Free The Stone of Archimedes by Trevor Scott

gun under his left arm, but it wasn’t there. Great, he thought. They were tracking her and now they would be tracking him as well.
    Just as these thoughts rolled through his mind, Jake saw his contact come through the front door and scan the room for him. The tall man was wearing almost the identical linen suit that he had worn the day he had come to offer Jake the job at the Tunisian prison. What the hell was he doing in Malta? The man finally saw Jake and came over to him. He had a small satchel over his right shoulder, which he held onto tightly as he approached and stood in front of their table.
    â€œRob, what are you doing in Malta?” Jake asked him. Without waiting for an answer, he introduced Rob Pierce as the Cultural Affairs Officer from Tunis. When it was time to describe Elisa, he simply gave her first name and said she was from Italy. But Jake guessed Rob knew more about the woman than he. “Take a seat,” Jake demanded. “You’re drawing attention.”
    â€œRight,” Rob said. He sat onto a chair across from Jake. “I’ve been trying to call you. Your cell seems to be off.”
    â€œI lost it,” Jake said. “I think it’s somewhere in Sicily.”
    The cultural officer was trying his best not to eye Jake’s Italian friend, but he was failing miserably. “So, then, I have a new one for you in this bag, along with a few more things you may need.”
    Jake considered this man again. When they’d first met, Jake had thought the guy was a bit of a putz. But maybe his first impression had been wrong.
    â€œBy the way,” Rob said, “you’re looking much better than our first meeting.”
    â€œA Tunisian prison isn’t great for the constitution.”
    â€œRight. Well, since I haven’t been able to get you on the cell, I decided to find you in person.”
    â€œI thought we agreed to let me do my job,” Jake said.
    â€œTrue, true. But things have changed somewhat across the pond. Professor Sara Halsey Jones’ father is quite ill. He might just have days to live. They would like you to find her and bring her to Texas.”
    â€œI told you I would find her and determine if she was all right, but I have no intention of dragging her back to America. Not unless she wants to go.”
    Rob Pierce cleared his throat and stared at Elisa for a moment before returning his gaze upon Jake. “Right, I understand. But I’m sure she will want to return to see her father before he dies. Did you track her to Malta?”
    â€œYes.” Jake explained to him what he had found out so far and how they had come to Malta. He still left out how he knew Elisa. When neither man said anything for a moment, and Elisa seemed to know to keep her mouth shut, Jake finally said, “Do you two know each other?”
    Both of them shook their heads at the same time.
    â€œBut Elisa you now know who sent you on your path. And Rob, when you contacted the Italian government for help, this is who you got. Is everything on the table? Or do I have to fill in the blanks even more?”
    â€œNo,” Rob said. “Crystal clear.” He pulled the satchel from his shoulder and set it onto the table next to Jake’s empty glass. “If there’s anything else you need at all, just give me a ring. There are two numbers in there. Mine, of course, and that of your new contact in the States.”
    â€œNew contact?”
    Rob glanced about the room to see if anyone was close enough to hear, which was not the case, since that’s why the two of them had selected this table. “Yes. A man named Brock Winthrop. He’s an advisor and lawyer for the senator and his family. That’s all I know.”
    Jake doubted that. Just like he also doubted that this man was actually a cultural affairs officer with the state department. It was more likely that he was with another agency within the government.
    â€œAnything