Characters in JULIETTE’S VAN GOGH and THE TEMPLARS' CHALICE and KRUGER’S CHOICE.
The SALT Family:
Ren Merit
Ren was born in France to a French mother and an American father. Ren is fluent in both English and French. Educated at Oxford where both his parents taught he majored in art and philosophy becoming fluent in German to complete his philosophical studies. He holds duel British and American citizenship.
After graduation he enlisted in the Marines to serve his country. He became an expert masks-man and skilled in Krav Maga. Because of his knowledge of art and language skills be became a Marine liaison with the UN’s department repatriating Nazi stolen art. He fell in love with the justice and satisfaction of returning missing art to the rightful owners. This lead him to restoring art to private clients and ultimately, to forming the organization known as S.A.L.T. (Seekers After Lost Treasure) with its headquarters in Singapore when he was given an old colonial villa in lieu of payment by the National Arts Council of Singapore.
He considers the members of the S.A.L.T. Team his family
Kathleen Dubois, (Kat)
Born in China of an English father and Vietnamese mother. She was raised and educated in Vietnam majoring in mathematics and cryptography. Kat was working for an encryption company when she met Ren and he offered her a position with S.A.L.T. She is fluent in Mandarin, English and Vietnamese.
Kat is Ren’s most trusted confidant and analytical problem solver.
Harley Bechman
Harley is S.A.L.T.’s Security Chief and responsible for all logistics and keeping the team safe and fit.
He is an Israeli Krav Maga expert and a recovering alcoholic. He was on loan to Camp Lejeune to train their Marines. This is where he first met Ren and they eventually became life-long friends. When Ren was putting together his S.A.L.T Team Harley was a natural fit.
Alexandra Nussa, (Alex)
Alex is an ex-Navy Seabee who can fix anything. Her clever engineering mind can find work arounds for special problems needed to be fixed.
Her parents were Cuban exiles. She joined the Navy to repay her new country for its acceptance of her family. She has extensive experience working with military contractors finding solutions for problems.
Ren met her at a Fleet Week party at Bryant Park in New York while they were both still serving in the military.
Drew Saul
Drew is S.A.L.T.’s in house researcher/IT expert. A graduate of M.I.T he first met Ren in Italy where he was completing post- doctoral studies with the University of Chicago. When Ren years later approached him about joining the team he was teaching at the University of Milan. He took early retirement to join the team.
He brought with him his limitless contacts and associations in the world of information and information sharing, helping to make him an excellent archivist with a prodigious ability to research, find and interpret arcane and detailed information.
Alfredo Embroli
Born in Italy Alfredo is the General Facility Manager, in-house accountant, butler, driver, occasional chef and the hospitable member of the “family”. He loves food and wine passionately and enjoys the opportunity to lavish his skills on the Team and their guests and clients on the rare occasion that they are at home base in Singapore.
Ren met him in Rome while searching for a stolen piece of art treasure and knew that he belonged with the team immediately.
Maria Pappa
Ren met this young Greek refugee at a local café where she was working as a barista. An exotic blend of Greek and French the story of her rescue from an abusive husband in Greece touched Ren’s orphaned heart (both killed in a tragic accident) and he offered her a position as housekeeper and to help Alfredo in the kitchen until he hired a new cook.
Ren wanted to see where her abilities might take her in the organization.
Principal S.A.L.T Characters for THE TEMPLAR’S CHALICE, JULIETTE’S VAN GOH AND KRUGER’S CHOICE
S.A.L.T. Team
Ren Merit: Founder and Head of S.A.L.T
Kat: Analytical problem solver
Harley: Security Chef
Alex: Problem solver
Drew: Researcher / Archivist
Other Characters in THE TEMPLARS’ CHALICE
Fra Niccolo Montedonico: the writer of the Codex
Pietro Vargus: oerdered the Chalice made
Commissario Rizzo: a Roman Police Chief investigating murders in Rome.
Cardinal Robocho: assistant to the Pope, in charge of this mission.
Hans Rhinehardt: a German Industrialist /collector of stolen art by any means
Grobians: Lena, Boris and Antonio -German thugs hired by Hans to find and retrieve the Chalice
Shiloh Pritizi: a mysterious woman who suddenly appears in Ren’s life
Other Characters in JULIETTE’S VAN GOGH
Juliette Martine: model and companion to Vincent Van Gogh
Dean Nixon: PhD candidate at the Sorbonne
Christopher Smithson: art authentication expert
Detective Arnot: lead investigator on Van Gogh theft
Thomas Pfyffer: co-owner of Pfyffer Insurance Company
James Pfyffer: co-owner of Pfyffer Insurance Company
Peter Meier: defrocked art expert and appraiser
Gabriel Bernard: Peter Meier’s uncle
Max Bayers: billionaire art collector
Other Characters in KRUGER’S CHOICE
Isabel Lourde, lawyer for The Brotherhood, heir to Paul Kruger
Stephen Lourde, Isabel’s twin brother
Levi, friend of Stephen
Jonathan, friend of Stephen
Elika Falk, owner of Global Security Services, GSS, Ex-Mossad
Jakup Harel, GSS employee, Ex-Shayetet-13
Adam Kabede, GSS employee, Ex-Shayetet-13
Bash Momberg, President of The Brotherhood
Paul Kruger, Past President of the Transvaal and Orange Free State
Henri Rochet, friend of Alex
Aaron, son of Henri
Max Bayers, billionaire friend of Ren
Benito, drug lord in Laos
Tge Wang, evil drug lord in Laos
Hans Rhinehardt, nemesis of Ren
Luca Potmater, childhood South African friend of Ren
C. L. Decker and C. A. Decker
Juliette's Van Gogh
The Templars' Chalice