Agent with a History (12 page)

I felt a tear slip down my face. Why was
everything being taken from me? I fingered the gold cross that he
had released. Truthfully, I wore the necklace more out of a desired
connection with my mother than I did out of any vestige of
faith.

My faith was remarkably empty and all my life
I had admittedly relied on others to tell me what faith should be
about. I hadn’t really questioned it because it was comfortable to
stay where I was as well as leave the connection with my past
unbroken. The lack of emotion behind my motives for faith was why I
hadn’t been to a mass or confession in years.

I let go of the necklace and it fell heavily
against my skin. I looked up at Flint and then past him to the
church. I loved the man and in some ways I think he knew it
already. So why would he endanger our relationship over a matter of
faith…..unless it was because…. I glanced deeply into his warm
eyes. Unless it was because he loved me and wanted what was best
for me eternally over any value he placed in the relationship that
I knew he wanted with me. I swallowed as more tears fell.

I could trust him more, because of that
sacrificial statement for my well being, then perhaps for any other
reason he had shown me up until now. He was so sure in his faith. I
could see it in his eyes, which formed the windows of his soul.

I didn’t even know where to begin to even
defend my faith, which caused me to acknowledge that I hadn’t
really had much of a faith after all, just a belief passed on to
me.

I reached up and undid the necklace. His hand
opened and I dropped the necklace into it and nothing more was
said.

He took my hand, his fingers curling warmly
around mine, as we continued on toward the church. I was scared,
but inside I felt like I was doing the right thing, as if perhaps I
was experiencing faith for the first time in my life.

Beyond a doubt, somehow I sensed I wasn’t
going to be disappointed by my decision. There would be those who
would think I had betrayed my faith, but the need for faith was why
I had started out on a journey of faith, with a man who cared
enough not to keep the challenges and rewards of faith from me, in
order to preserve his own interests.

We were nearing the front entryway when he
said, “I believe now would be a good time to practice our false
identities.”

He handed me a driver license with my picture
on it. “Lisa Kilroy. Who are you?” I asked.

“Why, I’m Mr. Kilroy, your husband.”

“What?” I asked flabbergasted.

Before I could object he slid two rings on my
finger. I gasped at the sight of them.

“Some guys like the one big single diamond
approach, but as for me I like the look of lots of smaller ones.
It’s more sparkly. What do you think?”

I stared at the sparkling rings, “They’re
real?” I whispered out.

“Of course they are! I don’t buy fake
gemstones, especially not for my wife!” He responded in mock
affront.

I looked up at him, “Married?” I said still
not believing he would pick such a cover.

“Yes married! You don’t want these good
people to think we’re living the life of sin now do you?”

There was no time for questions, as we were
at the doors being greeted. I smiled wanly and then more or less
felt myself dragged inside.

My face hurt from smiling. Everything was
radically different, but I had to admit the message was rather
theme appropriate, to the point that it seemed tailor made. I
almost felt guilty for everyone else in the church having to sit
through a sermon that was so obviously just meant for me, it
seemed.

It opened my eyes a lot. Some part of me
still couldn’t believe he had stopped to go to church. Flint in so
many ways just seemed so cool and it was kind of exciting to know
that such a man could be a man of faith too. It was yet another
interesting tidbit of information, as to who the man, that I had
fallen in love with was. Not only had he stopped to go to church,
but he was busy in the work of bringing me into a meaningful and
redemptive salvation.

“Well what do you think?” He asked softly
into my ear.

“I’m glad I came in. I’m glad you care enough
for me to share this with me.” I said looking up to meet his eyes
still feeling crushed inside by the understanding of what I didn’t
know about faith.

“I care very much for you Lisa.”

He slipped my mother’s necklace into my hand
and I looked up at him in question. “You know where you need to go
in search of answers now, which is directly to God through Jesus,
so I don’t think there’s any harm in you having something that’s
more about your mother than anything else.”

My fingers closed over the treasured relic of
my mother’s and I leaned my head down onto Flint’s shoulder. I’d
already received far more than I’d lost with making this step to
experience God more fully and find out where I fit into His plan
for my life.

“You okay?”

I nodded, “I have so much to learn. I don’t
know how to overcome the fear of all that I suddenly don’t
know.”

His hand reclaimed mine, but he didn’t say
anything. I looked up at him curiously, “Don’t you have a comeback
for that?”

He shook his head, “I don’t have the answers
to everything, but through reading the good book and through prayer
to help you come to all the correct answers you’ll get from reading
it, I know that you’ll find all your questions answered plus
some.”

He leaned forward and pulled a Bible free
from the pew in front of us and laid it in my lap.

“It’s as simple as that?” I asked staring
down at the Bible.

“As simple as that.” He affirmed.

They took the offering at the end and I
wasn’t surprised to see Flint pull a folded up check out and drop
it in. Maybe I was being a bit snoopy as I craned my head a little
to see the amount on the check, but I was curious. I did a double
take.

The check was in the six figures! I turned to
Flint stunned. He noticed and said softly, “It’s not polite to
snoop.”

Two could play that game. “I’m your
wife!”

“Touché’”, after a moment he leaned over and
whispered into my ear, “I got a little behind on my tithing, that’s
all.”

He expected me to believe that! We left and I
thought about it. If he was a devoted enough person to stop and
give so much money to a worthy cause why then did I assume he was
lying to me? As far as I knew he hadn’t lied to me ever. Why did I
doubt him?

We stopped at a quaint little restaurant and
I more or less played with my food, as I debated within myself.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

I looked up at him, “Were you really telling
me the truth about that check? You really tithed $172,000?”

He nodded, “It’s been a couple of months
since I’ve had a chance to catch a sermon, because of how busy I’ve
been. I have charities and causes that I give to as well, but all
my tithe goes to the church.”

I stared down at the table in frustration. “I
don’t understand it. You’re a wealthy man and you’re going after
the treasure just like the rest of them. My father has hundreds of
millions of dollars, perhaps even billions and he’s after it like
you are. Why do you need the treasure? Why?” I asked.

“I don’t.” He answered simply.

“Then why?”

“Because others are looking for it.”

I studied him closely, “Are you saying that
if nobody was looking for it then you wouldn’t be either.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand?”

He studied me for a moment and then sighed as
if giving up on something. “Such a treasure, if it’s what it’s
fabled to be, wouldn’t be a good thing in anybody’s hands.”

“Then why are you….” I stopped, stunned as
realization came to me. “You don’t want the treasure, you want to
destroy it!”

“Correct, but to do that, first I have to
find it.”

I looked down at the table, “But I don’t want
the treasure destroyed. It could do a lot of good things.” I said
softly.

His fingers tilted my chin up. “No doubt you
would use it for good, but do you really think the world would let
you keep it, only to give it away?”

“I could hire someone, someone like you.”

Flint looked down ruefully. “I appreciate
your vote of confidence honey, but there are limits as to what I
and those I work with can do. This whole thing has gotten out of
hand. Every player in the world is making a play at this one and
given how many resources have been thrown into finding the
treasure, one or several of them are eventually going to find it.
And they aren’t going to let either you or me stand in their way of
getting a blank check to solve all of their fiscal worries.”

He was probably right. It wasn’t just the
treasure that I didn’t want destroyed; I could actually live with
the destruction of the treasure. What I most of all didn’t want to
see was the proud remnants of my people destroyed and gone forever.
I had been hoping one day to build a museum with the treasure so
the world could see.

“I’m not ready to see it all destroyed. I
respect you for what you want to do and I know you were hoping I
would help you. But I’m sorry, I can’t.”

He nodded understandably, “Oh well.” was all
he said as he went on eating.

“I’m really not going to tell you.”

“I got the message; now eat your food before
it gets cold.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you? You’re only
trying to protect your heritage. I can understand that.”

“You’re still going to take me with you?” I
asked hesitantly.

“Yes, but if you don’t start eating your food
I’m going to sit you on my lap and force feed you myself.”

Later that evening we reached the airport and
I was surprised to learn that we weren’t taking a main flight
liner. Flint had a private jet and, other than the pilots, we were
the only passengers.

I sank into the leather upholstery. It was
luxuriously comfortable, but I was tired of sitting and slightly
nervous about what lay ahead. Okay, I was a lot nervous. Flint
crashed down into the seat beside me and started reclining the seat
all the way back folding up the armrests on my seat and his at the
same time, which was annoying since I had been using mine.

“You know these seats recline all the
way.”

“I’m aware of that!” I snapped out
moodily.

My seat started going backward and I clenched
my jaw, as my seat came level with his. “You need to relax; it’s a
long flight to Barcelona.”

“I don’t like flying!”

“Hey, hey, simmer down; I have just the
distraction you need.”

“And what’s that?” I said tersely turning to
look at him.

“Me” He said as he pulled me over onto his
seat and started kissing me.

Dimly something registered to me as if from a
long way away. I broke contact and glanced around the cab of the
plane, “We’re moving!”

“Give the girl a cupid doll!”

“I’m serious! Shouldn’t we put on our
seatbelts or something?”

He pulled me back down and said, “You worry
too much.” And started kissing me all over again.

I blinked my eyes open and immediately
squinted them against the glare of the sun coming through the
portal window. My eyes refocused enough to see that I was lying
beside of Flint half draped over him. Blushing, I scrambled back
and awkwardly got to my feet.

“Was I sleeping on you like that all night?”
He sat up smiling and, obviously, the answer was that I had
been.

I brushed my hair to the sides of my face
overcome by how hedonistic I seemed to have become suddenly, “I’m
sorry!”

“Don’t be. I rather enjoyed it.” He said,
getting up.

I moved to step back, but he kissed me first.
He was always kissing me it seemed. Not that I minded it all that
much.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.” I mumbled back in reply.

“We’ll be landing in an hour so you might
want to freshen up.”

I nodded and went to the rear of the
plane.

Customs was a hassle, was the best way of
putting it. I thought we were through with it, when a short little
man rushed forward.

“Senor James what a pleasure to see that you
have come to visit us again! Tell me, who is the lovely lady?”

“Enrique, may I have the honor of introducing
Mrs. Kilroy to you.” Flint said with a flourish and I smiled warmly
on cue, as the little man went into double time in his never ending
speal of best wishes, my overwhelming beauty, how lucky Flint was,
whom he called James, and how lucky I was.

Flint cut into the ever expanding monologue,
“Enrique, this being my wife’s first time to your country, I wonder
if you could help us expedite the process of getting her paper work
done?”

“Oh, but of course! It is but the least I can
do for an old friend. Come this way Senora Kilroy.”

I followed the little man as he led us to a
separate booth and pulled out a thick sheaf of papers.

“I just need your signature, Senora, on these
papers and you’re free to go enjoy all that our fair country has to
offer with your new husband.”

I looked at the pile of papers and leafed
through a few. They were all in Spanish. I glanced at Flint seeking
help and he nodded that it was okay so I started signing my life
away. For all I knew I could be signing my confession to a
murder.

With that done, we moved out and into the
city. I had a strange feeling of being watched and glanced back.
Yeah, we were being followed.

I glanced at Flint, “Yeah, I know,
sightseeing is gonna have to wait, honey. I’ll bring you back
someday, I promise. Hold onto my hand.”

For the next hour I learned how to lose a
tail from a professional. I thought we had lost them when a bullet
pinged off a building just above our heads. We crouched down
together, making our way along the lines of what available cover we
had.