It seems like an ordinary night inside the Alexandria Fitness Center-that is, until a gym patron suddenly discovers Cardiff Shapiro lying next to a treadmill in a pool of his own blood. Someone has just assassinated the State Department's Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The nation is stunned. Worse yet, it appears a cold-blooded killer has just gotten away with murder. As Alexandria police department detectives immerse themselves in an investigation into Shapiro's murder, they find themselves taken off the case by the FBI. Meanwhile, David Pearl, owner and CEO of a new security company, prides himself on his integrity, even in the face of both a career and a love first won, then lost. When Pearl receives an offer to provide temporary security for a Greek diplomat whose life has been repeatedly threatened, Pearl enthusiastically accepts, not realizing that in a matter of days, another murder will propel him onto a dangerous journey through death, lies, and treachery. With national security at stake, Pearl must overcome adversity and the ultimate betrayal in order to determine whom he can trust, before an assassin strikes again. Spies and Lies: The Paradox is a gripping story about espionage, politics, deceit, and romance as one man risks everything to defend his country-and his reputation-from evil forces.

SPIES AND LIES: THE PARADOX

By Frederick L. Malphurs

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Frederick L. Malphurs
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-1846-5

Contents

Introduction.......................................................................................xiPrologue The Sudden Demise of a Political Appointee, December 28...................................xiiiChapter 1 Shocking News, Whispers, and Shouts, December 29.........................................1Chapter 2 Duty and Honor, December 29..............................................................3Chapter 3 A Most Unusual Mugging, January 3........................................................8Chapter 4 Time Out at the Sofitel Bar, January 3...................................................12Chapter 5 Greeks Intruding in the Night, January 9 through 19......................................15Chapter 6 Greeks Intruding in the Night, Part II, January 20.......................................26Chapter 7 Greek town, January 22, 23 and 24........................................................32Chapter 8 A Small Town in Snowy Upstate New York, January 25.......................................56Chapter 9 Almost Heaven, January 25................................................................65Chapter 10 Mistakes Were Made, January 26 and 27...................................................67Chapter 11 The Velocity of Suspicion, February 7...................................................80Chapter 12 Tempest in Tarpon Springs, March 2......................................................84Chapter 13 A Narrow Escape, March 4 and 5..........................................................89Chapter 14 Still Life with Flamingos, March 6......................................................92Chapter 15 Nevzlin v. McKay, March 6 and 7.........................................................100Chapter 16 Dirty Lowdown, March 7..................................................................105Chapter 17 Love Assumes, March 10 and 11...........................................................116Chapter 18 The Jimmy Bimini Tour, March 20.........................................................119Chapter 19 Risk: A Term of Art, March 25...........................................................122Chapter 20 Duly Noted, April 2 and 3...............................................................132Chapter 21 Without A Hypothesis: The Facts Dangle and Dart, April 2-5..............................139Chapter 22 Naked Bootleg, April 5..................................................................141Chapter 23 Changed Elements, April 7 and 8.........................................................148Chapter 24 Some Loose Ends Seek Solutions, April 10-14.............................................156Chapter 25 Creative Dissonance, April 21...........................................................173Chapter 26 Confidentially, Bankruptcy, April 23....................................................178Chapter 27 Roma, April 24..........................................................................180Chapter 28 An Abstruse Spy, April 25...............................................................183Chapter 29 A Radiation Revelation, April 26........................................................186Chapter 30 Someone to Listen To, April 26..........................................................188Chapter 31 Dysfunctionality, April 28..............................................................193Chapter 32 For the Sake of Money, April 29.........................................................198Chapter 33 Campaign Brain, April 30 and May 1......................................................206Chapter 34 Love Is All It Is, May 1................................................................212Chapter 35 Game On, May 8..........................................................................217Chapter 36 Evolving Events, May 13.................................................................224Chapter 37 Cold Call, May 20.......................................................................230Chapter 38 Meltdown, May 23........................................................................236Chapter 39 Culture, Cunning, and Stealth, May 25...................................................242Chapter 40 Port of Pireaus Pitfalls, May 30........................................................247Chapter 41 The Drudgery of Searching, June 1.......................................................258Chapter 42 Nocturnal Interludes, June 3 through 5..................................................262Chapter 43 Feedback Loop, June 7...................................................................266Chapter 44 Radiant Recordkeeping, June 9...........................................................269Chapter 45 Discovery, June 9.......................................................................273Chapter 46 Waiting and Watching at the Marina, June 9..............................................282Chapter 47 Rendezvous With Force, June 10..........................................................286Chapter 48 A Maris Breakdown, June 11 and 12.......................................................291Chapter 49 A Prayer Offered, June 3................................................................296Chapter 50 Peripheral Damage, June 4...............................................................300Chapter 51 A Reunion, June 5.......................................................................302Chapter 52 The First Argument, June 6..............................................................306Chapter 53 The Entanglement, June 6................................................................313Chapter 54 Argument, Appeasement, and Advocacy, June 7.............................................318Chapter 55 Homecoming Hype, June 8.................................................................326Chapter 56 Damned with Disapproval, June 10........................................................328Chapter 57 Loose Lips, the evening of June 11 and the early morning of June 12.....................333Chapter 58 A Conundrum, June 14....................................................................337Chapter 59 Down and Dirty, June 14 and June 15.....................................................343Chapter 60 Destiny, June 20........................................................................352

Chapter One

Shocking news, Whispers, and Shouts, December 29

David Pearl, owner and Chief Executive Officer of DRPearl, Inc., sat at his desk reading the front page of the December 29 edition of the Washington Post. He looked up when Alice Boggs appeared in the doorway. With her usual look of intensity on her charming, intelligent face, Alice stood for a moment waiting for her boss to respond to her appearance.

"Should I come back? You look like you just saw a ghost." Alice cocked her head.

David waved her to the leather chair that sat on the right side of his desk. "I wish I had, Alice. Cardiff Shapiro, the State Department's Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence was murdered in the early morning hours of December 28 while he was working out at the Alexandria Fitness Center. Our good friend, Ritzenheim, told me last night that some big shot fed had been murdered."

"I bet all of the security and intelligence operatives have gone completely batshit."

"Sure they have; the murder of the Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence for the State Department has got to have lots of possible implications. I met with him once at a briefing for intelligence...