The drive home allowed Steve a chance to review what he’s learned up to now. Talbot was an unlikely suspect, or either truly stupid. Steve leaned toward innocent. The Russian from Monday afternoon was a top ranking member of the KGB and a close personal friend to the Ambassador. Whenever he had an afternoon appointment at the Russian embassy, the agent would pick Anton up from school. Then there is Anton himself, who is proving to be a mystery. Steve felt the boy was involved somehow, but he wasn’t quite sure. At the moment, the best guess is that Anton is a courier, passing messages to and from his father.

As Steve pulled into the driveway, the black sedan parked on the other side of the street, several houses down.

The driver’s side window opened slightly, allowing a pair of binoculars to poke out. The occupant watched Steve open the garage door, the pull into the garage. Once the door closed, the occupant noted the address of the house.

“Excellent, Col. Austin,” the occupant said. “You’ve given me all the information I require.” The driver’s side window rolled shut as the car departed, passing Steve’s house as the driver sped off to report to his boss.

“Sam, I’m home,” Steve announced, closing the hallway door. He headed for the kitchen and unpacked his lunch bag, putting the containers in the sink.

“Sam?” he called again, leaving the kitchen behind.

Steve searched the house for Sam. When he was unable to locate her, Steve headed to the backyard, where he found Sam sitting on a two-person swing, reading a book.

“Hey kid, whatcha reading?” Steve said as he took a seat next to Sam. He leaned forward to look at the cover. “Cryptography the ancient art of codes,” he said, leaning back on the swing.

“It’s a history of cryptography, not a teaching book,” Sam said without pulling her nose out of the book.

“A little bit of light reading?” Steve teased.

“Yeah.”

Steve could tell Sam was out of sorts. He didn’t think it could still be about the call from Oscar. “Sam? Is something wrong?”

Sam finished the current page, then closed the book, laying it on her lap. She stared straight ahead, watching the birds arguing over the bird feeder.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Steve said. “You expect me to believe that?”

Sam shrugged, watching the smaller birds fly off as the blue jays took over the feeder. “Did you know that blue jays can imitate the call of a hawk to scare the other birds off?”

“Sam, what’s wrong. Please tell me,” Steve said. He hated seeing Sam in this kind of mood, and most of the time there was a reason behind it.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Sam said, climbing out of the swing.

Steve followed Sam inside, down to her room. “Is it about Oscar?”

Sam placed the book on her bedside table, then seated herself at her desk, picking up the fuselage of a World War II bomber. She started sanding down the rough spots, preparing it for assembly.

“Okay, so it has something to do with Oscar,” said Steve as he perched on the corner of her bed. “I’ll drop the subject.”

“Thanks,” Sam said.

“I do have something to ask you, though.”

Sam glanced up at Steve for a moment, then back to her model.

“I need some help with my assignment,” Steve said. As he expected, Sam gave him her undivided attention.

“What kind of help?”

Steve explained the situation to Sam along with his belief in Talbot’s innocence. “What I’d like to do is invite him to dinner so he can meet you. He was impressed when I told him about your math background.”

“Did you mention that I’m also in cryptography?”

“No, I didn’t. I’m hoping that he’ll open up to you, maybe sharing the names of his friends and the kind of publications in which he publishes his codes,” Steve said.

Sam gave Steve a puzzled look. “You want me to spy on him?”

“Befriend him is more like it,” Steve explained. “I need to come up with some proof that he’s not involved in espionage and I think the way to do it is to get him to open up.” Steve watched Sam, waiting for a response. He could see she was weighing the situation, trying to decide if it’s the right thing to do.

“So if I do this, it might help prove he’s innocent?”

“Yes, which is what I already believe.”

“It sounds like he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sam said, returning her attention to the fuselage.

“Either that or he’s being framed,” Steve added.

Sam mulled over the request for a few minutes longer. She didn’t like the idea of a stranger in the house, but the idea of meeting someone she can talk to on her level was appealing. She put down the fuselage, returning her attention to her Dad. “Alright, I’ll do it. When?”

“I’m going to try for tomorrow evening,” Steve said. “I know it’s short notice, for both of you, but tomorrow is day three of the assignment so I’ll only have access to the school for a couple more days.”

They discussed plans for the dinner, Sam putting together a mental shopping list.

“We’ll stop at the grocery store after dinner,” Steve said.

“Stop at?”

“Yeah, we’re going out to dinner, unless you’d rather eat in?” Steve knew the response before she said a word.

Sam headed for the bathroom, preparing to go. “Where are we going?” she yelled.

“How about seafood?”

Sam exited the bathroom, smiling. “Sounds great to me.”

Anton arrived at the dinner table promptly at seven. Seating himself next to his father, Anton took the linen napkin and carefully folded it, placing the napkin on his lap. He waited patiently for the food to be served.

“How was your day?” the Ambassador said, picking up his soupspoon.

“Fine,” Anton replied. He crumbled a few crackers into his soup.

“Did you make contact?”

“Yes, Father, I did.”

“Excellent,” the Ambassador said. “What about…”

The personal secretary appeared. “Excuse the interruption, Mr. Ambassador.”

“What is it?” The Ambassador disliked being bothered at dinner.

The secretary leaned over, whispering in the Ambassador’s ear. A moment later, he stood back.

The Ambassador turned to his secretary, frowning. “Are you certain of this information?”

“Yes sir.”

The Ambassador mulled over the revelation a moment longer before dismissing his secretary.

Returning his attention to his son, “So tell me, how are the NASA lessons progressing?”

Anton detailed his day, starting with the film. He spent the remainder of dinner discussing the topics with his father.

After dinner, he excused himself, wanting to do some extra research on the NASA space program.

The Ambassador went in search of his secretary, hoping to obtain additional details for the unexpected development.

Steve arrived at school early the following morning, hoping to catch Talbot as soon as he arrived. He took the case with the day’s lesson into the classroom and prepared to set it up when Anton approached him.

“Colonel Austin?” Anton said, patiently awaiting Steve’s attention.

Steve turned, surprised to see Anton out of his seat, “Yes Anton?”

The boy produced an envelope and handed it to Steve. “This is from my father.” Anton quickly returned to his seat.

Steve turned the envelope over and ran a finger until the fold, carefully opening it. He pulled out a small card with a handwritten dinner invitation for 7pm that evening. The Ambassador himself had written the note and asked for an R.S.V.P. to the phone number provided.

While finishing the setup, Steve contemplated accepting the invitation. Although he wanted to have Talbot over for dinner, he felt the invitation to dinner was too much of a coincidence for him not to accept.

Excusing himself, Steve headed to the school office and was pointed to the same phone he’d used the day before. Closing the door, Steve sat at the desk and dialed the number. Within minutes he had accepted the dinner invitation and received his instructions on how to get to the embassy and at what time to arrive. Although dinner would be served at 7pm, the Ambassador wished to speak with him before dinner.

Steve then called Oscar, but was informed he was in an all day meeting and could not be disturbed. He left a message with Callahan, explaining the nature of the dinner invitation and that he’d contact Oscar later that evening.

“Be careful, Steve,” Callahan said. “I trust the Russians as far as I can throw them.”

Steve thanked her for the concern, but assured her he’d be all right. He then phoned Sam with the change of plans.

“Sorry Sam, but I feel I need to accept this invitation,” Steve said. He could hear the disappointment in her voice when she said it was okay and that they could try again on Thursday.

As he returned to the classroom, Steve spotted Talbot coming in the side door.

“Paul,” Steve called, jogging down the hall to catch up with the man.

“Hey Steve, how’s class going?” Talbot said. Steve followed him into the teacher’s lounge.

“Got a question for you,” Steve said.

“Shoot,” Paul replied while pulling his mail out of the inbox.

“Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night? I told Sam about you and she’d like to meet you. It’s not often she has a chance to talk with someone who speaks her language,” Steve said, hoping the invitation sounded sincere.

“Sure, I’d love to meet her,” Paul said. “What time?”

“How about 6pm?”

“That works for me. It’ll give me time to get my lessons graded so I’ll have the evening free,” Paul said. He honestly looked forward to having an evening out, away from his normal routine.

Steve quickly drew the directions to his house, including the phone number, and then handed it to Paul. “It’s fairly easy to find,” he said as the bell rang.

“No problem. I know the area,” Paul said. He folded the sheet of paper, placing it in his pocket. “Time to hit the books.”

The two men headed for their classrooms; ready to handle whatever the day threw at them.

Steve arrived home shortly before 4pm making plans for his evening. Although he was told it was an informal dinner, he still felt a change of clothing, possibly a sports coat and tie would suffice.

Sam checked him over and while stifling a laugh, suggested a change in shoes. Steve looked down, realizing his error.

“Thanks, kid,” he said, heading for the bedroom. Steve neglected to turn on the light in his closet while grabbing his shoes, so he somehow ended up with a black loafer and a brown loafer.

Opting for the black loafers, he returned to the living room for another inspection. With Sam’s approval, Steve left shortly before 6pm. “Don’t wait up for me,” he yelled over his shoulder.

Sam settled back on the couch with her book, unaware that the night’s events would not go as planned.

Arriving at the embassy a few minutes after 6pm, Steve checked the rearview mirror to make sure he looked presentable. He parked just outside the embassy, on the street, where previously instructed.

At the gate he presented the invitation. The guard looked him over carefully, and then called in to his superior. A moment later, he opened the gate, allowing Steve to enter.

As he strode up the sidewalk to the front entrance, the door opened. Steve spotted a man about the same height as himself who sported a short military haircut but wore standard civilian clothing.

“Good evening, Colonel Austin. I am Alex, the Ambassador’s Personal Secretary. Please follow me.”

Steve followed his escort down the hall to a large open room. He looked around, noticing the stereotypical decorating scheme; rich dark woods, centuries old tapestries, and pictures of Mother Russia and former leaders. Steve heard footsteps coming down the hall so he turned his attention to the door.

“Ah, Colonel Austin! I was pleased to hear you accepted my invitation. I apologize for the short notice,” the Ambassador said, extending his hand.

Steve accepted the hearty handshake. “Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. It’s not often I have a chance to speak with a fellow space buff from Russia.”

“Please, have a seat,” the Ambassador said, motioning Steve to a high back leather chair. “Brandy?” he said, pouring one for himself.

“Thank you, please,” Steve said.

The Ambassador poured a glass for Steve, handed it to him then took a seat in the adjacent chair.

“Anton has told me you are conducting an educational program this week at his school?” said the Ambassador, taking a sip of the brandy.

Steve nodded, sipping his own drink. “The school had put in a request for the NASA educational program earlier this year. Normally the classes are conducted at NASA, but renovations of the classrooms has prohibited visits, so an exception was made and I was asked to teach the class this time around.” Steve and Justin had put together a plausible explanation if Steve were ever asked about the program.

“Anton has found it quite interesting. I have encouraged him to take an interest in space exploration, but I am unable to spend as much time with him as I’d like. I’m pleased you have opened his eyes to the subject,” the Ambassador said, finishing off his drink.

The two men continued their discussion until dinner was announced. Steve followed the Ambassador down the hall to the dining room, seeing Anton already seated at the table.

“Hello Anton, nice to see you again,” Steve said, taking a seat across from the boy.

“Thank you Colonel. I’m glad you accepted my father’s invitation. He has been looking forward to meeting you,” Anton said, folding his napkin and placing it in his lap.

During dinner the conversation revolved around the differences in the American and Soviet space programs during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Since the advent of the Shuttle program, the Russian’s had been hard pressed to keep up with the Americans.

As desert was served, the Ambassador questioned Steve about the Shuttle program. “Colonel, I was surprised to hear you weren’t involved with the program.”

“I decided to leave it for the younger crowd,” he joked. “Seriously, I’ve had other obligations which has prevented me from pursuing it. Thankfully, I am still involved with the program every now and then, but from a technical standpoint only.”

“What are your thoughts on the proposed International Space Station?”

Steve smiled. “It’s a Idealist’s dream. I don’t think it will ever get off the ground.”

They spent the remainder of the evening discussing options on how the space station could become reality, but they both knew that as long as the countries had their differences, cooperation would be out of the question.

As the hour grew late, Steve gracefully bid his host a farewell. The Ambassador walked him to the door, bidding him a good night.

“We must do this again sometime,” the Ambassador said. “It was quite enjoyable.”

Steve agreed, having truly enjoyed the evening. He headed down the sidewalk and out of the gate to his car.

As he unlocked the driver’s door, a lone figure dressed all in black, snuck up behind Steve and struck him at the base of the skull with the handle of a gun. Steve crumpled to the ground instantly, not knowing what had occurred.

A second figure appeared from nearby bushes, helping the first man drag Steve off to their van.

“Ugh, he’s heavier than he looks,” said the second figure.

“Stop whining and help me get him in the van.”

The duo dragged Steve into the back of the van, dropping him on the floor. Assured their cargo was out cold, the first man climbed into the driver’s seat while the second stayed with Steve.

The van sped off heading for their base of operations. “The boss will be pleased,” the driver called back to his buddy.

“And the Russian’s will be blamed…” said the second man.

Sam woke shortly before 6am, choosing to stay in bed a little longer while grasping at the remnants of her dream before it dissipated. Once again her dream revolved around her parents. She had long passed the fateful night, her subconscious now expanding, having her parents appear in later years.

She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and sat for a moment longer before heading for the shower. By the time she finished and dressed, Sam suspected something was amiss. She rolled her eyes, chuckling, “He overslept again.”

Sam left her room, heading for her father’s room. She was surprised to see the door open and the bed still made. Puzzled, Sam went to the garage and noticed his car gone. She headed for the kitchen, looking for signs that he left early, but found the coffee pot waiting to be turned on and Steve’s lunch still in the fridge.

Panic slowly rose within Sam, which she quickly squelched. “Think, think, think!” she said out loud as she paced the kitchen. As much as she dreaded the thought, Sam knew what she must do. She retreated to her bedroom and grabbed her ID and money, then headed out the door.

The guard at the front entrance of OSI headquarters was startled to see a teenager approach. He was even more startled when she flashed her ID with a level six security. The man quickly opened the door, permitting Sam access to the building.

Sam knew that Oscar would be in, since the man never appeared to sleep. She punched the elevator button and impatiently waited for the double doors to open. Once inside she took a deep breath to calm herself, and then punched the floor number. The doors closed and moments later reopened on the floor that housed the Director’s office.

Having only been to Oscar’s office once, it took Sam a moment to remember which way to turn. She strode down the deserted hall, entering the double glass doors a moment later.

Callahan looked up, surprised to see the young visitor.

“I need to see Mr. Goldman,” Sam said, her voice shaking slightly. She began to pace the floor, not wanting to see Oscar but knowing she had to do it.

Callahan punched the intercom button, “Mr. Goldman, Colonel Austin’s daughter is here to see you.”

Within his office, Oscar almost spit out his coffee. He quickly swallowed, put the cup down and reached for the intercom. “Send her in.”

Oscar stood and rounded the desk. The door opened a moment later, Sam sidestepping into the office, closing the door behind her. She stayed at the door, not stepping a foot closer. Oscar could see Sam was upset and knew something serious had to be wrong for her to appear in his office. “Sam? What’s happened?”

Sam stood staring at the floor. “My Dad didn’t come home last night.”

“What?” Oscar said. He walked over to Sam and put a hand on her shoulder. She shrunk away from him. “Sam, look at me,” he said in a quiet tone.

Sam hesitated before looking up at him.

“I don’t know what you have against me, but for now you need to set that aside and help me, for your Father’s sake,” Oscar said.

Sam nodded, allowing Oscar to guide her to the couch. They sat down, facing each other.

“My meeting lasted until 2am, so I wasn’t able to call your Dad back. The message said he was invited to dinner at the Russian embassy?” Oscar was furious when he got the message, but he knew there was nothing he could have done about it. Steve had been invited because of his celebrity as an astronaut.

“Yes. He left shortly before 6pm and told me not to wait up. I went to bed around 10pm,” Sam said. “When I woke this morning, I thought he had overslept again. I went to his bedroom and found the door open and the bed already made. At first I thought he left early, maybe to see you, but the coffee pot had never been turned on and his lunch bag was still in the fridge.”

“Sam, you did the right thing by coming here,” Oscar said, returning to his desk. He called a couple of his agents, the early birds, as he thought of them, and requested they come to his office immediately. He then made a call to the local police, checking to see if any unusual activity had been reported near the Russian embassy within the past twelve hours. Oscar also called Justin, informing him that due to circumstances beyond his control, Steve would be unable to attend class today.

The two agents, Brody and Zuercher, also called ‘Z’, entered the office a few moments later.

Oscar passed the information on to the two agents, along with orders to start the search at the embassy. “If he has been abducted, his car may still be there.”

“Do we know if the Russians are involved?” Z said.

“At this point, I don’t know. It’s a place to start, though,” Oscar said. He instructed the two men to be on their way and to call as soon as they have something to report.

Once the men were out of the office, Oscar returned his attention to Sam. “I’d rather you didn’t go home at this point.”

“Why?”

“Since we don’t know for sure what has happened to your Father, I’d rather not risk you being home alone in the event some unwanted visitors appeared,” Oscar said. He didn’t want to scare Sam, since she was nervous enough, but he didn’t want to have to worry about her too.

“Is Cassie here?” Sam asked.

“Let me check,” Oscar said, returning to his desk. After a quick phone call and a short conversation with the person on the other end, he returned to Sam’s side. “Yes, she’s here and will be up in a few minutes. You two are friends, right?”

Sam nodded.

“How about if I have you stay with her? I know she’d want to help looking for your Father, but I think you’d be better off with her,” Oscar said.

Sam nodded once again, looking down at her feet.

Minutes later Cassie entered the office, surprised to find Sam sitting on the couch. She strode to the desk and leaned close to Oscar. “What’s Sam doing here?”

Oscar quietly explained the situation to Cassie, who took in every detail, not wanting to miss a thing. She glanced to Sam a couple of times, always returning her attention to Oscar.

“I don’t feel comfortable sending Sam home until we know what’s going on, so I’d like you to take care of her until then,” Oscar said.

Cassie quickly agreed. Although she wanted to go after Steve, she knew Steve would appreciate her looking after Sam. “No problem. Just keep me in the loop, please?”

“Will do,” Oscar agreed. He stood and walked back to the couch, sitting next to Sam. “I want you to go with Cassie. She’s going to keep an eye on you until we figure out what’s happened to your Dad.”

Cassie took Sam’s hand, leading her out of the office. “We’ll be at my apartment,” she called back to Oscar.

“Thanks, Cassie,” Oscar said as they headed out the double doors.

Steve became aware of his surroundings, waking to a throbbing headache. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness of his windowless cell. He lay on a wooden board raised a few inches off the floor. Steve tried to sit, but his first attempt was unsuccessful, a wave a nausea overwhelming him.

A few minutes later he tried again, this time moving a little slower until he managed to sit up on the board. He glanced around, first noticing the iron bars. He grinned knowing he’d be out of the cell in no time. The grin disappeared when he noticed two heavily armed guards standing across from the cell door.

The men watched their captive stand and wander the cell, which measured approximately eight by ten feet. It was the standard layout of a jail cell, except, unbeknownst to Steve; it is located three stories underground.

Steve finally turned his attention to the captors. “Where am I?” The men did not respond. “Okay, let’s try another question. Whom do you work for?” Silence. “Do you have names?” Continued silence. “Okay, fine, how about if I call you Heckle and Jeckle,” Steve said. He pointed to the guard with the wavy blond hair, “You’ll be Heckle and your friend here will be Jeckle.”

Steve heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. A moment later an average size, plain looking man entered the chamber.

“Ah, Colonel Austin, you’re awake. I hope they didn’t hurt you too badly,” the man said.

Steve rubbed the back of his head, “Nothing a couple of aspirin wouldn’t solve.”

“I believe we can accommodate you,” the man said, motioning Heckle toward the hall. “I must apologize for the brutality used to bring you here, but I didn’t think you’d accept an open invitation.”

“Who are you?” Steve said, closely eyeing the man.

The man smiled. “That’s not important right now. The important thing is that you are out of the way.”

“Why do you need me out of the way?” Steve said.

“Come now, Colonel Austin, you know very well…”

Heckle returned with aspirin and water. Steve took them from the man and downed the pills, chasing it with water. He returned the glass to the man, who resumed his position at the doorway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve said, deciding to play dumb.

“Are you going to tell me your appearance at the school is coincidental?”

“I was sent to by NASA to teach their one week educational program, as requested by the school. If the NASA classrooms weren’t undergoing renovations, I would have been teaching the class at the educational center,” Steve explained.

The man eyed Steve suspiciously. “So the fact that you work for the OSI has no bearing on the situation?”

“I am a liaison between NASA and the OSI, helping with test vehicles, satellites and other related issues,” Steve said, continuing the charade.

The man stood silent for several minutes. He suddenly turned on his heel and left, walking at a fast pace down the hallway, leaving Heckle and Jeckle behind to guard the prisoner.

Calling back over his shoulder, “Don’t bother trying to escape, Colonel. We’re underground.”

Steve returned to his ‘bed’, lying down to contemplate his situation. As the aspirin kicked in, he tried to determine his course of action. He knew that by now Sam would have realized something had happened and would have spoken to Oscar. To the best of his knowledge, his car was still parked at the Russian Embassy, a lead that will throw Oscar off the trail of the true perpetrators. And then there is the captors themselves. The man to whom he spoke is somehow connected with the school, but how? And finally, Steve considered the cell itself. Being underground prohibited escape through the walls. The bars wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for Heckle and Jeckle. As Steve’s headache threatened to return, he closed his eyes and relaxed, waiting for the pain to subside.

Within the hour Oscar received word that Steve’s car was still at the Russian Embassy. The agents reported that everything appeared in order, no sign of struggle around the vehicle. Oscar ordered them to stay with the vehicle, that he would be there shortly.

Meeting his driver at the motor pool, Oscar barked his orders while getting into the car. The driver expertly wove through the morning traffic, arriving at the Russian Embassy in record time. Oscar exited the vehicle as soon as it stopped, not waiting for the driver to open the door.

Quick strides put Oscar at his agents’ sides. “Report.”

“Sorry sir, we’ve yet to add to what we’ve already reported,” said Brody.

Oscar surveyed the surroundings. “Cameras. Security cameras. I’m sure the Russians have some pointed toward the street.”

The three men chose opposite directions, searching the vicinity for the presence of the cameras. Within minutes the men were rewarded with the location of five cameras pointed in the general vicinity of Steve’s car.

Oscar returned to his car and made a quick call to the Secretary.

“Yes Mr. Secretary,” said Oscar, “Colonel Austin did not return from his dinner invitation last night and we’ve located his car here at the embassy.” Oscar listened as the Secretary barked orders to a nearby subordinate. Returning his attention to Oscar, the Secretary ordered Oscar to sit and wait for a return call. The Secretary planned on calling in a favor with the Russian ambassador.

Oscar waited almost a half hour for his phone to ring, his patience wearing thin. Finally receiving the go ahead to approach the embassy, Oscar strode to the front gate alone.

The guard eyed Oscar suspiciously, having just received notice of his impending arrival. He opened the gate, allowing Oscar in, then followed the American to the front steps.

Alex stood waiting for the unexpected visitor. After a brief introduction, Oscar was lead down the hall to the same room in which Steve occupied the prior evening.

Oscar paced the room, waiting for the Ambassador, who entered the room minutes later.

“Mr. Goldman, I apologize for making you wait,” the Ambassador said, exchanging a firm handshake. “I’m also dismayed at the news…”

“I’m more than dismayed, Ambassador,” Oscar said.

“I understand. How may we help you find Colonel Austin?” said the Ambassador.

Oscar fought the urge to pace. “The embassy has security cameras facing the street, including the area where Colonel Austin’s car is parked. I would like to see the tapes from last night.”

The Ambassador nodded. “I would be more than happy to supply the tapes. Please follow me.”

Oscar followed the man down the hall, deeper into the embassy. After several twists and turns, Oscar was lead into a small room banked with a multitude of monitors.

The Ambassador issued orders to the guards, in Russian. The guards eyed Oscar for a moment, wondering why this American warranted such special treatment.

Once the tapes were located, one guard vacated his seat, permitting Oscar a chance to sit in front of the monitor.

The first tape covered the area facing in the opposite direction from Steve’s care. Starting two hours prior to the alleged departure time, Oscar scanned the tape in fast-forward. As the time of departure arrived, Oscar had the tape popped out and another put in; the first tape showed nothing but normal traffic.

The second tape showed the street directly in front of the embassy. About an hour prior to Steve’s departure, a black van parked across the street, almost out of view of the camera. One lone figure could be seen getting out of the truck, checking the tire. The figure glanced around the area several times prior to getting back into the van and driving away.

Oscar requested the tape be set aside for future review while moving on to the third tape.

As he and the guard plod through the tape, using fast forward feature.

“Stop!” Oscar said, startling the guard and the Ambassador.

The guard paused the tape, rewinding it slightly per Oscar’s orders. Starting the tape again at normal speed, Oscar watched carefully as Steve came into view at the bottom of the frame.

Oscar watched his friend head out the front gate, pausing to exchange greetings with the guard. Sitting barely out of frame was the van from the other tape. Oscar watched as Steve strode to the car and unlocked the door. He saw a lone figure creep across the street, mostly hidden by the shadows cast by the nearby trees. Oscar’s eyes narrowed as he watches the man strike Steve at the base of the skull, Steve crumbling to the ground. A second man appeared in frame, helping the first man drag Steve back to the van. After hoisting Steve into the van, one man got into the driver’s seat while the other appeared to stay in the van. The van then sped off, heading west.

“Ambassador, I would really appreciate copies of these tapes so our video experts can work on them,” Oscar said, expecting an argument.

“Of course, Mr. Goldman.” The Ambassador instructed the guard to create copies of the tapes. Returning his attention to Oscar, “You may take the originals. I wish to keep the copies for continuity sake.”

Oscar thanked the Ambassador for his cooperation, promising to keep in touch during the investigation.

Back at his car, Oscar instructed Brody to arrange for a tow truck for Steve’s car, taking it back to the OSI garage.

Oscar and Zuercher climbed into Oscar’s car, heading for the office.

...Continued