The next morning, I busied myself making breakfast while I thought about what else we needed to cover before the drop. There were the local cops to inform. Maybe get a few of the shopkeepers there. Was there anything else I could do to maximise the impact of this?
“Shrimp? Ted didn’t email last night.”
Deep in my own thoughts, I wasn’t really paying attention to Tania. “That’s nice, honey.”
“Jerod!” The tone of her voice made my brain go to instant replay of the last thing Tania said. “You weren’t listening, were you?”
I watched Tania struggle with her thoughts. I wanted to tell her that everything would be fine. That she didn't have to blacken her soul for my sake. That I will love her always, no matter what her decision today is.
Yet I said nothing. Because I know she needs to work out what to do on her own. It’s a serious thing, she’s not born for this kind of life. I was and hatching an evil plot to achieve something gives me a rush. Coming up with the base plan, checking the details, putting the finishing touches on it. It’s exhilarating. And the sweet feeling of success when it’s all over and done with is a high of its own. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and a quiet life at home too. But scheming has always been a special thrill.
Still, that’s what I get out of it. I can’t make any promises to Tania that she’ll feel the same. She may not, the core of her soul is still as white as an infant’s soul. I’ve laid as much truth as she needs on the line. The rest is up to my lovely wife.
Well away from the Beaumont household, we started to discuss what Jean Luc had told us. “So, Shrimp, where would we get information about this Lambert guy?”
“Well, I may ask a shopkeeper or two a few questions. You should head for base and send email to Ted. See what his computer wizardry can conjure up for us.”
“Mister, do you think I’m letting you wander town on your own?”
“Tania, this is my game and my rules.” I gave her a serious look. “Base camp is two minutes walking distance from the shops. It’s as safe for both of us as any place can be. And I have a way of getting information out of people. Someone may talk to one person but they may not with two.”
I rang the supplier and arranged a meeting for the next afternoon. He sounded slightly surprised when I said I was bringing someone to the meeting, but not put off by the idea.
Being free from obligations for the rest of the day, Tania and I spent it just wandering around.We drove past several vineyards and villas. We walked through the centre of town.
Exploring even a small town is more tiring than you might expect. Tania and I headed to the hostel around the time that dusk fell.
"Shrimp, where's the new laptop?"
I pulled it out of my bag and handed it to Tania. "What do you want it for?"
She quickly set it up on the tabletop. "I'm going to send an email to Ted. Let him know we're here and the meeting is tomorrow."
The day Ted arrived while I was eating lunch. “Right, here are the tickets. Business class all the way.” Ted waved around a small envelope.
“And here is a laptop for you to use.” He laid a small computer down on the desk, placed the envelope with the tickets next to the laptop and sat down to demonstrate it.
“Ted, we could buy a computer.”
“Not like this baby," Ted explained with a grin. "I started with the best laptop on the market. I have everything set up, best security systems I could get. I’ve preconfigured email and the SimBrowser to automatically use secure encrypted connections.”
