Love Among the Unicorns

My heart sank. There was no way I was going to be able to run for the gate in a cassock and they all had pistols. With that, he gestured to the soldiers who had accompanied him and said, "Take this priest to the Bunker. You need not tie him up. But make sure he cannot escape." They weren't going to torture me just yet. But I knew I was in deep shit.

*****

Peter and Josette were whiling away the afternoon sitting at a little table on the terrace of the King David. Two such perfect people amiably chatting in a commonplace setting was an odd sight. They didn't talk business. They talked about their past.

Josette told Peter about her escape from the Germans while riding all the way to the American lines on the shoulders of her adoptive father. And Peter told her about the devastation he had felt when he thought HIS father was lost at Malmedy.

Peter said, "My real father was killed at the beginning of the war and then the man who I had come to idolize was reported killed four years later. It was very difficult for me - hard to bear. But I had to be brave for my mother's sake. She loved my father, totally, and his loss just crushed her."

Josette saw the sensitive and vulnerable little boy lying beneath the polished steel of the Archangel and she felt something that she had only felt for one other man in her life - her Pappa, Jed Sharpe. It was a sense of Peter's worthiness, his value as a man. She recognized that Peter and she were the opposite sides of the same celestial coin and the thought of Peter not being in her life was unsustainable.

Brave little Josette, the tiny girl who never backed down, the one fiercely devoted to the few people she deemed worthy -- her mother Suzy, her father, Jed, and her Uncle King -- had added one final person to that exclusive pantheon -- Peter Ashworth, the Archangel. And because Josette was forever loyal, her decision would not be questioned.

Peter, on the other hand, had never had any doubts. Josette embodied every one of his cardinal virtues, courage, steadfastness, integrity, and commitment. The woman was intelligent, and street smart with the jaunty, self-confidence that Peter thought he alone possessed. Most importantly, Josette was a peer. She was one of the few people on earth who Peter was comfortable with. So, whether married, or not, the two of them would go through life together bound by their commonality.

The Archangel was a man of action. His logical mind had thought it through and produced an answer. Now it was time to act. He was just reaching across the table, to take Josette's hands in his... in order to tell her exactly how he felt, when the CIA Director loomed next to them. Loomed was the proper term because the man filled the space like a mountain.

He said, tersely to Josette, "We have a problem. We need to talk!" Josette looked at him alarmed. King rarely acted like that. And when he did people died. Peter said, with no option for disagreement, "If she's involved, then I'm involved. What do you need, old boy?" Josette looked at Peter like he had read her mind. The decision had been made. It would always be the two of them.

King said, "Let's go find ourselves a quiet place inside." And all three trooped back to the alcove where they had first met. King said to Peter, "I consider Josette to be family but I don't really know you. So, I wouldn't usually include you in this. But..." he turned to Josette and said, "Can you vouch for him."

Josette said, calmly, "With my life." Peter knew what that meant and he was astonished by how much that thrilled him. Rather than feeling threatened by the knowledge that Josette was inside his carefully constructed defenses, Peter felt infinitely stronger and more capable.

King said, "I sent Erik..." The two of them looked blank. King added, "The Priest!" They both said, "Oh."

King went on, "I sent Erik up to scout Ammunition Hill just to see what the Jordanians were up to. It was supposed to be a quick in and out. But one of my assets reported that he's been arrested and that is a critical problem for me because it will cause a serious international incident.

Both Peter and Josette looked incredulous. King said, "You two know that there are games within games in both Israel and in the United States. And certain parties, specifically the CIA and the Mossad, would be seriously embarrassed if any of our current operation ever came to light." Josette nodded, Peter looked at her and kept his council. He had no idea what was going on. But if Josette was following the thread it was good enough for him.

King said, "So we have to get Erik out of the Jordanian's clutches. Because, even if we've had nothing to do with it, the Jordanians are going to parade him in front of the international media as a captured spy in order to implicate the United States in the upcoming war."

Josette said, "Do you know where they're holding him?" King said, "He's in the Police Academy building at the top of Ammunition Hill and he is surrounded by Jordanian troops. We don't know whether he is locked up, or what they plan to do with him. However, he's a pretty good actor so we think his cover is holding for the time being. They wouldn't torture a priest."

Then King paused and added, "Unless they thought he was a CIA operative. Then - if they break him down then we either have to rescue him or kill him." Both Peter and Josette knew what that meant. If the Jordanians found out who Erik really was, then he would become a very inconvenient loose end. And sometimes you have to burn an asset. Peter said, "Well then, we had better go up there and get him -- shouldn't we?"

*****

The Jordanians fed me at sunset. The place where they'd taken me was clearly the command center. So, there were mostly officers and staffers gathered in the large space at the front. Even so, there were a bunch of little rooms around the periphery - since the original purpose of that place was to store ammunition.

I was seated on the floor in one of those rooms. They had not even bothered to close the door - just posted a guard, who looked like he was fourteen years old. The kid silently put a mess tray with rice and vegetables in front of me, along with a metal cup of brackish water. Then he went back to standing outside the door.

I had been furiously mulling over my situation. The Jordanians were relatively friendly right now because they thought I was a priest. But I was certain that their attitude would change tomorrow morning - when the Israelis kicked off the war.

Earlier, I had tried to bluff my way off the hill. But the Jordanians weren't buying it. I mean... they still thought I was a Jesuit. But apparently whatever they were planning was important enough that anybody who knew their troop dispositions had to be kept out of circulation until what they had in mind actually took place. And whatever it was, it would put me in the middle of all-out war.

The activity in the bunker had begun to die down as the day wore into evening. Most of the staff had melted off to the barracks for a meal and a good night's kip. Only a skeleton crew was left to keep an eye on things. It was still light in the bunker because the propane lanterns were lit. But all of the day's business had ended and the few who remained were talking together and smoking as if I wasn't there.

As it got pitch dark outside, I could see that my only chance was to try to bluster my way outside. I was thinking that I could make a run for it -- that is... if I could get into the open. Earlier, I'd thought I might talk the guard into letting me go out for a breath of fresh air. But the Jordanians had the foresight to post a guy who only spoke Arabic. So, we just communicated by gestures.

Then it hit me. I had been watching people wander outside the bunker all evening and then return a couple of minutes later zipping up. So, I heaved myself off the floor and walked purposefully out the door - ignoring the guard entirely - and across the main area, pretending to be a man on a mission. The fact that I hadn't done my business in a while added a touch of realism.

The guard chased after me yelling in Arabic and I yelled back, "Shoot me if you have to but I've gotta piss." Fortunately one of the English speaking staff filled the guy in as to my intentions, so the kid just followed along out the door, leaving his rifle leaning against the wall where he had been standing.

It was much darker outside and the night bugs were chirping. I made my way up the little embankment by the door and undid the front of my cassock. That would let me do two things. First and foremost, I could relieve myself of an entire day's accumulation. Secondly, the moment I finished peeing I was going to make a break for it down the hill. The cassock would be in the way so I needed to jettison it.

The guard stood there watching as I finished off a very satisfying piss. All the time I was standing there I'd been looking around for the best direction to run. Ammunition Hill was definitely an elevated place. But the back side, which led through a forest of scrubby Aleppo pines toward the Shiekh Jarrah quarter of East Jerusalem, looked easy to run down. It had the added advantage of not having any trenches since it faced the part of the City that the Jordanians already controlled.

I made a big production of zipping up. Then, I said sounding startled, "Look, over there!" The guard turned to look in the direction I was pointing. Stupid, I know, but seriously... he was just a kid. As he did that - I shucked the cassock and took off.

All he could do was holler after me since he hadn't brought his rifle. But his shouting started things stirring in the bunker and before long the whole place was buzzing like a kicked over beehive. I knew I had about fifteen seconds head start as I pounded down the slope and into the trees.

The good news was that I was free. The bad news was that I had absolutely no idea where I was, or what to do next. I was standing there terrified, trying to decide which direction to head when a hand yanked me into a pile of brush and rocks. I yipped in surprise and a calm voice said, "Quiet, old boy, you'll attract their bloody attention."

*****

If you ask the Africans... the leopard is the king of the jungle, not the lion. That's because, besides being sinuously strong and athletic, leopards are the smartest of the hunting cats. More importantly, they prowl at night in pairs. So, if you are hunting a leopard, then the other one is hunting you.

Peter and Josette had made their way into East Jerusalem individually. Peter had played the English colonial card with the guards at the Mandelbaum gate. He could do entitled, upper-class twit perfectly because, from the time he was fifteen, he had gone to school with most of them. The guards at the check point released him into the Jordanian sector chiefly as a means of getting rid of him.

Josette crossed as Hannah - her golden hair hidden under her hijab. She spoke fluent Arabic with a faint Egyptian accent and the hint of that body underneath her pricey abaya spurred the Jordanian guards to be on their best behavior.

They met where Makhal Street joins the Nablus Road, in the Shiekh Jarrah quarter. The low expanse of Ammunition Hill dominated the horizon to the north-west. The sun had set but it was light enough that anybody watching would have been able to detect two normal people slipping into the little scrub pine woods at the foot of the hill. On the other hand, Peter and Josette were wraithlike shadows.

Josette had shucked her abaya and hijab and was wearing a pair of olive drab cargo pants and a military shirt, pockets stuffed with the tools of her trade, a blackjack, and her ice pick -- a special weapon with an ornate carved gold handle and an extremely slim durable shaft made of Damascus steel. The Needle was ready for mortal combat. The Archangel didn't need weapons - other than his unearthly strength and quickness.

The two separated in the woods, Peter moved silently to the left toward the command bunker, which was dimly lit by propane lanterns, and Josette crept stealthily out to the edge of the woods, to cover Peter's play. If things worked as they'd planned, Peter would be in and out with the priest and down the hill before anybody realized he was there. Then The Needle would deal with any pursuit. It was a bold gambit that counted heavily on human nature.

If you act decisively, people will accept that what you are doing is legitimate. Peter had pulled it hundreds of times. So, he planned to "acquire" a uniform shirt and cap from the first person he could waylay. Then he would walk self-assuredly into the bunker, find the priest, and walk back out.

Peter was squatted behind a pile of rocks at the edge of the woods, looking for a target to undress. While Josette was crouched in a pine, looking like an actual leopard, ready to drop down on any pursuit. They exchanged a comfortable glance -- two perfectly matched people ready to do what they did best.

Peter's problem was that the man whose uniform he needed to borrow had to be solitary enough that nobody would notice the Archangel silently killing him. So, Peter was surveying the scene when two men appeared on the upslope of the bunker's entrance. One of them seemed to be relieving himself. Then suddenly... the man began to run frantically toward Peter, shucking an article of clothing as he ran.

The running man's companion shouted and there was stirring in the bunker. Josette, who was positioned at the edge of the woods gave a warning whistle. But Peter didn't need it because he could see that the man running toward him was the priest. The kid was braver than Peter thought.

*****

It took me a second to get my mind around the fact that the Archangel himself had magically appeared like he'd just strolled down from the Pearly Gates. Then Josette dropped into the space too. She said, "Quick, go back down that trail," and she pointed toward a road in the distance, "We'll meet you there."

I just stood there like a moron - staring at the two of them. Then Peter gave me an encouraging shove and said, "We have to tidy up a few things, Old Boy. It won't be a minute." Then the two of them slipped silently off into the woods headed in the direction that I'd just come from.

It was clear what they had in mind. There'd been six people in the bunker when I made my run for it, and I was certain that three or four of them were chasing me. Of course, none had any concept of the deadly danger that they were running into. It was ironic really, that two such beautiful and sophisticated people had such a lethal side. But that was the spy game. It was the first time I realized how serious the business was.

*****

There were four pursuers, the first to arrive on the scene, well ahead of the others, was the guard who was immediately knocked unconscious by a shadowy blackjack administered from above him on a tree limb. It was an amazing feat of stealth and physical coordination.

The next two men ran directly into the Archangel. Both had drawn pistols. But the Archangel just materialized in front of them, as if by magic. Peter picked up the first man and threw him into the second. Their pistols went flying. Then, he punched the first one unconscious.

As the Archangel was doing that, the second, larger one, threw himself on his back, intending to choke him. But the Archangel slowly stood up, and in an amazing feat of strength he removed the man's arms from around his own throat and used them to slowly spin the guy around. Then he seized the man's head and there was a short jerk, a snap, and the man collapsed lifeless.

Meantime, the fourth was drawing a bead on the middle of the Archangel's back with his Makarov. That was ended by an icepick that hit the precise spot where the man's spine joined his head. It had to be done that way because the man was starting to pull the trigger. Hence, the Needle couldn't take the time to blackjack him. Death was instantaneous. So, the message to his fingers never arrived.

Josette wasn't a natural killer. But she was always very brave. And she was protecting the man she loved. Yes... she was certain that the Archangel was the only man for her. There was a moment of silence, followed by more noises from further up the hill.

Peter looked at Josette did a deep formal bow and said dryly, "I believe the ball has concluded. Shall I escort you M'Lady... " Josette dimpled prettily and said, "Why thank you kind Sir." She took Peter's arm and the two of them walked sedately off down the trail looking very much like a couple in a fairy tale.

*****

It would have been impossible for me to get back to West Jerusalem if it weren't for Peter and Josette. My escape had raised the alarm across all of the Jordanian checkpoints. So, there was no direct crossing back into the Jewish side of the City.

What the Jordanians didn't expect us to do was walk completely around Ammunition Hill, through the Asar Gardens and out into the scrub pine hills that surround Jerusalem to the northwest. We crossed the 1949 Armistice line somewhere out there in the wilderness -- yes... the biblical one. But it was hard to tell where since the area was nothing but dry hill terrain. I would have never known to do that. But Josette did - naturally.

The three of us were in pretty good shape. So, the two and a half mile walk back to the King David only took an hour. We walked single file, Peter in front and Josette behind me. I knew they were doing that to protect me. Since, I had valuable information.

We got to the King David around ten o'clock. King was waiting for us in the lobby, He seemed as taciturn as ever. But I knew he was dying to find out what I'd uncovered. He turned to Peter and Josette and said, simply, "I knew I could count on you two." The way he said it made both of them glow with pride. King was not a man who gave idle praise.

He said, "I want to talk to Erik alone. Do you two mind?"

Peter said, "Not at all, Old Fellow. I was planning on going up to my room anyhow." Then he turned and walked toward the elevators followed without hesitation by Josette. King and I exchanged triumphant glances. Two unicorns had finally found each other. We grabbed a table in the bar off the lobby. King ordered scotch and then he turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

I said, "The Jordanians are planning to ambush the Israelis on Mount Scopus. They locked me up because I saw how many troops they've surreptitiously stashing on that hill. It has to be at least a reinforced company, or perhaps an entire battalion of the Arab Legion."

King whistled and said, "They must've guessed, what's coming." He added, "You and I both know the shit is going to hit the fan tomorrow. So, this is very high value intelligence - which the Israeli General Staff has to know." He added approvingly, "That's good work Erik. You have a long career in front of you."

*****

Peter and Josette were standing side-by side in the elevator. Both of them knew what was going to happen and both of them were relaxed and at peace. Peter was mystified by his reaction. He had extensive experience with some of the most beautiful women in Europe. But those were dalliances, or part of the job. There was never any investment of himself -- since, Pete was committed to his work.

However, this was a different situation. Peter could feel the pull, the sense that meeting Josette was a critical turning point in his life. He knew what he needed equality to have a genuine relationship with a woman. That had always been lacking in the past because Peter was just too perfect. At the risk of seeming hypocritical - at times Peter had wished he was less so. Now, he had found his mate, a perfect consort, and he knew it. Where that led was unknown. But Peter didn't back down from a challenge.