That is it! You are never getting sent out as a covert operative. Your weak mental fortitude will crack under pressure the moment something happens. I can see it now. Border guard: Identification please, Mr Edwardson. Roen: All right! I am a spy! Arrest me now!
“The… aliens again?” Antonio looked taken aback.
Seriously, if you cannot lie your way past your roommate, what chance do you have outside?
“I’m being sent on a mission,” Roen finished lamely. “I have to go.”
“You’re trying to save the world because the aliens told you to?” The disbelief in Antonio’s voice was painful.
I mean, can you stop telling the truth every time someone asks? Or at the very least, just tell him it is none of his business.
“I can’t, Tao. He’s my best friend.”
“Just tell anyone who asks that I’ll be back soon and that I’ll call them,” Roen replied aloud.
Antonio shrugged. “It’s your life, buddy. But do me a favor and just be careful, wherever the hell you’re off to. And if it is some girl, I am not covering for you with Jill. I like her more than I like you.”
“Traitor.” Roen shook his head and grinned. He turned to leave and then stopped. “Antonio, if for some reason, I don’t make it back…”
Tao groaned, inwardly.
“I can have your stuff?” Antonio said cheerfully.
“Of course.” Roen grinned. “But if I don’t, tell everyone I’m sorry.”
Antonio nodded. Roen left his apartment and felt very alone in the elevator as it sped down to the garage. The Prophus had replaced his car yet again with a busted-up black Hyundai. He wasn’t sure who was responsible for picking his rides, but he was sure they were getting a good laugh at his expense. He got into his car and pulled out of the garage.
That was a little histrionic. Are you all right?
“I’ll be fine, Tao. To the airport now?”
Not yet. We have an errand before we head out. Drive west toward the suburbs first. We have to make a stop in Naperville and talk to Edward’s wife.
“What? Why?”
Because I owe it to Edward. Better late than never.
Roen said nothing more as he drove along Highway 88. He occupied his mind by weaving in and out of traffic. Driving in Chicago was bad all year round, and today was no exception.
Tao spent most of the trip prepping Roen on what he needed to tell Kathy. It was still going to be a lie, but at the very least, it might give her closure. An hour later, Roen exited toward a suburban neighborhood, wrinkling his nose in disapproval at the single family homes with their freshly cut lawns.
Not your kind of place?
“I’m a city boy.”
You will sing a different tune maybe when you have children one day.
“If I live that long.”
Such a pessimist. Turn in here and go up three houses.
Roen pulled up next to a large blue house with an enormous yard. He got out and looked around, whistling at the large houses that dotted the block. It was a very nice neighborhood. Everywhere he looked were watered lawns, neatly trimmed bushes, and large trees not found in the city. A group of kids were playing across the street, and birds flitted among the trees. “This place is nice, if you like that kind of stuff,” he said reluctantly.
One day, my friend, one day.
Roen walked up to the door and rang the buzzer. He felt uneasy and anxious, though he wasn’t sure why. What did Tao need to talk to Mrs Blair for? Surely it had nothing to do with him? He heard footsteps on the other side of the door.
“Who is it?” a voice said.
“It’s um… Roen. Roen Tan,” he answered.
The door opened, and an attractive woman in her mid-forties appeared. She had blond hair and still looked youthful, though Roen noticed there was a touch of weariness about her, despite her friendly smile. She was dressed in jeans and a blue flannel shirt.
“I’m sorry, I don’t recognize that name,” she continued. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Mrs Blair, I’m here to talk about Edward,” he said.
The smile disappeared, and she gave him what he could only describe as a stink-eye. “Who are you?”
“A friend,” Roen stammered. He began to recite the story they had agreed on.
Her stare intensified and she cut him off. “Edward and I were married for fifteen years. I know all of his friends and you, Mr Tan, are not one of them.”
“Tao, this isn’t working out very well. Did she have any idea about you?”
No. Edward was very careful about keeping his Prophus operations hidden from her. She thought he just traveled a lot.
“I… I know… Edward and I worked together,” Roen stammered.
“Really? Doing what?”
“Business consulting,” he said.
“What’s the name of the company?” she asked.
“Bynum Consulting,” he replied promptly. They were getting back on script. “I wanted to offer my condolences, and that…”
“You’re a little late, Roen. My husband died ten months ago.”
“I know it has been a while. I’m sorry that it took so long…”
“So do you still work at Bynum?”
“Yes. Yes, I do. I was a colleague of his for only a short time, but…”
“That’s interesting.” She smiled.
She is on to you.
“On to me what? I have no idea what I’m talking about.”
“It’s interesting,” she said, “because after Edward disappeared, I tried to contact Bynum to find anything that might help me find him. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Bynum was some dummy corporation in Brooklyn.”
“Um… well, it’s complicated, Mrs Blair,” Roen replied.
“Complicated? Maybe you should have been the one to talk to those men from the FBI. The ones who came to my home to ask about the guns they found in his deserted car.” Roen felt like a deer in headlights. This was way off script. “Or maybe you can tell me why I couldn’t even pull up his information when I looked up his Social Security number!” He gulped anxiously, wilting under her gaze as she stuck her finger in his face.
“So what exactly do you do then, Mr Tan, that you worked with my husband on? Consulting? Or did you two rob banks together?” she asked.
Edward was not a criminal!
“Edward was not a…” he stammered. “It’s not like that, Mrs Blair. It’s not what you think.”
“Frankly, I don’t care anymore,” she hissed, closing the door.
Roen stuck his hand through the opening as it closed. He began to talk quickly, repeating Tao’s words. “I know a lot about you. I know you and Edward met shortly after West Point. I know that you wish you had a green thumb, but you’ve never been able to keep a plant alive for more than a month. And I know that you pretend to be a terrible cook to your in-laws because you worry his mother would try to compete with you. I know you have a bottle of Mouton-Rothschild ‘82 that you were saving for your twenty-year anniversary.”
The door stopped just short of crushing his fingers and opened. Kathy, her eyes watering, stared at Roen in disbelief. “How did you know that?” Her voice came out a hoarse whisper.
“Mrs Blair, it’s a long difficult story, one I need to explain. But the first thing I want you to know is that your husband was a great man. He died fighting for a good cause.”
“He… fought? Was he in the CIA?”
“Something like that, but even more covert,” Roen replied. “I can’t get into details, but that’s the first thing you should know. That’s why he had to use Bynum as a cover. Please, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. May I come in?”
She hesitated, and then beckoned him in. He thanked her and followed, feeling very uneasy as she motioned for him to take a seat in the living room. “Please excuse the mess,” she said, “I wasn’t expecting company. Is there anything I can get you?”