The Blacklist (sequel to The Reluctant Spy)

Establishing Trust

Nyssa parked the Indian a block away from the house. She casually walked around the area glancing at every house before she came to her Mother's doorstep. Something did not seem right. On the surface, everything seemed normal. Yet, it was a feeling, an instinct that she learned to trust over the years of her life.

Nyssa walked up the steps and reached for the knob when she heard her Mother's voice through the nearby window.

"Nyssa, darling, I'm so happy you could pop in for a visit," Marilyn said holding a cigarette in her left hand. "I was watching you. Why are you wandering around the street like that?"

"Just having a look around the neighborhood. You called me to come over. Remember!" Nyssa commented as she opened the door and walked inside.

"Oh, yes, I did. Want some coffee, dear?"

Marilyn smiled as she headed for the kitchen. Nyssa closed the door and followed her.

"Mom, have you seen anything or anybody in the neighborhood that seems suspicious to you? A new neighbor who seems nosey, or a service van that just sits in the street?" Nyssa glanced out the window while her mother worked in the kitchen brewing coffee.

"I don't know, darling. I don't pay that much attention."

That's a new one!

"Mom, you know everything that goes on in this neighborhood. Don't give me that."

"Well, there were two men who were quite interested in this house, as a matter of fact. They were very nice."

"So, you talked to them? They were in this house?"

"Yes, I served them tea and sandwiches. They said they were with the government."

At the mention of government, Nyssa's eyes snapped to her mother, and her breath caught in her throat. She rushed to the kitchen and stood at the entrance.

"Government? Who do they work for? British government?"

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. In all the years, I've never known who you worked for. You and Lucy traveled the world always telling me that you can't talk about it. It was always a mystery with you two. Here is your coffee." Marilyn passed a full cup across the counter to Nyssa.

"One of them was very interested in that old car of your father's. I took him in the garage to see it. Which reminds me..."

"Wait.... You left one of them alone in here?" Nyssa lowered her voice as she asked interrupting her mother. "For how long?"

"I don't know. Ten minutes, I suppose. Oh, I do remember what I want you to do. I have a friend who has a son who needs some help.... Nyssa, what are you doing?"

Nyssa was no longer listening to Marilyn. She ran her hands over the edges of the furniture and under lamp shades. She was checking under the dining room table when she glanced across the room and noticed the electrical socket. Something did not seem right about it.

Marilyn watched her daughter in confusion as Nyssa crawled across the floor to examine the socket. She pulled a pocket knife from her jeans and used the blade as a screw driver to open the socket.

The socket looked as though it was tampered with. She knew enough about listening devices to know that there were certain surveillance transmitters that used the electricity from a house. Wiring these transmitters into the house power system, the device could transmit at least a full city block away.

Nyssa instantly saw the transmitter as soon as she removed the socket plate. She carefully disconnected it from the wires and pulled it out of the wall to examine it.