Unlike some storytellers, I have no agenda. I simply chase the alphabet around the keyboard. That being said, I eventually end up one step ahead or behind for most folks. A different approach for this one. Thanks for stopping by.

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Jimmy Buffett: "I hope you're enjoying the scenery. I know that it's pretty up there. We can go hiking on Tuesday. With you I'd walk anywhere."

+ + + +

It was another beautiful Sunday morning in Nassau, The Bahamas. Sergeant Lester took the package from his inbox. It had been opened, which was standard practice. When someone drops off a package, at the police station, it gets scanned for explosives, and chemical warfare ingredients.

Withdrawing the contents, Frank Lester, just two weeks into this position, found pictures and a memory stick.

The pictures showed a meeting between a stylishly dressed young couple and two scruffy looking men. The couple held hands. It had been taken outside of Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau. If the date time stamp could be believed, they were taken Friday afternoon. Scanning all of the pictures into his computer, Frank then ran each image past the program which matches people to the Interpol database. The Bahamas government had chosen to align with Interpol. Frank couldn't tell you why if his life depended on it.

The scruffy looking pair were persons of interest and would be picked up for questioning, if they could be found. They were flagged as terrorists. The stylish man and woman eluded identity discovery. In one series of pictures, it appeared that a small envelope and a larger package went from the terrorists to the couple.

Frank turned to the memory stick. It had a green tag attached, meaning it had passed scanning for virus executables. Plugging it into his notebook computer he found that it only contained an audio of poor quality. It certainly sounded like a demand that a package be delivered to New York, in exchange for the contents of the envelope.

The couple left in a taxi. Investigating the taxi's plates, Frank found that Rico Dominguez was the medallion holder. After a few calls, Rico was located. Frank asked about the passengers on his 4 Pm trip on Friday. Rico, who kept a log, said he dropped them off at British Colonial Hilton in Nassau. Frank perked up. Philippe, his brother in law, worked in the back office there.

After a brief conversation with Philippe, Frank faxed over two of the best face shots of the couple. An hour later, Frank had pictures of their passports giving him the information he needed. According to Philippe, they had reservations and would be leaving for the airport on the 5 Pm shuttle.

The lump in Frank's stomach warned him that he now only had two hours to work with. His immediate supervisor, Anwar Picard, was in London at a seminar. Checking his job description, Frank found that he had the responsibility to report his findings. Marking the information as urgent, a terrorist alert electronically winged its way to Interpol.

An hour later, the stylish couple were individually entered into the No Fly List. That is the register created and maintained by the United States federal government's Terrorist Screening Center. It is the people who are prohibited from commercial aircraft travel within, into, or out of the United States. They work closely with Interpol and Scotland Yard.

+ + + +

Russell Norman has been married to Jodi for seven years. They each celebrated their thirtieth birthdays earlier this year. Their family consists of a five year old son and a three year old daughter. Russell works for a brake shop as a mechanic, and is never going to get rich. Jodi works as an accountant. She performs audits for several of her employer's larger clients, and has become one of their lead auditors due to her acumen. They live in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta.

Amongst her list of clients, is Richard 'Rocco' Romano. He owns a chain of laundromats in New York City. Mr. Romano is currently on trial for money laundering. The first trial ended with a hung jury. His retrial has begun at the US District Court - Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn New York.

Jodi Norman is scheduled to testify on Monday. At the first trial, she was on the stand for three days, neutralizing the government's assertions. Mr. Romano gave her a ten thousand dollar necklace as a token of his appreciation. He rewards loyalty and there are rumors that those out of favor live short lives. His interviews show him surrounded by his wife and children. The Romano family attend mass together every Sunday in the Little Italy section of Manhattan.

Mr. Romano is being represented by the law firm of Muggiano, Valente, and Cristo. They are based in Miami. Anthony Cristo is the eldest son of Leonardo Cristo, whose name adorns the stationary. Anthony is also one of the attorneys who spent hours in the courtroom carefully crafting the defense of Mr. Romano. His ability to charm began at an early age. He has a wife who is pregnant with their first.

Before the first trial, Jodi flew into Miami on the Wednesday prior to the Monday start of the trial in New York. They play acted how they felt the trial would go. On Sunday night, before the trial, the legal team flew together to New York City. For the retrial, Jodi is flying into Miami on the Friday before. She has a ticket from Miami to New York City for Sunday night.

Jodi handles all of the Norman household financial details. Russell fancies himself a travel agent and made all of the airline and hotel reservations for Jodi.

+ + + +

Jodi guzzled the first glass of champagne. She was nervous and needed another full glass for those nerves to calm. It also helped that a very talented tongue was licking the very sensitive folds of her vagina.

Her first of many orgasms was spectacular. Normally not one to allow her mouth to taste cum, tonight didn't turn out that way. Between orgasms, Jodi drifted off to sleep. The alcohol, sex, and travel had drained her body.

On Saturday evening, Jodi used her phone to get boarding passes. After leaving the shuttle, late Sunday afternoon, she was unable to check her bag at the curb. The skycap said she needed to see an agent at the counter. After enduring a thirty minute shuffle, she reached the counter.

After checking her passport the employee declared "I'm sorry miss, but I need you to step aside and wait."

"Is there a problem?"

"Just wait right over there" as the agent pointed a few feet away.

'Now what?' rattled around in Jodi's head. Her heart leapt when she saw Anthony being escorted across the airport lobby by two security guards. She started to hyperventilate when she saw another pair of security guards bearing down on her.

Five minutes later Jodi found herself in a windowless room. Nobody would tell her what the problem was. She needed to check her bag and board her flight. Not doing so meant she might miss her connecting flight. Being in New York in the morning was crucial. The drab cream pastel walls did little to calm her. The desk was nothing more than a card table. She sat in a folding chair.

An older gentleman, wearing a fedora, entered the room. He had a Dutch accent, which unsettled Jodi for some reason.

"Mrs. Norman, my name is James. What brings you to Nassau?"

"It was a quick get-away to relax. I'm headed to Miami and then onto New York. How long is this going to take?"

"Were you travelling with anyone?"

"No, just myself."

"Did you meet someone here?"

Jodi hesitated before answering "I ran into an old friend."

"What a coincidence! How fortunate for you. What is your friend's name?"

"Anthony."

"Would you happen to know Anthony's last name?"

"Cristo."

"Did you and Mr. Cristo meet with anyone else?"

"No, we kept to ourselves."

"Was this an arraigned meeting, with Mr. Cristo?"

Jodi hesitated slightly "Yes. Can we wrap this up? I have a flight to catch. I really need to be in New York City this evening."

James didn't even bother to look at her. He left the room quietly. Jodi was sweating, and the room wasn't all that warm. 'What's going on?' bounced back and forth in her mind.

+ + + +

Anthony had taken his jacket off as he was uncomfortably warm. A middle aged lady entered the room. She was dressed professionally, wearing slacks and a sleeveless blouse. It buttoned up to her neck. Anthony smiled at her, eliciting no reaction from the lady.

"Mr. Cristo, my name is Elsa. How was your visit?" was spoken with a French accent.

"Until fifteen minutes ago, it was lovely. Why am I being detained?"

"I'll let you know when you're allowed to ask questions. Were you travelling alone?"

"Not really, I was with a young woman, not as beautiful as you."

Anthony was unfazed by her unchanging facial expression.

"Does this woman have a name?"

"Jodi. Jodi Norman I believe. Your accent is delightful."

"Did you and Ms. Norman meet anyone else?"

"No, we spent most of our time inside the hotel. I bet you get a lot of compliments on your eyes."

"Did you check any luggage?"

"No, I'm travelling with just my garment bag and briefcase, which are carry-ons."

Elsa left the room quietly. Anthony pondered what this was all about.

+ + + +

It was twenty minutes before Elsa entered Jodi's room, introducing herself.

"Please, I need to leave. I can't afford to miss my flight."

"Mrs. Norman, I don't think you'll be catching any flights. We've talked with a Mr. Anthony Cristo. His story differs from yours. Are you trying to hide something Mrs. Norman?"

"I told the truth."

"Very well. I'll let you think about it for an hour."

"NO! I have a flight to catch!"

Elsa got up to leave and a panicked Jodi did the same. The speed at which Elsa produced her firearm was impressive.

"Have a seat Mrs. Norman. You and I are going to be spending the evening together, until we get stories that match."

A shocked and stunned Jodi slumped back into her chair. She'd never felt so terrified. She HAD to be in court tomorrow. Her testimony was crucial.

+ + + +

James entered Anthony's room, introducing himself.

"Can you tell me why I'm being detained? I have a flight to catch."

"Mr. Cristo, you won't be flying any time soon. Can you tell me who you met with at the airport?"

"At the airport? Nobody. We waited for Jodi's checked bag and then caught a taxi to the hotel."

James slid a few pictures towards Anthony. They showed Anthony and Jodi talking with two men.

"I think they were timeshare salesmen, trying to pressure us to attend their sham sales meeting."

"And what did they give you?"

"Tickets to some show and a cheap desk clock."

"Really? Did they ask you to take them to New York?"

"Not that I remember. I was trying to brush them off."

"We have a recording of them asking you to take something. What did you do with what they gave you?"

"Left them in the taxi."

"That's a very creative story Anthony. Both of those men are known terrorists. Why would known terrorists be selling timeshares? I'll be back in an hour or so. We'll be talking with you all night long until you admit the true nature of that meeting."

When Anthony vented loudly and started to get up, James pulled his gun from his holster. Anthony, as pissed as he'd ever been, slumped in defeat. This was surreal.

+ + + +

"Mrs. Norman, do you need to use the restroom?" Elsa asked when she re-entered the room.

"Please. Why are you holding me? I've done nothing wrong."

"Pull your legs in. I need to cuff your ankles together."

Penguin walking across the lobby was embarrassing, but that's where the women's restroom was located. Jodi took the opportunity to wash away her tear stained mascara.

Repeating the stare fueled walk, Jodi fought back more tears. She'd missed her flight and it wasn't clear when this nightmare would end.

Her performance this time was completely honest, even if Elsa had doubts.

"So then Jodi, may I call you Jodi?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"So Jodi, you said you didn't meet anyone. Care to explain these pictures?"

"I don't remember meeting them. Where was this taken at?"

"The airport."

"Oh yeah, some timeshare crap. We brushed them off."

"Did they give you anything? Think carefully as we have a recording of them asking you to take something."

"It was just a cheap cheesy clock and tickets to some local show."

"These men are known terrorists. I have trouble believing terrorists would meet you to discuss timeshares. I'll be back in an hour or two. If it takes all night, you will tell me the true nature of that meeting."

Elsa had already removed her pistol. Jodi buried her head onto the table, and wept.

+ + + +

Monday morning, in Brooklyn, things were off to a rough start.

"Your honor, two critical members of the defense team cannot be located. We'd like to ask for a continuance."

"Counselor, you were warned when this started last week, that the court had grown tired of your delay tactics. Request denied. Please proceed with your client's defense."

It did not go well. It was Tuesday afternoon before anyone heard from Anthony or Jodi. By then the need for an accountant had flown away. Leonardo hired a private jet to take Anthony from Nassau to Miami.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Romano was found guilty. Apologies from the other defense attorneys did little to lower Rocco's blood pressure. He was already mulling over his options for revenge.

+ + + +

Two weeks earlier:

Russell was emptying his inbox when he opened an email from his favorite airline carrier. They had award flights discounted. With his anniversary coming up, he thought it might be romantic to take a weekend trip with his lovely bride.

Signing into his affinity account, he found that he didn't have enough miles. 'Not a problem' crossed his mind. Jodi, with all of her quickie trips, and a few longer ones, had racked up a decent balance.

He logged out of his account and into Jodi's account. Looking at her balance, he was confused. There should have been a lot more miles. The more he researched, the angrier he became. Jodi had used her miles to book a round trip ticket to Nassau, The Bahamas. She would land in Miami on Friday, changing planes to get to Nassau. On Sunday, she would return to Miami, changing planes to use the ticket he had booked for her to get to New York City.

In his mind, the only reason to keep that trip a secret, was an affair. After Jodi went to bed, Russell rifled through their filing cabinet, trying desperately to find the password to her email account. It needed to have at least one digit, one uppercase letter, and one lowercase letter. It could have special characters. He checked the margins of her calendar, her contacts ledger, and anything else that looked hopeful. No success the first two nights, but on the third night he had it. It was the names of their children, first letter capitalized, with her favorite number eight between them.

There were no special folders and the deleted emails bin was empty. Not so the sent email folder. After reading her emails with Anthony Cristo, he felt like getting a kitchen knife and killing Jodi. They had started the affair at the first trial, and were planning on having a two day fuck fest in Nassau to start the second trial.

Anthony never mentioned a wife nor his family. Jodi never mentioned him or the kids. Just a cold calculated affair apparently. Heartbroken, Russell shut down the computer and slept on the couch. He was out of the house before Jodi had finished her morning shower.

Russell has a strong bond with his father. His parents still live in the house he grew up in, outside of Detroit. When his lunch break came around, he talked at length with his dad.

"Hey dad, got a minute?"

"Always! How are my grandkids?"

"Healthy and growing fast. I think I have a big problem and could use a little guidance."

"Money or wife?"

"Wife. Jodi is headed to New York weekend after this, for the Romano retrial."

"I remember you telling me that. So?"

"She's going via Nassau, The Bahamas. On Friday, instead of flying to Miami and working on the case, she's going onto Nassau and meeting one of the attorneys representing Romano."

"Work meeting?"

"Did you bump your head? Apparently they hooked up a few times during the first trial and now they want to spend a few days on the island, ahead of the next trial."

"And what are you planning to do about it?"

"Well, that's why I called. This is kind of crazy, and I don't have the money to pull it off. Just listen."

For the next thirty minutes the two exchanged ideas, refining their strategy to make life difficult for the cheaters. Russell's father told him not to worry about the cost or the details, as he would take care of it.

+ + + +

Mateo Javelin thought it was the easiest two grand he'd ever make. As a private investigator, it was feast or famine.

His task was fairly simple. Locate a couple of travelers at the airport. Line up two guys to pretend to be timeshare salesmen. Take pictures of the couple as they talked with the timeshare salesmen. Have the salesmen use the supplied language, and record the conversation from a distance. Get a picture of the couple loading into their taxi.

The tough part was using Photoshop to replace the faces of the two timeshare salesmen, with pictures of two other men provided by his sponsor. He was directed to leave the date time stamps on his photos untouched. Resizing and rotating the substitute face pictures was easier said than done.

After that task was completed, he was to hire a young lad to drop off the pictures and audio recording at the police station. The sponsor wanted them delivered at noon on Sunday.

Two grand for a day's work. He sent his doctored photos to the email address supplied. When the 'Stars are aligned' message was received, along with confirmation of the remaining balance being deposited, the young lad bicycled to the police station. Mateo followed in his car, to make sure the boy earned his twenty dollars.

+ + + +

Tuesday was both a blessing and a curse for Jodi. Around noon she'd been released and reunited with her purse, luggage, and cell phone. She hadn't showered since Sunday morning. Her first stop was to brush her teeth. With only an hour of sleep Sunday night, and not much more than that Monday night, she was exhausted.

Prior to her release, a representative of the United States Embassy read from a prepared statement.

"When a U.S. citizen or permanent resident is denied boarding in a foreign country due to apparent inclusion on the No Fly List, the U.S. government must help them secure approval to return to the United States via a commercial flight. The government may not use the No Fly List to prevent U.S. citizens or permanent residents from returning home to U.S. territory."

"Am I on the No Fly List?"

Everyone broke out laughing. From the side she heard "I tell you what, she's not just another pretty face."

The representative continued "The Nassau airport authority has confirmed that you are on the No Fly list. Getting on the list is a lot easier than getting off of same. You will have to petition TSC for a hearing. You'll need to go to the US Embassy to get an exception to return to the mainland."

Embarrassed, Jodi gathered her belongings, left the restricted area, and greeted freedom again.

The embassy associate watched as Jodi tried to book her return flight. At the appropriate time, he would enter a one-time code to allow the airline to process her. She never got that far as her credit cards didn't work.

Accusing the airport security people of having something to do with her credit cards helped her vent, but didn't make the credit cards work again. The embassy told her to return when she was able to purchase a ticket.

With the little charge remaining on her phone, Jodi called Muggiano, Valente, and Cristo. After enduring the runaround, she was told that her presence in New York was no longer needed. They were more than a little snotty about it.

Her phone needed charging, so she found an internet cafe. She also bought an hour's worth of computer time using a little of her remaining cash.

Jodi's email inbox was overflowing. Will this nightmare ever end? Her employer was beyond livid. She doubted that she could save her job.

Staring at her phone, as if it would bite, Jodi called Russell. She'd last talked to him before leaving the hotel on Sunday. Russell seemed to believe that she was headed to New York, from Miami. Why wouldn't he? She'd hidden her affair brilliantly.

Russell picked up on the fourth ring "Well about time. I thought you were going to call when you got back from your dinner on Sunday night?"

Jodi thought about keeping the lie going, but decided to come clean.

"Russell, I've done something horrible. Please don't hate me. I didn't stay in Miami on Friday. I went to The Bahamas and now I'm stranded here."

"Who did you go with?"

"Anthony Cristo, the lawyer for Mr. Romano."

Russell didn't respond.

"Russell, are you still there?"

"So why are you calling me? Get carried away fucking your boyfriend and miss your flight?"

"Please Russell. I know I did wrong. I just want to come home and see you and my babies."

"So? What's the problem?"

"My credit cards aren't working and I can't book a return flight. Please Russell. I just want to come home. They think I'm a terrorist."

"Your credit cards aren't working because I cancelled them."

"Why? Oh gawd! You knew? I'm sorry Russell. You weren't ever supposed to find out. I know that sounds trite, but, never mind. I'm sorry. Please help me get home."

"I don't think so. Get Tony boy to help you."

"I haven't seen him since Sunday. I'm on the No Fly List and need be at the embassy to book my ticket. Please?"

"No. Start swimming. We'll see you when you get here slut."

And with that the line went dead. Subsequent attempts to reach Russell went straight to voicemail. She left a few voice messages, and also begged via text. All to no avail.

Jodi wasted the remainder of her internet cafe hour crying. She decided to involve her parents. After ripping her up one side and down the other, Jodi's mother bought her a ticket on a small private plane to get her to Miami. From Miami, Jodi boarded a bus headed to Atlanta. It would be Wednesday evening before her parents picked her up from the bus station.

The long ride from Miami gave Jodi time to think. It occurred to her that Russell didn't ask a thing about her being a terrorist and the No Fly List. It was as if he knew all about it. Her emotions were all over the place. Some jerk on the bus tried to pick her up.

Russell wouldn't speak with Jodi or allow her to touch him. Her kids missed her and she was smothered with their hugs and kisses. Why had she soiled their future? There had to be some way that Russell could forgive her. When she saw his wedding ring on the kitchen counter, smashed like a pop can, she had doubts.

Jodi realized quickly that she had destroyed both her career and marriage. Her employer dismissed her for failing to show at the trial. Rather than risk a lawsuit, she was given two weeks' pay.

Russell moved out. He drops by daily to see the children. He said he couldn't stand to sleep in the same house as her. She fears that the divorce is coming, but so far it hasn't. Only after Jodi found another job did Russell file for divorce. Since she made more than him, he'd get a small amount of maintenance to help offset his child support payments. It was a small victory in an otherwise devastating experience.

+ + + +

Epilogue:

Rocco sent word to both Tony and Jodi. Be prepared for the worst if his conviction was not overturned. Jodi was asked nicely, if you can believe that, to return the necklace. The way it was phrased told Jodi that it was in her best interest to hand it over.

Rocco was sentenced to four years. He had his revenge all worked out. Russell had the kids every other weekend. For Jodi, rather than enjoying a weekend without her children, Rocco had connections in Atlanta who needed a fresh face to service their clientele. Poor Tony, as there were connections in Miami who needed a gay male. Tony, a homophobic, would have to learn to like being the submissive in those couplings.

Both Jodi and Tony were given a nudge with 'It would be a pity if you weren't around to see your children grow up.'

By the time the second weekend of servicing clients was over, Jodi hated men. She was nothing more than a piece of meat that they freely abused. Tony didn't make it three months before he had a nervous breakdown.

It took almost a year for Jodi to be removed from the No Fly list. Her new employer hasn't asked her to travel to customer sites.

Being a man of his word, when Rocco was paroled after thirty months, Jodi's weekends as a courtesan came to an end. Jodi has lost all desire for sexual intimacy. The only thing she lives for is her children.

Russell found someone to help him forget Jodi. That woman doesn't mind that Russell will never get rich working on brakes. Some women find happiness in nurturing a wounded soul. Russell is completely unaware of the lifestyle Rocco imposed on Jodi and Tony. Too bad, as his little scheme to disrupt Jodi's travel plans turned into so much more.