The Rendition (44 page)

On Tuesday, I called headquarters again and finally got through to Irmie. But when I asked if she cared to go out that evening, she said, “I'm awfully busy at the moment.”

“How about tomorrow? I could come by and—”

“I'm tied up tomorrow evening.” Before I could say anything more, she called out to someone, “I'll be right there. I have to run, Alex. Bye.”

By now, I was really nervous, like every man, I suppose, before popping the big question.

Although I called twice on Thursday, I was told both times that Irmie was unavailable.

I finally caught up with Irmie late Friday afternoon. When I told her I wanted to see her, hopefully that evening, she said, “I don't think so, Alex.”

“But Irmie. I've been calling all week. I was hoping—”

“I know that. I just don't think that it's right.”

“That what's not right?”

“I don't know. I'd prefer not to see you tonight—or tomorrow night.”

“When then?”

“I don't know, Alex. I have to sort out my feelings.”

How dumb am I supposed to be? How much of a doormat? I should have known I was getting the runaround. I'd bought a wedding ring for a woman who not only didn't want the ring; she didn't even want to see me. Maybe I should have made a smart remark—like “go sort out your feelings with someone else”—but managed to show some restraint.

Still holding my cell phone, I began punching in numbers. I was looking for an airline with an available seat on a flight to New York.

Late Sunday morning, standing at the curb in front of my building, I tossed my suitcase and carry-on into the trunk of Max's car, then nodded. “That's it.” Max slammed the trunk closed. In a couple of hours I'd be in the air. I couldn't wait to be gone. I'd endured too much in this city.

When I phoned Max and said I was leaving, he'd offered to drive me to the airport.

With both hands on the steering wheel, he drove silently. Neither of us made any attempt at small talk. As we drove, I recalled that the Kosovo rendition had taken place the previous March, just one year ago. I looked out at the sights, the Olympic Stadium, the TV tower, and the modern skyline—and realized I was probably seeing them for the last time. I'd first landed here a long time ago, and I winced as I recalled how young and impressionable I was back then.

It was only after we arrived at the airport that Max said, “Are you sure you're doing the right thing?”

“I'm positive.”

Max shook his head. “I hope you don't mind me saying this, Alex, but I think you're making the same mistake you made nine years ago.”

“Maybe, but I kind of doubt it.”

“How do you feel about Irmie?”

“How does she feel about me? I have an idea Irmie is leading a full life. She doesn't need me around.”

For some reason Max had the idea that I was the one person who could make Irmie happy.

It was a nice thought.

I'd been busy. I'd called Shenlee in D.C. and spoken with his secretary. I told her to let Jerry know that I was on my way back to the States and would be available for a post-op debriefing within the next week. I was also able to get in touch with Gary Lawson, my partner in the ice business. According to Gary, things were going good, and he was looking forward to having me back.

Max identified himself as a former policeman for the security people and after they'd checked us out, we decided to have a farewell cup of coffee standing at the quiet corner of a lunch bar.

Max again said I was making a mistake except this time he was blunter about it.

“It's no go, Max.” I was finding it difficult to forget the humiliation of the past week.

“Now I'm going to tell you something else. You're not admitting to yourself that it was Irmie who kept you out of jail. And she did it because she thinks the world of you. If you killed that character, she knew you had a damned good reason.”

I shook my head. I just couldn't shake the memory of this past week. After I'd bought her an engagement ring, she gave me the runaround—and finally told me she'd prefer not to see me.

Max grabbed his mug, emptied it with a long swallow, then slammed it back down on the bar. “I have the feeling I'm talking to a wall.”

Just as they were calling my flight, I ordered a coffee refill that I didn't really want. When the woman looked at Max, he shook his head. Neither of us said anything, but I had an idea what Max was thinking. He seemed to think I should get back into the car with him and return to Munich, but that wasn't going to happen.

I guess he was right when he said he was talking to a wall. Other people have told me that. Irmie used to tell me that, and Sylvia said it too. Vickie and her crew in Kosovo were definitely talking to a wall when they tried to get me to say things into their video camera.

Neither of us spoke for a good two minutes. “You better get going, Alex.” Max stuck out his hand. “
Auf Wiedersehen
.”

“
Auf Wiedersehen
, Max.”

I drank the coffee slowly, then strolled in a leisurely fashion through the airport. I suppose I was having second thoughts, but I knew I wasn't going to change my mind. Max had been right when he said he was talking to a wall.

The passengers were already boarding when I arrived at the gate. I took my place at the rear of the line, my carry-on slung over my back.

I was standing there perhaps two minutes when I heard someone say my name.

“Alex?”

Because I knew whose voice it was, my heart jumped. Irmie was standing next to me, smiling her fabulous smile, her wide eyes gazing up at me. “I wanted to see you before you left.” Around her neck was the silver necklace.

I dropped my carry-on, took her in my arms, and kissed her. Her lips were soft and yielding, and I couldn't let her go. As I held her, I was aware of the last passengers moving by us.

A flight attendant called out something about tickets and boarding. Oblivious to the people around us, I began fumbling through my carry-on, searching feverishly. I had to find it. The loudspeaker announced the final call.

A minute later, I had the small box in my hand. As I removed the ring, I heard Irmie gasp. “Oh, Alex.”

I mouthed the words, “I love you,” and then I placed the ring on the finger of her left hand. “And I always will,” I said.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the attendants standing with her hand on the handle of the door to the boarding tunnel.

“Come back this time, Alex.”

I nodded. Words were unnecessary. As I passed through the door, the flight attendant was smiling. She held the door open long enough for me to turn around and blow Irmie a kiss. My last sight of Irmie was of her waving. Her mascara was smudged and there might have been a tear on her right cheek.

Your request concerning Tania Moisiu has been forwarded to me by the deputy secretary in Washington, D.C.

You were correct in saying that Miss Moisiu was under arrest here in Munich. Until two weeks ago, she was being detained in prison prior to going to trial. The German authorities had charged her with a number of criminal violations, some quite serious, among them soliciting and being resident in the Federal Republic without a visa. Subsequent to eventual conviction, she almost certainly would have served some jail time before being deported to her native Kosovo.

I was able to speak with the police president on the phone two weeks ago in connection with your request, and he said he had already spoken with Washington about the matter. He was more than cooperative. It has been arranged to have all the criminal charges against Miss Moisiu dropped, and the consulate has been able to provide living quarters and per diem for her until the paperwork is completed.

I understand that the problems regarding her immigration status to which you referred have been resolved. When I personally interviewed Miss Moisiu, I found her to be personable and determined, but extremely depressed. One can only guess at the hardships people from that part of the world have endured in recent years. Miss Moisiu's mood
changed dramatically when I informed her that the criminal charges against her had been dropped and that the possibility existed for her to begin a new life in the United States.

Sincerely yours,

Grant Martinez,

Assistant Legal Attaché

PS. As per your instructions, the fact that you initiated this request is known only to me and the deputy secretary. Be assured that your name will remain outside the formal process and never be mentioned. However, Miss Moisiu said that she had a one-word message to “someone”:
Drejëtsi.
It's my understanding that the word is Albanian for “justice.” And she also said,
Falemnderit.
Thank you.

The following explanations might help to clarify some situations and expressions in common use by military personnel stationed overseas.

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie—The first three letters in the military phonetic alphabet.

Ariana Hotel—In 2002, the CIA took over the Ariana, which is close to the presidential palace and has since had various uses as a hotel for transient personnel, a military command post, and the CIA station in Kabul.

Article 15—A punishment for a minor infraction that will not be entered into a soldier's permanent file.

Balad—In 2007 Joint Base Balad, which is about fifty miles north of Bagdad, was the central hub for airlift and U.S. Air Force operations in Iraq.

Battle of Kosovo—A critical event in Kosovo's history. The battle, which was fought not far from Pristina in 1389, ended with a Turkish victory over Serbia. Kosovo then came under Turkish rule, but with the decline of the Ottoman Empire, Kosovo was annexed by Serbia. Before February 2008, Kosovo had never been an independent nation.

besa
—An oath taken by Kosovar soldiers in which they pledge loyalty to their comrades and commit themselves to carrying on the struggles of their ancestors.

BND (Bundesnachrichten Dienst)
—Germany's foreign intelligence
agency, the BND faced its greatest challenges from the Stasi and the KGB during the Cold War years. It now fights terrorism and other threats to German security in a manner similar to that of the FBI.

BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters)—Transient accommodations for military people, often situated in an installation's Officers' Club.

Camp Bondsteel—Established in June 1999, the installation is the largest built by the United States since the end of the Vietnam War. Located in eastern Kosovo not far from the city of Urosevac, it can quarter six thousand, has a hospital, and is also the site of a detention facility.

Class As—Military dress appropriate for formal occasions.

CONUS—A common way for people overseas to refer to the United States.

C-130 (Hercules)—A versatile four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft that, because it can be landed on a relatively short runway, has been widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

DI—Military acronym for drill instructor.

DSC (Distinguished Service Cross)—The second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the U.S. Army.

Eagle Base—Located near Tuzla in northern Bosnia, Eagle Base was headquarters for Task Force Eagle, the U.S. component of the sixty thousand soldiers who were deployed to the Balkans in 1996 in order to bring to an end the war between invading Serbs and Bosnian Muslims.

82nd Airborne—The airborne infantry division that has its permanent home at Fort Bragg.

EU—The European Union.

Fayetteville—The North Carolina city adjacent to Fort Bragg, the home of many active duty and retired Special Forces soldiers.

Force Protection—Specially trained contractors with the mission of keeping a military installation secure.

Hirschgarten
—One of Munich's largest beer gardens.

intel—Short for intelligence.

Kanun
—A centuries-old belief among Kosovars that existence is a life-and-death struggle in which wrongs can only be righted by the shedding of blood, either an individual's own or that of an enemy.

KFOR—A peacekeeping force of fifty thousand troops from thirty-nine NATO nations that entered Kosovo in June 1999.

Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)—Organized in 1996 in response to Serbian atrocities committed in the homeland, the KLA spearheaded the Kosovo Independence Movement. Although the United States first regarded the KLA as a terrorist group, it officially delisted it from that status in 1998, probably for political reasons. Much of the money raised to buy arms for the KLA came from criminal activities, and at times the KLA was suspected of assassinating political enemies.

Landstuhl Hospital—Located in southern Germany, the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest military medical facility outside the United States.

Leatherman—A versatile multitool favored by the military.

McGuire Air Force Base—located in south-central New Jersey, it is home to the 87th Air Base Wing.

medevac—Transport for a sick or injured person, often by helicopter, to a medical facility.

MI—Military Intelligence.

MP-5—A submachine gun that fires pistol-caliber cartridges and is favored by SEALs and Special Forces soldiers.

Münchner Freiheit—A major intersection on the Leopoldstrasse in Munich.

National Security Agency (NSA)—A government agency that protects the nation's interests to a large extent through electronic means.
One of NSA's primary missions during the Cold War was the gathering of signals intelligence from East Bloc nations through a network of listening stations, many located in Germany and Turkey.

Northern Alliance—A rebellious force of largely non-Pashtun ethnic groups, mostly from Afghanistan's northern provinces, opposed to the Taliban's control of the Afghan government.