Slingshot s-3

by Matthew Dunn

  Will dumped his travel bag onto the floor, kept hold of his duty-free shopping bag, and muttered, “I know how that feels.”

  Peter smiled even wider. “Glad you do! I’m cross with myself and am starting to get a little bit annoying to be around.” He darted a look at Suzy. “Right, Suzy Sue?”

  Suzy kept her eyes on her screen. “Damn right.”

  Peter jabbed a finger against the whiteboard. “Questions keep me going.” The officer seemed totally energized despite the hour. “But I become a grumpy sod when I don’t have answers.”

  Will walked up to Suzy, withdrew from the shopping bag a book he’d bought at the airport entitled Work amp; Pregnancy: Have a Life, Have a Kid, hesitated for a moment, held it out to her, and saw her frown as she took it from him. He asked Peter, “The questions?”

  “Ones you’ve already asked yourself.”

  Will looked at the whiteboard.

  Why did Yevtushenko steal the paper?

  Where’s “Mikhail”?

  Why is his SVR team waiting in Berlin?

  Why is the paper so important?

  Why can’t it be copied and its value therefore diluted?

  Who is Number 1?

  Will darted a look at Suzy. “Anything on the name ‘Mikhail’?”

  Keeping her eyes fixed on her screen, she replied, “Lots. Too much.”

  “Even by narrowing the parameters?”

  She nodded. “I’ve gone through trace requests, our databases, NSA, Cheltenham Sigint”-she sighed as she slammed shut the laptop-“and even open source material. Thousands of Mikhails. .”

  “Mikhail is a popular name within the Russian mummy fraternity.” Peter sat on the edge of the table. “You think he might pay Miss Petrova another visit? If so, might be worth briefing her so that she can try to get a surname.”

  Will shook his head. “He won’t go back to her because he knows that she’d clam up. His agenda is to retrieve the paper and take Yevtushenko back to Russia. He made that clear to her.”

  “Bit silly of him. Should have kept his powder dry and lied to her.”

  Will disagreed. “She’s smart, and I think Mikhail knows that. No matter what he said to her, she’d have worked out that the Russians were going to punish her lover.”

  “So why did he visit her?”

  “That question invites another.”

  Peter frowned, then jumped down from the table, strode up to the whiteboard, and wrote:

  Why did he tell Alina that his name was Mikhail?

  Will smiled. “Exactly.”

  Peter’s mind was racing. Speaking more to himself, he said, “To put her at ease? Hope not, because that means the name’s been plucked out of thin air. Maybe because the name could mean something to Yevtushenko? Possible, but that’s only of value if Alina was privy to that information.”

  Suzy added, “We can’t rule that last possibility out. If there’s a connection between Yevtushenko and Mikhail, then Mikhail might have been hoping to use that connection to get her to work with the Russians.”

  “Quite.” Peter studied the whiteboard. “But if that was the case, why didn’t Mikhail hammer that connection home to her?”

  Laith emerged from the hallway, wearing only a towel around his waist, his hair wet. The ex-Delta Force operative’s expression looked thunderous, and as he walked to the kitchen while rubbing his face, he muttered, “Coffee.”

  Adam entered the room, fully dressed and yawning. “We’re on in fifty minutes.” The former SAS soldier also made for the kitchen, and said under his breath, “If it’s another day of just sitting on our arses, I’m going to shoot someone just to liven things up.”

  Peter moved right up to the whiteboard and jabbed a finger against the latest question. “Why, why, why?”

  Laith reentered the room holding a steaming mug, thought about sitting, decided it was too risky a movement with the towel he was wearing, and withdrew a thin white tube from his waistline. He puffed on it, and the tube emitted a tiny bit of odorless smoke.

  Will frowned. “What on Earth is that?”

  Laith gestured toward Suzy. “We got a child on the way. I only found out yesterday. In here, I stick to electronic cigarettes.” As Adam joined him, Laith asked his colleague, “Lobby, or circuits of the exterior?”

  Adam said irritably, “You can do the lobby today. I don’t care how cold or wet it is outside. I need the exercise.”

  Laith shrugged. “Okay, I’ll bring a good book.”

  “Here.” Suzy tossed the CIA officer Will’s purchase. In a sarcastic tone, she said, “Find out if ‘having a life’ means trawling databases for some guy called Mikhail.”

  Laith seemed unfazed as he turned the book over. “Sure. Anything else?”

  “Yes. See if it says anything about why I’m so darn tired.” She shook her head and said to herself, “I hate this feeling. I’m not normally like this.”

  As Laith and Adam left to go to their respective rooms and make final preparations for their shift at the Grand Hyatt, Will called to them, “I’m coming with you. I need to speak to Roger and Mark.”

  “Fine.”

  “You’ll be the highlight of their night.”

  Will asked Suzy, “How long have you been up?”

  Peter answered on her behalf. “Since this time yesterday. You’re a tough girl, aren’t you, Suzy. And bloody stubborn.”

  Will said quietly, “We’re hitting a dead end on the name. Get some rest.”

  Suzy seemed unsure.

  “Please.”

  She sighed. “Just a few hours’ sleep, then I’ll do some more searching. There’re other leads to pursue, though I’m not hopeful.” She stood, arched her back while rubbing her tummy, and began walking toward the bedrooms.

  Will looked at the whiteboard. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Suzy, what parameters are you using for the search?”

  She stopped midway across the room. “Approximate age, obvious intelligence activities that we know about and reference someone called Mikhail, diplomatic listings of Mikhails who’ve been in posts that are known SVR covers, and I’ve managed to get some-not nearly enough, mind you-of the flight rosters of carriers that entered Germany during the forty-eight hours after the Gdansk operation. I’ve checked the handful of Mikhails that we know entered German airspace during that time. All are wrong.”

  Will remained motionless. Speaking quietly, he said, “I want you to narrow it down much more than that. When you wake up, you need to focus solely on our databases, and within that focus only on our Russian double agent files. In particular, I want you to see if a Mikhail crops up in any cases during the last five years where one of our agents has been compromised and captured or killed by the Russians.”

  Suzy grinned, turned, and started to walk back to the table. “Now you got me all revved up. Sleep can wait.”

  “No it can’t, Suzy!” Will faced her and said in a more sympathetic tone, “This is so vital that the agent files can wait a few hours until my best analyst is fully reenergized.”

  Suzy looked unsure, then beamed. “You shouldn’t be trying to charm a pregnant, married woman, Mr. Cochrane.”

  Will laughed softly. “Off to bed with you. Both of you.” He frowned. “Boy or girl?”

  “Too early to tell.”

  “Have you thought of names?”

  “Not yet.” Suzy paused, then smiled. “If it’s a boy, I could call him Mikhail. Seems it’s a good choice.”

  After she left the room, Peter moved close to him and asked quietly, “Why the double agent files?”

  Will pointed at the whiteboard. “Let’s assume that the SVR officer did give Alina the name ‘Mikhail’ for a specific reason. Perhaps there’s a connection between the two Russians. Alina doesn’t know what that connection is, but that doesn’t matter.”

  Peter seemed to be following Will’s train of thought. “Because Mikhail suspects she’s in contact with Yevtushenko and will pass him the name?”

 
Will nodded.

  “Doesn’t get us anywhere nearer to understanding what the connection is, though.”

  Will considered this. “Yevtushenko’s a conduit to, as you call him, Number 1.”

  William.

  “SVR officer gives Alina the name ‘Mikhail’; Alina passes the name to her lover; and lover boy passes it to Number 1. Exactly as the SVR officer hoped.”

  Peter frowned. “A message?”

  “It could be.”

  “But the connection. .?”

  “What if there is no connection beyond the fact that while Mikhail may not be known to Yevtushenko, the defector will certainly know of him.”

  “Mikhail’s the big SVR officer’s real name?”

  “It’s conjecture at present. But Suzy can help on that.”

  “But why would he want Yevtushenko to have his real name?”

  “To unsettle him.” He walked up to the board, and grabbed a marker pen. “Here’s a thought: the crown jewel is stolen, Russians are going to do everything they can to get it back, so they send the one man who can achieve that objective.” He momentarily glanced back at Peter. “A man who has identified and grabbed Russian double agents in the past.” He looked at the board. “I think Mikhail knows who Number 1 is and needs Number 1 to understand who he’s dealing with.”

  Peter stood next to him, his eyes also staring at the board. “Could be a pincer movement.”

  “Mikhail on the one side, his four-man team on the other?”

  “It would explain why the team’s remained static. Mikhail wants Number 1 to know that if keeps hold of the crown jewel, he’ll hunt him down and put a bullet in his head.”

  Will considered this. “You’re thinking that he’s trying to force a sale? And the team is there to pay and take delivery?”

  “Yes. Aggressive leverage. The team isn’t a benign bunch of business-cover spooks.” Peter folded his arms. “They’re hard bastards, men who are waiting for Mikhail to drive Number 1 toward them so they can confront him with a bag of cash to buy back the paper, or failing that put a shitload of bullets into Number 1’s body.”

  Will nodded. “It’s a good theory, but wrong.”

  Peter frowned. “You’re sure?”

  Will said, “I think the team are shooters, but there’s no pincer movement to be had.”

  “Look, we are conjecturing, but this has to make sense because. .”

  “No!” Will put a finger against one of Peter’s questions.

  Why can’t it be copied and its value therefore diluted?

  “Damn.”

  “Yes, damn.” Will removed his finger. “There can’t be a sale.”

  “Because a buyer would need to know that he or she’s in possession of something unique.”

  “And anything on a piece of paper can be copied.”

  “None of this makes sense.” Peter sounded exasperated. “How can this paper retain any value?”

  “Its value is to the man who orchestrated its theft. He’s not looking to sell it, and the Russians have no intention of trying to buy it back.” He repeated, “There’s no pincer movement.”

  “Then what?”

  Will said quietly, “What if the Russians have sent a spycatcher? Their best. Mikhail is warning Number 1 that Mikhail’s that man. And the team is there to support him while he does what he excels in.”

  “But if that’s the case, why’s the team still holed up in the hotel?”

  “Perhaps because Number 1’s hiding in a location that’s known to Mikhail. No doubt it’s an armed camp, too heavily defended for Mikhail and his men to go in there, but the moment Number 1 steps out then Mikhail will activate his team and go for him.”

  “A standoff?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “It would also suggest that Mikhail’s got other assets in situ who are helping him watch Number 1’s place.”

  Will agreed. Recalling what the injured Polish AW operative had said to him in Gdansk, he frowned. “Mikhail actively encouraged the Poles to stop Number 1’s men leaving Poland, and by implication he wasn’t concerned if the Poles took possession of the paper. Now we have a standoff between Number 1 and Mikhail, and that would suggest that the paper and Number 1 himself are no threat while they’re locked down in their current location.” He rubbed his face. “I suspect the Russians know that the paper’s useless to anyone except Number 1; and that it’s useless to Number 1 unless he has freedom of movement.”

  “But how does Mikhail know the location of Number 1?”

  Will shrugged. “Someone close to Number 1 tipped him off, or maybe he’s had him under observation for several weeks.”

  “Neither makes sense. An insider would have also tipped him off that the paper was about to be stolen. The Russians would have shot Yevtushenko the moment he tried to get near it.”

  “Maybe the insider wasn’t privy to that information.” Will shook his head. “No, you’re right. An insider would have tipped off Mikhail about Number 1’s location because that location had a precise value to the SVR. The value being that a highly valuable SVR paper was about to transit from Moscow to the location.”

  Peter nodded. “The same logic would apply to the need to have Number 1 under SVR observation prior to the theft.”

  “I agree.” Will was deep in thought. Speaking to himself, he muttered, “Come on. Think, think.”

  Peter was silent.

  Will frowned. Speaking slowly and deliberately, he said, “I think Mikhail already knew the location of Number 1, maybe had known for years, but had no specific concerns about him. But when the paper was stolen, Mikhail knew the only place it was headed was Number 1’s hands. The Russian tried to stop that happening in Gdansk, but failed. So he then raced to Number 1’s location and has been close to the place ever since.”

  “He should have the shooters with him.”

  “Yes, he should. Unless. .” His voice trailed as new thoughts entered his mind. “Unless. .” One thought stuck. “Movement remains the key. Suppose Mikhail knows that Number 1 has to take the paper to a place that crosses the path of the SVR team.”

  “Gives the Berlin boys a head start?”

  “Yes, though before you ask, I haven’t got a clue as to where that location is or why the paper needs to be moved.”

  “But you do have an idea as to what message Mikhail was relaying to Number 1.”

  Will moved right up to the board and drew a line between the last two questions:

  Why did he tell Alina that his name was Mikhail?

  Who is Number 1?

  Will looked at Peter, then wrote three sentences alongside the line connecting these two questions:

  My name is Mikhail. Your new Russian friend will tell you what I’m capable of. If you do anything with the paper, I’ll kill you.

  Fourteen

  Will waited in a side alley close to the Grand Hyatt. He wondered how Adam was faring doing his circuits of the hotel, as it was cold and wet and still very dark.

  Roger and Mark walked quickly toward him; Roger was dressed in an expensive suit and overcoat, meaning he’d done the lobby shift; Mark was wearing clothes that were designed to keep him dry and warm, and allow him to move quickly if need be.

  They stopped, their faces barely visible in the poor light, and formed a circle with Will.

  Will asked, “Is there any pattern to the team’s activities in the hotel?”

  Mark shook his head. “None, beyond that the team rarely shows itself.”

  “What’s its setup?”

  Roger answered, “The men have got four adjacent rooms on the fifth floor.”

  “Are the rooms cleaned daily?”

  “Yeah, but the men stay in their rooms when that happens.”

  “Can we get a universal swipe key off one of the maids or another member of staff?”

  “Should be easy, but it ain’t going to be any use while the rooms are always occupied.”

  “Not always occupied.”

  “Tr
ue, but the men have appeared in the lobby on their own for no more than sixty seconds before they’ve disappeared back to the elevator.”

  “Shit!”

  “What would you hope to find in their rooms?”

  “Anything that might tell us the whereabouts of their leader.”

  Roger shook his head. “We have to assume they’re a professional unit. There just might be something on one of their cell phones, but I doubt it, and I doubt they’ll have anything compromising in their rooms. Plus, when they leave their rooms, they’ll have their cells with them.”

  Mark suggested, “We could grab one of the men. Try to make him talk.”

  Will looked in the direction of the hotel. “We can’t afford to show our hand. Not yet. Plus, we might actually need the Russian team.” He told them about Mikhail and the possibilities of what was happening.

  Roger said, “If true, that means there’s a lot riding on this Mikhail guy. It’s all fine if he alerts his team that Number 1’s on the move. Then we tool up and follow the team. But what happens if Number 1 slips the net before either team gets to him?”

  “I think Mikhail knows exactly what he’s doing.” Will looked at both operatives. “If the Russians move at short notice, can you guarantee you can get everyone on them?”

  “Without a doubt. Whichever of us is back at Auguststrasse can be with us in ten minutes max with all our kit. We’ve timed it during peak and off-peak hours. And we can do rolling pickups, on foot or public transport surveillance, plus if the Russian team’s heading to the airport, we reckon we can get there twenty minutes quicker than a taxi driver.”

  “Good.”

  Mark said, “It’ll all be fine, but we’ve got a lot of eggs in one basket. Mikhail may know what he’s doing, but we’re depending on his not being distracted or overstretched.”

  “He won’t be. .” Will’s stomach suddenly knotted as a realization struck him. “Oh. Fuck!”

  “Will?”

  Will ignored his colleagues. His mind was racing and panicking. He cursed his stupidity.

  If Will’s theory was correct-that Mikhail had given his name to Alina in order to send a message to William and produce a standoff-William would do everything in his power to destabilize Mikhail.