"Hello all you book worms and welcome to OH! For the Love of Books!, The show gives you a bit of narration from the books I read or ones you suggest for me to read. I'm your host, Jessica Vickery, and thank you for joining me on this journey.
Here is a short recap of chapters 1 to 7.
In chapter 1 we learn Mack and Stephanie are married.
Stephanie comes from an upper-middle-class Catholic Family. She went to Northeast University School of Law and passed her bar exam and became a public defender in Boston.
Mack moved a lot due to his father’s military career until his father retired in Austin TX. Where Mack became a football star in high school, then went on to get his MBA. Mack wanted to be a teacher and leave Austin, so his friend Randy invited him to Massachusetts which has a political climate more suited to him.
Mack and Randy spoil an assault where Mack tackles the young teenaged boy with a gun.
They both go to the arraignment and that is where Mack first meets Stephanie.
In chapter 2 Mack and Stephanie marry and had 2 sons. Their eldest named Steven who was planning a medical career, passed from Myeloid Leukemia and Nick who is 3 years younger than Steven was a senior in high school at the time of his passing. Nick had planned to follow Steven into the medical field. But after Steven’s death he decided the medical establishment and Big Pharma were a supporting factor in his brother’s death, not by direct action but inaction.
Nick quickly became a determined patient advocate. He was aggressive and angry, creating personal blogs and social outreach pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and all the other relevant social networks he could find. Nick advocated relentlessly until after his high school graduation. Then decided he was burnt out and needed to take a break, so volunteered in the International Volunteer Programs Association as a teacher’s assistant in Bangkok.
In chapter 3 Nick’s Mom doesn’t want him to take a break from school. Nick’s Dad understands why Nick needs to find his path, as Mack did the same thing when he was younger to get away from his dad and Texas.
Nick comes back 9 months later his two-year commitment with IVPA had been cut short by circumstances he would soon sort out.
Nick’s parents weren’t sure why things had changed so much with Nick’s plans, and didn’t understand much of what Nick had done during his time abroad.
Nick immediately tells his parents he needed more time before going back to school. He told them he had always wanted to work on a lobster boat and could use the extra cash. Despite his mother’s objections, Nick let her know the decision and plans were already in place.
In chapter 4 Nick didn’t communicate much after going to Bar Harbor, but after two months working on the Serendipity, he called his parents to tell them he would be coming home in May for a few days to take a break.
The month of May came quickly. Mack and Steph were thrilled they would be able to see their son soon. She was concerned Nick had not called her to let her know the exact day he would be on his way.
Mack’s worry had been building. It heightened with the news of two lobster fishers being murdered in Bar Harbor the previous weekend. Although Nick had not been identified as one of them, his concern wasn’t going away. They needed answers.
We find out the Skipper Nigel of the fishing boat is MI6.
In chapter 5 Mack keeps calling the Skipper to find out where Nick is and not getting an answer.
Eliza who is Nigel’s supposed dead wife is stressing over the bad stuff going down and wants Nick to deal with his parents concern.
Nigel is concerned Nick’s parent will call the police or show up.
In chapter 6 We find out what type of life Eliza had growing up at a winery and how she was being groomed for fascism and influenced to hate Communism and Socialism by her parents.
Eliza is now having a change of heart but little did she know her change in heart against the existing Junta would turn her world on a dime or what she planned to do next would lead her to a grand partnership with a man named Nigel Shackelford and, eventually, a son named Derek.
In chapter 7 Eliza is actively recruited after the CIA became aware of the Soviet’s meeting with the Argentinian regime.
The British government needed some vital financial intel, so Eliza was asked to meet an MI6 agent named Nigel to turn over information.
So, Eliza and Nigel meet at a cantina so Eliza can pass on banking information.
Dare I say it was love at first sight?
CHAPTER 8
As they left, going in opposite directions, a lone figure emerged from the far corner of the bar, following Eliza until she entered her hotel. Eliza had an uneasy feeling the entire walk back. Still, she talked herself out of the paranoia, even though her body tingled with unease. If she had turned around, she would have realized her intuition was spot-on. Not ten paces behind her was Gustavo Peralta, on loan from Cuba to Argentina, a principal advisor to the death squads, and go-between for the Soviet Union and the Junta. You could not miss Gus. He was an imposing figure, 6’5” and 280 pounds of lean muscle. He usually sported a full beard and a shaved head but these days he had stubble and a thick mustache. The rumor mill said he was a top-shelf assassin on retainer to Fidel Castro. Gus had been instructed to keep a close eye on Eliza. A professional acquaintance had notified Argentinian authorities her loyalties had changed. The next weeks passed quickly as Nigel worked the boat, waiting for further instruction from his contacts. When the Argentinian surrender finally transpired, Nigel was called into action and sent to Buenos Aries to retrieve Eliza, who was in grave danger. Eliza was in her apartment. She knew she would be dead in less than 24 hours. The ruling party had been embarrassed and the Soviets were pissed. Worse than that, there was talk Eliza had not only changed her loyalties but was now associated with the CIA and the primary reason the Brits had cut off their money flow. If the Junta’s goons didn’t get her, the KGB would. “Bang bang…. Bang, bang, bang.” The door sounded like it was going to get knocked off the hinges. Eliza couldn’t believe the Argentinians had figured things out so fast. She made herself ready to be either shot or put into prison for a long time. Then she heard a familiar voice say, “I’m looking for Eliza.” It was Nigel, whom she had been thinking about almost non-stop since their meeting at La Casa de Dariqe’ eight weeks earlier. She ran to the door, unlocked it quickly with her badly shaking hands, and, in an instant, was kissing Nigel. When she realized what she was doing she pulled away even though both were enjoying the moment. This was no time to reacquaint themselves in such a friendly manner, knowing trouble was soon on its way. “Wha, what are you doing here, Nigel?” “Getting you out.” “Where are we going? They will find me wherever we go.” “Let’s get you out of Argentina first, and we’ll worry about the rest after that.” “I have a plan. Hope you are OK with cold weather, not a lot of people, and water.” Nigel had left out a small detail. Eliza had already been found. Before entering the building Nigel cased the area. About a block down with a full view of the building were two men sitting in a sixty-something Cadillac. Nigel was surprised they were being so obvious but realized they didn’t know he was coming. It was the only car parked on an otherwise empty street. He recognized the driver as Gus Peralta. Knowing they were minutes away from getting to Eliza, he decided to take things into his own hands. Screwing on the silencer, Nigel walked toward the rear of the vehicle, then quickly to the driver’s side. If Gus looked into his review or side mirror, Nigel might not have time to get shots off before Gus and his partner got their guns on him. Gus did see him in just enough time to duck as he reached for his pistol. Nigel fired off five shots point-blank. Both men slumped in their seats. He decided, if necessary, he would tell Eliza about this encounter once they were safe. Within five minutes Eliza had her duffel bag packed. They both headed to the CIA fishing boat moored at the docks. The plans were to get to Rio de Janeiro in a little over two days, with a few Reals and fake passports in hand. As Nigel and Eliza were making their way on the boat, Gus Peralta crawled out of his car, severely wounded, but not dead. His partner’s face was unrecognizable due to the three bullets that directly hit his head. Gus had a bullet lodged in his jaw, and, more seriously, one in his lung. If his other lung collapsed, he was a dead man. He promised himself if he lived through this he would track both Nigel and Eliza down and kill both of them, but surviving was the first thing on his mind right now.
CHAPTER 9 May, 2019 - Boston
Stephanie woke up hearing Mack’s voice and asked franticly, “Was that our son calling?” Mack fumbled with the light switch on their lamp and turned to her. Stephanie knew that look on Mack’s face; she had seen it before. Mack’s mind was racing to find the words to tell his wife everything would be OK. All that came out was, “He has been off the boat for about a week now.” Mack quickly got up out of bed. Stephanie again asked, “Mack was that Nick?” Mack was silent as if not to hear his wife’s question for a second time. He made his way to the closet, reached up on the top shelf and grabbed the black lockbox. He hadn’t been in that box for years, so he fumbled with the combination. “Three, right, nine left, back to three again, nope.” “Three right, nine left, back to three, no stupid all the way around 0, then to three.” The box opened, and by then, Stephanie stood in the doorway of the closet. “What are you going to do?” asked Stephanie. “I thought you got rid of that thing.”“I’m going to get our son,” Mack replied, placing the Wesson 10mm and some extra clips into a duffel bag. “I was planning on selling it but never got around to it.” “Mack tell me what’s going on, is Nick in trouble?” “I’m not sure, that was the Skipper calling, he said Nick had left a week ago. Something about giving another hand a ride home to Manchester.” Mack rummaged through the closet and grabbed some clothes. He went into the bathroom, grabbed a toothbrush, and deodorant, then stuffed all of it into a duffel bag. “Wait a minute, where are you going and why are you taking your pistol?” Stephane asked, looking more scared than ever. Mack was distracted, turned to Stephanie, “What?” “Where are you going?” This time she was shouting at her husband. “Steph, I didn’t like his voice.” “His voice, do you mean his accent?” “No, his tone. Something is wrong; he didn’t seem overly concerned Nick had not shown. He didn’t go into any detail about this Derek fellow. He just said Nick’s is fine.” “You don’t believe him?” “No. I asked about Nick, why would he tell me they are both fine?” Stephanie could read her husband pretty well. If he believes Nick’s in trouble, then she thinks it, too. She grabbed her bag and started packing as well. “What are you doing?” asked Mack. “I’m going with you,” she said with a sense of purpose. Not really knowing the game plan, Mack and Stephanie finished packing, loaded up the car, and headed towards Maine. Mack left a message at the college informing his Dean he needed to be off for a week or two and recommended an excellent substitute to teach both courses. Stephanie called Lori Becker, an employee who had worked at the coffee house for several years. Lori was trained to manage the shop in her absence. Stephanie trusted her to operate the shop for as long as it took to find Nick. They made their way to Interstate 90 and planned for the five-hour trip, which would get them there around 7:00 AM. They drove silently for a while, which was making Stephanie crazy. She finally asked, “What is the plan?”“Don’t know, still working it out in my head.” “Well, can you let me in on what you know so far?” “When we get to Bar Harbor, we will pay a visit to this Nigel Skipper guy. He can’t be that hard to find in a fishing town.” “Do you think he did something to Nick?” she said softly. “I don’t know. At the very least, he can help us trace Nick’s steps, or.” “Or what?” “If it doesn’t help or worse, has something to do with our son’s disappearance, well that’s why I brought my gun, or.” “Another or?” asked Stephanie. “Or, if Nick is partying in Bar Harbor or Manchester with this Derek fellow, then I will shoot him myself.” “Shoot who, Derek or our son?” “Our son! for putting us through this, then Derek for corrupting our son!” For a moment they both smiled, hoping this was the case with Nick. Soon it got quiet again; the smiles turned to frowns because they knew their son was a responsible young man and would call if he could.
CHAPTER 10 1992 - Bar Harbor
“He’s beautiful. I think he’ll have dark green eyes and an olive complexion just like you.” “You never know, Nigel, it’s still too early to tell.” “Nah, I can already see he’s not going to have my pasty white, North Atlantic skin tone. What name are we going to give him, Elli?” “I’ve been thinking about that. If it was a girl, I wanted to name her Dariqe’ after the bar where we first met. I’ve always loved that name, but I’m not sure now.” “I’ve been thinking a little too. How about Derek? The names sound almost identical, and Derek is quite common, and American.” The sideways smile on Nigel’s face showed he’d been thinking about it a lot more than he let on. “I love that Nigel. Derek it is!” Eliza, very content and maternal at that moment, drifted into thought. The past ten years had gone by so fast. It started with the escape from Argentina. In the meantime, they fell in love. Nigel left active duty at MI6 and retrieved the money from the Swiss bank account. He still had the number, passwords, credentials, and fake identification to get him through any security necessary. When Nigel returned to Bar Harbor he purchased a lobster boat he had been hoping to buy. He named it Serendipity. It all felt so good at the time. Things seemed to be falling into place, finally. Britain and the US had been very thankful to Eliza and Nigel and very thorough in making the real Eliza disappear. She would find out eventually the thankfulness of governments only goes so far. Times change, people change, and most of all, loyalties change. She and Nigel had been involved in some bad stuff the past few years but it seemed karma had been their friend for the most part. The only real tough times had been the first three or four years in Maine when Nigel and Eliza could only secretly see each other. The first year was the worst. Nigel had spent most of that time finishing up business in London, retrieving money in Switzerland, and setting up the business and homestead in Bar Harbor. He was gone almost the entire time, and Eliza was very lonely. Eliza, who was now known as Elli, was set up in her own home, deep in the Maine woods, about 30 minutes away, outside Ellsworth and a mile away from her nearest neighbor. She had some bitterness about not being with Nigel but accepted it. For her safety her entire life and existence before 1982 had been wiped from history. This was her life now. She would likely never be able to go back to Argentina. The worst part was the possibility of never marrying Nigel officially if danger still lurked from days past. The only saving grace from those years were some of the local friends she made when she was on her own. In particular, one named Eliza had moved into her neighborhood from Cologne, Germany, about three months after her. They became fast friends and took good care of each other, spending a lot of time talking about world politics, Eliza’s studies and eventually Eliza’s job. Her new friend, Talia, talked a lot about her work as a freelance writer and photographer, which seemed to be a fascinating life. Elli never mentioned Talia to Nigel. First of all, her new friend asked her not to. That wasn’t a problem for Elli because she wasn’t planning on it anyway. Talia’s worldview was the polar opposite of Nigel’s. He wouldn’t have allowed the friendship because of his paranoia for her safety. Unfortunately, most good things come to an end. Talia, her new closest friend, maybe the closest in her entire life, got a job promotion. One of those she couldn’t refuse. She would be moving back to Europe; London, this time. As sad as Elli was, it was also about the same time Nigel was spending more time with her. That would help fill in the gaps and the loneliness and give her more quality time with Nigel. Talia and Elli stayed in touch for several years, sharing adventures and promises of visiting each other. That’s what best friends do, right? They talked a lot about their jobs. Elli was incredibly excited about her new research position in a project focusing on decoding the human genome. They eventually lost touch after Derek was born. Elli had relished their relationship and knew it was something she would never forget, or tell Nigel about. It was the one thing in her life that was private; it was all her own. One day she hoped she would see her friend again. She had always been very fond of Talia and knew Talia felt the same way about her. She now had Derek to fill some of the voids in her life.
Eliza also had some lingering regrets lying on top of her bitterness. Due to the danger she was in, especially from the Kremlin, she took on her new identity which would lead her into having to live two separate lives. Even though the escape and coverup were well executed, nothing is ever perfect. Her alter ego would likely have to remain in place for the rest of her life, no matter the regrets or her secret wishes. On top of that, she would have to hope karma would continue to be kind. Her life was now that of Dr. Elli Brunetta. Over the past ten years she had morphed into an unmarried, single mother, PhD., Harvard graduate in biochemistry, and Senior Researcher at Lerdell Labs, one of the top medical research labs in the world. She knew she should be satisfied, but simply wished to be Eliza Rossi Fernandez Shackelford. This name didn’t exactly roll off your tongue, but she hoped for it all the same. Elli had brought her hope up with Nigel several times but he would quash it quickly, pointing out the danger it might put her and Derek in. She also would probably never see her mama and poppa again. Along with everyone else in Argentina, her parents believed her to be dead, killed in a fiery car crash outside her hometown immediately after the war. Most thought it was set into motion by her enemies in the government. In reality, the CIA set up the crash to help cover her tracks. This murder would have a lasting effect on Eliza and be her biggest regret, something she would carry in her heart for the rest of her life. Someone else had died brutally in that crash. All that was left were a very charred female body and an almost equally charred passport traced back to Eliza. She was ultimately responsible for that woman’s death. It had been her decisions which led to someone else dying in her place. How would she ever forgive herself? Her “other” life was even more secret than that of Eliza or Elli. Along with being Nigel’s life partner, she would become a partner of sorts in his lobstering business. Nigel had set it up to help him run a smuggling operation. It moved mostly money, people looking for safety, weapons, and, occasionally, some topgrade weed. Nigel’s connections from the past proved invaluable in running an operation that brought twenty times the money his fishing company did. Eliza spent little time in action on the boat due to her day job but was the brains and moral compass of the operation, even when a “moral decision” required a lesser, immoral action. That business was taking off when she found out she was pregnant with Derek. She reluctantly would have to take a break and be “mom” for Derek, and pretty much Dr. Brunetta to everyone else. Her life with Nigel would have to go on a soft hold for a while. They’d have to be much more careful now that there was a child in the mix.
2011 - Bar Harbor
For the seventeen years after Derek’s birth, Elli played her single mom and research titan role passionately. Once Derek had proven to be a reliable, intelligent young adult, she started craving for that exciting alter ego as a smuggler. Even though Elli loved being a researcher at Lerdell Labs, she had to make more money. Derek would be heading off for an expensive engineering education at MIT, while she and Nigel would make their contacts to jumpstart the old business. They were able to pull this off for over a year. Things changed on the night Derek decided to come home a day early for Christmas break. He had finished his finals early that semester. “Mom, I decided to come home today! I brought a bottle of…” Derek quickly rounded the corner into the kitchen, moving so fast he hit his shoulder on the door jamb. That must have jarred his senses. After regaining himself, he saw his mom and Skipper seated at the kitchen table with nautical maps stretched out across it. The scene wasn’t so unusual an explanation wouldn’t be available, but when he saw the Ruger 9mm pointed at him by his mom, he knew something was very amiss. As his heart started speeding up and his stomach rebelling, he searched for the words to say. Jumping back, Derek shouted, “What the fuck is going on here?” After some explanation, Derek wasn’t as shocked as Nigel and Elli thought he’d be. Of course, they didn’t bring up the part about Skipper being his dad… yet. They talked a little bit more before Derek decided he needed to lie down. He was very exhausted mentally and physically, and could barely keep his eyes open. “We’ll talk more later.” After his nap, he came back into the room with his mom and Skipper. Derek peppered both of them with the rat-a-tat-tat of unending questions. By late evening Derek had a reasonable understanding of what was going on, except for a matter of fatherhood. They continued to talk over the holidays. Nigel even took him to the boat to show him how they could do what they were doing. He was very impressed. By the end of Christmas break, Derek had decided he wanted in. He wasn’t going back to school. Studying engineering was challenging but tedious. Elli wasn’t having any of that, though. Derek was going back to school. “You’re a smart kid, you’ve got a great future ahead of you. Why would we get you involved in this?”
“Because I’m a smart kid and can help. I’ll tell you what; I’ll finish school with an engineering degree, which will be valuable to the business. You and Nigel will be getting older and will need help. I think I can make things look more legitimate and set all of us up to have a great future.” Elli realized at that moment; Derek had the same sideways grin Nigel had years ago when they were discussing what to name their new baby. She had been putting it off, but knew she had to tell Derek the truth about his dad. It would only be a matter of time before he figured it out. “Dammit! OK, I’ll talk to Nigel, but I need to tell you something first.”
March, 2019 - Bar Harbor
Elli returned from work, was dog tired, and just wanted a bath and a glass of wine. She filled the tub with water so hot steam was rising. With wine in hand, she placed her foot in to get a sense of the heat. Deciding it was safe to put the rest of her body in, her I-Phone rang. The screen said “Unknown Caller” so the temptation was compelling not to answer, but her curiosity got the best of her. “Hello.” “Hello, Elli, my old friend. It has been too long.” “Talia?”
April, 2019 - Bar Harbor
Derek answered his phone. “Mom, I’ll get there as quick as I can. I’ve never heard you like this. I should be able to be there by tomorrow evening. In the meantime, lay low. We’ll figure it out.” Elli looked at Nigel with the eyes of someone he didn’t recognize; red, puffed and, more than anything, extremely sad. The prior evening Elli was approached by a stranger in the grocery store. He must have been no older than mid-twenties. His looks were a little humorous, like a little boy trying to play dress-up as an adult. The jacket was way oversized, the shoes super polished, and he was sporting a knit tie that looked like it came out of the eighties. What she heard coming out of the man-child stunned her.
“Eliza, we know who you are, and everything there is to know about your husband and son. We have a situation that will require your little side business resources, including the presence of Derek.” The accent was typical Bostonian but had a little less edge than what you’d hear at Fenway Park. “May I ask who We is?” “You can ask, but I won’t answer. Suffice it to say, you and your family are in much more danger if your answer is no. I’d advise you to be very thoughtful before you say anything.” “What is it you want us to do?” “We don’t have all the details yet but it will include you borrowing something from the lab.” Elli’s heart sank. She knew whatever this was, it wasn’t right. Her life, the life of her family, and the LEL’s reputation were at considerable risk. “Borrowing or stealing?” “Does it matter?” “Let me know when you have more details. In the meantime, leave my family and me alone.”
Oh my god what the heck is going on!
Steph and Mack are on a quest to find Nick, Nigel and Elli agree to have Derek help in the “family” smuggling business.
And now some man-child with a knitted tie is resorting to blackmail if Elli doesn’t steal something from the Lab!
I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.
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