Eves of Destruction

by Roy Berelowitz

  When the elevator arrived at the floor, Ian Campbell walked ahead. A yellow tape with the words ‘POLICE’ stenciled on it was taped across the doorway. A large sign was also taped to the door. ‘BIO HAZARD. ENTRANCE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN’.

  “When the police and the ambulance men arrived soon after the incident, it was immediately decided by the senior officer to declare a biological hazard,” Ian said as the group stood in front of the doorway. “There was so much blood on the floor, the walls and the bed, it was regarded as too dangerous to enter without the right protective equipment,” he continued.

  “How long did it take for the equipment to arrive?” Casey asked as Ian removed the yellow tape from the door.

  “Actually, not long,” said Ian. “Ever since the nerve gas attacks in Nagoya, Japan and then our subway bombings, we have maintained a standby unit ready to move at any time for just such an event. They were here in minutes.”

  “Did their presence affect the quality of the early investigation?” asked Casey.

  “By that I take it you mean, did they go in and clean up before the detectives could investigate?” replied Ian.

  “Yes,” said Casey.

  “No,” said Ian, a little defensively. He was getting tired of Casey’s probing regarding the quality of police investigative techniques in Great Britain. “The standard procedure is to have trained officers participate in the biohazard cleanup. They were simply provided with appropriate protection. The investigation proceeded normally, although a little slower than usual.”

  Turning to unlock the door Ian said, “The biohazard is actually no longer in effect, so you are free to move about the room.”

  Pushing the door open, Campbell then stepped back, letting Casey enter. David Green followed her. He had already been in the room twice, and knew what to expect. The group spent almost ninety minutes in the room. Ian showed Casey how the bodies were found, what position they were in, where remnants of the bomb had been collected. Casey walked around the room slowly. She really was not expecting to uncover anything the British police had not already found, so she tried to get a sense of what had happened. David Green’s notes and documentation on the incident, which she had read before she flew out, were excellent. He had described the room and the damage almost perfectly, but she was still surprised by the amount of damage. The bed frame was visibly bent and there were dark spots from the blood and body parts still visible on the walls, ceilings, and even on a curtain more than ten feet away. This was a revelation to her. There had been discussion about the use of such a bomb to destroy an airliner in flight, or something similar. Now she was sure not only was that possible, but also likely that such a bomb, correctly placed, could badly damage an aircraft, perhaps making it lose structural integrity.

  “Ian,” she said turning to him, “was any check done on the hotel guests who were staying here to see if they might have been involved?”

  “You mean in terms of activating the bomb?” Ian asked. Casey nodded. “Yes, of course, we checked the name and passport of every guest who was a resident that night. We focused a lot of attention on all the residents of rooms above, next to and below Mr. Rifkin’s. Most of the people who stay here are typically foreign businessmen and wealthy individuals. None of them appeared to be suspicious. We also interviewed the hotel staff, showed a picture of the dead woman’s face to every staff member. She was very pretty so some of the male staff members did remember her. The bartender actually thinks he saw her with Mr. Rifkin the night of the incident, but he is not absolutely sure. Anyway, we are certain she was booked into the hotel.”

  “And no suspicious individuals were discovered in your search,” asked Casey.

  “Well, I would not go as far as to say that,” said Ian smiling. “One hotel guest was actually deported during our investigation, but on a completely unrelated item. No,” he said shaking his head. “We did not come up with anyone who appeared to be associated with this attack.”

  “Well, thank you for bringing us here, Ian. I appreciate the time you have spent with us today.”

  “You’re quite welcome,” said Ian.

  “I’m glad we have finally discovered how the bombs were delivered, but I am curious to learn more about the little receiver device they found. If that’s what it is, then it will confirm the explosions are triggered remotely.” Casey paused for a moment and then continued. “How soon do you think you can get it analyzed?”

  “It’s a bit late to get started on it today,” Campbell replied glancing at his watch, “but first thing tomorrow we will track down a communications engineer. I’ll get back to you as soon as we learn anything.”

  “Thank you, Inspector.”

  The group rode the elevator back down in silence. When they reached the lobby, Casey thanked the Inspector again for his time. “How far are we from my hotel?” she asked “Oh, about thirty minutes by car and about the same walking, actually,” said David Green alluding to London’s notoriously slow traffic.

  “I’m quite tired,” said Casey, “but it would be nice to walk back.”

  “I’ll show you the way,” said David.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. Actually the quickest way is through Hyde Park. I think I’d enjoy that myself.”

  “I am going to turn Mr. Rifkin’s room back over to the hotel now,” said Ian. “I know they have been quite anxious to reclaim it. Casey,” he said putting out his right hand, “it was a pleasure to meet you, although I wish the circumstances had been more pleasant.”

  “Yes,” said Casey, “I agree. Thank you again for all your assistance. I expect I’ll be returning to Washington tomorrow. Please contact me as soon as you have information about the receiver.”

  “Of course.”

  “Shall we go?” Casey asked David.

  The two Americans walked towards the exit and stepped into the late afternoon London sunlight.

  * * *

  It was a stroke of luck. Vladimir Kosnar had rushed from the airport to his hotel in London and then after dropping off his bags, immediately took a taxi to the Dorchester Hotel. Finding a seat that afforded him the clearest view of the entrance and the lobby, he had ordered a drink and settled in for what he expected to be long and probably fruitless wait. But in less than twenty minutes, he spotted the two Americans as they followed the British detective out of the elevator into the hotel lobby. He was certain they were American agents and equally sure they were here investigating the latest bombing. Peering from behind a newspaper, he watched them as they chatted in the lobby and then slowly got up from his chair and followed Casey Jennings and David Green out through the revolving door. The two agents were about twenty yards ahead of him, walking at a comfortable pace. He was surprised to see them on foot, but pleased because it would make his task easier. Since the sidewalk was not very crowded, Vladimir let the distance between them increase to about thirty yards. He was curious to see how long it would take before they spotted him.

  CHAPTER 14

  MICHAEL DEVSKOY WAS on the verge of panic. He felt like he had just seen a ghost, someone completely unexpected but who could absolutely destroy his plans. Vladimir Kosnar had just walked right past him in the lobby of the Dorchester Hotel. He instinctively knew Kosnar was here for him, sent to hunt him down and stop him. He had expected something like this to happen, that his disappearance and the sudden activation of the assassin program would eventually be linked. Of course they would send someone, maybe a whole team to find him and stop him but not this soon and not Kosnar. He had not anticipated Kosnar.

  Fortunately, Devskoy had seen him first and was able to quickly grab a newspaper and hold it up to his face, hiding his identity. But it was just past two o’clock and he was expecting Abd Al Rahman in a few minutes and if he walked into the hotel now, Kosnar would certainly recognize him from Pul-e-Charkhi, the old prison in Afghanistan. He had to get out of the hotel without Kosnar seeing him and then intercept Al Rahman as he came in.
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  Glancing over the top of the newspaper he could see that Kosnar had crossed to the far side of the lobby and was looking around. Then he saw Kosnar take a seat in the Tea Room just off lobby that gave him a clear view of the lobby and the elevators. Stealing furtive glances, Devskoy saw Kosnar withdraw a rolled up magazine from his pocket and begin to read it.

  He turned and looked around to see if he could see anyone else that was familiar. Was Kosnar operating alone or was he part of a team? The lobby was quite crowded with guests showing up for the Dorchester’s famous afternoon tea but no-one else looked familiar. He wondered for a moment if he was being paranoid, that Kosnar’s sudden appearance was just a coincidence, but just as quickly rejected that idea. He knew why he was here and he would have to deal with him. First however, he had to find Abd Al Rahman.

  Devskoy glanced at Kosnar again and then just as a large group of Japanese tourists passed between them he quickly stood up and moved towards the hotel exit. A uniformed doorman held the door for him and he exited the building, glancing behind him to see if Kosnar was following him.

  The front entrance to the Dorchester is quite small and inauspicious for such a grand hotel. With a prime location across the road from Hyde Park, London’s premier park, there is limited parking and most guests are dropped off or picked up by taxis. The hotel’s clientele is generally not the type to use public transport so the lack of a nearby bus stop or underground station was not regarded as an inconvenience. A long row of black cabs were parked just in front of the hotel waiting for fares and a constant flow of taxis were arriving to drop off passengers.

  Devskoy had no idea how Al Rahman would arrive but guessed he would get there by taxi as well. He could not remain standing at the entrance to the hotel because Kosnar could suddenly come up from behind him. He needed to find a spot that allowed him a good perspective and yet also gave him some cover, so he looked for a spot far enough away from the hotel that he could see Kosnar approaching and at the same time see Al Rahman drive up in a cab. He walked along the short hotel driveway and turned off on to the sidewalk where he had a good view of taxis entering the hotel.

  He was lucky. A few minutes after situating himself, he saw Al Rahman sitting in the back of a taxi as it turned on the hotel driveway. Devskoy scrambled back towards the location where passengers were dropped off and managed to get there just as Al Rahman stepped out of the cab. He said nothing as the Arab paid the taxi driver and then quickly brushed past him hissing “follow me,” as he passed by.

  Al Rahman looked around in surprise, noticing the Russian walking up ahead but staring back at him wide eyed and gesturing almost wildly at Al Rahman to follow him. Not a man easily rattled, Al Rahman casually but carefully looked away from the Russian and surveyed his surroundings. He had expected to meet Devskoy inside the hotel and obviously something had rattled the Russian, but he wanted to be sure he was not walking into a trap or circumstance that might blow his cover. He looked around once more and then followed the Russian away from the hotel.

  The two men walked for about five minutes, twenty paces apart. The Russian was walking quickly and Al Rahman had to work hard on his lame leg to keep up. Devskoy led them along the sidewalk to a subterranean tunnel that took them under the road and directly into Hyde Park. The tunnel was poorly lit and had a dank smell of urine and disinfectant. The two men were the only ones in the tunnel and their footsteps echoed loudly on the tile floor. Al Rahman followed the Russian as he ascended the steps out of the tunnel, paused to look around, then quickly walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. The Arab approached cautiously and then sat down beside him.

  Devskoy was breathing heavily and both men sat quietly for a moment not saying anything.

  “What’s wrong?” Al Rahman asked looking at Devskoy’s sweaty and anxious face.

  “Do you remember the man who captured you, brought you to Pul-e-Charkhi? Do you remember him?” Devskoy was speaking quickly and panting slightly, his words running into each other and Al Rahman was having difficulty understanding him.

  “What do you mean?” Al Rahman asked.

  “The KGB officer, Kosnar,” Devskoy replied almost shouting out. “Colonel Vladimir Kosnar. I think he was a Major then.” He was speaking slower now, trying to regain his composure. “Kosnar captured you, delivered you to Pul-e-Charkhi. Do you remember him?”

  Al Rahman nodded slowly. “Of course, how could I forget him or any of you.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “He’s here!”

  “Kosnar’s here?”

  “Yes, that’s what I am trying to tell you. He’s right here at the hotel.”

  “What do you think he is doing here and why at this particular hotel?”

  “He’s here for me, don’t you get it!” Devskoy’s voice was high pitched, his entire demeanor completely unsettled.

  Abd Al Rahman said nothing, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. He understood the Russians had sent someone after Devskoy. He had been warned about this during his meeting in the park with the stranger in Paris. It was inevitable the Russians would attempt to find Devskoy and stop him but he had not anticipated this would happen so soon just after one killing.

  “But why here, at the Dorchester? How did he know to come to this hotel?”

  Devskoy said nothing, not sure how to explain to the Arab what he had done. He had not had a drink all day and wished he had been able to order one at the hotel before Kosnar showed up.

  “He must have heard about what happened here yesterday,” the Russian mumbled.

  “What do you mean?” Al Rahman asked.

  Devskoy quickly explained what he had done, targeting the American, setting him up with one of the women, killing them in their hotel room. He was nervous as he spoke, worried about the Arab’s reaction. At the time it had seemed like such a good idea, but right now as he shared the park bench with his client, he wondered about his judgment.

  “You mean one of women I paid for, you used?” Al Rahman asked, the anger in his voice unmistakable.

  Devskoy tried to flash a confident smile but it looked more like a grimace. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t charge you for that one. I’ll give you the next one for free. Anyway, we got an American so you should be pleased.”

  Abd Al Rahman said nothing. He stared at Devskoy for a moment, his expression revealing little about what he was thinking. The Russian looked pale, sweat kept beading up on his forehead and above his upper lip despite his constant efforts to wipe it away with the sleeve of his jacket. The thin red veins on his face and bulbous nose appeared more obvious against the pallor of his skin and Al Rahman could see a small but constant tremor in the man’s hands.

  Al Rahman had to think what to do. Getting angry at the filthy Russian would achieve nothing. He needed the man stable and cooperative and could not afford to alienate him despite his stupid behavior. But first he had to deal with Kosnar. He remembered the Soviet KGB agent very well, how they had fought a long running battle in the mountains of Afghanistan that most other soldiers would have long given up. Kosnar, although he did not know his identity at the time, was relentless, an equal match to his own endurance. Kosnar had persevered and captured him denying Al Rahman’s desire to die a martyr. Despite the passage of time Al Rahman understood that he was dealing with a serious adversary who would stop at nothing to ruin his plan.

  Suddenly, the Russian grabbed his arm and hissed in his ear. “Look, over there. He’s coming this way.” Al Rahman glanced over towards the entrance to the park where Devskoy was staring and saw a man and woman walking and behind them, about thirty paces back, Kosnar. He recognized him immediately. He stood, grabbing Devskoy’s arm as he rose and steered the Russian away from the path. The two men walked slowly away from the park entrance as Kosnar proceeded up the path away from them. When he was certain Kosnar had passed them, Al Rahman stopped and turned, glancing up and down the path to make sure no-one was following Kosnar.

  “Come on,” he said to
Devskoy as he steered the man back to the path. As distasteful as it was, he kept his hand inside Devskoy’s sleeve both to guide the Russian and maintain the appearance of two friends walking through the park.

  “Do you have one of the women nearby,” he asked somewhat casually.

  “Uh, yes of course,” Devskoy replied, pleased to be off the subject of the unplanned attack but nervous about being quite so close to Kosnar who he could clearly see up ahead.

  “Can you reach her now?”

  “Yes, I think so. They all have cell phones with instructions to keep them charged and on at all times.”

  “Good. Call the closest one. Tell her to come to Hyde Park right now.” He glanced around looking for an obvious location he could direct the woman to, but his lack of familiarity with the area left him uncertain. “Just have her come to the park and wait near this lake,” he said as they walked past the Serpentine, the small lake in the center of the park.

  Devskoy stopped walking and pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and turning away from Abd Al Rahman, consulted it for a moment. He had the names of each London based woman’s hotel listed but he could not remember which one was closest to the park. He picked the second name on the list, Sasha Donitz and dialed the number on his cell phone, glancing furtively over at Al Rahman who was standing next to him and then up the path as Kosnar disappeared from view. The phone rang four times before his call was answered.

  * * *

  Sasha Donitz’s phone started ringing as she stepped out of a London subway station near her hotel. She had become ill a few days after arriving in London and after days cooped up in her small hotel room she had finally felt better and left to explore the area near her hotel. Now she struggled to find the ringing phone in her large handbag but finally found it and answered.