“For what it is worth, I am dreadfully inept at mathematical problems and anything related to physics. I suppose that is the reason for the differing abilities in people. One has to complete the other, each being an extension of the previous to cover the entire spectrum of all things,” Nina said as they neared the warm glow in the drawing room.
“There is that philosophy again,” Lydia noted, smiling. “So tell me, Nina, how much do you know about World War II?”
Sam laughed heartily, “She knows enough to have been there, Lydia.”
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps we should send Nina back the same way to go and get Dave. Nobody would know better how to track down a spoiled adventurer from the present like someone who knows the ways of that era like the back of her hand.”
Chapter 17
“Good morning. I am here as substitute structural engineer for the Alice,” Christian Foster said in a heavy accent nobody he spoke to could place. He made certain that his pronunciation sounded exotic without prompting Swedes or Dutch staff, for instance, to assume he was their fellow countryman. It was all part of his deception.
“Let me contact one of the heads at Atlas, sir. One moment,” the pleasant receptionist replied in a very professional manner.
“Uh, no, no,” Foster protested, “not Atlas. I am due at the Alice.”
She rolled her eyes and shrugged coyly, “I’m so sorry, Mister…” and she stole a look at his security card, “…Millerson. I must have heard you wrong,” she smiled. “Forgive me, I am still getting used to all the different accents.”
“Please, don’t feel bad about it. I am a bit of an acquired taste,” he winked.
The receptionist sorted out his appointment and paged the head of the Alice project to meet the new engineer at the cafeteria. “Just over there, Mr. Millerson,” she directed him to the clean windows in the aluminum door frames. “Dr. Blake will meet you in the next few minutes.”
“Thank you kindly,” he dipped his head respectfully, blond tresses tied back and spectacled like a proper science expert. The towering gentleman strode slowly through the milling people. Behind his back the receptionist whispered to a filing clerk, “Fucking hell, Janet, he is delicious!”
“Dr. Blake, very good to meet you,” Foster smiled and shook the hand of the Alice commander. Dr. Blake had already received Foster’s credentials, excellently faked beyond his detection and his assistant had already run the mandatory background checks on the falsified identity of the methodical operative.
“Mr. Millerson, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” Dr. Blake said rather abruptly. He was a man who valued progress and efficiency far above humor or amity, therefore he cut straight to the chase, escorting Foster to what the head of Alice thought was the engineer’s new assignment.
As he described the work and presented Foster with all the rules and shifts of the job, Foster’s photographic memory recorded the various turns and beacons so that he could find his way if he had to return at some point. No amount of information was ever too trivial for him, and any detail left unused was simply tucked back into his memory. Even as the brilliant mercenary took note of the buildings and the directions of all the detectors inside the 27km pipeline of the Large Hadron Collider, he still took in the wealth of nonsense Dr. Blake was describing. Foster’s mind was trained to sift through facts and only keep that which would be beneficial to his mission. Until now there was nothing worth keeping from all the unnecessary facts presented, but then Dr. Blake said something of interest.
“And then they saw him on the closed circuit television, the security people. That is how we found out he was involved in something underhanded. I hope you don’t show that much interest in the project, Millerson. Just do your job,” Dr. Blake said sternly.
“And after that he was dead?” Foster asked.
“Yes, after he dragged that journalist in here against policy,” Dr. Blake replied.
“To do what?” Foster asked in an amazed tone. It was all part of playing innocent, sounding oblivious to the weight of the issue. “I can’t believe the lengths to which some people will go for attention.”
“Exactly what I thought,” Blake agreed, loosening up a bit in the company of such an astute employee. “Sam Cleave was seen just a few minutes later in the company of two strangers right here, non-staff, just like him!”
“Dr. Blake, I think can help with this investigation,” Foster urged. “I’m a former police detective. Could I have a quick gander at those two men who accompanied Cleave? It won’t take a moment of your time and besides, my shift only starts in twenty minutes.”
After much inner deliberation Dr. Blake agreed to take Foster to the security section to run the now infamous clip of the only employee of the CERN LHC project to ever be killed on the job, so to speak. He introduced Foster to the security staff and briefly explained why he would like Foster to have access to the clip. However, Blake had to get back to the Alice and decided to leave Foster with them until the new engineer was due at the detector for his first shift.
“Almost there, let me just shift the timer,” one of the security officers told Foster.
“Take your time, by all means,” the friendly giant smiled.
“Here it is,” the officer said two minutes later. “I’ll slow it down for you. You see, we could only catch their movements on the far left of the container. Our interior cameras were destroyed with the initial fire, so we had these temporaries mounted. Not a great view from them, but you can see one of the other men as well as the journalist when they move out from this point here.” With his index finger pressed on the screen he marked the area where Foster attention was needed. “Ready?” Foster nodded. The officer played the clip where Sam stalked the two obscured figures at the container, but they were off screen. When Sam stepped through the archway Purdue and Lydia’s butler appeared to block off what they construed as an intruder on their intrusion.
“Stop!” Foster shouted, startling the whole office into silence. “Zoom this section in. Can you?”
“Certainly can,” the officer said, enlarging the men on the screen.
Foster leaned in and his mouth fell open. Inaudibly he said, “Healy!”
Chapter 18
“Nina?” Maria laughed. “You will feel better after you have had some sleep, David.”
The two beauties giggled over Purdue’s strange exclamation. “Is Nina your wife, David Purdue?” Maria smiled as she dressed his wounds very carefully.
“No,” he replied with great difficulty through the bolts of pain shooting through his skin wherever the warm sponge touched him. He looked at Sigrun in disbelief. Her eyes, her mouth, the shape of her nose and even her mannerism was that of Nina Gould. While she watched Maria tend to his injuries his eyes constantly met hers and Sigrun’s glare would penetrate his mind.
“Nina?” he whispered very softly as Maria’s chores whipped up a proper noise when she rinsed the bowls and ran the water. Still Sigrun did not break their visual bond. Purdue looked to see that Maria’s back was still turned. “Nina, is that you? Did you come to bring me back?” Sigrun seemed to understand his plight, but not once did she answer him in thought or word.
“Where are your men, soldier?” shouted Sturmbannführer Haupt as he breached the closed door and stormed at Purdue, bayonet in hand.
“You cannot come in here and attack our captives!” Maria reprimanded him. Haupt relented, keeping the point of his blade to Purdue’s throat. He stood aside, but remained adamant.