Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Despite the fact that Jack had moved into a Brooklyn Heights apartment years before to be close to her, both agreed to meet at a coffee shop they use to go since the time of their intimate relationship. The reason for having sought a neutral place was not due to the fact that they wanted to avoid useless disputes, but because they had not seen each other for about a year, they did not know what their reaction would be when they saw each other again; indeed, people can change a lot in a year.

When Lakshmi entered the shop she immediately saw the man sitting at a table near a window. The sight from the door calmed her. The last time she had seen Jack he looked haggard, sloppy, with an unshaved blond beard and even dirty hair. She feared that the man, still young, had continued in his decadent career. Now he looked very good and although from a distance she could not assure it, Lakshmi thought she noticed a gesture of relief on his face when he saw her. As she approached the table Jack got up and walked to meet her; as they faced each other, it became clear that neither was prepared for the meeting. They hesitated a moment until she offered him her cheek and Jack planted a chaste kiss on it. Lakshmi involuntarily traversed scenes from their volcanic past relationship and smiled.

"Time has treated you well, Jack." She whispered sincerely.

“And you look splendid.”

The man's compliment reassured Lakshmi, who had spent an hour grooming herself in front of the mirror and still felt unsure of the result.

They both sat down and the waitress immediately came over and took the order.

"I know you're still in the FBI." It was a sentence awaiting confirmation.

“So is.”

“And how are you doing there?”

“Very well, I've been promoted. But we will talk about that, because this meeting with you has a purpose linked to my work ... among others. And what about you?” Lakshmi controlled her voice so that she did not show her anxiety to know about him.

“ I continue with my work as proofreader in the publishing house. I also do private consulting jobs. Economically I am doing relatively well. How is Anila?”

Anila was Lakshmi's daughter with an Icelandic professor named Ingo Ragnarsson, to whom she had been married in the past during one of the many disagreements with Jack.

“Very good. Completing the elementary school.”

“Lives with you? Because I know that Ingo returned to Iceland.”

“Anila lives with my parents in Queens. I cannot take care of her and her homework at school. I see her on weekends, whether I go to my parents' house or the girl comes to my place. Ingo comes once a year and visits us. He always sends gifts for Anila's birthday.”

"So ... you live alone?" Jack's question had a cautious tone.

“Yes. And you?”

“Me too.”

The conversation continued and time slipped through their fingers. They were both eager to fill the gap of time since their last meeting, which had ended badly. Against her will Lakshmi realized that the old fire was still burning inside her, and she had the feeling that the same thing was happening to him. Jack was a transparent man who never hid his emotions.

To avoid getting carried away by the feelings, the woman decided to return to the reason for the meeting.

"Are you still in contact with the Bluthund Community?" She asked suddenly.

“Yes, they always call me for a case in which my ... abilities are needed.”

“Are you currently working on any of these cases?”

“No, the last one ended a month ago. What are you up to?”

The cafeteria had filled up with people leaving their jobs at nearby offices and stores and had become bustling.

“The response requires a calm and above all discreet environment. This place is too crowded. I invite you home to continue the talk and get on topic.”

They walked the five blocks distance in an agile way. At one point Jack tried to take her hand and walk together, but she gently released him even though her heart was pounding.

When they entered her apartment, a cloud of sweet memories invaded Jack; is that despite the stormy moments very happy moments had passed in that place. As he entered he approached a shelf on which was a portrait of a girl.

“Anila.” He said with a sigh, thinking that she could have been his daughter. He shook his head to push those thoughts away as Lakshmi watched him silently from behind. Jack was an open book to her and she could read his thoughts and emotions better than himself.

“How old is she now, seven?”

“Eight. Come, sit at the table.”

Lakshmi's calculating mind had prepared that moment in detail and served a well-stocked snack.

"You have foreseen everything, right?" Observed the man, realizing the careful preparation.

“Yes, you already know me. But now let's talk about the case I'm working on.”

Lakshmi began recounting everything that had happened from the moment she had passed through the police cordon surrounding the Wahhabi cleric's crime scene to the private meeting with Admiral Donnelly.

Jack was interspersing questions for some of which the woman had no answer; this actually made her happy because it confirmed that his shrewd mind would help shed light where until then there was none; in addition it returned to recreate the admiration that she had by Jack.

“So not all of those killed were members of the various rival branches of Islam?”

“Surely they were Muslims, but only two were clerics. The others were actually bandits.”

“And was the technique used the same in the four cases?”

“The technique yes, although according to the coroner they could not all be committed by the same hand.”

“Why?”

“Three of the crimes were committed by very strong perpetrators, which is evident in the cut of the head. Instead the fourth one was carried out by someone with a weaker arm, like ...”

“Like what?”

“As if it were that of a woman or a child, although in reality the latter can be ruled out due to the height of the victims.”

“Hum. A woman? The case gains in complexity ... and in interest.”

Jack's questions leapt from side to side, in time with his disordered thoughts.

“Was the Barcelona victim a drug dealer?”

“Yes we know that he brought them from Pakistan and also from Iran.”

“ What drugs was he trafficking?”

“Heroin and also hashish.”

“Hashish. Interesting.” Jack's reflection was enigmatic for the woman, who was going to ask about that interest, but Jack had already jumped to another topic.

"And that Admiral Donnelly works for the State Department? Don't you know from what area?”

“ I do not know it and I do not believe that that data told us anything. I have the impression that he only deals with high voltage, complicated subjects, not issues proper of an office with fixed organization charts.”

The questions and answers eventually came to an end and were silent.

They were sitting in opposite chairs in the living room of the apartment. Lakshmi had already made a decision and started implementing it. The hem of her skirt slid to the side revealing her shapely brunette legs and part of her thighs. She could accurately predict the man's reaction in minutes and seconds; after all ... he was hers and always had been. Jack knelt on the carpet in front of her legs and kissed her knees. Lakshmi smiled, she already had her man where she wanted him. She stroked his blond hair, took him by the hand, and silently led him into the bedroom.

He silently thanked Admiral Donnelly. His request had given the necessary pretext for the reunion she had longed for so long.