‘Odd thing, though. If the Russian government is behind this, then why let us peek into their archives about Wolff and why tell us about Zoshchenko? That part doesn’t fit.’
‘No, but none of this has played out like a typical government-run intelligence operation. Somebody doesn’t just want to acquire this technology, they want to own it completely.’
41
Dexter, Michigan
Martin and Audrey Kilkenny were seated on the porch of their farmhouse when Nolan’s SUV rode up the long gravel drive. He parked near Martin’s old Ford pickup, then walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. Tears welled up in Audrey’s eyes as a woman handed Nolan a cane, then reached for his offered arm and carefully stepped out of the vehicle.
Nolan towered over the thin wisp of a woman who stood beside him. A halo of snow-colored hair framed an oval face. At the sight of Audrey and Martin Kilkenny, her dark eyes grew moist with emotion.
‘Elli, it’s so good to see you again,’ Audrey said as she carefully stepped down from the porch.
Elli Vital nodded, unable to express her feelings. The memories of this place, of the long weekends she’d spent here with Johann Wolff, all came back.
The last time she had walked up this drive, the father of the young man whose arm she leaned upon was just a boy. It was December of 1948 and Johann had failed to meet her at the train station. Instead of a weekend spent in celebration of her engagement, Elli and Martin searched in vain for her missing fiance. She returned to Chicago heartbroken, fearing that Johann’s disappearance was like that of everyone else she’d embraced as family – permanent.
So when Martin Kilkenny called her, the day that Elli had long dreaded finally came. Now she was here, reunited with old friends to honor the memory of her beloved Johann.
Elli released Nolan’s arm and walked the last few steps toward Martin and Audrey on her own. She trembled as more than fifty years of emotions resonated deeply within her.
‘You always said someday we would know the truth.’
Martin wrapped his arms around Elli in a display of love and support, as he had at the end of that terrible weekend when the man she loved was taken from her.
‘I had faith in Johann. I knew there was only one thing that could keep him from you.’
Elli pulled back and turned to embrace Audrey. They’d kept in touch over the years, exchanged letters and holiday cards, but the unknown always lingered like an un-welcome guest. Johann Wolff was the link that tied her to the Kilkennys, and his unresolved absence was a gulf that could never be completely bridged.
‘I’ve missed you so,’ Audrey said tearfully.
‘And I’ve missed you.’
‘That was a wonderful meal, Audrey,’ Elli declared.
Martin inched his chair away from the table. ‘That it was. And now that we’re fed, there’s some business we need to discuss. Kelsey, I have a wee bit of a favor to ask you. As you may have noticed, Elli here is getting around these days with the help of a walking stick. You see, she had her hip replaced a few months back and she’s still recovering from it.’
‘Martin, you don’t have to tell them my entire life story,’ Elli interrupted, a hint of her native German still present after half a century. ‘The point I hope Martin was eventually going to arrive at is that I need a place to stay. Because of my hip, I can’t climb stairs, so staying here is out of the question. Audrey mentioned that you have a nice one-story condo with a guest room. Would it be too much of an imposition?’
‘Not at all,’ Kelsey replied.
‘I told you she was a fine girl,’ Audrey said proudly. ‘We have high hopes for her and Nolan.’
Kelsey beamed as Nolan reddened.
‘The only advice I have to offer on that matter,’ Elli said with the confidence of age, but her voice a curious mix of regret and hope, ‘is that you must seize this time, for you never know what tomorrow will bring.’
Martin perked up. ‘Now that we have that problem solved, Nolan, do you happen to have a copy of that letter that was found with Johann?’
‘Not on me, but if you let me use your computer, I can probably print one out.’
‘You know where it is.’
Nolan exited the kitchen and walked into a small adjacent room. He switched on the computer and logged in to the MARC network and saw that he had new mail: a message with an attached file from avv@vio. com. ru. The subject of the message was SANDSTROM.
Nolan clicked on the message. It asked a single question: Is this file the work of Ted Sandstrom?
He selected the attached file.
‘What the hell?’
The file contained several pages of technical information concerning an energy device that sounded suspiciously like Sandstrom’s.
‘If this is real, then it could have only come from the people who stole it. But why send me a piece of it?’
Nolan quickly decided he needed to verify the authenticity of the correspondence, so he forwarded copies of the message and the attached file to Sandstrom and to Grin, hoping MARC’s computer guru might be able to identify who sent the E-mail. He then forwarded it to Mosley, just to cover all his bases, and printed out a copy for himself.
‘Nolan, did you find the letter?’ Martin called from the kitchen.
‘Working on it,’ he replied automatically, his mind still occupied by the E-mail.
‘Here it is,’ Nolan announced when he returned to the kitchen.
‘Would you do the honor of reading the first page to Elli.’ Martin’s voice cracked with emotion.
Nolan sat down and began to read. 10 December 1948 Dear Raphaele, Yesterday, I summoned up the courage to abandon myself to my dreams. I moved beyond the comfort of my existence and made a leap of faith. My actions were not based on any rational, cognitive process, but on those elements of hope, wonder; and discovery that make life itself worth living. I have discovered beauty and truth, and in the immortal words of Keats, that is all I need to know. Truly, it is all I want to know. I have given myself fully to the woman I love, and she now holds the key to my heart, my mind, and my soul. Elli has accepted me and offered herself fully in return. The emptiness is now filled.
42
Dexter, Michigan
Nolan reached out from his bed and fumbled for the cordless phone. The digital clock on the nightstand read 6:30 A.M.
‘Yeah,’ he answered, still groggy.
‘Good morning, sweetie,’ Kelsey said in a singsong voice.
‘Oh, hi, Kelsey,’ he replied with a yawn. ‘You’re up early.’
‘I couldn’t sleep. I need to talk to you about something.’
‘Now that I’m awake, go ahead.’
‘Do you think your grandfather is up?’
‘Now? Yeah, probably.’
