Ishmael Covenant by Terry Brennan

Author:Terry Brennan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2020-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

“Good morning, Mr. Secretary.”

“Good afternoon, Jeffrey. How is the weather in Tel Aviv today?”

Webster intended his words to be confounding to Archer—like an oiled knife, they were slippery and often dangerous. Good to keep this little guttersnipe in his place—insecure and afraid.

“Beautiful once again, Mr. Secretary,” said the ambassador’s secretary. “But not everything is serene here. The ambassador has postponed his official welcoming reception. I’ve got two hundred disappointed and aggravated guests to disinvite.”

“And the reason for this sudden postponement?”

“He’s on his way to Jerusalem to meet with the prime minister, something that was not on his agenda. So I’ve been instructed to clear his calendar today and tomorrow,” said Archer. “Something is going on. Security has been increased and the tension level around here was very high already. And now the ambassador is dumping his entire schedule and running off to Jerusalem. It’s something I thought you would want to know.”

Webster waited, allowing the silence to build. He wondered if he had made a mistake. Would Archer really be of value? Could he be trusted? Archer stumbled into the silence. “Cleveland’s only been in the country one day, and already he’s stirred up a mess.

“Is that all you can tell me, Jeffrey?”

“Well, there was one other odd thing that happened,” said Archer, a conspiratorial gravity shadowing his words. “Cleveland’s daughter came back from the airport with all the ambassador’s bags while Cleveland and his DSS team went straight to the embassy. She …”

“Mrs. Parker, you mean?”

“Yes … yes, sir. When Mrs. Parker got out of her car she was clutching a leather bag—bigger than a briefcase, but not as big as a suitcase. She held it in her arms, like no one was going to get near it. I was standing on the steps, by the front door, and asked if I could help. She nearly jumped out of her skin. I thought she was going to fall over, so I went down the steps and reached out to steady her. It was … well … like I had the plague or something. She jumped back, pulled the bag closer to her chest and said, ‘No … No!’ And then she almost ran up the steps and into the residence. Very odd. Then, later in the day, she’s in my office telling me the reception needed to be postponed, acting like nothing had happened outside. I don’t know. Something was going on there. But I have no clue what it was.”

“Not a terribly auspicious start for you, Jeffrey, I must say.”

“I’ve only just been introduced to the ambassador, Mr. Secretary,” Archer pleaded. “It’s likely going to take some time for me to build up a level of trust with him and his family.”

“Very well, Jeffrey,” said Webster, a languid indifference coating his words. “Call me again as soon as you have further information. Good-bye.”

Well, thought Webster, a new mystery has been added. What is in the bag, Mrs. Parker? What indeed?

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