Chapter 22
L eo stood in the center of the room, swiveling his head in a slow inspection. “Wow, Celeste. This is so nice.”
“Thank you,” Celeste said, trying to relax. Leo was a friend. There was no reason to believe he was judging her. And she thought Esther’s deadpan expression had more to do with Esther than distaste over Celeste’s lack of decorating finesse. Sam sat on the couch, arms crossed. Esther and Leo remained standing, as if they were waiting for something. At last Celeste realized it was her. “Sit?” She waited until they chose their chairs and sat beside Sam who scooted closer. He seemed antsy, more so than he had been, and she thought maybe he was still uncertain if they viewed him as the enemy, even after Esther’s affirming statement.
“Could we maybe get this over with?” he asked.
“Is that okay with you, Leo?” Celeste added. She didn’t want him to think she was a challenge to his authority or his case. That might make him defensive, which could make things worse for Sam.
“You think I’m the one in charge?” Leo said with a chuckle. “Nah. Esther’s the lead investigator on this case.”
Esther gave a tentative half smile when everyone turned to survey her. Celeste wondered what her background was. It must have been impressive if she usurped Leo, who had been a lieutenant in the marines and sidecar to military intelligence for as long as she could remember. It surprised her further that an alpha male like Leo not only willingly handed the reins to Esther but had also clearly fallen for her. Wonders never cease, she thought with a little bit of hope. If an old timer like Leo could change, there might be hope for her, too.
“That’s a little better,” Sam said, softening as he gave Esther a smile. There was something wholesome and gentle about her that made everyone in her radius want to be kinder by proxy. Leo had always been a restless ball of energy, especially at work. The fact that he now sat placidly to the side with his arms loosely crossed could only be an effect of the soothing woman who sat beside him, head tipped to the side like a curious bird as she studied Celeste and Sam.
“I’m ready to begin,” Esther affirmed. She turned to Leo who pulled out a recording device and switched it on. She gave a little nod and then she was off, throwing out a blitz of questions and names attached to precise dates impossible for anyone to memorize. But somehow she had. She used no laptop, no notebook, not even a pen. Her hands were empty and crossed in her lap as her unending flow of words went on and on, peppering Sam with questions about what seemed to be every arms dealer in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
Celeste’s mesmerized gaze left her a moment to turn to Leo who gave her a little head nod, as if to say, I know, right? Can you believe it? No, she could not. She had never seen anything like Esther, not during her fifteen years as a soldier. She was like a walking, talking computer. And yet she remained kind, keeping Sam at ease so the endless barrage of questions didn’t feel like an interrogation at all.
“That brings us to two weeks ago and the event that led to your defection,” Esther said. “Are you okay to continue?”
“Let’s finish it,” Sam said, swiping his hand wearily over his eyes. He looked so…depleted. It echoed in a part of Celeste she thought was long gone, the selfless part of her that wasn’t solely focused on her own survival. Her hand slid unbidden toward his leg, bestowing a little pat. It wasn’t much, but for her it was monumental. She had comforted someone, a man, a handsome man, and absolutely nothing was in it for her. He gave her a tired smile and clasped her hand, giving it a squeeze. She felt Leo’s eyes on her and avoided his gaze.
Esther began again, rehashing the events of the two weeks and the crisis that had led to Sam’s arrival back in the states, basically an extended version of what he’d already told her. A sale of a self-guided missile went wrong when a man named Alfred Komeni tried to use a child from a local village as a test of Sam’s loyalty. He blew his cover, saved the kid, and fled for his life.
Sam reached the end of his story. Esther remained staring at him, expression blank. He squirmed.
“Was there something else?” he prodded.
Leo held up a hand, halting him. “She’s thinking, hold on. She has to replay the script in her head to make certain she didn’t miss anything.”
Everyone was silent a few minutes until Esther relaxed her posture and sat back. “No, that’s everything. Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to find a quiet place to type and file my report.”
“Sure,” Celeste said. “I assume you’re staying here.”
“We can get a hotel. We have a stipend,” Leo said, sounding exhausted. It must have been a long day with the flight and time change. Celeste remembered those days well and gave him a sympathetic smile.
“That’s a nice thought, I’m sure, but you’d be hard pressed to find a hotel within a hundred miles. It’s okay, this house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.”
Leo whistled, impressed. “So fancy, Celeste. You’re in the bigtime now.”
“If by ‘bigtime’ you mean barely habitable and completely sterile, then yes. But I do have clean sheets and towels, and Esther brought food. Beats that grotto in Cairo.”
“Any day and twice on Sunday,” Leo agreed, holding his hand up for a high five. “I think that was the last time I saw you. How long ago was that?” He addressed the question to Esther who provided an immediate answer.
“Three years, four months, and seven days.”
“Wow,” Celeste whispered, impressed. “That’s amazing, Esther. That you know Leo’s schedule that well.”
“Actually, I read your files as well. I like to be prepared, and I took note of all the times you crossed paths with Leo,” Esther said.
Sam, who looked half out of it after his long interview, suddenly perked up. “You read Celeste’s file?”
“I read everything,” Esther clarified.
“What did she do for The Colonel?”
Three mouths pressed together in sealed lines.
“Oh, come on. Please? Not even a hint?” Sam pled.
“Sorry, but you don’t have the classification to know,” Esther explained, which was kind of her because Leo and Celeste were happy to leave him twisting in the wind, uninformed.
“But I’m one of you guys. Sort of, in a reformed terrorist kind of way,” Sam said.
“And yet in another way we can be hauled before a tribunal and sentenced to death for breaking the law,” Leo said, pretending to ponder. “It’s a tough decision, for sure.”
“That’s a bit extreme,” Sam pouted.
“Come on, I’ll show you upstairs,” Celeste said, herding them out of the room.
“I’ll remain here, alone and ostracized as usual,” Sam called, but everyone ignored him.
Meanwhile Celeste gave Esther and Leo a tour of the house, ending upstairs where she deposited them to freshen up. Sam was still on the couch, staring dazedly into space when she returned.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, sitting down beside him.
“I think my life just flashed before my eyes, in a visceral sort of way,” he said, sounding dazed.
“Any regrets?”
“All of them, and yet I’m kind of sad it’s over, and how crazy is that? I’m back in the US, out of the double agent racket, and now what?” He looked at her as if she could provide an answer.
“I’m working on my own stuff over here,” she informed him. “You’re on your own.”
“Maybe that’s why we’re, you know…” he trailed off leadingly.
“What?” she said.
He huffed an annoyed sigh. “Attracted to each other, dummy.”
“I know, but I wanted to make you say it.”
“You take more than you give.” He said it in a flippant tone as he made a cage of his arms and put them around her, but for Celeste the words hurt because they were true. She had no idea how to open up and let anyone in, least of all men.
Sam pulled her close, nuzzling his nose against her neck. “You smell good.”
“How? I use cheap soap and no perfume,” she said.
“Maybe it’s your natural scent. Au de Celeste. Speaking of which, how long did you and Leo go out?”
“How does that relate to soap?” Celeste said.
“It doesn’t. I was trying to trick you into revealing secret information,” he said. “I’m a master interviewer.”
“You’re no Esther,” she said.
“Yes, but who is? I feel like if she’d been alive during the forties, we would have won the war in the thirties.”
“That makes no sense,” Celeste said, drawing in a sharp breath when he pressed his lips to her neck.
“I’m tired and you’re befuddling me with your good smells and such,” he said. “What are the chances we could compel Esther to cook supper for us?”
“Better than the chances of compelling me,” Celeste said. Her idea of cooking from scratch was using a manual can opener.
“You could learn,” Sam said, pulling back to give her a sincere look. Or maybe it wasn’t sincere. Maybe chocolate brown eyes gave the illusion of making everything seem sincere. But the softness in his expression wasn’t her imagination. And when he gave her a little squeeze and kissed the tip of her nose, she melted a little. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to decide if I should wait to kiss you until I hear Esther’s verdict about whether or not I have to kill you,” she said.
“Always kiss first, kill later,” he said.
“That’s coincidentally the same thing my drill instructor said,” she whispered, brushing her lips against his.
Leo’s step in the next room alerted them to his imminent return. By the time he entered, they were a respectable distance apart.
“Celeste and I were just talking about when you guys used to date,” Sam said.
Leo laughed. “Trying the sneak attack, huh? Can’t say that I blame you, but Celeste and I never dated. Not for lack of trying on my part. I asked you out three, maybe four times?”
“Something like that,” Celeste said, unconcerned.
“You really never went out?” Sam said.
“She always said no,” Leo said.
“In your defense, Leo, I said no to everyone.”
“I know. That’s why you were the white whale, the golden goose. The unobtainable and pristine Celeste.” He pressed his hands prayerfully together and gave her a little bow.
“I’m glad to see I created mystique and not resentment,” Celeste said. “I never wanted to earn the reputation of being cold or aloof. I just wanted to do my job.”
“What job was that again?” Sam asked.
“No one who knew you ever thought you were cold,” Leo assured her, ignoring Sam. “Just too good for us losers, in all the ways.”
“You’re nice,” Celeste declared. She’d always liked Leo. He never took her refusals personally, never turned on her and badmouthed her when she turned him down. He’d remained a pal. Truthfully, she had been a bit tempted by him for that very reason, because he’d been kind and good. But she’d held off, partially because of the rangy, unsettled feeling he always gave off. It was gone now, in the wake of Esther.
“You seem so happy, Leo,” she added.
“I am happy, Celeste. So happy.” Unbidden, his eyes flitted toward the stairs and Esther. “But it’s more than happiness, you know? It’s like all those broken little pieces are knitting themselves back together.” He wove his hands into a knot and held them aloft.
“I’m glad. Congratulations. Are you going to make it official? Put a ring on it?” Celeste asked.
“I’m going to make it official, but there will be no ring. Esther’s religion forbids it. We’re engaged though, it’s happening.”
“Not to backpedal on the happiness, but you sound a tad defensive,” Sam noted.
“Sorry,” Leo said, relaxing his tense posture. “Esther’s from a big, connected, protective family. I love them, I do . But it’s hard, you know? To go from being completely alone to that. They have ideas about things, about everything—when we should marry, where we should live. Esther’s ready to run away and change our identities, but I’m trying to stall her, to see if we can come to some sort of workable solution.”
“You don’t want to start life with a new family as the bad guy,” Celeste guessed.
“Exactly,” Leo said, nodding in relief that she understood.
“Plus take it from me: running away and changing your identity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Sam added.
“To staying put,” Leo said, holding his glass of water aloft.
“To healing all the broken pieces,” Celeste agreed, adding her glass.
“To falling in love,” Sam said. He had no water, so he merely held his hand up.
“You look like someone who has a question,” Celeste said, sipping her water before setting it down.
“I do,” he agreed, taking her water and drinking a hearty amount. “What was your job for The Colonel?”
“Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to know,” Leo interjected. “Cause if she tells you, then she has to kill you.”
“Might be worth it,” Sam mused, eyeing Celeste.
“I’ve seen the tapes, friend. Believe me, it’s not,” Leo said, downing the rest of his water.