As Steve had been warned, most of the morning was spent with questions about his trip to the moon. The questions amazed him, having the quality of being thought out, which he didn’t expect from fifth graders. The students were very attentive and polite, something else that surprised him.

By lunch everyone was ready for a break. The kids headed down to the cafeteria while the teacher guided Steve, who had retrieved his lunch from the van, to the teacher’s lounge.

Several people had already gathered in the room, pulling out lunch bags and lunch boxes. He noted a “REWARD” poster on the bulletin board, detailing the mysterious circumstances under which a lunch box disappeared. Somebody scribbled on the poster that a ransom note would be forthcoming.

“That’s the running joke of the school,” a man said, walking up to Steve. “It disappeared a couple of months ago.”

Steve turned to face the man. “Has the ransom note appeared, Mister…”

“Talbot. Paul Talbot.”

“Nice to meet you,” Steve said, shaking hands. He couldn’t believe his luck that the object of his assignment is the one who made first contact.

“Yes, the ransom note has been received. The teacher is beside herself at the moment, being told she has to write a story and post it in the teacher’s lounge before the lunch box is returned. Would you care to join me for lunch?”

“Sure,” Steve said, following Talbot to a table across the room. He seated himself then pulled out his lunch. “What do you teach?”

“Every subject except gym,” Paul said. “Elementary school teachers are jacks of all trades. We have the same kids all day. My specialty is mathematics.”

“Really?” Steve said. “My daughter, who is a tad bit ahead for her age, has a degree in mathematics.”

It was Talbot’s turn to be surprised. “How old is she?”

“Fourteen,” Steve replied. “A very mature fourteen.”

“A college degree? She has a college degree?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, she loves math, loves challenges.”

Talbot shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, I’m impressed. I used to work within the Mathematics field, so to speak.”

“Doing what?”

Talbot looked around, checking to see who was listening. Assured of privacy, he said “Cryptography. I used to be a code breaker for the CIA.”

“Seriously?”

Talbot nodded.

“How did you manage to become an elementary school teacher?” Steve said, barely containing his excitement.

“Long, sad story, I’m afraid. I’d… I’d rather not talk about it,” Talbot said, suddenly downcast.

“Sorry if I brought up a sore subject,” Steve said. Knowing the situation, he was really sorry for opening an old wound. Suspect or not, he still felt sorry for Talbot’s loss.

Turning the tables on Steve, Talbot said, “I hear you’re here for the week? How are they treating you so far?”

“Surprisingly well,” Steve admitted. “I definitely had my reservations about this, but it’s not as bad as I first thought.”

Talbot chuckled. “Don’t let your guard down yet. This is only day one.”

An announcement interrupted their conversion. Talbot had been summoned to the front office. “I hope to talk with you again sometime,” he said as he left the table.

Steve quickly finished his lunch and, with Mrs. Winston’s permission, decided to wander the school. Prior to class resuming, Steve wanted to check out the layout of the school, including all entrances and exits closest to Talbot’s room. Having completed his task, Steve returned to the classroom, surprised to find Anton sitting, reading a book.

“Anton? Don’t you go outside and play with your classmates?” Steve asked.

Anton looked up at Steve for a moment before answering. “No Sir. I cannot. It would be a security risk for me to be out on the playground amongst the other kids.”

“But you’re here at the school without bodyguards, correct?” During his walk, Steve saw no evidence of Russian security.

“My Father forbids it. He wishes for me to experience as close to a normal childhood as possible. While in the school building, he is confidant that I am safe,” Anton said.

Glancing toward the hall, Steve noticed Talbot heading back to the classroom. Steve also noticed that Anton paid attention as well. Anton quickly returned to his book when he noticed Steve watching him.

Steve made a mental note to have Oscar run a background check on the Russian Ambassador. He felt it slightly odd that the CIA’s suspect just happens to teach at a school where the Ambassador’s son attends.

As the bell rang, the students started filing back into the classroom, chatting wildly about the earlier discussions and looking forward to the rest of the day.

Steve quickly quieted the class, and after setting up the projector he played a NASA documentary on the first manned Moon landing. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, asking and answering questions about the documentary.

As the final bell rang, several students gathered around him. One student, who appeared to have been chosen as spokesman asked, “Colonel? Does NASA have a film of when you walked on the Moon?”

Steve thought for a moment. “Well, if they don’t, I know I do,” he said.

The group brightened. “Could we see it?” another student said.

Steve nodded. “We have some leeway in our schedule, so I’m sure I can arrange it.”

“Thanks!” they said in unison, heading out the door to catch their bus.

As Steve finished packing his materials into the case, he noticed Anton standing in the doorway. A moment later Steve heard someone down the hallway say something to Anton, but couldn’t make it out. ‘My Russian’s getting a little rusty,’ he thought to himself.

He stepped toward the door, glancing into the hall. Steve noticed Talbot following close behind Anton and another man, whom he could only see the backside. Steve quickly gathered his stuff and headed down the hall opposite from Anton.

Once out at the van, he quickly located the limousine, spotting the man. He memorized the man’s looks, planning on giving the information to Oscar later in the evening.

Knowing his job was done for now, Steve finished placing his stuff in the van and headed for home. He looked forward to sharing his experiences with Sam. He smiled, thinking of what Rudy had said the day before. Rudy was right, Steve did enjoy having someone else in the house to talk to after a day at work. He knew he’d have to be careful on what he said, but Steve still decided it was worth having to censor the conversation and he knew whatever he said would stay with Sam.

Steve arrived home shortly before 4pm, narrowly missing the afternoon rush hour. He parked the van in the garage, not wanting to risk a break-in during the night.

Grabbing his lunch bag, he headed inside where Steve was greeted by the aroma of spaghetti and garlic bread, his favorite meal.

“I’m home!” he shouted from the hall. He dropped the lunch bag on the hall table, and then retreated to the bedroom for a change of clothing. After putting on jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers, he wandered into the kitchen to find Sam placing a baking dish of spaghetti, covered with cheese, into the oven.

“Smells wonderful,” he said, peering through the glass into the oven. “Looks good too.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. She stood leaning against the counter about a foot away. “How was your first day at school? You didn’t get sent to the principal’s office, did you?”

Steve stood up, looking at Sam. “Smarty,” he said with a lop-sided grin. “It went a lot better than I expected. We’ll talk over dinner. In the meantime, I need to call Oscar and fill him in on the day’s events.”

Steve excused himself, leaving Sam to finish dinner preparations. Once in his bedroom, he closed the door then settled on the edge of the bed. He picked up the phone and dialed Oscar’s private number.

Two rings later, “Goldman.”

“It’s Steve.”

“You survived your first day!” Oscar said with a hint of humor in his voice.

“Barely,” Steve said, smiling. “They were monsters…”

“What?”

“I suggested they be put in a zoo,” Steve said, trying not to laugh.

“Are you serious?” Oscar said, suddenly concerned.

“Of course not,” Steve said, bursting into laughter.

Oscar let loose a groan. ‘I should have known better,’ he thought.

Steve filled Oscar in on the details of the day, requesting a background checks on the employees of the Soviet embassy. He hoped to identify the mysterious Russian he had seen with the Ambassador’s son.

“Isn’t is just a little odd that the Russian Ambassador’s son just happens to be attending this particular school?” Steve said.

“What are you saying?”

“Do a check on the son, Anton. See if the date he started school corresponds or is close to the time the first agent disappeared,” Steve explained.

“If the Russians are involved, which I suspect they are, do you think the son is being used as a courier?”

“I hope not, but the boy has free access to the school first thing in the morning and during lunch.” Steve said. “I’ve also made contact with Talbot. He introduced himself during lunch and invited me to eat with him.”

“You’re kidding,” Oscar said. He couldn’t believe Steve’s luck.

“We started discussing math and Talbot even mentioned he used to be a Cryptographer. He seemed open and honest, but I know better than to let my guard down,” Steve said.

They spent the next few minutes going over additional information regarding the assignment, and then Steve ended the conversation, citing that dinner awaited him. Oscar bid him good-bye, urging Steve to be careful.

As Steve opened the bedroom door, Steve heard laughter from the kitchen. Heading down the hall he turned toward the kitchen where he literally ran into Cassie. He took a step back, surprised.

“Two ships that collide in the night,” Cassie laughed.

“35? What are you doing here?” Steve said, regaining his composure.

“I tried calling, but someone had the line tied up so I decided to stop by for a visit.” She took a step back, looking Steve over from head to toe. “You don’t look any worse for your experience, Blue Eyes.”

“Hope you don’t mind, Dad, but I invited Cassie to stay for dinner,” Sam yelled from the kitchen.

Steve took Cassie by the shoulders, spun her around and gently shoved her into the kitchen. He followed close behind.

“Mind? Of course not,” Steve said. He spotted a bottle of wine sitting on the counter. He turned to Cassie, “You just decided to stop by for a visit?” Steve picked up the bottle, checking it over. Naturally Cassie had purchased his favorite.

“Well of course,” she said innocently. “I just happened to stop by for a visit…”

“… And you just happened to have a bottle of wine in your car…”

“Of course. Don’t you carry one with you just in case you drop by someone’s house for dinner?” Cassie said, trying to keep a straight face.

“Ha!” Steve said. “Just how did you know we were about to have dinner?” he said, staring her down.

Sam tried to slip from the room, but didn’t get past Steve, who grabbed her by the collar. “I smell a conspiracy.”

Still being held by her collar, “I thought you smelled spaghetti, Dad?”

“Steve, are you feeling alright?” Cassie said, feeling his forehead.

“You two are working together…”

Steve let go of Sam, who quickly moved out of reach, standing just behind Cassie.

“Gee Dad, why do you think we’re working together?”

“Okay, okay. I admit it,” Cassie started. “We planned dinner in case your first day at school didn’t go so well. I figured you could use the moral support.”

Steve laughed. “I’m a big boy, you know…”

“Oh yes, I know,” Cassie said with a wink, causing Steve to blush. Although they had a close platonic relationship, Steve was amazed at how easily Cassie could embarrass him.

Sam returned her attention to the pasta, which she extracted from the oven. “Dinner’s ready,” she announced.

During dinner, Steve filled in the details of his day, or at least as much as he could with Sam present. He mentioned the ‘Reward’ sign in the teacher’s lounge and that the ransom was to be in the form of a story.

“What kind of story?” Sam asked, intrigued by the situation.

“I don’t know,” Steve admitted. “I’ll see if I can find out. Apparently the kidnapping took place a couple of months ago.”

“And the teacher still hasn’t gotten the lunch box back yet?” Cassie asked, chuckling.

“Apparently not. Talbot said it’s the joke of the school.” Steve finished off his glass of wine, reaching for the bottle. He offered Cassie another glass, to which she declined. He poured a half glass for himself.

“Dad?”

“No.”

“Darn.”

“Fill us in on the details of the lunch box if you find out any other details. It sounds like fun,” Cassie said.

Finished with her meal, Sam volunteered to take care of the dishes so Steve and Cassie could spend some time catching up. Cassie tried to stop by as often as she could, especially since she and Sam had bonded, so to speak. Unfortunately, Cassie’s schedule frequently kept her away for a week at a time.

As Sam started the dishes, she heard her Father’s laughter from the family room. She smiled to herself, glad to have worked out the scheme with Cassie so he could have a chance to relax before heading back to school the next day.

Once finished, Sam retired to her room, not wanting to intrude.

By mid-evening, Cassie bid Steve goodnight, needing to get some sleep before reporting to Oscar’s office the following morning for an 8am meeting.

Steve escorted her out to the car and watched as she backed out of the driveway and drove away.

Once inside, he headed for Sam’s room, knocking lightly on the door.

“Come in,” Steve heard.

He slowly opened the door, finding Sam sitting up in bed, reading a book. “Sam?”

“Yeah?” Sam said without looking up.

“Thanks,” Steve said.

Sam looked up, smiling. “You’re welcome.”

Steve closed the door and headed for his room, deciding to turn in early. As he drifted off to sleep, he hoped the rest of the week would go as easily as the first day.

“Dad, wake up!” Sam shook Steve gently on his shoulder. He had overslept.

Steve grumbled something, then rolled over onto his side, away from Sam.

“Dad, you need to go to school,” Sam said a little louder.

“Don’t wanna go to school,” he whined.

Sam chuckled, recognizing the tone of a child not wanting to go to school. “Dad, you’re the teacher!”

Steve scrambled to a sitting position, looking for the clock, 7am.

Knowing he was awake, Sam retreated from the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. She had already prepared his lunch and started the coffee and toaster.

Within minutes Steve raced into the kitchen, thinking he still had breakfast to prepare.

“Dad, calm down. Sit,” Sam said, motioning him to the kitchen table.

Steve saw his coffee awaiting him, and a moment later Sam placed a plate of toast in front of him, along with a jar of grape jelly. She took a seat across the table from him.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he said to Sam.

“I suspect you’ve missed a lot of breakfasts in the past,” Sam chuckled while snatching a slice of toast off of Steve’s plate.

Steve nodded while finishing off a slice of toast. After chasing it with a sip of coffee he said, “I’m normally good about setting the alarm.”

“It’s a good thing I just happened to wake up early,” Sam commented. “I hadn’t planned on getting up, but when I didn’t hear any activity in the house, I thought I’d better check on you.”

Steve finished off the remaining slices of toast, then his coffee.

“You’re lunch is packed and on the hallway table,” Sam said.

Steve quickly brushed his teeth, thanked Sam several times, then grabbed his lunch and headed out the door.

As Sam returned to the kitchen to start the dishes, the phone rang. She hesitated a moment before answering, knowing it wouldn’t be for her. Three rings later, she picked up the receiver.

“Austin residence.”

Oscar hesitated a moment before speaking. “Good morning Sam. Is Steve around?”

A chill shot down Sam’s spine. “No Mr. Goldman. He just left.” Sam answered the question without elaborating. The sooner she hung up the better she’d feel.

Oscar sighed. “I got some of the information he requested. In the unlikely event that he calls you during the day, please tell him to call me as soon as possible.”

“I will, goodbye,” Sam said, hanging up the phone. She shook off the feeling and attended to her task.

Oscar sat staring at the phone as Russ entered the office.

“Did you talk to Colonel Austin?” Russ said, perplexed at the look on Oscar’s face.

“Huh?” Oscar turned to Russ, noticing him for the first time. “Ah, no. He had already left.”

“Something wrong?” Russ said, seating himself in a nearby leather chair.

Oscar leaned his elbows on his desk, steepling his hands. “Russ, I know I can be difficult to get along with at times, but you do consider me to be a fair man, right?”

Russ was surprised by the question. “Well, yes, of course.”

“I’d like to think I am,” Oscar said. “Then why doesn’t Sam like me?” Oscar looked to Russ for an answer.

“Sam? Steve’s daughter?” Russ had only met Sam briefly, but could assume she was quiet, almost shy, around strangers.

Oscar nodded.

“I didn’t know she didn’t like you,” Russ admitted.

Oscar filled Russ in on the times they had met and spoken.

“I haven’t a clue as to what’s wrong, so I’d like you to do me a favor,” Oscar said.

A half hour later, Russ exited the office with his assignment, hoping to bring back an answer.

Having arrived at the class in record time, Steve set up the day’s lesson, which included the first manned space mission and a few moon rock samples collected over the years.

While setting up, Steve cast an occasional glance in Anton’s direction, noticing the boy paying more attention to the hallway than the book in front of him. Unfortunately, Steve couldn’t stick around to watch for the person of interest; he needed to do a little exploring before the rest of he staff arrived.

Assuring himself of an empty hallway, Steve meandered down to Talbot’s room. To the right of the room was the community bulletin board, so Steve casually glanced over the board while peering into the classroom.

Using his zoom capability, Steve glanced over the desk, strewn with paperwork. He didn’t expect to find any evidence of wrongdoing, but he hoped to find something out of place.

After spending an appropriate amount of time at the community board, which included another “Reward” sign, Steve decided to continue wandering. He spotted several teachers, including Talbot, entering the building. Steve wandered a little closer to the teacher’s lounge, finding another bulletin board to study.

“Colonel Austin,” Talbot said, approaching the lounge.

“Please, call me Steve. The Colonel sounds out of place in a school,” Steve said, hoping to strike up a conversation.

“Alright, and please call me Paul.”

Steve followed Paul into the lounge, stopping in front of the “Reward” sign.

Paul placed his lunch in the refrigerator, and then noticed Steve looking at the poster.

“Paul? What kind of story has to be written?” Steve said.

Paul laughed, seating himself at a nearby table. “It’s called fan fiction.”

Steve looked puzzled. “Fan fiction?”

“Yes, it’s where you take the characters from a TV show or movie that you like and write stories revolving around them. At least that’s the explanation I’ve been given,” Paul said.

“So what show is involved?” Steve asked.

Paul filled Steve in on all the details of the TV show. He explained that the lunch box is a collector’s item from the show as well, and is in danger of being flattened if the teacher doesn’t write and post the story in the lounge within the week.

Steve laughed, having the image of a steamroller turning the box into a flat sheet of metal.

Paul pulled a letter out of his pocket, unfolding it on the table. Steve casually glanced at the letter.

Paul noticed his interest. “Believe it or not, this is a encrypted message. A friend and I keep are skills up by trying to stump each other.”

Steve took a closer look, not believing this was happening. “That’s a code?” He knew from Sam’s training that the most innocent looking of letters could be encoded. He didn’t plan on showing his knowledge, though.

“Have a seat,” Paul offered. He spent the next few minutes explaining the basics of cryptography to Steve.

“So you and your friend create your own codes and pass them back and forth?”

Paul nodded. “I loved my former job, but circumstances, well, I needed a change. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost my love of the art.”

“Art?” Steve had heard math referred to as a lot of things, but art wasn’t one of them.

“Well, that’s what I call it,” Paul said. “I’m the artist, creating new codes from nothing and sharing it with others who appreciate it for what it is.”

“So you share it with more than your other friend,” Steve said.

“I subscribe to a couple of magazines on the subject. Occasionally I’ll submit something for publication,” Paul said. The first bell sounded, interrupting his explanation. “Time to get to the classroom,” he said, folding the letter and putting it away.

“See you later,” Steve said as he followed the stream of teachers out of the lounge. He entered the glass to find a couple of students looking at the moon rocks. “You can pick them up if you’d like.”

The students jumped, thinking they were in trouble.

“Really, it’s okay,” Steve assured them. “It’s safe to pick them up.”

The students thanked him, each picking up a rock to examine. Once the teacher arrived, they returned the rocks to the table then took their seats.

As the teacher took roll, Steve observed the class, paying particular attention to Anton, who was still watching the hallway.

A minute later, control of the class was handed to Steve. “Today we’ll discuss the first manned moon landing. I thought we’d start with the film,” he said, walking to the back of the class.

“Jerry?” Steve said.

The boy closest to the light switch stood, shut the door, turned the lights off and returned to his desk.

“Thank you,” Steve said as he started the film. As the kids watched, Steve stayed at the back of the class, watching Anton, who occasionally glanced toward the hallway. Fortunately for Steve, the door had a window.

As the film neared the end, Steve noticed a man pause in front of the door for a moment, looking in toward Anton. He noticed Anton, whose attention was to the door, nod his head once, then returned his attention to the film.

The man nodded back, then continued on his way.

Steve memorized the man’s features so he could pass the information on to Oscar later in the day.

When the film ended, Jerry turned the lights on much to the dismay of his classmates.

“Too bright!” said one student at the front of the class. Others mumbled in agreement.

“Sorry guys, but if we keep the lights off, I’m afraid I’ll put you to sleep,” Steve said as he dismantled the film projector.

The class let out a laugh, waiting for him to continue.

Steve walked to the front of the class and leaned against the teacher’s. “Alright, let’s do a oral quiz.” A groan erupted throughout the class. “Don’t worry, you’re not being graded.”

Steve spent the rest of the morning asking and answering questions about the film. Just as the lunch bell rang he announced they would examine the moon rocks in the afternoon and conduct a couple of experiments.

The kids filtered out of the class as Steve put away the morning’s lessons. A knock at the door interrupted him.

“Colonel Austin?” said a young blond headed boy. “I have a message for you.” He handed a folded sheet of paper to Steve, and then quickly retreated from the room before Steve could thank him.

Steve unfolded the paper to find two words printed on it. “Phone home?” he muttered to himself. Steve knew Sam would leave a lengthier message if she required his attention, so he knew of only one other person who would leave the message.

Steve walked down to the office and requested to use a phone, “for business,” he added.

“You can use the assistant principal’s phone,” the secretary said, motioning Steve to an office.

“Thanks.” Steve quickly seated himself behind the desk and dialed a number.

From Steve’s perspective, the phone on the other end never rang.

“Goldman.”

“Got your message. What’s up?”

Steve listened for several minutes as Oscar relayed the requested information. “I suspected as much,” Steve said. “I’ll stop by your office after school. I have information for you as well.”

Oscar said he’d be in the office for most of the afternoon, and if he weren’t in the office when Steve arrived, to wait for his return.

“Will do. See you then,” Steve said, hanging up the phone. Walking down to the teacher’s lounge, he considered the information Oscar provided. Steve hoped the afternoon would be uneventful so he could get in and out of Oscar’s office as quickly as possible.

Steve took a seat across from Oscar, who was busy yelling into the phone.

Oscar slammed down the phone a moment later, staring at it for a moment.

“Car trouble still?”

“Yes,” Oscar said. “Now they say it will be another week before the parts arrive.”

Steve chuckled quietly to himself. Oscar was never one to tolerate customer service people who couldn’t provide prompt service. To them, Oscar was just another customer.

Oscar rifled through a few folders on his desk, selecting one. He opened it and put on his reading glasses. “Alright, we’ve established that the son of the Russian Ambassador started school approximately one month prior to the death of the first agent. Talbot has been at the school…”

“I don’t think Talbot’s involved with this Oscar, or at least not willingly,” Steve interrupted.

“What? He’s the only person in the school capable of this kind of crime?” Oscar said, removing his glasses.

“I don’t think he’s doing it.”

“What proof do you have?” Oscar said, his eyes narrowing in on Steve.

“It’s more of a hunch,” Steve said.

“A hunch.”

“Yeah.”

“You want me to start looking for another suspect and drop the investigation on the best lead we have because you have a hunch?” Oscar said, blood pressure rising slightly.

“Look Oscar, before the school day started, Talbot took out a letter and explained it was in code. He proceeded to give me a lesson in cryptography, explaining that he and a friend trade codes, trying to stump each other…”

“A friend?” Oscar interrupted.

“Yeah. He also said he kept his skills up by creating new codes sending them into several publications to which he subscribes,” Steve finished.

Oscar leaned back in his chair, contemplating the information. “So it’s possible that someone is aware of Talbot’s talent and is setting him up to take the fall.”

Steve nodded. “That’s what I think. “

Oscar sat, mulling over the idea of Talbot being used. “It’s an interesting theory, but I’d need something to go on before I could take this to the C.I.A. Director.”

Steve laid out his observation of Anton and the boy’s behavior. He also gave Oscar a detailed description of the man who stopped at the classroom door.

They came up with the plan that Steve was to get closer to Talbot, not with the intent of focusing on him as the suspect, but to get additional information as to who else might be pulling off the espionage.

“Talbot was intrigued when I told him about Sam’s love of mathematics. I’ll see about inviting him over for dinner. Between Sam and I we may get him to reveal a little more about his hobby,” Steve said.

Oscar didn’t like the idea of using Sam, but agreed she may be the key to getting Talbot to open up and reveal some of his secrets. “Alright, see what you can do. I’ll run a check on the person you described. He may be attached to the embassy, or he may be an unknown. I do know that we have to get on top of this. We have three days left until your school program ends.”

“I’ll talk to Sam this evening and explain the situation to her,” Steve said.

“Oh, ah, speaking of Sam. May I suggest taking her out to dinner this evening?” Oscar said hesitantly.

Steve eyed him suspiciously. “Why, may I ask?”

Oscar sighed. “I tried to get a hold of you this morning, but Sam answered instead. You had just left.”

Steve just shook his head. “I really want to know what’s going on between the two of you.”

“I haven’t a clue. I’d like to know myself.”

Steve stood, ready to leave, “I keep trying, Oscar, but she won’t talk.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” Oscar said, escorting his friend to the door.

“If you come up with any information I could use, please give me a call this evening,” Steve said.

“Will do.”

Once in the parking garage, Steve climbed into the van and headed for home. Little did he know that when he exited the garage, a non-descript four-door black sedan pulled into traffic, following at a safe distance.

...Continued