…I’m so happy…” she paused, her eyes tearing.