Diamonds in the Rough
Diamonds in the Rough
A Short Story
Chapter 4-7 of Zach and Jean Kaiser Series
By Bobby Everett Smith
04212020
Chapter 4 Zach and Jean’s at home in Houston, Texas
December 1982
On University Place, The Kaiser Apartment, adjacent to the Rice Campus, was just off South Main Street in Houston. A 25-year-old apartment in 1982, it was well maintained with two bedrooms, one bath and a small kitchen– plenty of room for a newlywed couple.
Three days after they arrived home after their more-than eventful trip to Israel, Zach woke up first and lay in bed next to Jean thinking about all the things that had happened to them over the past year: graduating from college, getting married, starting a diamond import business, traveling to Russia and Israel and assassinating a terrorist in Tel Aviv. Hard to believe that so much had happened in their first year of marriage.
Jean, a strong-willed woman, never mind that she was poised skilled at hitting tiny targets hundreds of yards away with a high-powered rifle. Zach thought to himself that Jean might be the stronger personality of the two but It didn’t bother him so much that he was losing sleep over it. After all, he was the leader in building a new diamond import business and an assistant to a CIA worldwide terrorist assassin.
“Good morning,” Jean said sleepily when she awakened.
“Hey there,” Zach replied. “How did you sleep?”
“After we finally quit fooling around, I slept like a baby,” Jean replied.
“Me too. Do you want to debrief our trip and the first operation?”
“Yes, we need to do that but let me get up and go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and have a cup of coffee.”
“OK. It’s Saturday, we have all morning.”
“Before we get started on the business end of our debriefing, I would like to discuss our personal lives. Are you up for that?”
“Of course, what’s on your mind?” Zach replied.
“We had sex three times last night before we went to sleep, and I am still not done? What about you?”
“I was done, almost dry and totally satisfied? You still want more?”
“I could do it again once or twice. I have an orgasm every time and pretty soon after you get it in.”
“That’s good to know. We can go again this morning if you like.”
“I just wanted you to know you married a horny woman and I am not about to sit back wanting more at least without telling you.”
“I’m glad you did. I can keep up with you; I am sure of that.”
“Down to business,” Jean replied.
“We started the diamond import business with my first trip to Moscow in March. I got robbed of $20,000 but the Soviet Department of Interior made up for the loss to get us coming back. The diamonds turned out to be of excellent quality and we learned that we could make a lot of money out of this business. We found a good diamond cutter in Tel Aviv and had little trouble selling the diamonds wholesale throughout Texas.”
“We got a part-time job with the CIA killing terrorists. Thanks to your sharp-shooting skills. We got our first assignment; I assemble the rifle and scope and you pull the trigger. Neither of us dreamed of doing anything like that but you, especially, pulled it off. Wow, hard to believe, a good-looking, horny, female assassin. No one would ever think of suspecting you of doing that job. But you did and we got away without a hitch. I doubt that we will always be able to pull off such a smooth operation. In fact, the odds of our getting caught and executed are surprisingly good.”
“I did not expect to be so calm in pulling off the assassination of another human being and I must tell you, I got turned on while I was aiming at Abu. I must be a nymphomaniac. I was slightly embarrassed.”
“Oh my god. You are a natural at being an assassin.”
“I wouldn’t do it without you and without completely believing that it for the good of our country. Even if it does turn me on.”
“Andrew Smith seemed pleased with the way we handled the assignment and to my knowledge, no one saw us or suspected us of being the shooters. I will practice on putting the rifle together quicker so as not to get you agitated while you are getting ready to fire.”
“I wonder if we will ever get another assignment,” said Jean.
“I think there’s an unlimited number of targets. The main thing is not to take too many chances.” Zach said.
“I’ve got three trips planned to Russia in the next year and the following year I will add two more trips to Sri Lanka and Myanmar to buy sapphires and rubies. I will always pick up rough stones and hand-carry them to Tel Aviv for cutting and polishing.
In the meantime, we can expect more CIA operations in the Middle East. You need to keep practicing your sharp-shooting skills and you might want to learn martial arts and some of the other skills that the CIA teaches at Sealey.
“I am up for that which, with my job at DoD, will keep me plenty busy while you are traveling,” replied Jean.
Chapter 5 IPO Headquarters
West Bank, Israel
December 1982
“Just to review, on November 22, 1982, Abdu al Azzam was shot in the neck as he exited this building after a meeting where he discussed an attack on the Super Bowl in Pasadena, California. He died instantly and I have taken over his responsibilities as the leader of our organization. We have suspended the attack on the Super Bowl, but I am here to tell you that we have not suspended our jihad against America. We are here today to discuss the investigation into those responsible for Abu’s death and next steps in our continuing jihad.
In our search of the surrounding area, we found the sniper’s rifle in a room on the third floor across the street and 300 yards down the block. A Remington 700 CSR, it undoubtedly belonged to the CIA. The case was found open adjacent to the street. It took a good shot to hit our beloved Abu in the neck, and we suspect it was one of the CIA sniper’s skilled in sharp shooting.
We have interviewed 34 people but have not come up no good suspects at this point. We will not give up until we find the sniper and exact our revenge. Investigators have been authorized to kill the assassin when they find him.
One American couple, Zach Kaiser and his wife left Israel two days after the shooting. Zach is a legitimate diamond broker and we have no reason to suspect those people as the sniper. Even so, we are dispatching George Khoury to Houston to surveil them for a few days and try to determine if there is any reason to look further into them as possible shooters. “George, you need to leave for Houston tonight and stay there until you determine one way or another if the Kaiser family could be involved in this brutal murder.”
“OK, I keep a bag packed at home for these types of investigations and I will be on the next flight to Houston. I have been there before on assignment, so I know the city a little bit. Let me get the files on the Kaisers and I can study their profiles on the flight over,” said George Khoury, a Palestinian intelligence agent for the IPO.
George caught a midnight flight to Houston, non-stop from the Tel-Aviv Airport. He was dressed in western casual clothes, a blue blazer and button-down dress shirt and grey slacks with black lace up dress shoes. He ordered a chicken dinner from his first-class menu and despite the Islamic prohibition to alcohol, he had two glasses of red wine which put him to sleep for two hours right after the flight attendant cleared his tray from his seat.
At 4 a.m. Tel-Aviv time, he woke up and pulled out his files on the Kaiser family. He spent the next two hours studying the profiles of Zach and Jean Kaiser. He learned that Zach was a Rice graduate, a small private university located on South Main Street just south of downtown. Zach graduated in 1979 with a degree in Economics and he went to work for his parents at Kaiser Jewelry in downtown Houston.
Jean graduated from the University of Texas in Austin also in 1979 with an MBA. She was a sorority sister of the KAD Sorority, very beautiful, 5’6” tall and a perfect 120 pounds. She had been on the Texas University Rifle Team, a screaming possible clue which made George’s ears stand up.
Zach had made one trip to Moscow and Tel Aviv and one trip with his wife to Tel Aviv. Zach was expanding the jewelry business to import diamonds, rubies, and sapphires from Russia, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia. The import business was less than one year old and seemed to be off to a profitable start. Jean worked full time for the Department of Defense with offices in downtown Houston just a few blocks from Kaiser’s Jewelry.
Palestinian spy in Houston, Texas
George Khoury landed in Houston at about 9:30 A.M. Central Standard Time. He rented a 1980 Ford Mustang convertible from Hertz and drove 15 miles to the Houston Hotel in downtown Houston. He checked in and immediately went to seep for a four-hour nap.
When he woke up from his nap, George dressed for dinner and left the hotel with the goal of finding the jewelry store, checking out other landmarks in downtown Houston and having a steak at one of the famous Texas steak houses. He was back in Room 430 by 8 p.m. and he watched TV until he was ready to fall asleep. George dozed off thinking how much he loved his job and how determined he was to find the killer of his good friend and leader, Abu al Azzam.
IPO at Kaiser Jewelry
The next morning, George had breakfast in his room at the hotel using room service. He dressed in his American clothes, Navy blue suit, red tie and white shirt, black shoes and sox. He looked like any well-dressed American on the streets of Houston.
At 10 a.m. he headed for Kaiser’s Jewelry where he was greeted by Hannah Kaiser.
“Good morning, you’re our first customer of the day. How can I help you?” Hannah asked.
“I am here from Israel, but I am looking for a diamond engagement ring which I plan to give to my fiancé when I get back to Israel.”
“That’s our specialty and we have recently added a new line of diamonds which are superior in quality and value. You can shop the world over and not find anything any better.”
“I’m glad I came here, show me what you recommend.”
“I’ll start with the largest diamond first. Here is one which I will show you unmounted. We can pick out the mounting your future bride might want when we have selected a stone.”
“Here is a 2.54 carat round diamond that is nearly flawless and of brilliant white color.”
“That’s beautiful,” said George. “How much is it.”
“Our asking price for this gorgeous stone is $40,000.”
“Can I look at a diamond in the 1.0 carat range?”
“Yes, we have one at .99 carats here and another at .74 carats here.”
“Let’s put all three of those under the loupe so that you can examine them the way a jeweler does. Our diamonds are mined in Russia and cut and polished in Tel Aviv. These Russian rough diamonds have just recently come on the market and we believe they are amongst the top diamonds we have ever seen here in Texas.”
“What’s the price on the smaller ones,” George asked.
“The 1.0 carat diamond is $5,000 and the .74 carat is $3,750. The platinum mounting is included in that price and there is no sales tax here in Texas.”
“One other thing,” said Hannah. “Every diamond in this collection comes with a Certification from GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. It is one of the finest diamond laboratories in the world and certifies that the diamond is the size, color, cut, and clarity that we claim it to be. Here’s a copy of the certificate that goes with the largest diamond. They don’t certify price, just quality.”
“I am happy I came here to shop. You certainly have a wonderful collection. I just need to think it over for a few days. Can I come back on Wednesday or Thursday?”
Little did Hannah know that George had every intention of putting a bullet or a knife into her son or daughter-in-law. He was instructed to find the assassin of his leader and to exercise revenge on the spot, much in the 007 James Bond tradition, a Palestinian spy on the hunt in Houston, Texas.
“Yes, but don’t forget these diamonds are on the market until the first person puts money down on them. The longer you wait the better chance that someone else will purchase the stone you love the best.”
“I’ll keep that in mind and get back to you as soon as I have decided.”
George noted that a young man dressed in coat and tie had come into the store and headed towards the offices in the back –undoubtedly Zach Kaiser. “I’ll hold off on meeting him.”
When he got back to the hotel, George composed a message to his leader on the West Bank.
“The biggest news so far, Jean Kaiser, wife of Zach Kaiser, the jeweler, is a graduate from the University of Texas and while there she was a member of the rifle team. She is considered an expert sharpshooter. No corroborating information at this point. I will keep you posted if anything materializes. I am going to check out Jean’s offices in downtown Houston next.”
Khoury investigates Jean Kaiser
George had no trouble finding the DoD headquarters where Jean’s office was located on the 22nd Floor of the Mickey Leland Federal Building. He found that entrance to the 22nd Floor required a security clearance and badge. He waited for a couple of hours in the downstairs lobby where he had coffee and read his newspaper. He observed several young, good-looking women, any of whom could have been Jean. He would soon find out.
On Tuesday, at the end of the working day, Zach leaves the jewelry store and drives to the front of the Federal Building on Smith Street where Jean is waiting for him.
She gets in the car and they drive home. George Khoury is following in his Mustang, discreetly behind.
As they normally do, Zach and Jean stop at Dakota’s, a local bar near their apartment, where they have a couple of drinks and dinner at the bar.
“Everything seems back to normal at my work. How about yours?” Jean asked.
“Yes, I am preparing for my next trip to Russia and expect to leave in about three weeks.”
Neither Zach nor Jean noticed that a handsome, well-dressed young man that they had not seen before came into the bar and took a seat at the opposite end from Jean and Zach. George Khoury ordered a glass of Chardonnay and sipped it slowly observing the American targets as discreetly as possible.
“I am planning to go to Lake Armstrong on weekends while you are gone. I will practice on the firing range and I am going to start working on getting a black belt in karate, possibly taking a course in knife-fighting. That way, if you give me any trouble, I will be able to handle you without hesitation.” Jean said.
“Well, you won’t have to use those skills on me, but they might come in handy in your part-time job. I heartily recommend them and would like to be taking them with you. I need to practice rifle assembly, but I can do that mentally as well as physically.
At 8 p.m. Jean and Zach left Dakota’s Bar and Grill and headed for their apartment where they showered, watched TV for a while and turned in to bed for the night at about 10 p.m. This was their normal routine when they were not traveling.
Israel Intelligence
Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism in Israel. Mossad is separate from Israel’s democratic institutions. Because no law defines its purpose, objectives, roles, missions, powers or budget and because it is exempt from the constitutional laws of the State of Israel, Mossad has been described as a deep state. Its director answers directly and only to the Prime Minister. Its annual budget is estimated to be around 10 billion shekels (US$2.73 billion) and it is estimated that it employs around 7,000 people directly, making it the second-largest espionage agency in the Western world, after the American CIA.
The designated director of the Mossad, Yekutiel Adam was killed in the1982 Lebanon War. Admoni was chosen to replace him.
During his service as Mossad Director, Admoni watched over the Jonathan Pollard affair, in which it was revealed that Israel was spying on the United States.
Admoni was well-aware of the CIA assassination of Abu al Azzam and he directed two agents to take full time to investigate the killing and find out who in the CIA was behind it.
Oren Kahan, senior counter-terrorism agent, was assigned full-time to investigate the CIA operation to kill a Palestinian on Israeli soil. Kahan had discovered that George Khoury was working the case from Palestine West Bank and he had followed him to Houston. Kahan had dinner at a table at the Dakota Bar and Grill and kept a watchful but discreet eye on the Kaiser couple and his primary target, George Khoury.
Andrew Smith was also in Houston with another CIA agent who were watching the Kaiser couple. Khoury was watching Kaisers, Kahan was watching Khoury and Smith was watching all of them.
Back at his hotel after spending one full day watching the Kaisers, George Khoury reviewed the information he had collected. Jean Kaiser had emerged as the main suspect in the assassination. Her husband seemed to be an assistant. George theorized that they were an unlikely pair of assassins, this was their first operation, and they would probably be preparing for new operations as they continued with the cover of their jewelry import business and Jean’s job as a Strategic Planner for the Department of Defense.
George decided he would spend the next couple of days trying to gather specific evidence that supported his theory. If he could find enough evidence, he would confirm his opinions with his bosses and if they agreed, he would capture and or kill the Kaisers.
Oren Kahan of Israel’s Mossad checked into the Holiday Inn on South Main Street in Houston, just south of the main entrance of Rice University. Oren reviewed his information. He knew that George Khoury was in Houston watching Jean and Zach Kaiser, suspecting them of assassinating Abu al Azzam suspected that Smith might be the agent in charge of the CIA assassination with the Kaisers working for him.
Zach and Jean headed for their full-time jobs the following morning.
“I would like to go to Lake Armstrong this weekend for some practice on the firing range. Do you want to come with me?” Jean asked her husband.
Yes, but I have an appointment Friday in Dallas to sell some diamonds and I don’t think I will get back in time to join you on Saturday. Why don’t you go without me?”
“OK, if you can get back in time, we will go together, otherwise, I will go alone, and we can meet back at the apartment Saturday evening. Maybe we can go to the College Inn for dinner; it’s the number one restaurant in Houston.
“Sounds good.”
Until Thursday, the Kaisers went to work as usual for their jobs in downtown Houston. Khoury was disappointed that nothing was happening which would justify his taking remedial action. He did initiate in depth research into Jean’s background, especially as a member of the University of Texas rifle team. Andrew Smith was keeping a distant eye on his new agents with the goal to correcting any mistakes they might make but specially to protecting them should the enemy get information which could lead to their capture or murder.
On Thursday Zach drove to Austin, Texas for an appointment with Jared’s jewelry, a prospect for his new diamond imports. On Friday he drove the 200 miles to Dallas where he met with the owner of Kay’s, a group of six jewelry stores in Dallas, Ft. Worth. It was late Friday afternoon before he finished, and he decided to drive home the next day instead of driving late Friday night after a rough week.
Saturday morning, Jean drove to Lake Armstrong and was followed discreetly by George Khoury. When she reached the guarded entrance to the CIA facility, she was allowed in after presenting her credentials.
George was watching through binoculars from a half mile back. Oren Kahan was watching him from one half further back. Inside, Jean went straight to the firing range through the VIP entrance. She was surprised to find Andrew Smith waiting for her.
“I promise not to make a habit of this,” Smith said.
“You are being followed. In fact, we have a Ford Mustang under surveillance not far from the entrance to Lake Armstrong and we think it is an agent of the IPO. There is also a car following him that may be another foreign agent. We intend to take both into custody and charge them with spying on the United States.“
“Oh my god. I had no idea they would suspect me so quickly,” Jean replied.
“They might just be collecting information. You have one weakness and that is your skills as a sharpshooter are well known and easily researched. You may have performed your one and only operation for the CIA. You go ahead and start practicing. I’ve got something to do outside the gates.”
Khoury Arrested
George Khoury was sitting in his mustang looking at the guard gate through binoculars. A car with four CIA agents including Andrew Smith pulled up behind him and approached the driver’s side of the car with guns drawn.
“Get out of the car with your hands visible.”
“What’s the problem. I’m a tourist just looking at the scenery?” replied Khoury.
“Let me see your passport and driver’s license,” Andrew Smith demanded.
“You’re from Palestine?” Smith asked.
“Yes, I am here for my first trip to Texas.”
“You’re under arrest for spying on the United States of America. Put your hands behind your back. We’re taking you with us.”
The CIA driver drove through the Lake Armstrong entrance without stopping. He drove around to the rear of the resort and entered through a door that opened automatically as he approached. Inside they took Khoury to an underground room where he was searched and handcuffed to a bar at the center of a long table.
Smith questioned him, “Please give me your name, address, telephone number and employer.”
“I haven’t broken any laws. I don’t understand why you are treating me like a criminal.”
“you are suspected of being a spy for the IPO. If you tell us what we need to know and cooperate, we can get you out of here in the shortest amount of time. If you don’t cooperate, you will be placed in a maximum-security prison of the United States and you will be held indefinitely.”
At the firing range, Jean finished her third round of practice when Smith returned to talk to her.
“We have arrested a man from Palestine, and we think he is a spy for the IPO. I need to finish my conversation with you and then get back to him.”
Saturday morning, Zach returned from his sales trip to Dallas. “How did your trip to Lake Armstrong go?”
“Andrew Smith was there again, and he arrested a Palestinian who apparently was following me. Andrew thinks the IPO Intelligence suspects that you and I are the shooters from the assassination. We would have been targets for death if Smith had not spotted him. Right now, it is Top Secret that he has been arrested and has been transported to some unknown location for interrogation.”
“That’s pretty exciting. Does that mean our career as assassins for the CIA is over?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Jean replied. “We’re pretty good at it even though it is easy to spot me if I maintain the identity of Jean Kaiser. I could always change my name.”
Chapter 6 CIA Headquarters- Counterterrorism
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
December 1982
In the conference room adjacent to his office, Andrew Smith called the meeting of five CIA executives to order.
“This is a Top-Secret Meeting based on Need-to-Know.”
“Throughout the world, terrorism groups have been accelerating their activities against the United States both at home and abroad. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a change to our organization to focus more clearly on anti-terrorism activities.”
As you know we conducted a clandestine operation in Israel recently, taking out Abu al Azzam in the West Bank. We believe that this operation can take credit for stopping an attempt to detonate explosives at the Super Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 30. 1983.
While that successful operation stopped the bombing on American soil, it is only temporary, and we know that Palestinian terrorists are planning future operations which may be aimed inside the USA or outside. We are not sure where just yet.
“Other terrorist’s organizations in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and almost everywhere else in the world are planning attacks against the United States. Israel has invaded Lebanon where they are fighting the PLO.”
“To counter these aggressions, the Director has ordered me to form a permanent full-time group here at headquarters focused on stopping terrorists aiming their actions against the U.S. As a result, I am announcing the formation of the CIA Anti-Terrorist Group. Starting today, I will be the Director, Anti-Terrorism, reporting directly to the Director, CIA. I will have a staff of five full-time operators here in Langley and access to part-time assets throughout the world, including the assets we are already working with in Houston, Zach and Jean Kaiser.”
“We will be coordinating with Intelligence Agents at the FBI, Department of Defense, and the NSA. Each of those organizations will have full time staff against terrorism and part-time assets assigned on an ad-hoc basis.”
“All five of you have been assigned to my new group and we will start the transition to full-time effective immediately. Physically, you will stay in your current offices and each of you will report directly to me for assignments, priorities and strategic planning.”
I will meet with you individually to discuss your specific responsibilities and on-going threats. We will start those meetings this afternoon and Sadie will make the appointment with you that fits with your schedule. We will have to ease out of the current assignments each of us may have and we will start doing that after our personal meetings.”
Here are the top five targets that we see currently:
Super Bowl—Is the attack dead? If so, what’s next? We know they are not giving up, in fact, we believe they are more determined than ever after the assassination.
Kidnapping of Commercial Airliners and Crashing into World Trade Center
Assassination of the President of the United States
Short Circuit of National Electrical Grid
Disruption of the U.S. Stock Market
“Let’s adjourn and I will talk to each of you individually later today. I would like to get all those meetings completed before we go home today.”
Chapter 7 Lake Armstrong, Sealey, Texas
CIA Top Secret Training Facility
January 1983
Lake Armstrong is a Top-Secret training facility for the CIA. It includes a five-star restaurant and a 35 bed five-star hotel. It is available for use only by invited CIA personnel. The facility is located 50 miles west of Houston.
The mission of Lake Armstrong is training of CIA field personnel and almost everyone in the company has trained either there or at the facility in Virginia before being deployed to their field operations throughout the world. Agents and informants come to the facility in Sealey for training in assassinations, martial arts, cyber terror, knife fighting, and other skills that are necessary in conducting a worldwide spy operation.
Zach and Jean were scheduled to attend sniper training at Lake Armstrong in December 1982.
“Andrew Smith called yesterday, and he wants us to attend training sessions at Lake Armstrong at least once a month and maybe more if we can spare the time. The main goal is to work on our sniper skills, but they have other courses that I might like to join,” said Jean.
“I have heard that the facilities there are five star. They have it set up so that it will be attractive to participants to come and have some fun while they are there. They serve home-cooked gourmet meals prepared by a world-class chef and the lodging is equally prestigious. Full bar with top-shelf booze and on weekends, live entertainment. It is all free if you get an invitation to come there,” Zach replied.
“We need the training. I want to be the best sharpshooter in the world, and you need some practice assembling the rifle and the scope. Let’s go this week-end if that works for you.”
“Sounds good to be. Let’s leave early Friday afternoon and have a nice night, dinner and drinks and be can be up early Saturday for training on their sniper range. I’ll let Andy Smith know that we are coming, and he will make reservations in the lodge, the restaurant, and the firing range.”
The CIA bought the 45 acres that make up Lake Armstrong in 1975. They turned it into a 35-room resort with a full kitchen and private bar. Adjacent to the lobby is the unclassified exercise room and indoor swimming pool. Underneath the pool area is a Top-Secret VIP area that contains a shooting range and five rooms for different kinds of training including sharpshooting, pistol and rifle, knife fighting, martial arts, women’s self-defense, and tactical assault training. Each training area is managed and operated by an instructor who according to CIA executives are the best in the world in their field. CIA agents from all over the world come to Lake Armstrong to get better in their area of expertise and while they are there have some fun. Only agents with Top Secret CIA clearances are eligible to participate.
Zach and Jean arrived at the gate where armed guards managed entry for eligible agents. The guard checked their identification and his list of guests for the weekend. They drove through the gate to the lobby of the facility and checked in at the front desk.
“Welcome to Lake Armstrong. This is your first time here. We have you scheduled for dinner tonight and training tomorrow. Your dinner is scheduled for 8 p.m. and training likewise starts at 8 a.m. in the morning. You can get breakfast in your room through room service or you can come back to the dining room for breakfast any time after 6 a.m. if you prefer. You will be given a one hour classified introduction to the Lake Armstrong facility first thing in the morning. Your senior instructor for your visit is Clarence Daniels and you will meet him in the morning at 8 a.m. The entrance to the VIP training facility is through the door marked VIP in the fitness center here on the first floor.”
The manager gave them electronic keys to their suite which was on the first floor at the end of the hall. They went down to their facility, unpacked the small bags that each one had brought and Zach immediately threw Jean on the bed and they had sex for the first but not the last time of the weekend. It occurred to Zach that there might be hidden cameras in the room, but he did not let that stop his romantic aggression.
At 7:30 Zach and Jean showered together, dressed casually, and went down to the dining room. The chef, Marshall DuPont, met them at the entrance to the dining room and escorted them to their table. He described the menu for the night, Chateau Briand, scalloped potatoes, assorted baked vegetables, and Banked Alaska for desert. Red wine was paired with the steak, Heitz Cellar or Jordan California Cabernet Sauvignon. “You will like the way I prepare your steak, medium rare? Marshall asked. The wine is 1973 and the best from California in two decades. Welcome to Lake Armstrong, it’s my pleasure to prepare some excellent meals for you while you are here.”
Saturday morning, the couple had breakfast, croissants, poached eggs, and orange juice in their suite at 7:15. By 7:45 they were dressed in working clothes for a day of excitement in the most secret and sophisticated training facility in the world.
They walked through the fitness center, spotted the VIP entrance, and presented the key to the electronic attendant which asked them to present their right hands to the measuring device. Once they had passed the security requirements, they entered the Top-Secret Training facility. Waiting for them in the hallway was Clarence Daniels, their Senior Instructor for the weekend and Andrew Smith.
“I am quite surprised to see you here, Andrew,” blurted Jean.
“Yes, I did not mention that I would be here but I wanted to debrief the Palestine operation and also to be here while Clarence is describing your training for this week end and for what is available to you in the future. I would have enjoyed dinner with you last night, but I prefer that no one, including other CIA agents know that you two and I have any kind of relationship.”
“I’ll sign up for sharpshooter training any weekend when Zach is traveling. I am intrigued to learn martial arts and knife-fighting if I have enough time to work those two skills into my schedule.” Jean said.
“I will just stick to the sharpshooting training when I can come with Jean,” Zach replied.
Zach spent the entire day working to improve his rifle assembly skills and Jean worked on improving his sharpshooting. At lunch they had iced tea and a sandwich and wrapped up the day at 5 p.m.
Sunday morning Jean attended her first karate training session for an hour. Zach stayed in the suite and read the Sunday Houston Chronicle. At 4 p.m. they checked out and headed back to Houston.
Recent Comments