“We didn’t expect to see you again tonight. What’s up?” he asked.
Nina didn’t immediately respond; instead, she walked to the rear of the van and he followed. She opened the doors. The interior lights were on. She nodded toward the inside. Mike moved in closer and looked in. The others, who had silently walked up, looked in to see the contorted configuration of a body.
“It’s good to have you back with us, Nina, but coming back with what looks to be a dead body can’t be good news.”
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” she said, still devastated by Alex’s death. She wanted everything to be back the way it was before her trip to the cabin, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Nina looked at Mike. “I accidentally shot him.”
He noticed her wiping her eyes.
“I’m here because this is where Allison told me to bring his body. We’re supposed to bury him here someplace.”
“Come on. Let’s go inside and get out of the cold.”
Mike turned to Rick and nodded at the van doors.
Rick closed them and spoke to Frank. “Your watch,” he said, turning toward the house. “And turn off the headlights.”
As they seated themselves around the large kitchen table, Mike took the flip-top out of his pocket and turned it back on. The sudden ringing of the phone startled Nina. Mike looked at her, while flipping it open.
“It’s Allison,” he said to no one in particular.
When he finished the call, Mike turned his attention back to Nina.
“They’re asking me for a decision as to whether we continue with the op. Tell us what happened.”
Nina took a small drink of water that Rick had gotten for her and then spoke in a soft, hesitant voice.
“The man in the van is Alexander Brzezinski, my boss from RT News. I accidentally shot him tonight at the warehouse. Allison reported it up the chain.”
“How did you happen to be at the warehouse with your boss?” Mike asked.
Nina took a deep breath, and during the next several minutes, she explained everything that had happened between her, Alex, and Allison.
She noticed the concerned look on Mike’s face and knew that if he canceled the op, it would be her fault.
Rick stepped into the conversation and came to Nina’s defense.
“Mike, it seems to me that this guy Brzezinski was sticking his nose into her business and ended up paying the price for it.”
Mike looked at him and then back at Nina.
“Perhaps that’s the case, but it raises a lot of questions. Are you sure that he didn’t follow you earlier, Nina, when you came to pick us up?”
“Yes, I am certain of that. He’s never followed me at any time before this evening. I told that to Allison earlier tonight. Also, I’m certain that he knew nothing of my relationship with your CIA or my plans to pick you guys up at the cabin.”
There was too much at stake for Mike to accept as face value everything being told to them; there was possibly more to the story. He was concerned. A careful review of the facts and getting input from the rest of the team, before deciding if they should continue with the op, was something that he needed to pursue. He’d lost men before as the result of poor judgment on his part, at least that’s what it seemed to him to be after the incident, and Mike wanted the others’ buy-in before making a “go or no go” decision.
“I think it’s become a lot riskier, in terms of our security, to go forward with the op,” he said, speaking to the group. “We know absolutely nothing about Mr. Brzezinski, and if Nina’s cover wasn’t well maintained, it’s conceivable that he could have been a FSB informant or asset they put on her in an effort to identify her handler, which would have enabled them to identify other agency activities such as the group we’ll be relying on for street support.”
He looked around at each of them and stopped with his eyes fixed on Nina’s.
“Perhaps we are fortunate that Nina accidently took Brzezinski out,” Mike said, “but we’ll never know until the op is over or until the FSB acts against us as the result of his death.”
He looked at the others again.
“Nina feels that there’s been no breach in her cover, and it’s obvious that the station is of the same mind, or she wouldn’t have been assigned to the op, but I’m still concerned about the details of what has transpired, even though there is no way to ascertain why Brzezinski was following her. It’s a dilemma that bothers me, but without hard evidence to argue something to the contrary, I’m inclined to move forward with the op—that is, if you guys agree.”
“I’m good with that decision,” interjected Rick.
“Me too,” stated Frank.
Charlie replied in the affirmative as well.
“All right then, with no objections, on we go. I’ll call it in.”
He picked up the phone, flipped it open, went to favorites, and then pressed the quick dial for Allison. She answered right away.
“Hello, again. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. What’s the decision?”
“We’re still on, but we have some minor concerns. I think we need some additional support coverage. Can you make that happen?”
“That requirement has already been discussed and authorized by the chain. I’m taking care of it. Details will be provided at a later time. As for the cargo, you are to take delivery and move it to someplace in the city. There’s concern about a follow-on cargo investigation. Do you understand possible implications?”
“Completely. Anything else?”
“Yes. Call me first thing tomorrow morning with an update.”
“Will do.” Mike ended the call and turned his attention back to the others.
“They want an update after we’ve disposed of the body. The station believes it should be placed in the city instead of here to be easily found in an effort to help take the heat off of Nina when the police start an investigation.”
He looked at her again.
“Was Alex married?”
“Yes, he was, and she will probably alert the police when he doesn’t come home.”
“Then I think we need to make it look like he was killed while being robbed. That might alleviate any need for the police to question you about his death. His car must still be parked close to your apartment, so we need to move it to our planned crime site. It may still be painful, but we are going to need your help to dispose of the body. Are you up to it?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. Be thinking of a place that will work as a crime scene. It’s not going to take all of us to get this done,” he said to the rest of the team, “just me, Rick, and Nina. The rest of you guys can stay here and get some rest, but make sure you post a watch while we’re gone.”
Chapter Twelve
Another Evening Performance
They walked out, the three of them, and stopped near the van. Mike opened the rear door.
“Rick, get in and check for his car keys. What’s he driving, Nina?”
“A small BMW.”
“Found them,” Rick said
“Good. You might as well stay in there, so we can get a move on. Oh yeah, get his wallet out. We need to place it near his body at the crime scene.”
Mike closed the rear van doors and walked to the cab passenger side. He seated himself as Nina got in behind the steering wheel. He saw one of the SEALs heading toward the barn as she put the van into gear and drove away. Later, as she pulled out onto the main road leading into Saint Petersburg, Mike was thinking about how best to dispose of Alex’s body, more importantly, where. He looked over at Nina. She had a stone-cold look on her face, apparently in deep thought about the death of her boss and the man who Mike now suspected might have been more than just a boss to the station’s highly regarded asset.
“We need to decide on a place where the body can be found,” he said to Nina, “someplace that Mr. Brzezinski would normally be expected to visit. Any ideas?”
“Yes, I’v
e been thinking about that. I have a location in mind. It is not far from the office and not too far from the apartment where his car will be parked. Alex liked the theater and took me frequently to the Mariinsky. There’s an Irish pub across the street, the Shamrock, where we would go for a drink after a performance. There’s a theater parking area and a small wooded park on the adjacent corner next to the Rimsky-Korsakov Concert Hall. I think the park would be a good place to put him. What do you think?”
“Is there a performance at the Mariinsky tonight?”
“Yes, every night. Why?”
“The location sounds ideal. It’s a place where a robber might hang out to prey upon someone leaving the theater. Let’s drive by there to check it out. What time do the doors open, and how long does the evening performance last?”
“They normally start at seven and run about two-and-a-half to three hours, depending on the ballet.”
“We don’t have a lot of time then; let’s get there as quickly as you can.”
Not much else was said during the twenty-five minutes it took them to get to the artsy area of Saint Petersburg known as Theater Square. Nina drove past the Mariinsky Theater and the concert hall. She turned the corner at the intersection to circle the square. Later, Nina drove the street next to the small wooded park. The street was lined on both sides with parked cars. The area didn’t have many streetlights and those there were spaced far apart and dimly lit. Mike noticed a street bench and pointed it out to Nina.
“I think this place will work just fine,” he said while looking back at Rick. “It would be better without all of the cars parked along both sides of the street, but it will work. Let’s go get his car. When we get there, you drive and follow Nina back to the parking lot. We need to get this finished before the evening performance is over.”
It didn’t take long to find Alex’s car, but it took almost forty minutes to get there and back. Nina had stopped beside the parked BMW and Rick jumped out. With gloves on, he fumbled with the key a bit before getting the door unlocked. He got into the car, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb, following Nina back to Theater Square. When they drove into the Mariinsky parking lot, Nina stopped the van and waited while Rick parked the BMW. He got out, locked it, and jumped into the back of the van. Mike immediately issued new orders.
“Drive around the block, Nina, and stop near that bench we saw. Rick, put the keys back into Alex’s pocket and get ready to pull him out when we get there.”
He never thought to tell Nina to drive the side of the street where they would be closest to the bench. When she turned the corner, he saw the bench across the street, the farthest away from the van.
“Ah shit, stop here,” he told her. Mike jumped out and opened the rear doors.
“Push him back to me, Rick.”
Rick pushed as Mike grabbed Alex’s legs and pulled. Seconds later, he lifted Brzezinski’s body and placed it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He turned and started hurriedly across the street, wobbling a bit with the weight. He placed the body on the bench, stood, and looked around to see if anyone was watching. He was about to turn and leave when he heard a voice coming from the wooded area behind the bench. A man suddenly appeared and walked toward him. Rick heard the man and quickly walked across the street to join Mike.
“What are you doing here? This is my place,” the man said in Russian.
Mike looked at Rick, standing beside him. He didn’t understand what the Russian had said and expected Rick to take control of the situation.
The old man staggered a bit as he approached them.
“Our friend is going to play like he’s dead sitting there on the bench. We are going to play a joke on another friend who will soon be coming out of the theater. That’s his car parked right over there. You want to make some money?” Rick asked the old man, while stepping between him and the bench to prevent the old man from having a closer look at Brzezinski. “I’ll pay you to stand here and make like you’re talking to him until the theater is over, which is going to be real soon.”
The old man babbled a response. “Yeah, sure, I can do that,” he said, slurring his words.
Rick pulled Alex’s wallet from his pocket and opened it. He took out the money and handed it to the old man, who looked at it with a big grin. It was a lot of money. Rick managed to drop the empty wallet on the ground next to the bench, without the old man seeing him do it. Then he and Mike quickly walked back to the van.
As Nina drove away, she looked back in the direction of the bench to have one last look at Alex. She saw the old man sit down next to him and then quickly get up. He stumbled, reached down, picked something up, and then hurried away from the bench heading in the direction of the Shamrock Pub. The evening performance ended as Alex’s body slumped over to one side.
***
It was nearly 11:00 p.m. when Nina, once again, drove down the lane heading to the farmhouse. She stopped and was prepared to leave for her return trip to the Saint Petersburg when Mike reached over and touched her arm. She looked at him. He could tell that she was exhausted.
“Look,” he said, “it’s late, and we’ve all had a long day—you more so than the rest of us. There’s plenty of room here and a spare bedroom with your name on it. Why not spend the night here instead of going back to your apartment? A good night’s sleep with friends will do you good.”
She was hesitant at first, but then agreed.
“All right,” she said, “if you’re sure it won’t be a problem?”
Ron walked up as they were getting out of the van.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“Like clockwork,” Rick replied. “How about putting the van back in the barn? Nina will be spending the night here with us.”
Less than an hour later, Nina left them to take a shower. Mike wanted to ask her another question and gently tapped on the bedroom door, expecting her to still be up. With no response, he tapped again and then briefly opened the door. He could see her lying in bed, curled up beneath a blanket, sound asleep. Mike closed the door. Whatever it was that he wanted to ask could wait until morning.
***
Nina was up early the next morning. She walked out of the bedroom with her hair wet and rolled up in a towel. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as she walked into the kitchen expecting to join the others, but no one was there. She walked over to a cabinet and took out a cup. She reached for the pot. She heard someone behind her and turned around. It was Mike.
“You’re up early,” he said. “I figured you’d still be asleep, given everything you went through yesterday.”
She filled her cup and turned to face him.
“Pretty much just the opposite. I didn’t sleep well. I woke up several times. Too many things to think about now that Alex is gone, I guess.”
They sat down at the table after Mike filled his cup. The others were still asleep, and Rick was taking a watch out in the barn. It was a good time for Mike to have a conversation with her without the presence of the others. He sensed that she was on the verge of making a hasty decision about something.
“You are good at what you do,” he said. “The station is lucky to have you as an asset and us too, in terms of completing the op.”
“Thanks. The work isn’t as satisfying now as it was in the beginning. I’d begun to lose interest in what I was doing when this assignment came up. I’ve been hoping that it will add new life to an old routine. Whether or not I continue to work as an asset is something that I need to discuss with Allison when this op is over.”
Mike sipped his coffee, pleased to hear that Nina wasn’t going to quit on them before then. “I’m a little curious about your decision to become an informant, and you don’t have to answer this, but at the time, you were just out of college and had started a career with a large national newspaper. It seems a bit unusual that you’d risk giving that up and endangering your life just to become a spy for the CIA. Why did you decide to do it?”
/> “Disdain for the way the KGB treated my family. It’s a long story.”
“And a story worth hearing, I believe; tell me about it.”
“My mother told me of many conversations she had with grandfather and of the bad treatment he received from the KGB after he had worked for them for so long. He’d risked his life to spy for them, and later, after having to defect to live in Moscow, they reneged on the promises they made to him. He was not given the rank of a colonel in the KGB, as they promised, and the paltry amount of money they gave him for living expenses was hardly enough for the family to get by on. Mother was affected mentally and physically as a result of having to live in an old damp and cold apartment because they couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. After grandfather’s death, mother told me the KGB finally came through and gave grandmother a pension based on grandfather’s service, but it was too late to do any good for mother. She died, having led an unhappy life. After she passed, grandmother decided that I should attend college at Moscow State University and become a journalist. She had wanted to become a journalist but ended up having to work as a copy editor for the government.”
Nina paused a moment to sip her coffee.
“You know,” she continued, “I don’t really consider myself a spy. I see myself as being more of a government dissident than a spy. It bothers me, still today, the hurt that I saw on mother’s face as she related stories of her unhappy childhood. I have never gotten over wanting to get even with the KGB for the way they treated my family, and there’s another reason. My father, who I never got the chance to know, was sent off to Afghanistan to fight in an unreasonable war. He lost his life at a very young age, further complicating mother’s life, and I blame the government for that too.”
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