Chapter 22: Kidnapping

“So that’s about the size of it. We’ve come a long way in our investigation but the net result is that we’re now as good as dead in the water. The death of that old man breaks the trail.”

“Da, that is correct. Leonid was the last to know, and he is dead. That ends the Russian connection. We had great hopes that more could be learned from the old files, but sadly... and we lost a good operative to learn this ... it seems that someone realized how dangerous those files were and ordered all but the most vague references destroyed.”

Pietor Grovischenk sat facing Michael and Dee’rah in Michael’s embassy office. He’d arrived that morning to deliver a briefing. All the resources, personnel and money of Nikogda Snova had been hurled into their mission to discover the location of the hidden Russian suitcase bombs in America. The trail was broken with the death of the last surviving member of the Russian team that infiltrated through Mexico to hide six of the nuclear devices in the southwestern American desert.

“What about your young Mr. Abrams ... Todd, in the Washington spook shop ... has he reported anything?” Michael asked.

“Nyet, nothing. Our old friend Andrei is watching over the young man like he would his own son. He is very worried about the young man’s safety. The situation has become dangerously unstable in Washington. Paranoia and suspicion infect every action. He hasn’t said it, directly, but I believe that Andrei would be much less worried if we were to pull Mr. Abrams out of danger. He might resist. Young Todd is very idealistic, but one word to Andrei and he’ll have Todd away from there if he has to bag him and air-freight him away in handcuffs.”

“I take it then, that Todd’s contacts that he’d alluded to earlier have dried up?”

“Worse than that! A few seem to have disappeared. Apparently someone heard somebody say something, a hint here, a word there, and the President’s men became suspicious. Two of Todd’s contacts are captives in the Cuban prison. One died before arriving there. Although he was chained and handcuffed, the police report claims that he was somehow able to shoot himself in the back of the head. Andrei called in several favors to acquire that information, and he has himself been warned that he has exhausted his favors regarding any further information.”

“Damn! Stinson’s insanity is infecting everybody in that cesspool of a city!” Michael swore. “Pietor, you’ve already lost a man trying to track this down. Let’s not lose any more. Have Andrei tell Todd that he’s done all he can. Personally, I don’t see the point of him staying in Washington. Tell Andrei that it’s time to get the hell out of there. We’ll provide safe transport for himself and his family to Canada or Geneva or wherever he desires. But he must leave, now!

“I doubt that it will be safe for him to attempt a border crossing with his family; he is most probably flagged for detention as a risk asset by the Agency,” Michael reasoned. “Perhaps if he can arrange leave of a few days with his family to a rural area, maybe near his mother’s home, we could arrange a night flight. All we need to know is the time and place. Would you get word to Andrei and arrange for a coded message back to us?”

“Of course we can do that,” Pietor said. “At the same time, I think it would be good to have Andrei join them for pickup. I no longer see the value of leaving him exposed. It must have been noticed by the wrong eyes that an old Russian spy-master is fussing over a young American intelligence officer. If someone is suspicious, that could be fatal for both.”

“Do it. The instant we get word we’ll arrange for our assets to make the pickup. And, Pietor, please don’t ask what assets. You know that we can’t tell you, not just yet. Someday soon, but...”

“Da, I have no need to know, of course. That is an old chestnut, but chestnuts taste best when tested in the fire, no?”

Michael groaned. “Go away, Pietor,” he waved with his hand. “Get word to Andrei, and we’ll expect a message. Enjoy your visit to our healing clinic this afternoon, and then come back here. You’re expected for dinner and story-swapping with the Ambassador and his wife. Don’t disappoint her! For being the mother of an angel, she can be more dangerous than a Russian bear when she’s aroused!”

Pietor smiled, and turned for the door. “Da! This evening, friend Michael. And thank you for the invitation!”

Michael had never told a soul, not even Dee’rah, although he would never bet that she didn’t know, anyway, that Pietor had been diagnosed with a serious congenital heart deficiency. It was a life-threatening embolism in his aorta, his heart’s main artery, that lay in his chest like a time-bomb. Pietor was vigorous and active but he was a walking dead man. With Jon’a-ren’s agreement, Michael arranged a visit for Pietor to their secret Geneva clinic. It seemed such a small thing to do for a trusted friend.

That seems so long ago, two lifetimes ago, when I fought for my life and the lives of Rhys and the FBI agents in that Pahsimeroi cabin. Those were Pietor’s men, acting under Viktor’s orders. What a twisted path we follow. Now I think of him as a valued and trusted ally in this insane struggle, Michael mused to himself.

He slapped his hand down on his desk as if to dismiss his introspective mood. He rose to his feet. A new worry furrowed his brow. Could they intercept those damned nukes in time?

Andrei and Todd waited in the deep shadows of a thoroughly miserable Washington night. It was cold, blustery, and wet. Todd glanced around. This was a good place to get mugged! Andrei didn’t seem so concerned. Maybe this is a child’s playground compared to Eastern European cities of the Cold War era, but damn! One could die here just as quickly, Todd thought to himself, digging his hands deeper into his overcoat pockets, and shivering in the chill night.

“She will be along with her boyfriend any moment now, my impatient young friend,” Andrei murmured near Todd’s ear. “Be ready.”

They stood at the edge of an alley entrance half a block down from an obscure Hard Rock club that was favored by certain young up-and-comers in the Washington district. It was well-connected with the city authorities so patrons had little to fear from roaming police patrols that might otherwise seize on an easy drug and prostitution arrest. Yet it was not so obscure and disreputable as to attract the truly dangerous clientele, those who would prey on the others.

Katya was an exotic beauty. Recent years treated her with rare favor; she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. It was she who had dazzled a gullible friend of Rhys Jacobs to learn the secret of Michael’s hide-out in the Idaho mountains. Andrei was well aware of her unusual gifts. He’d convinced her to come away from her comfortable San Francisco retreat to lend her talents to a good cause.

“What will your comfortable life among the artisans and illuminati gain you,” he whispered in her ear at a San Francisco restaurant over dinner, “if the world burns to ashes in a nuclear holocaust? You know as well as I the truth of that!”

So it was that Ekaterina Khostov, the Katya of incredible allure, was on the hunt. Her prey was Bob Zaglinder, he of the eidetic memory, the man who never forgot anything, the trusted senior assistant of the Chief of Staff of the President of the United States.

Zaglinder was Jonas Barnes’ most irreplaceable asset. He was loyal and obedient and to his superior, he was priceless. Now he was a target.

“Be ready, here they come,” Andrei whispered. A laughing woman clinging to the arm of a florid-faced man strolled past the alley mouth on their way down the sidewalk to a waiting limousine and its driver. Katya pushed against his side and he stumbled, losing his balance. He fell into the alley. Rough hands clamped down on his mouth and dragged him into the shadows. A gag stifled his cry of fear. Something sharp and painful pierced his neck and his world tilted, swept around in dizzying circles and went black.

“We all go, da?” Andrei confirmed with his companions as they scrambled into an idling van parked at the other end of the alley.

“Yes, we ALL go,” Todd affirmed, looking to Katya. She nodded agreement. After all, if she could not return to San Francisco, wouldn’t Geneva serve as well? Perhaps even better, she thought.

“Todd, your family is waiting for your call. We will be there in one hour. Have them waiting in your car beside the baseball field as we’d discussed. For the sake of your family, there must be no hesitation, no backing out!”

“No backing out, Andrei. Debbie is a strong woman and the children know how to keep secrets. They will be waiting. There will be no hesitation!”