A Watch Doesn’t Just Tell Time
By JSRobertson
Janet Crane was in Lee’s
office when the phone rang.
“Commander Crane’s office,
can I help you?”
“Hello, Mrs. Crane, this is Admiral
Johnson. Is Lee there?” he asked
politely.
“Yes, he’s right here,” she
told him. “Lee, Admiral Johnson is on
the phone,” she said unhappily, because when he called it usually meant that he
wanted Lee to go on a mission.
“Yes sir, I have worked with
her before,” Lee sighed into the receiver.
“Isn’t there anyone else who can accomplish this mission?
I see. Yes, I can be ready to
leave for
“Can you tell me about it?”
“I need to go to
“Pick up a watch? What kind
of mission is that? And just who is ‘she’?”
“Liddy Novak...and,” he
hesitated, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can tell you that we have to pretend to be
married for this job, a purchasing trip to
“Why can’t I go as your wife, after all,” she waved
her ring in front of his face, “I have the marriage certificate to prove
it. And Mr. Super spy, it’s not as if
I’m a rookie with the Agency. Well, not much.”
“We need a trained agent for this. Liddy and I’ve worked
together before and...well, you may not like this but we
actually dated for awhile. We know how to read each other. You won’t be getting
all upset now will you?”
“That depends. Does she know you’re married now?”
“I’m sure Johnson’s told her,
but I’ll be sure to tell her, just in case he forgot...hey, wait a minute, why
the third degree? This is no different
than you and Jason Weldon pretending to be married.”
“I didn’t date him before the
assignment!” she snapped back at him. “I’m sorry Lee, but you know how I hate it
when ONI sends you off on a mission. And...I guess I’m
a bit jealous. Oh, not of the mission. Of ‘her’. ”
“I know it can’t be easy for
you, Sweetie,” he embraced her, their kiss lasting far longer than intended.
******
“I just hung up with Admiral Johnson,” Admiral
Nelson stormed into Chip’s office, “damn it, Lee. Not again! And to top it off,
your partner is Liddy Novak!”
“Oh gawd,” Chip moaned, “you
didn’t tell me that, Lee.”
“Does Janet know?” Nelson
asked.
“Yes, about both.”
“And?” Chip asked.
“Well, she’s not happy about
it. Or the assignment. But she’s accepted it.”
“Does she know the details
about you and Liddy?” Nelson asked.
“Not
exactly. I did tell her we used to
date.”
“Don’t you think you should have
told a little bit more?” Nelson raised an eyebrow, “remember, you almost lost Janet
the last time you weren’t totally honest with her.”
“You think I don’t know
that?” Lee rubbed a hand through his hair. “I...oh all right, I’ll inform her
tonight.”
******
Later that afternoon, when
the couple had returned home, Lee suggested they take a walk on the beach.
They’d gone about a mile, arm
in arm, when Lee stopped and pulled her toward him.
“Sweetie, you already know
that Liddy and I dated, but,” he hesitated, “I have to tell you, I...I almost
asked her to marry me.”
“Marry you?”
“Listen, please, before you
get all riled. Liddy and I had been on several missions together. Dating each
other just seemed normal and, well, to be blunt, we fell in love. At least I
thought she felt the same way. We were out one night when I asked her when she could
move to
“Oh
sweetie.”
“It was then that I suddenly
realized that I couldn’t, wouldn’t do that, not even for her. So, were both at an impasse and realized that
if neither of us was willing to compromise, to make each other happy, then what
we had wasn’t the kind of love that marriage is all about. We agreed to call it
quits and haven’t seen each other since.”
“When did all this happen?”
“About six months before I
met you. I didn’t really know what love
was before I met you...and I want you to know you can trust me that the
flame Liddy and I had will not be rekindled in any way, shape, or form.”
“Oh, Lee,” she gave him a
passionate kiss before they walked back to the house and went upstairs to their
bedroom.
******
Oh boy! That was a shock. Janet
thought later that night. She knew he had gone out with other women, certainly,
but she never suspected he would have considered asking one of them to marry
him.
******
It had been arranged that Lee
meet Liddy’s flight at LAX for Washington, but she’d called in with a change of
plans at the last minute and would fly directly to Washington from Hawaii. Janet
had hoped to meet her, but she was glad in a way that the woman wouldn’t be on
Lee’s flight. She was also glad that Chip was driving the couple to the
airport. The freeways here were very confusing; nothing like the ones she was
used to in
Before long Chip was pulling
into the drop off point at the bustling airport. Hopping out of the car, while Chip popped the
trunk open, she grabbed her husband.
“Honey, I’m going to miss
you, please be careful,” she hugged and kissed him.
“I wish I didn’t have to go. I’m going to miss you too. I’ll call you when I arrive in
“Got everything, Lee?” Morton
met them on the curb.
“Yes, except perhaps my
sanity for accepting this damn mission.
Chip? Please take care of her.”
“No problem. She’ll be fine. Take care of yourself too, Skipper.”
******
“I know this is none of my
business,” Chip asked as he drove them home from the airport, “but did Lee tell
you about Liddy?”
“Yes, Chip. He told me everything,” she replied. “I must admit I was a little surprised. He’d never
mentioned her before, not that I expected him to tell me about all his old
girlfriends. Did you and the Admiral like her?”
“Not much. A bit too self-centered. We all knew Lee’s first love was Seaview
and Liddy was jealous of her. Liddy always wanted first place. I don’t really know what he saw in her. She wasn’t like any of the other women Lee’s
dated.”
“Chip, is this mission
dangerous? I mean, as much as the other ones he’s taken?”
“I wouldn’t know. Like you,
I’m not privy to all the details. But with Lee, yeah, both Nelson and I are
worried. Like we always are when he’s off being James Bond. ”
“I know what you mean,” Janet
sighed and stared out the window.
******
As promised, Lee called from
******
“Hello, Admiral,” Lee
saluted, “good to see you again, sir.”
“Good to see you too, Lee. You remember Liddy Novak don’t you?”
“Yes, nice to see you again
Liddy,” Lee said without enthusiasm, “you haven’t changed much.”
“Same here, Lee,” Liddy
replied, looking at him as if she were appraising him. “God, you still look wonderful.”
“Your flight leaves tomorrow morning at
“Wait,” Lee said, “I’d like
to call my wife...”
“You can use the phone at the
receptionist’s desk...”
******
“Hi sweetie, how are you?”
Lee asked after the receptionist punched in the numbers, and handed him the
receiver, not caring if Liddy heard his sweet nothings to Janet or not. “We
just finished meeting the Admiral. I have to leave my cell phone here. I won’t be able to call you in the morning
before I take off, after all. Sorry. Yes, I’ll be careful, darling....I love
you so much, or should I say je t’aime for when I get back, or maybe Je veux te faire l'amour...”
“You sure you’ll be up to it?’ Liddy snorted, as she passed
by him.
******
“I’m surprised you actually found
someone who doesn’t mind being second fiddle to that old submarine of yours,”
Liddy whispered as they waited for the cab to take them to their hotels.
“Her name is Janet, that’s
Mrs. Crane to you, and she works for NIMR and aboard Seaview.”
“How convenient for you both,
Captain. I hope the cabin is soundproofed.”
“You married?” Lee asked,
ignoring the comment.
“Not yet. Oh, and Commander, do
try to act romantic when we’re in
“Not all couples get along,”
Lee said. “We’re more interested in making money.”
“That’s not part of our
cover.”
“It is now,” Lee hailed a
separate cab.
******
It had been a seven hour
flight, but Mr. and Mrs. Cornwallis,
had barely spoken to each other, though they had used exaggerated ‘darlings’ to
each other but only when necessary. It wasn’t that easy to ignore each other when
the cab let them off at the hotel. The front desk staff seemed determined to
welcome the couple to the City of
“It’s only got one bed,” Lee
whispered, disheartened, after he’d tipped the bellhop, closed the door and
checked for bugs.
“What did you expect?” Liddy
laughed. “We’re married, remember?”
“I’ll take the couch,” Lee
said and sat down wearily.
“It’s not big enough;
besides, I won’t bite. I’ll even sign an affidavit that there wasn’t any hanky
panky between us, just for the little woman, if you like.”
“Don’t tempt me. Look, I’m hungry;
let’s go get something to eat before unpacking.”
“Fine by me.”
******
“Don’t look now, hubby,”
Liddy put her arm in Lee’s, as they walked along the busy sidewalks, “but I
have a feeling we are being watched.”
“You too?” Lee remarked. “I’ve had that feeling ever since we got off
the plane.”
They found an outdoor café
and were quickly served. Liddy took the liberty of using her fork to transport
a bite into Lee’s mouth. Though surprised, he responded in turn with her, the
image of a romantic couple; All the while on the alert for anyone observing
them too closely.
When they returned to their
room, Lee checked for bugs again, and found one in a lamp. He destroyed it by putting it down the sink.
“So much for an easy
mission,” he told Liddy.
The couch really was far too
small for his six foot two inch frame, so Lee ended up trying to sleep fully
clothed on the very edge of the bed and on top of the blankets, which made
Liddy literally shake with laughter. He didn’t get much sleep. But then on the first day of new mission he
never could sleep. At least Liddy kept
her promise by not trying to tempt him into something untoward, at least for
now.
******
Morning finally came and Lee took
his shower and changed into fresh clothing while Liddy was still sleeping. He was going out to get coffee and rolls to
bring back for breakfast.
“Where are you going this
early?” she asked stretching, in her slinky nightgown.
“Getting breakfast. Be back soon,” he replied curtly.
“You
sure are grumpy in the morning, hubby.”
By the time Lee came back
with breakfast, Liddy was dressed.
“Okay,” Lee said, sipping his
coffee, “we are going to go to several jewelry stores this morning and have our
purchases shipped back to Washington. By the way, this brew is horrible. I
suppose the rolls are better.”
“What are we going to buy?”
“Let’s decide that when we
see what they’ve got. This afternoon we
will go to the flea market at Portides Vanues.
We will buy a few more items from there.”
“Then what? A romantic evening before we leave?” she
purred.
“Did you forget I’m married?”
he hissed.
“We still have to act like we
are, Agent Crane.”
******
They were walking down the
street toward a jewelry store from a
list of jewelers that ONI had provided, when Liddy grabbed Lee’s hand.
“Before you get mad, there’s
a man in a blue jacket that has been following us since we left the hotel,” she
whispered.
“I noticed him too. He
started a few blocks back. Do you
recognize him? He could be one of ours.”
“No, I’ve never seen him before
either.”
They went into the store and
purchased an expensive necklace and earrings and arranged to have it shipped to
their shop in
They hailed a taxi and asked
to be taken to a well known jeweler which dealt primarily in diamonds. After
the cab let them out, they looked in the window, and saw, as expected, their
tail watching them from across the street.
They went into the store where there was another customer. They were looking around when Liddy spotted a
bracelet she wanted.
“Oh honey, this is beautiful.
We’re sure to get a buyer for this.” Liddy leaned against Lee’s shoulder.
“I don’t know sweetheart. Our clientele’s not this sophisticated,” he
frowned looking at the bracelet.
“Well, how about for me,
then?” she kissed his cheek.
“Okay darling. I’ll buy it for you.”
“Let me wear it now. I want
to show it off.”
******
“Do you think it’s safe to
continue to Portides Vanues?” Liddy asked as they emerged from the shop and
hailed a cab.
“We don’t have a choice. At
least our tail’s taken a hike for now.”
“Can’t we stop for lunch
first? I’m famished.”
“No, let’s get this over
with...here’s our cab.”
******
“Look at all the merchandise they
have here,” Liddy remarked at the flea market.
“I have never seen so much in one place.”
“Let’s look for a couple of
watches” Lee said, “we may need them for decoys,” he added under his breath.
They bought two silver
watches to wear on the spot, then purchased a few more items and went back to
the hotel. As they got out of the cab, they
saw the man in the blue jacket again from across the street. He smiled at them.
“Lee, he’s giving me the
creeps,” she whispered, “Let’s call Johnson and ask him if he has anyone
covering us.”
“I’d like to, but we can’t
contact him for an hour. Let’s go have dinner and then call.”
They found a small cafe down
the street from the hotel. As they were eating dinner, they talked about the
items they bought for their shop in case someone was listening to them. They hadn’t seen the man that had been following
them since earlier. After dinner, and their return to the hotel, Lee checked
the room again for any bugs and found none.
He called Admiral Johnson as
scheduled.
“Hi Conrad,” Johnson said, “how
is it going?”
“Fine, we purchased several
pieces that should be there in a couple of days. Did you send someone else to help us?”
“No. Problem?”
“Maybe, we’ll let you know. Also, could you please tell my secretary
not to worry about cataloging the new pieces until I get back?”
“Yes, I’ll let her know.”
“Thanks. Talk to you later,” Lee hung up and frowned.“Johnson
didn’t send anyone.”
“What was that about him
calling your secretary?” Liddy asked sharply.
“I wanted him to call Janet
and let her know everything was okay.”
“She’s your secretary?”
“I thought I told you that
already.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, it doesn’t really
matter if I didn’t, does it? I’m going down to the lobby. Don’t wait up.”
******
Admiral Johnson called Janet
to let her know that Lee had reported and was fine. She was surprised he didn’t
just as a staff person to call. Maybe he felt guilty for all the problems he
had caused the couple.
******
When Lee returned to the
hotel room, Liddy was already asleep. He
got on the bed. He was bone tired and
hoped he would get some sleep. I sure
miss Janet, he thought before falling asleep.
******
Lee woke up early. He
showered and was already dressed by the time Liddy woke up. She got ready while Lee ordered room service.
“Liddy, give me those watches
we bought yesterday. We may need them.”
“Why?”
“Please just give them to
me,” he said impatiently, and put them his pocket.
After breakfast, which was
too fancy for Lee, though he managed a little, they went down to the
lobby. They hailed a cab to take them to
Marche St. Ouen flea market again. It
was
They walked around the
booths, looking for some more items to purchase when they spotted the agent
they were to buy the watch from. Lee and
the agent nodded acknowledging each other.
Lee purchased a couple of gold and silver watches. The agent discreetly let
Lee know the silver one was the watch with the microchip.
While Liddy was looking at
some of the clothes at another booth, Lee headed to one of the outdoor urinals,
common to France, and, partially hidden, took the microchip out of the silver
watch, and transferred it to one of the silver watches they bought yesterday
and hid it in the heel of his shoe. He
put a bogus microchip, courtesy ONI, into the watch they just purchased.
“Liddy could you please put
these watches in your purse.” Lee said upon his return, “This silver one is the
one I think our clients will argue about.”
“I know I would. Here, why
don’t I wear it?” she pulled it onto her wrist.
“Too easy...”
“I know another place...be
right back,” she dashed to one of the more private ladies toilets.
They were getting ready to
leave the flea market when someone grabbed their arms.
“Just walk to the car over
there,” the voice demanded as Lee felt a gun at his back. “I’ll blow her away
if you don’t cooperate.”
As they obeyed, they saw that
the driver was man in the blue jacket. The man with the gun kept it aimed at
Libby’s head, as if he enjoyed daring Lee to do anything.
They were driven to a deserted
store not too far from their hotel. After
being shoved out of the car they were ‘escorted’ into the vacant space. Liddy was pushed into a chair and Lee was
tied to a pole in the middle of the store.
“Welcome, Mr. & Mrs. Cornwallis,” the man who was apparently
in charge said sarcastically.
“Who are you and how do you
know who we are,” Lee demanded.
“Me? I’m Harold
Chandler. I live in Casha, a small
island in the
“Irene, give them the watch,”
Lee said.
“No, I won’t give it to him. Who do you think you are,
“Cut the act, Ms. Novak. And
we know you are Lee Crane and you both are ONI operatives.”
“Where is the silver watch?”
he asked again. “If you don’t give it to
me, I’ll take it out on each of you. I’ll start on Crane.”
“I don’t have it,” Liddy
said, “in fact, I lost it. I never told Lee. Not a good thing to have a mission
bust.”
“Like I really believe you,”
“Change your mind, Ms.
Novak?”
“Never.”
He hit Lee in the face again
and in his ribs.
“Liddy, give them the damn
watch, will you?” Lee yelled now bleeding from his both lips and cheeks and
gasping for breath.
“Okay, okay,” she dipped into
her cleavage, and pulled it out and tossed it to
“Very good. You just saved
your ‘husband’ from being shot.”
Before the two men left, they
tied Liddy to the chair and left Lee tied to the pole.
“I wouldn’t think about
escaping. You see,” he pressed the knob on his own wrist watch, “I’ve just set
this building to implode in less than a minute. Why, there won’t be anything
left of either of you under the rubble. Goodbye
Mr. and Mrs. Cornwallis.”
Laughing, the men ran out of
the building.
“Liddy, work your chair over
here so I can untie you.”
“Why hell did you tell me to
give them the watch?” she wiggled her chair toward him, “now they have the
microchip,” she spat.
“No they don’t. I still have it.”
“I guess I’m out of practice
reading your mind.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Lee
said as they managed to untie each other. “Let’s get out of here...over there,
the side door.”
No sooner than they’d run out
of the building, as
******
It was easy to blend in with
all the other debris and dust splattered people who happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time. When they got
to their hotel room, Liddy wet a towel and ministered to Lee’s facial wounds.
Working a little too long on his lips, he pushed her hand away, took the towel
and finished wiping his lips and cheeks.
“I need some ice.”
“There isn’t any in the ice
bucket...I can call for some.”
“No, never mind.”
“Lee, I’m really sorry they
beat you up. I’m surprised your ribs aren’t broken. ”
“Who say’s they’re not? Just
kidding. They might be cracked though. But I’ll be fine. See if you can get
Johnson on the phone. I don’t want to speak to anyone else. We’re overdue. I
could use acetaminophen,” he headed to the bathroom.
“I have Johnson,” Liddy
handed him the phone in minutes as he returned and sat on the edge of the bed.
“It’s about time you called,”
Johnson told Lee.
“Our cover was blown. A
Harold Chandler kidnapped us. He thinks
he’s going as going to sell the watch back to the People’s Republic. But we still
have the real microchip. Admiral, he
knew who we were and that we were on assignment with ONI.”
“Damn...any idea who the leak
is?”
“Not a clue.”
“Are you okay to complete the
mission?”
“Absolutely not!” Liddy
grabbed the receiver, “Lee’s hurt.”
“It’s not that bad,” Lee took the phone, “we’ll
complete the assignment, sir,” he hung up. “Don’t ever do that again, Liddy.”
“Okay okay. Lee, where do you have the watch hidden? We were both searched...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m your partner on this
job! I need to know where it is in case
you’re captured or killed!”
“Not until the time is right,”
Lee laid down on the bed and closed his eyes.
“I’m going out to get us
something to eat. I don’t want any questions from room service.”
“Fine. Bring back some
coffee. I don’t care how bad it tastes.”
******
“We have a problem,” Liddy
said quietly into a cell phone that she hadn’t turned in to ONI, “we were
kidnapped by Harold Chandler from the
******
Lee was snoring, so Liddy
gingerly searched his pockets. It was difficult for Lee to stay asleep, but he
managed to pretend that he was out to the world, then a few minutes later opened
his eyes a slit and watched her then rifle through his suitcase. As soon as she
sat down with a disgusted sigh, Lee gave an exaggerated yawn and stretched.
“Manage any coffee?”
“Yes, but...”
“I know, I know...tastes like
shit...”
In minutes the pair had
scarfed down the meal, and Lee most of the coffee.
******
When Lee awoke the next
morning, he found Liddy cuddled up next to him, her head and hand on his chest. He shoved her off and got up. His ribs didn’t hurt too badly. His eye was
swollen but he could still see out it. His lips and cheeks were still red and
sore. He took a long hot shower and went
out to get some breakfast. Liddy was awake when he returned.
“Here, eat this and let’s
go,” he said angrily, handing her a croissant and fresh coffee.
“What’s your problem this morning?”
she snapped.
“Among your unwelcome
attention, I saw you rifling through my suitcase. Find what you wanted?”
“Lee, I’m only being a good
agent. You’re keeping me out of the loop and I don’t like it. I need to know
where the watch is. Johnson will back me up on this.”
“And as I told you before,
don’t worry about it,’ he said sharply.
******
They were checking in at the
airport, when the clerk told them that their flight to
“Cancelled? Why?” Lee asked.
“Severe weather front.
Doesn’t look as if it will dissipate by the time the plane would get there.”
“All right. How about any
flights to
“Yes. In fact, there’s one
leaving in just an hour.”
“Good. We’ll take it. Mr. and
Mrs. Cornwallis.” Lee handed the clerk their identification. “You can also book
us the next available flight from
“Might not be until later
tonight if even.”
“Go ahead and book it. We’ll
take our chances.”
******
“Lee, why are we going to
“We need to leave here as
soon as we can. If
“Lee, I’m going to the
restroom before we board our flight. I hate the ones on airplanes, I’ll be
right back.”
“Fine.”
In the relative privacy of
the crowded restroom, Liddy made another phone call. “We’re going to
******
“Nelson, I need a favor,” Admiral
Johnson called almost as soon as he’d heard from Crane. “There was a problem in
“Janet? She can’t, not
without Lee’s written permission...”
“I know that...but if you
sign for her...”
“Lee’ll have my hide!”
“You’ll sort it out
afterwards, I’m sure. You always do. Jason Weldon will be her partner and...”
“The only way I’ll put my
neck out and sign this for you, is if we send Chip Morton instead of Jason
Weldon. Lee won’t be as upset. He can trust Chip with Janet.”
“Very well. Use the flying
sub. That weather front’s stalled out most flights from
“I’ll fax it right away…it will
take about eight hours for the flying sub to get to London.”
“Agent Joe Howard will meet
them at Heathrow’s special landing area, and take them to a hotel. And, Harry, thanks for your help.”
“I’d better not regret this
Johnson. It’s bad enough you have Crane. Now you have three members of
my staff in harm’s way.”
******
After a very weary Chip and
Janet finally landed, Chip punched in the security code to secure the craft at the
airport. Howard was waiting as promised.
“I think we have a problem,”
Howard said. “Nobody told me there’d be a woman.”
“I don’t see what difference
that makes,” Janet said.
“I only reserved one room for
you.”
“I’m so tired I don’t care if
I have to share a bed with Commander Morton.”
“No need for that, ma’am.
It’s one of those double bed rooms.”
******
Getting dressed the next
morning took awhile as Janet and Chip both decided to use the small bathroom to avoid any potential
voyeurism. Not that they wouldn’t divert their eyes, but just thinking that an accident might happen, well, Lee would
never let them forget it.
Chip was starving as usual,
despite having scarfed down the sandwiches Cookie had made for the trip.
When they returned from the
hearty breakfast, Chip called Admiral Johnson.
“Everything okay so far, Commander?”
“Well, Janet was too nervous
to have any breakfast. Pecked at it like a bird…which is hardly surprising as
she’s a Crane now.”
“Morton, I haven’t been able
to get through to Crane or Novak. The
phones just ring. Perhaps it’s the
weather front. I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait until I can I reach him.”
“Aye, sir.”
******
“Can’t we call him?” Janet pleaded
after Chip told her what Johnson had said.
“No, we’d blow his cover, and
remember they both had to turn in their cells. They’re using the ONI issue
ones. And Johnson didn’t share those numbers.
”
“So, what do we do?”
“Just wait.”
“I’m not good at waiting,”
she said as she paced back and forth.
Chip just smiled.
******
“Damn,” Lee said after
Johnson finally reached him, “the static was so bad, I couldn’t hear most of
what the Admiral was telling me. Something us getting backup, but I couldn’t
make the agent’s names. I think I heard Hawk Hollow as our rendezvous at
“Just let them take over our assignment?”
“Look. We were tailed. Chandler
might still be trying to. The news said no bodies were recovered. This way,
we’re the decoy and the mission is accomplished.”
“It’s still not fair.”
“Live with it.”
“Well, since we don’t have to
meet them for a couple of hours, I’m going for a walk,” she slammed out of the
room.
******
“Are you in London?” Liddy
spoke into her illicit phone. “Good. Johnson
sent backup. We will have to move a lot
sooner. We’re meeting them at the Hawk
Hollow restaurant at 1 o’clock to give them the watch. Be there.”
She noticed a picture had been sent to her phone, and she opened it up. “Thanks.”
******
While Liddy was gone, Lee
took the watch out of heel of his shoe.
He removed the real microchip and placed it in the gold watch. This was the one he’d give it to the back up
agents. He put a different chip silver
watch and returned it to his shoe. He had
his suspicions about Liddy and wasn’t about to let her in on the switch.
******
Chip’s phone rang, startling
him as he was so on edge.
“Johnson here. I got through
to Crane, but it was a very bad connection. I’m not sure how much he actually
heard. Be at the Hawk Hollow restaurant at
“Yes, sir. We will be ready,” Chip took his gun and put
it in his jacket. “Janet? You decent?” he called toward the bathroom. “We got our orders.”
******
Chip, Janet and Joe arrived
at the restaurant at
What the hell? Wait until
I get back to
Liddy interrupted his
thoughts by telling him she needed to use the restroom, pretending not to have
seen Chip and Janet.
“Where are you?” she spoke
into her phone.
“In the bar.”
“Stay there out of
sight. I don’t want Lee to see you.”
“Alright.”
******
Chip’s phone rang, and he was
surprised that it was Crane.
“Make like you are talking to
the Admiral,” Lee ordered, “I doubt I’m wrong about this, but are you two our back
up agents? Don’t tell Janet I’m here. Bring your gun?”
“Yes,” Chip answered.
“I think Liddy’s a double
agent. For now, Janet’s your wife. Call her anything, just not her name.
Understood?”
“Yes Admiral, everything is
fine here.”
“Good. Now, tell Janet she
needs to go to the restroom, now. Tell her she has make-up under eye or
something like that.”
“What?” Chip questioned.
“Just do it.”
“All right, Admiral, I’ll
take care of it.”
Lee hung up the phone. When Liddy came out of the restroom he was
waiting for her and escorted her toward the restaurant’s entrance where he told
her to wait while he called Johnson hoping the connection was good enough to
see who the back up agents were so they knew who to look for. He walked around the corner away from the
front lobby.
******
“Janet,” Chip said, “you have
a make up smudge under your eye. Looks
really awful. Maybe you should check it out in the ladies room.”
“Oh brother. I’ll be right back,” she said with a frown
and headed for the restroom. Just as she
was walking past a broom closet, a hand came out, grabbed her by the arm, as another
hand was put over her mouth. She was dragged into the closet, the door shutting
behind them.
“Don’t scream! It’s me.”
“Lee!”
“Don’t get any ideas. I’m not
happy you’re. But I do need your help. When
I give you the watch, hide it in your purse. How did you get here, in FS1?”
“Yes. It’s secured at Heathrow. How are you? Johnson said you’d been beaten.” She couldn’t see his face because there was no
light in the closet except from the cracks in the door frame.
“I’m fine. Now look, as soon
as we are done with lunch you and Chip are to leave
“Can’t you come with us?”
“No, I need to come back on a
commercial flight. I don’t want to cause any suspicion if we’re being watched. We’re booked on a flight this evening weather
permitting. Get a hotel room in
“He’s knows all about this?”
“Not everything. Tell him about the flight plans. I’d better go.
Don’t want Liddy to get suspicious as to where I disappeared to. I’ll see you in
“Lee, please be careful.”
“Always,” he gave her quick
kiss and slowly opened the door to make sure that the coast was clear. In
seconds she returned to her table.
******
Liddy was still waiting for
Lee where he’d left her.
“Well?” she asked. “Did he
tell you about our backup?”
“Yes, you remember Chip
Morton?”
“Of course, but why the hell
would your XO be here? He’s no agent.”
“There weren’t any other
agents available and Chip has done some
work for ONI before, so he’s here with his wife, who is an agent.”
“I see.”
“Now, come along. Let’s get
this over with,” he took Liddy’s arm. “There they are,” he nodded as they passed
by a few of the tables. “I’ll give them the watch. Then if we’re stopped for
any reason, we’re free and clear. ”
“So you can get home to the
little woman.”
“Yes,” he said with a smile.
They walked over to the table
where Chip and Janet were. When Lee and
Liddy sat down, Janet could hardly restrain herself when she saw the black eye
and bruises on Lee’s face. Chip grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a
squeeze. He knew she wouldn’t say
anything. After Chip introduced ‘Sandra’
to Liddy and Lee, they ordered lunch. Chip ate his meal with gusto. Janet, Lee and Liddy barely touched their
plates. When Chip was done, they left the restaurant and went to the parking
lot. Just as Lee was going to give the
watch to Janet, Liddy pulled out a gun and aimed it at him.
“Give me the watch,
Commander,” Liddy demanded.
“Okay, Liddy. The game’s up.
Why are doing this? Who are you really working for? The People’s Republic?”
“So what if I am. I’m tired
of ONI. There’s no gratitude, no recognition. Besides, I’m going to get a lot of money for this watch. ”
“Do it, Commander,” Edward
Denning suddenly appeared behind them, pointing a gun at Chip and Janet.
“Why am I not surprised,” Lee
shook his head.
“Cut the chatter. Give me the damn watch or I’ll kill you, your
XO and your pretty little wife,” Liddy spat.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me, “Lee
removed his shoe, opened the heel and took out the watch and gave it to
Liddy.
“How do I know this is the
real microchip and not a fake one like you gave to
“Come on Liddy, how many
chips to you think I carry with me,” he put his shoe back on. “I guess you’ll have to trust me,”
“Fat chance trusting you. You
forget, I’ve worked with you before and I know what you are capable of doing.
Until I can prove this is the real thing, Chip and ‘Sandra’ or should I say
Janet, are going with Denning until I let him know I have the real one. Yes, I know she’s your wife.”
Suddenly, two motorcycle cops
pulled up, lights flashing alongside a sleek limousine.
“All right you blokes, drop
the weapons.”
“Oh sure,” Liddy said, “like
we’re shivering in our shoes. You Brit cops don’t carry guns.”
“We’re called ‘copper’s or
bobbies’, and it’s true we don’t carry guns,” one of the ‘bobbie’s said, “but MI
6 does,” he nodded to the occupants of the limo emerging, with their guns at
the ready. “Care to test them out?”
“You can’t arrest me,”
Denning said as one of the British Secret Service agents handcuffed him. “I’m
an American citizen. I demand to see the American Ambassador.”
“Suit yourself,” the man
nodded to the only other occupant left in the car, “Sir?”
“I’m the American Ambassador,” the man got out, “ but they get to deal with you first.”
“Lee Crane you will regret
this!” Liddy screamed as she too, was
handcuffed and taken away to a fast approaching squad car.
“I’m glad I’m not on her bad
side,” the Ambassador said.
“We’re very grateful for your
help, sir,” Morton said.
“Nonsense. All we knew from
the car dispatch was that someone in the bar had informed MI 6 that a Code Feather, whatever that means, was
going down and that some yanks were being robbed. They were about to call
Special Forces in, but we were right in the neighborhood, so I said to go ahead
and do whatever needed to be done...”
Just then one of the MI 6 men
whispered to the Ambassador.
“Really?” he muttered, raised
an eyebrow at Crane, then, “I think, perhaps, you’d all better come along with
us. I’m headed to number ten and you can tell us all about it there, especially
you, Agent Crane.”
“Do I have to?” Lee sighed.
“Besides, I won’t be able to explain much.”
“Sorry, young man. We’re
guests in this country and MI 6 seems to know there’s more to this robbery than
meets the eye.”
“What’s number ten?” Janet
asked as she helped Lee into the limo.
“Number Ten Downing Street,”
Chip whispered, “the Prime Minister’s house.”
“Oh god...um, what about Joe?
He drove us here...”
“We’ll have him follow us,” the
Ambassador said, “now, let’s get going.”
Joe Howard, having observed things
from the window , managed to call Admiral
Johnson and tell him what had taken place before he was approached by the
Bobby, and was soon also on his way to
Number Ten.
******
“The Americans, sir,” the
butler said as he ushered Lee, Chip and Janet in. “The other is on the way.”
“Ohmygod. It is you, ” the Prime Minister grabbed
Lee’s arms.
“I take it you know each
other?” the Ambassador asked.
“Commander Crane’s been very
helpful in Her Majesty’s Service. Unfortunately, it’s not within my prerogative
to go into details about it.”
“The other gentleman is here,
sir,” the butler interrupted.
“Mr. Howard. I should have
known you’d be involved.”
“Not much. I was just the
chauffer in this operation.”
The phone rang and the PM
punched a button.
“Admiral Johnson’s on the
line for you sir,” the switchboard operator said.
“Who?”
“The head of ONI,” Lee, Chip,
Janet, and Joe said in sorrowful unison.
“Very well, I’ll take the
call,” the Prime Minister held the receiver as the long phone cord twisted
around as he meandered around his desk. “Yes,
Admiral, this is the Prime Minister. Now, what’s Commander Crane gotten himself
into this time? Yes, I understand it’s
privileged information, but...of course, you’ll have Her Majesty’s Government’s
full cooperation…yes. I have a doctor that makes house calls... Crane won’t get
away...trust me, I’ve had to deal other psudo James Bonds myself.”
Lee winced.
Apparently the call had ended
as the Prime Minister punched another button. “Please have my physician report
immediately. Tell him to bring an assistant. Make that a couple of assistants.”
“Well?” the Ambassador asked.
“Their mission, whatever it
is, hasn’t been accomplished yet. Commander Crane? ONI is convinced you’re still
in great danger. So I’m afraid after you’ve been cleared by the physician, you’ll
have to fly back home on a commercial airliner as already planned. But, I’ll
assign a couple of our finest agents to accompany you.”
“Sir, really, I don’t need…”
“As far as the criminals are
concerned, they’ll be transported back to the U.S. for your government to take
care of. Commander, you’ll be able to speak to Admiral Johnson after your
physical. Meanwhile, perhaps your friends would like to freshen up...”
******
“Admiral?” an aide entered
Johnson’s office the next morning. “Commander Morton and Mrs. Crane have
arrived.”
“Show them in.”
“Admiral,” Morton saluted as
he and Janet entered.
“About time. I’ve been
wearing down a path on my carpet waiting for the flying sub to get here. The
watch, girl.”
She retrieved it from her
purse and handed it over.
“This is the real one?”
“Lee said it was.”
“Very well. You may both
consider your part in this operation concluded. Good day.”
“That’s it?” Janet piped up. “We risk life and limb, that’s all the thanks
we get?”
“Apparently,” Morton took her
arm. “C’mon, let’s go get some breakfast...hey, it was a long flight, even for
FS1.”
******
“You sure Lee knows where
we’re parked?” Janet asked as they paid the cab driver and headed to the Coast
Guard annex where the Flying Sub was waiting.
“Janet! Chip!” a familiar
voice called out, from the dock.
“That answer your question?”
In minutes Janet was swept up
in a passionate embrace, while Morton simply patted him on the back and climbed
into the small sub.
“Did you have any idea that
Liddy Novak was a double agent?” Janet finally asked as they joined Morton.
“Not until things weren’t
adding up. Apparently she was working with the agent from People’s Republic all
along. We still don’t know anything about how our cover was blown. Can’t even find Casha on the map. ”
“Lee, you okay? You’re so
black and blue..”
“I’m fine,” he pressed his
fingertips to her mouth, “and I have a doctor’s certificate to prove it,” he
pulled out a small document, “sort of...”
“Can we go now, Skipper?”
Morton buckled himself in the co pilot’s seat.
“I’d rather you take the
stick, Chip,” Lee yawned. “I’m dead on my feet.”
“Aye sir,”
“Oh, by the way, get me
Nelson on the radio as soon as we’re airborne. I need to speak with him about
his blatant use of privilege in ‘authorizing’ my wife’s assistance. In fact, I
have half a mind to quit ONI all together after this. ”
“For real, Lee?” Chip asked.
“Just get us home, will you,
Morton,” he climbed into the recessed bunk and was asleep before they even
launched.
Chip decided to wait on
making the call, at least until Lee woke up from his nap.
******
They landed at NIMR a little
after
“Chip told me you might be
quitting ONI,” Nelson poured both men a drink afterwards.
“What possibly compelled you
to authorize Janet’s part in all of this?” Lee ignored the question.
“Lee, I didn’t have much choice. Johnson
practically compelled me...”
“You know you damn well only I have that authorization.”
“Yes, Lee, but...er, are you quitting ONI, then?”
“I’ll let you off the hook, this time. After all, you did send Chip
with her...”
“About ONI, son....”
“Excuse me, Admiral,” Angie voiced over the
intercom, “but Mrs. Crane wants to know when she can have her husband back.”
“I’m all hers, Angie,” Lee
punched the reply button.
“You haven’t answered my
question yet, Commander,” Nelson demanded.
“Later,” Lee winked and departed.
******
Lee was very quiet when they got home.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Janet
asked him softly.
“Oh, I was just thinking
about Liddy. I never would have thought
she’d ever betray her country, especially for money....sure am glad I never
married her,” he joked.
Janet simply replied with a
kiss and led him upstairs.
The End.