Rio Rendezvous

by L. Hedman

B.J. stood transfixed, nervously fidgeting with the letter she held in her hand. The letter had been typed on ordinary white letterhead. Yet, there was nothing ordinary about the letter's contents and the dilemma she now faced. The certified letter addressed to Betty Jo Jenkins had been postmarked seven days earlier in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. B.J. searched her memory for every minute detail about the man who had sent this letter, Andre Costa. Andre Costa was one of the world's most powerful and dangerous men. Running his billion dollar gem empire headquarters from Brazil, his tentacles reached both legitimate businesses and the criminal underworld. Andre Costa was a man B.J. had met briefly, only three weeks earlier through a simple plan of deception. Accepting her assignment to meet with Andre, B.J. had been handed one of the biggest cases any seasoned federal agent could ever want to be assigned. However, B.J. was no seasoned veteran. In fact, her colleagues had teased her that the ink from her signature signing on with the Agency was still wet. She had been with the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) less than a year. Andre Costa's letter now required B.J. to make a critical decision. A decision that could enhance her career or end her life. The Clandestine Service Division for the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) operated out of a nondescript fifteen story office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, within four blocks of the White House. The OSI's mission was to collect covert intelligence and conduct special operations both domestically and foreign. OSI agent assignments could range from something as simple as the dissemination of disinformation to something more elaborate.Including the assassination of anyone deemed a risk to American security. Special Agent Betty Jo Jenkin's assignment was to take advantage of Andre Costa's invitation to join him in Rio de Janeiro. Once in Rio, B.J.'s mission would begin. She was to infiltrate Costa's empire and collect intelligence. She was to compile a list of anyone he associated with along with his "dummy" commercial organizations. Andre used these dummy enterprises to launder money between his gem resources and international arms dealers. The Agency had chosen B.J. for their specific agency business but B.J. had her own personal reasons for taking on the Costa assignment; revenge and justice. B.J.'s oldest brother had been killed in Iraqi by insurgents. The insurgents had been supplied weapons primarily by one arms dealer, Abdulla Razat. Interpol and M-5 had provided intelligence to OSI that claimed Andre Costa had ties to Razat. The U.S had previously targeted Razat's last known residence but when they sent in a Strike Team, Razat had already escaped. His current whereabouts were unknown. However, recent intercepted terrorists chatter indicated that something big was about to happen in Brazil. OSI had been tipped that Costa was about to set up a meeting with Razat and an unknown number of other criminals in Rio. Since the U.S. had led the international effort to trace and freeze bank accounts associated with terrorists, the use of gems was now providing a lucrative alternative to paper currency. Andre Costa was cashing in on the new scheme. His gems were being traded for arms that were eventually ending up in troublesome spots around the globe. B.J. had not been OSI's first choice to take on the assignment. Whenthe Agency's first choice to penetrate Costa's inner sanction was injured in a vehicle accident they were forced to look elsewhere. When they became aware of B.J.'s contempt for arms dealers they began to consider her for the Rio assignment. OSI headquarters also felt the mission benefited from the fact that B.J. was a very beautiful woman. Her looks would help draw Andre into their trap. OSI records also indicated that B.J. possessed a basic knowledge of and interest in gems. B.J.'s fascination with gems had begun a few years back

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007