by Peter Kozmar
“Within a few years AVX Corporation became the leader in Government outsourcing. We quickly grew from office administration to receptionists, then Police control room staffing, vehicle fleet ownership and management, and telecommunications services among other things. Where Governments wanted to significantly reduce costs while increasing capability and flexibility, AVX stepped in with an attractive streamlined process.
“We rapidly expanded from Russia into the former Soviet Republics and out across Europe and Latin America. Each time we would buy an ailing corporation, fire their Executives and install our own, employ locals on better rates, invest in their training and give them management roles, then sell our services under the AVX banner. Now we are the Global leader in Government outsourcing. I believe they targeted me for a simple reason: because I’ve built successful a business worth billions!”
He laughed, “Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on all of this?” Again, he waved his hand around the boat in a sweeping motion.
“So, to get their hands on your business they have murdered key members of your leadership team to force you to capitulate.” Andy paused before continuing, “Do they have any leverage on you?”
“I have a son, Alexi. He’s my only child. My wife died a year after his birth. They said it had been a suicide. Following his birth, she had been deeply troubled, unhappy and angry. I spent a lot of time away from home as I built my business. They told me her mother found my wife dead in her bed. She’d taken an overdose,” Chousov’s eyes welled up with tears. “I knew she was ill; I didn’t know she was suicidal. I was shocked. I had buried myself in the business and failed to look after the woman I loved … I put money ahead of everything ...,” he wiped his eyes, “… it took a long time to come to terms with her death.”
Andy felt that maybe the champagne made Chousov share too much, making him more talkative than if he’d been sober. “Did you marry again?”
“No. Mika was my soul mate. I could never share my life with anyone else. I raised Alexi as a single father. I gave him the best of everything. After growing up in Saint Petersburg, he received his early schooling in Switzerland, then, Eton and Harvard. I may have spoiled him a little too much. Alexi travelled widely and, as he grew up, he developed a reputation as a playboy and party animal. But who doesn’t go through a wild, self-destructive phase in their lives?”
With his own self-destructive phase barely over, Andy could relate to Alexi … but without the bottomless pit of money!
“When the threats became serious and my staff were murdered, I insisted Alexi relocate with me to the Babushka. I believe their only leverage now could be my son.”
“How did Alexi feel about the move?” Andy asked.
“He wasn’t happy about my decision and at first he refused – he can be stubborn – that changed with the murder of AVX staff he knew and liked. It brought him to his senses and now he’s here. He’s unhappy, but alive.” Chousov finished his glass and placed it down firmly on the side of the spa pool. His mood had changed, and he appeared sober and morose.
“What can you tell me about the Makarov Corporation?” Chousov asked again.
“The Makarov Corporation have rapidly taken control of a number of Russia’s biggest companies. We believe they achieved this through a mixture of intimidation and murder.”
“You don’t know for sure?”
“No one will make a formal statement to us. We can’t prove anything without their evidence and cooperation.”
“Who owns them?”
“We don’t know for certain. They are registered in Bermuda and owned by a blind trust in the British Virgin Islands.
“I see.”
Hampton appeared from one side and approached. “Mr Chousov, excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt you.” Chousov glanced at his gold watch and looked thoughtful for a moment. Hampton continued, “You have the video conference with New York starting in fifteen minutes. I’ve placed the file on your desk with a summary on the action points from the last meeting.”
“I must give my apologies, I still have a business to run, please excuse me. If you want to explore Antigua or use the water sports gear on board, the crew will be happy to instruct you.” He turned to face Gamzova, “Please join me for dinner this evening, I’m hosting visitors on-board and I’d love you to join me.” Chousov stood and stepped out of the spa pool. A steward appeared to place a white bathrobe over Chousov’s shoulders.
“We look forward to it,” Gamzova replied, making it very clear that Andy was going to on the guest list. Andy mouthed a ‘Thank You’ to her, which she ignored making him smile.
CHAPTER 20
In the privacy of his cabin Andy looked in the closet and saw his backpack and overnight bag were no longer touching. He bent over to make a closer examination and found the zip on his bag was fully closed. Someone’s been careless. He checked the contents of both bags to make sure nothing had been taken.
He closed the closet, then stripped off and headed into the shower where he scrubbed hard using the scented body soap to wash away the smell of chlorine from the spa pool. Once out of the shower and dried, Andy looked through the closet and drawers for clothes which would fit his ‘larger than average’ frame. They did say the clothes were available in all sizes. He quickly selected a pair of knee-length dark blue quick-drying sports shorts with a drawstring waist and a light blue polo shirt.
A loud knock at the door disturbed him while he dressed. “Hang on a minute,” Andy called out. With only the shorts on, he wrapped the damp towel over his shoulders – it was large enough to cover most of his abdomen – before opening the door. It was Hampton.
“I have the contract for you to sign,” Hampton held up two documents each with two pieces of paper. “We like to keep things short and to the point,” he informed Andy, “Ms Gamzova has signed hers already. Once you do the same, we’ll need your bank details so we can start paying you.” Andy took the papers from Hampton.
“Come in while I read this,” Andy turned and, having been invited in, Hampton followed.
“I trust your accommodation is comfortable?” Hampton looked around the cabin as though he’d never seen the cabin before.
“Yes, thank you. I’ve just had the shower and was getting dressed,” Andy said as he started to read the contract. Only one clause made him pause, it was subject to Russian law, and the last thing Andy needed was to find himself in a Russian court. He thought about his situation for a moment and decided that, as he was working for the Kremlin, any potential case probably wouldn’t make it to court. Andy initialled each page, signed and dated the last page. He took out his wallet and wrote down his bank details.
“I will get Mr Chousov to sign both copies and I’ll return yours within the hour. What are your plans for this afternoon?” Andy handed the two documents to Hampton before moving to the dressing room where he exchanged his towel for the polo shirt. He grabbed a pair of light blue socks and casual dark blue canvas shoes.
“Since we’ve been invited for dinner, I guess we can’t leave until the morning, so I’d like to get off the yacht for a few hours and explore. What do you recommend?”
“We have a helicopter available to fly over the islands or a launch to take you around the bays.” Hampton thought for a moment before continuing. “There are jet-skis if you want to head off on your own.”
“That could be fun and will use up a few hours. I’ll ask if Ms Gamzova will join me.”
“That’s a fine idea. There are a number of stunning unspoilt beaches around the island for you to explore. I’ll have the galley crew provide a picnic and drinks and get the crew to prepare the jet skis.” Hampton walked over to the large flat screen television and touched it with his index finger. The camera mounted above the screen came to life and spun around to face them. The screen grew brighter and a menu appeared, Hampton selected the option to call another cabin. He touched the screen where Gamzova’s name was displayed and the television made a ringing noise while
their video image appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. A moment later Gamzova’s image filled the entire high definition screen.
“Hello?”
“Hi Ms Gamzova, I’m with Mr Flint,” Andy waved so she’d notice him. Hampton continued, “Mr Flint is going to use the jet-skis and wanted to know whether you would be interested in joining him?”
Andy stepped into view, “I thought it would nice to get away from the yacht for a while and explore the island before dinner?”
Gamzova appeared to consider the proposition for a moment, then said, “Yes, okay.”
“Good. I’ll have the crew prepare the jet-skis and they’ll add a picnic for you. The jet skis have enough fuel to get right around the island, so don’t worry about how far they’ll take you. Meet with us on the stern, say fifteen minutes?”
“Okay,” Gamzova replied. Andy nodded.
***
When Andy arrived at the stern, he saw Gamzova was there already and talking with Hampton. He looked down to see the jet-skis secured and waiting for them as promised. Hampton and Gamzova stopped talking and turned towards Andy.
“We have placed some provisions in the panniers on the back of the jet skis. I recommend you go around the headland and pull into Pigeon Point Beach near Falmouth Harbor, it’s stunning!” Hampton said, indicating towards the general direction of the island with his open hand.
“Thanks,” Andy replied as crewmen handed Andy and Gamzova their life jackets. They got onto their respective jet-skis as the crewman started his instructions.
“You start it by pressing this,” he pointed to the green colored starter button. “You stop it by pressing this,” he pointed to the red colored stop button positioned next to the green button. “To go faster, you twist this towards you,” he pointed to the right twist grip. “To slow down you twist it away from you,” still pointing to the right-hand twist grip. “One final thing,” he picked up a long red cord which had a Velcro wrist strap on one end, the other end connected to the machine. “Put this on your wrist and keep it on at all times while riding the jet-ski. It’s your dead man’s break. You fall off and it will stop your jet-ski so you can get back on.” They attached the cords to their right wrists. “Any questions?” They both shook their heads. “Good, lesson over, you’re good to go.”
Andy thanked the crewman and hit the green button. Although he’d never ridden one before, he quickly mastered its operation and was soon tearing through the waves with a large smile. Gamzova was keeping up with him on this right, she seemed to be enjoying the experience as much as him.
Passing the ‘Pigeon Point’ headland, they were met with a stunning view of an expansive white sandy beach. As they approached the beach, the waves grew in height, white surf breaking on their crests. Andy timed his speed and quickly accelerated allowing the jet-ski to ride a wave all the way onto the beach. Gamzova pulled up next to him as her machine grounded on the soft sand. They cut their engines and helped each other pull the jet-skis clear of the surf. Andy recovered the picnic hamper and set down a large blue blanket on the hot sand for the two of them to sit upon. The clear blue sea, the white sand and the blue sky formed a perfect scene.
“So why are we jet skiing?” Gamzova asked in clipped tones.
“I wanted to get off the Babushka for a short while. I don’t believe that while we’re on board we have any privacy … even in our cabins.”
“I concur. Why did you agree to work for Chousov? You compromised me … you had no right to do that,” she said, her voice raised and with a slightly higher pitch.
“Okay, full disclosure now we can talk. Chousov will have done his homework. He knows I’m broke and down on my luck. Employing me means he thinks I’m serving his interests above others. Now his only concern is to stay alive and protect his business. He knows you’re a Russian State official and, for him to employ you, means he thinks he has a hook in you as well. By taking a second paid role, he knows you’ve broken Federal laws and that, he believes, gives him leverage over you.”
Gamzova stood and walked along the beach away from their picnic site. Andy quickly caught up and walked alongside her. The gentle surf washed over his feet, the fine sand felt pleasantly abrasive on his soles. “The way I see it is, you’re on assignment and this is part of that assignment. We want Chousov to feel he has a hold over us so that he will give us more. Before he realizes we’re playing him, we will have got what we need and be out of here. That ‘contract’ won’t be used against us, it has no value, but for now we need him to think we are in his pocket.”
“Fine, but you should have cleared this with me first!” Gamzova replied in her usual tone. She’s calming down.
“I’m sorry, you’re right, I should have, but since we’re in a dynamic situation, we must make decisions quickly. It’s all in line with achieving our objective for the investigation.” They walked in silence for a few minutes, before they turned around and headed back towards their picnic site. Andy spoke again, “What did you make of Chousov?”
“He’s the first Oligarch we’ve met who’s not living in fear of his life. Chousov appears to be in control of his business and expects to ride out the storm. He’s lost several friends and employees to the Makarov Corporation. Moving to his yacht in the ocean was a smart move as it makes him a difficult target. We saw in Faro that those in control of the Makarov Corporation will try and kill him as soon as they work out where he is hiding. So he needs to stay put and let us do our job.”
An uneasy silence descended on them as they reflected on the mission ahead. The beautiful scenery providing a much needed break from the intensity of their new ‘employer’ and his entourage. They returned to the blanket grabbing bottles of perfectly chilled spring water from the hamper.
“Did you have any suspicions that your belongings were searched when we were in the spa pool?” Andy asked.
Gamzova looked puzzled, then answered. “I had a feeling something wasn’t right in my cabin, I’m fastidious about how I arrange my things, when I saw the items had moved it crossed my mind and now you’ve confirmed I was right. How did you work it out?”
Andy sat on the blanket, “I dumped my bags in the closet in a way that looked like I had done so without thinking, but I’d actually done it so I could tell if someone had been nosey. When I got back it was clear that someone had disturbed them, not a professional, very amateur. They’ve probably copied the paper files too. Still, at least we know how much privacy we have.”
Gamzova opened the picnic hamper and removed a sandwich which she started to eat. Andy picked up a sandwich but instead of eating he asked a question that had nagged him since Faro, “How can we be certain that our bomber was targeting Chousov? Maybe we were his targets.” He took a large bite of the sandwich and as the taste struck him, he nodded in appreciation, “This is good!”
“How could the bomber have been targeting us?” Gamzova challenged him. “We had very little time to prepare, and we only found out where we were heading once we were airborne. We had no idea we were stopping in Faro. They would have to have people permanently on the ground in all potential refuelling locations to intercept our aircraft.
“True, maybe they were after Chousov, if not, that presents us with a very narrow field of suspects,” Andy replied. He reached for another sandwich while Gamzova took a slice of watermelon. “Now you can see why I wanted to have time away from the yacht, we needed to talk and compare notes without fear of being overheard.”
Gamzova nodded, “Is it Chousov, Hampton or his son Alexi? Could it be all of them and who’s helping them?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Someone gave them your file – the blueprint – there is a link back to the CIA.” Gamzova paused for a second. “This is delicious, not sure I will want dinner, but …” she stopped Andy before he could interrupt, “I know, that’s not an option.” Gamzova picked up another slice of the watermelon and started to eat it while watching Andy.
“
So, we have a narrow field to choose from. Not many people had access to that file … not even me after I’d written and submitted it for scrutiny. But someone has leaked it and I’d be interested to find out who.”
“Are we being paranoid? Maybe the bomber had been told to target any AVX jet. Could the fact that our belongings were disturbed be down to a member of the crew having light fingers or simple curiosity? I don’t think we have enough to go on.”
Andy looked disappointed, he knew Gamzova was right, all he had to go on were suspicions without any facts to back it up. They took their time to finish their picnic and pack everything away before heading along the beach to explore.
“You are an interesting man,” Gamzova piped up casually.
“Why do you say that?” Andy asked. This is new … you really are relaxed.
“I struggle to understand why my President is backing you. Why I have to work with you? What is your story?”
Andy stopped walking and turned to face Gamzova, “You’ve read my file.”
She nodded as she said, “But for a former CIA agent with Russian postings, your file is surprisingly … thin. So please tell me about yourself.”
“Okay. I joined the CIA straight out of Varsity. Being fluent in Russian meant I was destined for the Russian desk. I met my wife after I was injured on an assignment in the Ukraine. For that assignment, your Government presented me with an award.”
Gamzova looked interested, “Which one?”
“Hero of the Russian Federation.”
Her eyes widened, “You’re kidding right? That’s definitely not mentioned in your file.”
Andy chuckled for a moment, “I don’t believe it’s mentioned in my file back at Langley either. Not something either side would want widely known. You know, the Russians honoring an American spy –somehow I think it was best to keep that quiet!”
Gamzova fell silent for a moment while she thought about what she’d just learnt. She looked up and said, “That explains why my President has us working on this assignment together.”