USSR Hoax

15 A BAD MAN

The metal shopping cart was positioned perfectly up against the station wagon, ensuring it wasn’t going anywhere. Overhead, thick dark clouds had developed, blocking the hot August sun and giving promise of an early afternoon thunderstorm. In an effort to beat the first raindrops, Anne quickly loaded the last few paper bags of groceries into her car’s backseat. Peter was sitting in the cart intently studying his new box of cereal. After the last bag was in, Anne tried to take the box, but Peter stubbornly pulled it away, not wanting to give it up.

Smiling at her four-year-old, Anne realized she needed to be more persuasive. Possibly if she treated him like a helper, he would relinquish it. “Tell you what Peter, how about you help Mommy and you put your cereal in the car.” That seemed to do the trick. Holding on to the box, the boy raised his free arm, looking for assistance out of the cart. Anne reached in, feeling every ounce of the boy’s forty-pound weight as she lifted him. “You are not getting any lighter, young man.” She gently set her son down on the asphalt before pointing toward the backseat. “Now put the cereal inside the car.”

Peter hesitated for a moment.

Anne gave her son a stern look. “Peter.”

The boy abandoned the fight and turned to put the box inside. Anne pushed the cart over to the front of the car before walking back. Peter had set the box on the seat in such a way that he could keep looking at it. Anne tenderly moved her son to the side and picked up the box, placing it in one of the bags. When she closed the door she was shocked to see a pair of arms suddenly trap her against the car. She turned and was surprised to see Chris Riddick, standing inches from her, his arms strategically placed to prevent her from escaping. She kept her composure as she asked coldly, “Can I help you, Chris?”

Chris had an intense stare. “I thought we had a deal.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You promised me you weren’t going to tell Tom about what happened at my place.”

Feeling uncomfortable, Anne pressed an arm against his, signaling she wanted to get free from his entrapment, but Chris wouldn’t budge. She responded strongly, “I didn’t tell Tom anything.”

“You know that was an innocent pass. I was only trying to comfort you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Anne put her hands on Chris’s chest and attempted to push. But nothing happened. She was getting nervous. “Chris, let me go.”

“You know I caught your husband doing something illegal. I can end his career. Even have him put in jail.”

Having no idea what the man was talking about, Anne questioned if it was even true. She looked Chris directly in the eye. “What are you saying? Are you threatening me?”

“Not exactly, but you can guarantee it will stay a secret.” Chris moved in dangerously close. His breath feathered her lips. “You are so beautiful.”

Turning her face away, Anne pushed back hard against Chris’s chest, trying to break free. “Let me go, Chris.”

Peter cried out, “Let Mommy go.”

Anne saw Peter pulling on Chris’s pants. Chris easily kicked his leg free from the little boy’s grasp. Anne angrily looked up to see a sinister look in Chris’s eyes. He looked determined to kiss her. She had no choice but to attack the man, and she knew exactly where. She took a hold of his shirt with both hands, allowing her to put all of her weight on one foot. She lifted the other, and with all of her might, powered her knee as hard as she could into Chris’s crotch, pulling on his shirt for maximum effect.

Bull’s-eye. Chris instantly dropped his arms as he let out a loud groan, doubling over in pain. Hearing the man cry out brought a sense of satisfaction to Anne as she hurriedly grabbed Peter and tossed him onto the front seat of the car before jumping behind the wheel. She quickly locked the door. Starting up the car, she looked out her window to see Chris still bent over. You deserved that, you bastard.

Anne sped out of the parking lot. When she stopped at a red light, her hands were trembling.

“Are you okay, Mommy?”

Looking over to her little protector, Anne said lovingly, “I am, thanks to you, Son.”

A big smile appeared on Peter’s face.

Placing a hand gently on his leg, Anne squeezed. “You were very brave back there.”

“Was that a bad man, Mommy?”

“Yes, Son. That was a very bad man.”

“WE HAVE A PROBLEM.”

Tom looked across Dick’s desk with concern. “What’s that?”

“I called in Chris earlier today to tell him he would be part of the joint mission with the Soviets. Though he was excited, I was surprised when he still told me about the lunar sample you had.”

Tom couldn’t believe his supposed “friend” had already broken his promise. “Why in the world did he do that?”

“Good question. Maybe he was afraid the canister might be discovered and he could be connected, or he just has issues with you.”

“What did you say?”

“I was caught off guard. I didn’t know what to say. However, the less I said, the more he rambled on. I eventually told him thanks for informing me and to keep it a secret until I was able to look into it.”

Tom started shaking his head. “We can’t trust the guy. Here you offer him an assignment, which proves I’ve talked with you, and he still shoots off his mouth. You’re right. We do have a problem.”

“Well, I think I’ve figured out how to solve it.”

“How?”

“We will…”

Suddenly Dick was cut off by a voice coming out of the desk intercom. “Mr. Stanton, Chris Riddick is here to see you.”

Tom opened his mouth in protest.

Dick put a hand up signaling Tom to sit tight while he pressed the talk button. “Send him in.”

After Dick released the button, Tom wondered what his boss was up to. “Did you request him to your office?”

“I did, but I didn’t expect him so soon.”

“What are we going to say?”

“Don’t worry, just follow my lead.”

A knock sounded on the door before Riddick opened it. He entered with his usual cocky expression. Once he noticed Tom, Chris hesitated for a moment, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Dick pointed to the chair. “Welcome, Chris, please close the door and have a seat.”

After slowly shutting the door, Chris narrowed his eyes at Dick as he lowered himself into the chair.

Tom just smiled. He couldn’t imagine what was going through the man’s head.

“Chris, I called you here to discuss the LRL canister you saw in Tom’s possession.”

Tom had no idea where Dick was going and saw by Riddick’s uneasy reaction, neither did he.

“You stumbled onto a covert operation. One which I wasn’t ready to open up to you about this morning.”

Tom looked at Chris. Is Dick actually going to tell him about the operation?

Speaking with confidence, Dick continued, “Management caught wind of someone within the agency who was secretly asking questions about how to acquire lunar material. There was concern this person might be looking to steal some. After further investigation it was learned an international buyer had been lined up. Because of the seriousness of the crime, the CIA was called in. Tom was recruited as part of a sting operation.”

Chris’s mouth was agape as he looked over at Tom.

Mashing his lips together, Tom did his best to keep a straight face as he nodded toward Chris.

“Tom was in the process of passing over the LRL canister to the individual when you found it.”

Chris leaned forward. “Who’s the guy?”

“That’s information you don’t need to know.”

Chris nodded acceptance.

“You should know that the canister was empty. It was set up to look official to convince the suspect.” Dick leaned back in his chair. “I’m telling you this only because I just heard some very disturbing news. I was informed earlier today after assigning you to the Apollo/Soyuz mission that you may have tried to steal some of that lunar material.”

Chris slumped deep into his chair, glaring toward Tom.

Not acknowledging the stare, Tom hoped Dick wasn’t giving up his informant.

“Tom happened to be wearing a wire in an effort to record the culprit during the transaction. In reviewing the tape, we found that the conversation between you and Tom had been recorded. It sounds like you were propositioning Tom to split the rocks with you. Unfortunately, the recording is garbled and we were unable to establish exactly what was being said. I just asked Tom if you had said this, and he denied you had.”

Biting his tongue, Tom did everything possible to keep from cracking a smile. Wow! Good story, Dick.

Chris shot Tom a relieved look.

Dick slapped a hand hard on the desktop causing Chris to jump. “But you should know I’m not convinced. I think Tom is trying to protect a friend. I have been told the CIA has the technical knowhow to clear up that recording. But because it’s a costly undertaking, they’re holding off until it is deemed necessary.”

Chris snapped to attention as he raised both hands. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I am unaware of anyone wanting to steal moon rocks.”

Dick stared at Chris for a moment. “Have you discussed this with anyone outside this room?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I pray you are telling the truth. If I hear you have discussed this in any way with anyone before or after you leave this room, I will assume you are somehow involved. I will recommend the CIA clean up that tape. If you made those incriminating remarks, I can guarantee you will be going to prison for a very long time.”

“I won’t say a word to anyone. I promise.”

Tom eyed the squirming ass. Right, we’ve heard that before.

“All right, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to stay on the Soviet mission. But because I’m not fully convinced you are telling the truth, I’m not having you participate in an upcoming public relations trip for the mission.” Dick turned toward Tom. “Tom, you will be the one to go, teaming up with U.S. diplomats. The meeting will take place next month in Geneva. The Soviet cosmonaut you will be meeting with is…,” Dick slipped on his reading glasses before scanning over a paper on his desk. “Viktor Alexandrov.”

Since his boss mentioned the lunar material would be passed directly to a cosmonaut, Tom assumed this was his man.

Dick removed his glasses. “This is basically a big photo opportunity to hype up the mission and show that the two countries are gearing up for a working relationship in space.” Dick closed his file. “Tom, I’ll fill you in on the full details later this week.”

“Got it.”

“All right, gentlemen, that’s all I have.” Dick leaned far over his desk, looking Chris squarely in the eye. “I assume we are all clear on what’s expected of us?”

“Yes, sir. Crystal clear.”

As the two astronauts left the office, Chris put his arm around Tom and quietly whispered, “Thanks for the help getting me on that mission.” Chris looked around to confirm no one was within earshot. “And keeping quiet on what I said in the conference room.”

Tom’s voice was flat and emotionless. “We made a deal, and I stick to my word. I expect you to do the same.” Before Chris could answer Tom darted in the opposite direction to avoid walking with the ass.

BEAT AFTER THE long day, Tom was pleased to be home. He fell back on the couch and kicked off his shoes.

“Here’s your martini, sweetie.”

Tom looked up to see Anne holding his savior for the night. He reached for the drink. “That’s exactly what I needed.”

Anne sat next to him. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Tom figured this was as good a time as any to tell her about his upcoming trip. “Looks like I’ll be going to Geneva in a few weeks to promote a possible joint mission with the Russians.”

Anne perked up. “Really? With the enemy? Wow! Will you be flying it?”

“Don’t know. So far Chris Riddick is the only one assigned.”

Anne raised an eyebrow before taking a long drag from the cigarette. She slowly blew the smoke toward the center of the room. “So you might be teaming up with him?”

“I sure hope not. That guy is one cocky son-of-a-bitch. He’s one astronaut I can’t stand.”

Anne crinkled her forehead and turned away, a sign something was troubling her. Tom reached for her arm. “Did I say something wrong?”

Anne set her lit cigarette in the ashtray and paused for a moment. Anxiety lent an edge to her voice. “I’ve been keeping something from you.”

“What’s that?”

Anne looked over, sadness growing steadily in her eyes. “Chris made a pass at me.”

Tom’s grip tightened around the martini glass thinking of Riddick making a move on his wife. Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Tom angrily asked, “When?”

Anne gave a reluctant sigh as she opened up guardedly, her voice barely audible. “It happened when I went to his home to pick something up.”

Tom set his glass down. He assumed that something was the Snoopy toy. “You were at his apartment? Did he play the piano?”

Anne nodded with a curious expression.

“I bet it was a Beethoven song, the only tune the ass knows. In fact, it’s a big joke among the guys. It took him a whole year to learn that song. He likes to brag that the girls eat it up when he plays it. He claims they’re putty in his hands when he finishes. I’m sure his goal the whole time was to hit on you.”

Anne turned away in disgust, probably for falling for the charade. Her voice was intense. “He’d been going on about the blonde he caught you with and…”

It was Chris who told Anne about Connie.

“…it was all a big mistake. I let him get close, and…he kissed me.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I immediately left. I hate that he was able to manipulate me.”

Anger raged within Tom at the thought of Chris putting his lips on his wife’s. Satisfied it was only a kiss, Tom gently wiped the tear off her face. He needed to show his trust in her. “Sweetheart, I don’t blame you. I blame Chris. I know it didn’t mean anything.”

With fire in her eyes she exclaimed, “It didn’t mean a damn thing. I was confused and just wanted out of there.”

Tom gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “I know. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Chris crossed the line. I’ll teach him a lesson.”

Anne grabbed his arm. “No, honey. Don’t do anything stupid. It’s not worth it. Think of your career.”

“My career? Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

Suddenly Anne’s eyes narrowed and her lips compressed. “Chris told me you were involved in something illegal.”

Damn it! Riddick can’t keep his mouth shut. Furious, Tom asked, “What? When did he tell you that?”

“Does it matter?”

Tom needed to know if the incident happened after Dick’s ultimatum. “Yes.”

“Day before yesterday, when I ran into him again at the store. He didn’t tell me what it was. I think he was trying to intimidate me.”

At least it was before their meeting. “Intimidate? Why?”

Anne shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s just a bad man.”

Tom couldn’t wait to put his hands on Riddick and straighten the ass out. “Don’t believe anything that jerk says. Yes, I’m involved in a top-secret operation, which Chris knows nothing about. He stumbled upon something and thought he knew what was going on. But he has his facts wrong and is out of the loop. Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No.”