The Invitation(24)

Todd Keniston is a man whose life is being pulled in two different directions. Surrounding him are all the physical reminders of the life he had as a husband, and father, a life he is sure he wants back, while at the same time he knows it’s only a matter of time before the phone rings, and he is offered another overseas assignment that he in all likelihood will accept. He sees it simply as his profession, the only profession that he has known in his adult life, albeit a profession that in the end his wife found it impossible to accept. It never occurred to him, or most likely he preferred not to consider the possibility that years of working as a security contractor in foreign countries for extended periods, often under dangerous conditions, was simply not compatible with the psychological and emotional needs of a young family. Telling his wife repeatedly that the next assignment would be his last, until she eventually became convinced that nothing was going to change, the gradual strain on their marriage had finally reached the point of no return. Weeks, months, and years of waiting for a father and husband to return home had taken its toll.

In an effort to persuade his wife to return, he drove to her parents’ home some thirty miles away, where she now resides. The encounter quickly developed into a heated confrontation, resulting in a restraining order banning him from contact with his wife until further adjudication. Trying to contact his wife by phone or email being unsuccessful, he writes, hoping to receive a letter in return. Going over things in his mind, he searches for answers. From his point of view it was a question of doing what he regarded as his duty, something inculcated in him from an early age.

Joining the Marine Corps after high school, he served a total of twelve years, and by all accounts acquitted himself well. Todd Keniston is a marksman, and was trained as a sniper. His proficiency with weapons was, and still is, intrinsic to his core sense of identity. His exceptional ability to operate covertly in dangerous conditions, and his unflinching determination to carry out his orders, brought him to the attention of the upper echelon of the CIA, including its director, Paul Stuart.

Leaving the military when he was thirty-one, he chose the more lucrative profession of a freelance security contractor, a career change that despite his wife’s objections, he found far more compatible with his temperament and personality. There are certain men who form an acquired taste for the danger and exhilaration of armed conflict, who become quickly inured to operating in places and conditions where weapons and violence are commonplace, and who find the mundane regularity of civilian life vapid and unappealing. Todd Keniston is one of them. In the end, it was not the excessive preoccupation with guns or the extreme political views he often expressed that ruined his marriage. It was the extended absence, the perpetual worry, and the eventual realization that nothing was going to change that caused his wife to finally break away. Sitting on his front porch as if waiting for her return, he sees the mail truck pass by without stopping.

Back in North Central Florida, Doris Cushman is doing what she does most days, working in her garden, when she sees her local postal truck stop and discharge her mail. With a friendly wave she walks over to collect it, and notices the unfamiliar car slowing down as it approaches her driveway. Moments later the driver emerges to introduce himself.

“Mrs. Cushman?” he asks.

“Yes, you must be Mr. Colby.”

“Yes, Ma’am, Tim Colby. I spoke with your husband on the phone last night.”

Seeing the visitor’s arrival, Mr. Cushman comes out to greet him.

“Mr. Colby, I assume.”

“Mr. Cushman, glad to meet you. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all, c’mon in. I’ll tell ya what, let’s sit on the porch. That way we can see my wife’s beautiful flower garden.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Would you like some iced tea, Mr. Colby?” Mrs. Cushman asks.

“I’d like that very much Ma’am. Thank you.”

Moments later Tim Colby and Ron Cushman are comfortably seated. Agent Colby will make sure not to reveal the real reason for interviewing Mr. Cushman. His challenge is to extract relevant information without seeming to, a well-practiced art of experienced investigators.

“Well, Mr. Cushman, as I mentioned on the phone last night, what I wanted to talk to you today about is the trip to China that Ken Myers made when he was Governor.”

“I understand,” Mr. Cushman says.

“As I said, the FBI doesn’t usually get involved in these types of cases, but we were asked to come in, so…”

“You’re building a case for trade violations, as I understand it.”