Pursuit of the Patriarchs

chapter 10

Mosely was nervously sitting across from a table with Johnathon on the other side. It was time to begin a real interrogation.

Johnathon allowed silence to be his weapon. The longer he sat and said nothing, the more Mosely's mind played tricks on him. He was running through the worst-case scenarios, since he'd never been interrogated and only had movies and books to go on.

After several minutes of squirming, Johnathon spoke with a calm voice. "This is all being recorded. Everything you say will be checked. You lie to me just once, and you're going to Israel. Don't even think of stretching the truth. The internet makes it easy to check everything you say."

Mosley nodded without saying a word. There was shock he hadn't been threatened to do anything to him physically. Not even the pounding of his fists on the metal table between them.

He continued with the calm voice. "You may be tempted to make yourself more or less important than you actually are. I will consider that a lie. The only thing that will keep you from going to Israel is the truth. Do you understand, Mr. Mosely?"

A slow nod came with a trembling voice. "I understand, Agent Simpson."

He held Mosely's eyes. "Good. How were you first approached? Most people don't start out as traitors. It happens over time."

Mosely was searching for the first time it happened. "About a year ago, I don't recall the exact day. It's on my calendar. There was a meeting set up between me and an American businesswoman, Jenna Hawthorn, from something called the Pudicitia Group."

It was the first he'd heard of them, but said nothing. It was far better to let Mosely believe the name of the organization was known. He'd follow up with Donna later.

There was a certainty in his voice as he continued. "She was supposedly looking to develop real estate in London, but told me right from the start she was with your NSA and needed my help."

Johnathon stopped him from going any further. "Did she tell you or show you a badge and then tell you?"

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't remember if she showed me a badge. Just that she was NSA."

Johnathon kept his voice calm. "What was your reaction?"

Mosely returned to searching his memory. "I don't know. Shock that your NSA would need me for anything."

So far, everything appeared truthful. It was a good start.

He chose his words carefully. "Did she tell you her real name?"

The words came rapidly. "She did. Agent Jenna Hawthorn. She said she used her real name so I could verify who she was before we met again."

Something struck Johnathon about what he said. "Did this Agent Hawthorn tell you who to reach out to or did she leave it to your own connections to verify who she was?"