Temptation

Part 9

“Carl, I’ve got news,” Brendon rushed to say as soon as he dropped Eleanor at her house and called his boss.

“Yes?”

“There is a man possibly threatening Eleanor Lightman. I’ve seen him twice. His name is John Samuel. You should look him up and see if there is anything suspicious about him, because it surely looks like it does.”

“John Samuel… got it, I’ll check it. I also have news.”

“Oh, yes?”

“The Cryptography placed a tracer on the account you found, and got some of the emails they’ve exchanged. Can you come over now?”

“I’m on my way.”

Brendon’s thoughts were still on Eleanor; at first sight, she was just a spoiled girl with a bad attitude who wished to rebel against her father. But things had changed, and now he could barely see that version of her; Eleanor was a girl who had grown up without a mother, and because her mother had chosen to kill herself. Her attitude was justified, of course it was. That poor girl had been pressured her entire life, and never had a chance to break free.

Carl’s apartment was just on the border of Washington and Maryland, so the ride was not too long for Brendon, and it was much better than to go to the NSA’s HQ. He was still thinking of Eleanor when he got there.

“Ah, there you are,” Carl greeted him with a whiskey. “Didn’t take too long, did ya?”

“Gladly not.” Brendon took the glass. “What are the news?”

“The Cryptographers have looked into Lightman’s email and they have found a few messages between Lightman and Svetlana Zhenshchina.”

“And what did they find?”

“This.”

Carl gave Brendon a few pieces of papers, which he took and started reading them. The messages seemed very informal and casual, as if they were old friends.

“’I hope the twins are well. I hope they are not overloaded with classes; it might be dangerous,’ from Svetlana to Lightman, and then a reply, ‘The twins are doing well, I look after them the best way I can.’”

“No mention to Eleanor Lightman?”

“Actually, that is the strange part. No clear message or mention regarding the eldest girl.”

“What else do they talk about?”

“The twins mostly. This Svetlana seems really interested in the Lightman twins, and Lightman treats her as an old friend… There is no apparent conflict, until…”

“Until what?”

Carl pointed at the last paper; it was the register of an email sent by Lightman only an hour earlier.

‘It’s becoming harder and harder to deal with it. Can’t I just come to you and end this all? He is threatening me and I can’t do this anymore. I’m worried about myself and the twins.’

A single reply from Svetlana: ‘I know it’s hard, but you must be strong, for us. Don’t give up now. Soon you, me and the twins will be together.’

“Lightman feels threatened,” Brendon sighed. “’He’, is it Donald Tucker?”

“I can’t think of anyone else who is powerful enough to threaten a man like Theodore Lightman.”

“Why is he singling his eldest daughter out of this?” Brendon asked, repulsed. “He is always talking about the twins, so is this Svetlana. What about Eleanor?”

“Who knows? Do they get along well?”

“He shows us one thing, but Eleanor… she said something about him changing after her mother died…”

“You spoke of that to her?” Carl raised an eyebrow.

“It was an emotional moment for her.”

“Well, did he change enough to be willing to leave her behind to be with this possible lover and his twins? Perhaps. Can you investigate it?”

“Sometimes I feel like I work for FBI, not NSA…” Brendon drank a bit more of whiskey. “I’ll see what I can find out. Did you look into the name I’ve given you earlier? John Samuel?”

“Yes. I found his file. Straight A’s student, going to UCD to study Economics, father is a business man, mother is a housewife who is always involved in charity works… Seems like a wealthy young man and exemplar citizen.”

“Really? I can’t believe it, he doesn’t look like that!” Brendon exclaimed, thinking of the bad-tempered man with a naughty smile and indifferent yes. “Give me that.”

Carl handed Brendon the file, and at the minute he looked at it, he snorted.

“What’s funny?”

“What’s funny? Eleanor Lightman is playing with me.” The picture showed a fair skinned young man, good looking and athletic. “This isn’t the man I’ve seen with her. She is hiding something.”