Tess Awakening (9 page)

Tess knocked on Colonel Reynolds’ door. The
CO hailed her in.

“Tess, where the hell have you been? I have
people all over looking for you!”

“Not to worry, Sir. I just went to get some
rest in Kuwait City.”

“You shouldn’t be out. As a matter of fact,
you should still be in the hospital.”

“No time for that, Sir. I would like to join
with the units headed for General al-Saadi’s positions. I have some
unfinished business to attend to.”

“Yes, I heard what’s happened to you, and I
can’t blame you for wanting to get even, but I can’t allow it. Let
the Third Infantry take care of him. You have been through hell. I
would like you to have some rest.”

“Colonel, if I don’t go back, Alkan will kill
a little girl. Her mother saved my life. I must do what I can to
find her before the General gets to her.”

Colonel Gardner was getting used to arguing
with Tess; in fact, he did not remember a single instance where she
followed orders without a fuss.

Time to use official language. “Major, the
answer is no. You have been a prisoner of war; you have not
completed your physical exam or a debriefing. You should apply to
be sent home to the States. You have done your duty. Give it
up!”

“Colonel, not only did I make a promise to a
dying woman, but the bastards I am going after killed Major
Gardner. I know who they are, and the layout of the palace. I can
get in and do what I need to do in a few hours.”

“How do you want me to explain this to your
father? That you are lunatic?”

“Thanks for the compliment, Colonel, but my
father will understand.”

***

Tess and Jake boarded a chopper with a pilot
and two crew members. They took off and made for Amir al-Saadi’s
compound. When they arrived, they saw a lot of smoke but no
activity. The landed at the periphery and a gunner manned his
weapon, looking for threats.

Tess and Jake walked rapidly toward the
mansion and came upon the bodies of the Fedayeen that al-Saadi had
executed.

The mansion’s doors were locked, and a
servant told them through them that he was to protect his master’s
house. Jake spoke in Arabic and assured him that the Americans
would most assuredly blow up the place if they were not allowed in.
The servant was persuaded and opened the door.

Jake grabbed him by the throat and asked
“Where are your master and the little girl?” The terrified servant
divulged that the General had left with the child and several
troops, but he did not know where. Jake tried to get more out of
him until it became evident that he really didn’t know.

“Jake, he might not know where Saadi went,
but he might tell us a little bit about his activities.”

Encouraged by an occasional slap and kick,
the servant finally provided some useful information. The general
had an apartment in Istanbul, one in Paris, and an estate not far
from London. He could be in any one of these places.

Jake looked at Tess disconsolately. “I guess
he outfoxed us. He’s out of reach.”

“Only if you accept the situation” Tess
countered. “I’m going after him!”

Jake lost his patience. “May I remind you
that we are both still in the Army? You just can’t walk out
globetrotting all over the place to chase this guy!”

Tess disagreed. “The Army will not let us
back in action until they do a medical evaluation and further
debriefing. After that, they will allow us to go on leave for a
while. That’s how I plan to chase the bastard.”

Jake threw his arms up in the air. “You are
crazy!”

“Thank you,” Tess responded. “I didn’t ask
you to go with me. I will take care of this myself.”

“The hell you are. You need me around to make
sure you use your head!”

Tess folded her arms on her chest. “You are
going to squeeze me again? I swear I will hit you with a
brick!”

Jake smiled. “If you think I am going away,
you are mistaken. I guess I will take a leave and go with you on
this charade.”

Tess was really annoyed now. “It’s not a
charade; it’s a little girl’s life. I promised her mother I would
take care of her and that is exactly what I am going to do!”

Jake’s realized that there was no dissuading
her. “Okay, exactly how do you plan to find the General and the
girl?”

“Simple. You use your contacts and
intelligence sources to help us narrow down where the bastard
is.”

“Do you want me to use government resources
for your own private project?”

“I think that the government will be useless
in this case. I am just asking you to use your experience as a
spook to help me find this guy.”

“I think you are nuts,” Jake observed, “but
you are my nut. Okay, let’s do it.”

“Thank you for the compliment sir,” Tess
smiled. “Let’s go back to the base and see if we can get some time
off from the Army.”

Chapter 11

“So, what’s the plan?” Jake asked.

“I think that we should get time off and
start looking for the bastard in Istanbul where according to his
servant he has a house,” Tess replied while driving the Humvee at
breakneck speed.

Jake, ever the practical planner, looked at
her quizzically. “And how are we going to go to Turkey from here?
There is a war going on, in case you forgot.

“I thought that you are the one who is
creative. Since you imagination is temporarily in neutral, let’s
see if we can get military transportation to the American air base
at Incirlik or maybe Izmir in Turkey.”

Jake shook his head. “You will need orders to
go there. It would be better to go to Italy, either Sigonella in
Sicily or Naples Naval Base. We will still need orders, but it will
be easier because the Turks are a pain. They are likely to heavily
scrutinize any movements from Iraq. They don’t want to get involved
in what we are doing here.”

Tess swerved the vehicle to avoid hitting a
stray goat. “So, mister spook, do you think you can get us orders
to Italy? I wouldn’t mind having some nice pasta.”

“I will call my contacts and see if they can
find a reason to send us there.”

Jake and Tess reached the base, and for the
next two days endured a series of briefings and medical
evaluations.

Military operations were rapidly reaching a
climax with some units entering Baghdad with little active
resistance. At this point, it was just a matter of time before the
Iraqis finally gave up.

Jake had to pull all his chits, but was able
to get orders for both him and Tess to go to Naples to purportedly
brief the local CIA operation there on the progress of the war. The
next day, they boarded a transport plane and arrived in Naples in
short order.

Stepping off the plane, Jake pointed out the
obvious. “Okay, Major, now that we are here, we are on our own. We
can get leave, but we must fund our flights and expenses in
Istanbul. I don’t think my CIA salary will go that far.” Jake
actually did have a significant amount of private money; he just
wasn’t sure it should be used on a wild goose chase.

Tess responded: “That is not an issue. I have
money.”

“Nice to know.”

In fact, Tess did not have
a lot
of
money. She could rely on dad to help, but she didn’t want him to
get involved in whatever she was planning to do. She had no
intention of worrying him by telling him that she and her partner
were going on a dubious adventure.

As soon as they disengaged themselves from
the military, they got a cab to downtown Naples. Tess said that she
had already made reservations at the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, a
beautiful place with balcony rooms and sea views. This was one
Tess’s favorite places to stay. Located right on the seafront, the
establishment overlooked the Gulf of Naples, the island of Capri
and Mount Vesuvius.

Tough as she was, Tess fully enjoyed the
creature comforts that her privileged upbringing afforded. She had
stayed at this establishment often, as a waystation to her aunt’s
vacation place in Capri.

Jake said that he had a better idea.

He directed the cab through the dingy,
ancient streets in Naples and stopped by a decrepit iron gate in a
lugubrious lane flanked by tall residential buildings with laundry
lines on both sides.

Tess was a little dismayed. The entrance from
the street was gloomy and uninviting.

Jake grabbed her hand and walked up concrete
stairs up to the second floor. He stuffed both of them and their
small bags in an old elevator, then started rummaging through his
pockets. A little sign advised that you have to pay 10 cents to use
the lift - not ideal when you arrive with heavy luggage and without
any 10 cent coins! Now Tess understood why Jake had insisted they
buy a cup of coffee at the airport.

Miraculously, the coin got the decrepit
elevator working, spilling them into the reception area of a
Pensione
, the Italian version of a B&B.

The guy at the reception desk was helpful and
efficient, not overly friendly and welcoming, but okay. He advised
the guests that the reception closes at 8 PM, so pay attention to
his instructions about which key opens which door for when you
return to the
Pensione
later in the evening.

Tess was ready to walk away, but Jake took
her hand and walked into the room. Surprisingly, it was a nice size
and was clean, the bed was large and comfortable, plenty of storage
space. The bathroom was a bit of a disappointment in comparison. It
was clean but showed signs of age, and there were bits of black at
the bottom of the shower where years of damp had done damage, also
some chips to the door. An ugly and cheap looking shower curtain
completed the decor.

Tess looked at Jake quizzically. “I hope you
realize that I am used to something better than this.”

Jake smiled. “I am sure you are.”

The room opened out onto a communal terrace,
and each room has its own table and chairs. The desk clerk pointed
out that they had the option to eat breakfast here. Jake said that
they would do so if weather permits.

They dropped the bags in the room and
returned to the street. Soon Tess had to admit that the location
close to the city center was convenient, easy to get to any
attraction. They saw many places to eat nearby and interesting
streets for wonderful walks. Little alleyways were packed with
people, musicians, sellers, locals, restaurants and stores. So much
to see!

Jake finally stepped in a hole-in-the-wall
restaurant. A chubby older woman saw them and said in Italian,
“Signor Jake! Where have you been? You have not visited me for over
one year.”

Jake hugged her and introduced her to Tess.
“This is Mamma Assunta, the best cook in Naples!”

Mamma hugged Tess as well and declared “Jake,
shame on you, you are starving this skinny young girl!” She stood
back and looked at her appraisingly. “Not a problem. We will feed
her properly! Now sit down.”

The couple parked at a small table, and Tess
grabbed one of the grissini bread sticks on top, dipping it into a
dish of excellent olive oil. The waiter brought a bottle of wine.
Tess noted the label—Taurasi. “I have never heard of this.”

Jake poured some into her glass. “It’s a
local wine.” Tess tasted it, and she realized that it was
marvelous, a superb, full-bodied and opulent wine.

No menu was presented, and Jake made no
effort to get one.

Tess finally prodded him while chewing on
another bread stick, “I am famished!” Jake looked toward the
kitchen and declared that the food was on its way. “Mamma does not
bother with menus. She just serves what she is cooking at the
time.”

A young woman started to bring several
serving plates in front of them, far more food that could be
handled by two people. Jake explained the dishes. “This is a dish
called
Pasta Alla Genovese
. It has an onion-and-beef sauce
similar to French onion soup on rigatoni.”

Tess smelled the heavenly aroma of the dish.
“I guess that this is originally from Genoa.”

“Not really,” said Jake. “This is actually
the quintessential dish of Naples. Nobody knows why it is called
Genovese”.

He pointed at another dish. “This is called
polpettone
, a vegetable stuffed meatloaf. It’s delicious.
And this is called
scammaro
, which is an eggless frittata
cake. It is studded with capers, olives, parsley, a few small diced
zucchini and bread crumbs. The locals say that you should also add
anchovies, but many tourists don’t like them. Once you try this
dish, you will become addicted.”

Tess, starving, did not wait for the
presentation of the other dishes. She placed a portion of the food
on her plate and started eating. “This is delicious,” she
observed.

Jake was still in high gear and pointed out
the remaining dishes. This is called
tostata di tagliolini
,
with smoked
fior di latte, peas, ham, béchamel sauce and
Parmesan
. And this is a beautiful rice
frittata
.”

At this point, Tess realized that if she
wanted to hang out with Jake, she would have to accept that she
would be eternally subjected to innumerable facts and figures about
everything. “Jake, I get it; great food. Now eat.”

Jake followed her advice and heaped food on
his plate. This did not stop the lecture. “Most people associate
Neapolitan food with red sauces, but that is not necessarily the
case. What they cook here is infinitely more sophisticated.”

Tess, diving to taste the dishes, tried to
stop the onslaught of culinary intelligence. “Good to know. Now
eat,” she repeated. Jake finally shut up and followed Tess’s
advice.

The silence did not last long; Jake still
provided a running commentary between bites. Tess wished she could
use a gag on her partner.

Dessert came.
Sfogliatelle
, delicious
thin layers of baked clam-shaped pastry pockets filled with an
oozing, buttery filling of creamy ricotta cheese, sugar, cinnamon
and little bits of candied citrus and a sprinkling of powdered
sugar on top.