The Genesis Conspiracy

by Richard Hatcher

  “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “One more thing,” Jake quickly added.

  “Shoot,” Wade answered.

  “Starting with two days ago, prove that I was anywhere else but here and that my ATM card was reported stolen.”

  Katie and her grandmother were both asleep before they reached Nevsky Prospect, the main thoroughfare through the city.

  “Where do you wish to go?” Baris asked.

  “The U.S. Embassy.”

  “Do you mean the U.S. Consulate here in St. Petersburg?”

  “No,” Jake shook his head. “The consulate has no after hour’s personnel who can let us in. Our best option is the embassy in Moscow.”

  “You know that is about four hours from here? It is mostly a two lane road until you get to the outskirts of the city.”

  “Do you mind?” Jake pleaded. “We’ll certainly pay you for it.”

  “A friend of Stefan’s is a friend of mine,” the driver said cheerfully.

  “How do you know Stefan?”

  “We go back many years. He calls from time to time when he needs my help. After you and he talked the other day, he wanted me to keep an eye out for you and your friends back there. I know everything that goes on in this city.”

  “So you’ve been in St. Petersburg a long time?”

  Baris laughed. “Sometimes it seems like an eternity.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jake said smiling. “These past few days have seemed more like years. I’m just glad to be leaving this city in one piece.”

  32

  “Where is my film?” The sound of Engel slamming his fist against the table came across Rune’s cell phone with complete clarity. Although Rune had no idea where it was, he knew it would be unwise to admit it. Engel was famous for his tirades. At times, Rune had even found his boss’s anger amusing when it was directed at someone else.

  “The Americans are up to something,” the old man continued without giving his chief of operations a chance to answer. “I am beginning to suspect that this TERA is not an independent, non-profit research agency. I smell the CIA in this.”

  “CIA?” Rune was clearly taken aback by the suggestion.

  “Our friend Mr. Evers had his wallet stolen. His credit cards have been used without his knowledge, an apparent victim of identity theft. Don’t you find that interesting?”

  “How can this be? We know he used a debit card early this morning.”

  “Do we?” Engel asked derisively. “According to a call I just got from the deputy chief of police in St. Petersburg, his credit card company contends that the card was reported missing. They were in the process of putting a stop on the card when they noted its use at the ATM inside the brothel.”

  “This still doesn’t affect the murder investigation,” Rune said optimistically. “There’s still a dead cop and an eyewitness who will identify Evers at the scene.”

  There was a discomforting pause on the opposite end. “Passport control processed his paperwork yesterday morning. According to their records, which were confirmed by the American Embassy, Jake Evers flew out of Moscow at noon yesterday via a TERA chartered flight bound for Paris.”

  “There is still Sergei Baranov.” Rune was beginning to sound desperate. “I saw a crowd of news reporters standing outside the museum this morning. When I stopped to inquire, they said that a curator had been murdered. Evers was in that museum which was only accessible via swipe card. He had to have gotten in that way. There should be a record. I will check on that next.”

  “There’s no need,” his employer said flatly. “The police deputy told me this morning that they had already searched the records. The last person to either enter or exit that museum was an old biology professor who has already been released from questioning. He’s not a suspect. Whoever we are dealing with is very thorough.”

  Rune had no idea what to do or say next. Fortunately, he didn’t have to.

  “I’ve arranged for a…let’s call it an emergency relief flight to get you to the Himalayas,” Engel said. “You will have to make commercial connections to the city of Kant in Kazakhstan. When you arrive, you will travel to the Russian air base outside the city and catch a helicopter that will take you to a second Russian military base in Tajikistan. Stay there and await my instructions.”

  Rune thought through possible reasons for the assignment. “What engagement should I prepare for?”

  There was a momentary pause. “Let’s just say targets of opportunity. Your failure to obtain the film may lead to an unfortunate discovery by the ones who have it. That is something which cannot happen. Are we clear on this?”

  “Yes sir,” Rune snapped mechanically. “I’ll prepare for a hunting party.”

  33

  “Good morning sleepyhead,” Jake greeted as he noticed Katie stirring in the backseat. Her grandmother was still asleep.

  “I see we made it to Moscow,” she said, observing the brightly colored domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the most recognized landmark of the city.

  “We’re almost there,” Baris offered in his thick Turkish accent. “Not two miles from here. Very close.”

  “You look awful, Jake,” she said as she observed the bloody split in his eyebrow and bruised cheek. There were also dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

  “It’s just a phase I’m going through.” He smirked.

  As she glanced over at her grandmother, a look of concern came across her face. “What if we can’t get out of Russia?” she asked. “You’re an American citizen. Your government will help you. Baba and I could be trapped here.”

  “Then the three of us will become peasant farmers in Southern Siberia. I wasn’t lying when I said I wouldn’t leave this country without you, OK?”

  Katie scooted forward in the seat and wrapped her arm around his neck. “OK.”

  When they reached the embassy compound, Baris pulled up to the curb to let them out. “It has been a pleasure serving you,” he said and then offered in an exaggerated professional voice. “You are welcome with the Baris Taxi Service anytime.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Jake replied. “If you will wait here for a couple of minutes, I’ll run inside and get your payment. I’m completely out of cash.”

  “I will drive around the back of the building and get out of this heavy traffic. Moscow police are not understanding of taxi drivers.”

  “Thank you,” Katie added as she stirred her grandmother.

  “Take care,” Baris spoke sincerely. A serious expression suddenly came across his face. “You are dealing with the enemy of God. Never underestimate him. Just know that our Father is always with you.”

  The statement caught Jake off guard.

  “I’ll…keep that in mind,” Jake stammered, “and I’ll meet you around back in a little while. You look really tired. Maybe this won’t take long.”

  “OK. See you next time.”

  As they exchanged a final smile and turned to go inside, the driver pulled out into the traffic and was gone from view.

  “He seems very nice,” Katie’s grandmother commented as they walked toward the building.

  “Yeah,” Jake shrugged. “A really interesting guy.”

  Jake showed identification at the guard’s desk and said that he would be escorting Katie and her grandmother. Thankfully, both of them had brought some identification.

  “Do you know if Bill Hendricks has checked in this morning?” Jake asked the Marine guard.

  The young man not more than twenty looked down at his computer screen. “Five minutes ago sir. Second floor, Room 226. You cannot escort these foreign national visitors beyond the first and second floors. All other areas are restricted.”

  “Understood,” Jake replied. “Thanks.”

  Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Jake heard Bill’s voice booming over the cubicles. “I don’t care if you have checked every hotel in Russia, check it again. Locate them.”

  When the three stepped out
of the stairwell, they found Bill standing over two young employees. A tall, athletic man in his early sixties, Bill’s appearance was often compared to Louis Gossett Jr.

  “Hey, Bill. You OK?” Jake asked.

  As his boss turned, a look of relief came across his face. “How did you get here?” he asked excitedly as he hurried toward them.

  “We had to get out of there quicker than we thought,” Jake replied. “The police showed up only seconds after we left. We were being set up.”

  “I spoke with Wade this morning,” Bill said. “He told me you had called him with an unusual request.”

  “I didn’t know what else to do. I tried to call you again but couldn’t reach you.”

  “We need to talk,” his boss pulled him aside and spoke quietly. “Why don’t you take these ladies downstairs and get them some breakfast. Then meet me in the conference room pronto, if not sooner.”

  “Yes sir. It will be a few minutes. I first need to pay my cab fare.”

  After introducing Katie and her grandmother to Bill, Jake walked them down to the cafeteria and then returned quickly upstairs. He stopped by a currency exchange desk on the first floor and withdrew the necessary cash from a consulate bank teller to pay Baris. Back outside, he walked around the building but had no success finding him. He waited for several minutes and circled the building once more. His taxi driver was nowhere to be found.

  “I guess if he wants his money, he’ll have to check in with the guards.”

  With the number of questioning looks from embassy employees he passed along the way, Jake began to suspect that his appearance was worse than he’d imagined. Although he needed a shower and change of clothes, he knew it would have to wait. He wasn’t looking forward to the interrogation from his boss.

  When he returned to the conference room, he walked in quietly and took a seat. It was clear that the room had become Bill’s temporary office, which was not surprising. His boss had shared numerous stories with him about his former career with the U.S. Government which included many years in the former Soviet Union. The embassy in Moscow had been his headquarters for most of that time.

  “I hope Wade was able to pull the right knobs to get me off the scope,” Jake spoke.

  “You know Wade,” Bill said, raising his eyebrows. “What he lacks in style points, he makes up for in brains. He assured me that no one would be able to connect you to last night’s events.”

  “What about Katie?”

  “He cleared her name from the access log just in time. A few minutes later, someone else was tapping into the record.”

  “Someone else?” Jake looked puzzled. “You mean the police?”

  Bill motioned toward the door behind him. “Close it.”

  Jake followed his instructions.

  “You have gotten yourself into a mess, boy,” Bill said pointedly.

  “I know.”

  “Someone wants you and this girlfriend of yours out of the way and preferably dead. Why don’t you have a seat and tell me the story.”

  Jake pulled a chair close to Bill’s. “You know about Mongolia?”

  “Murray gave me the rundown a couple of days ago. You know I would never have approved of your going to Russia if I had known about this in advance.”

  “I know, Bill. But as you can see, desperate times call for desperate measures. I have no doubt that those two ladies would be dead now if I hadn’t gone.”

  Bill looked down at the nylon bag beside Jake’s chair. “What’s that?”

  “I’m assuming a roll of film.”

  “From the capsule?”

  Jake nodded.

  “You know I worked here,” Bill asked semi-rhetorically, “back when the Soviet Union was the biggest threat to our nation and the rest of world? We protected secrets that have long since become public knowledge. Many of them are now even taught in grammar school classrooms. In the day, we thought such things were worth giving our lives for and now, nobody really cares who had this or that weapon, or even this or that ideology. Times change,” he shrugged. “Two things, however, have always remained the same. Money talks and men in power usually get what they want.”

  Jake nodded without commenting.

  “After I talked with Wade this morning and found out that someone else was prying into the museum’s security system at the same time, I had an old buddy of mine here trace the phone number. You’d expect since it was a murder that the number would be the local police.” Bill shook his head. “Nope, a privately owned company here in Moscow with direct ties to the SVR.”

  “SVR?” Jake asked.

  “Russian intelligence, formerly the KGB. He also gave me a name, the company’s owner, Adelbrecht Engel. Ever heard of him?”

  Jake shook his head.

  “The Eastern Czar as he’s known in some circles. Fortune 500. He’s one of the wealthiest men in the world and one of several high ranking communist party leaders who made their fortune after the collapse of the East German government. As the most prolific crime boss in the eastern mafia, he controlled most of Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. When he came under investigation by the European Union and Interpol, he changed his colors and has become of all things, a civic minded philanthropist. You know the 2014 Winter Olympics are going to be in Russia?”

  Jake nodded.

  “Guess who’s on the committee? No one will touch the guy as long as he stays in Russia, which means only one thing.”

  “He has support from above,” Jake responded.

  “Exactly,” Bill stated. “Do you want to hear the interesting part?”

  Jake raised his eyebrows.

  “There are rumors that he is the son of a Nazi. A number of them escaped to South America after the war and integrated into the already established German communities in Chile and Argentina. Engel grew up in Chile before moving to East Berlin. There he was recruited by the Stasi, the East German secret police. Through his connections, he became a major player in the underground economy of communist Europe. Shooting his way to the top you might say. After the reunification of Germany, he took up residence here for his own protection.”

  “Adelbrecht Engel,” Jake repeated the name. The words sounded familiar to him.

  “It’s not his real name, by the way. If it rings a bell, it’s probably from your Russian vocabulary. Adelbrecht Engel is the German translation of his Russian code name. It means Bright Angel, or more specifically, Bright Arch Angel, a carryover from his days with the Stasi and the KGB. He’s clearly a man with a colorful past who has much to hide.”

  “So what’s he after now? Why is this film so important to him?”

  “I have no idea,” Bill shrugged. “But I can tell you what he was doing in April of 1964 when those photos were taken.”

  Jake wrinkled his brow.

  “I called a retired friend of mine who worked at the National Reconnaissance Office through most of his career. If there were cameras flying in space, they were likely involved. He was at NRO during your Gemini mission. Although he knew nothing about the program, he told me about a security leak that occurred during the same time period. They had a Soviet mole deeply embedded in the organization. It took them years to figure out who it was. By then, it was too late. The guy escaped back to communist Europe. East Germany to be exact.”

  “Adelbrecht Engel,” Jake mumbled.

  “He’s a dangerous man and one who apparently gets his way, especially in this country. He even has ties to the Prime Minister. They belong to same exclusive club and golf together on most holidays. Engel is a major source of the PM’s campaign funding.”

  Jake sat back in his seat. “Katie told me a similar story about the security leak involving the Gemini mission, but it wasn’t NRO. It was the CIA.” Jake recounted the story of Katie’s visitor, Oleg Volkov, and how he had paid for her to go to Mongolia.

  “She’s lucky to be alive,” Bill replied.

  “You can’t blame her for trying to come up with some answers. Her grandfather was proba
bly killed because of it. He may also have been directly involved with the surveillance program. Based on a telegram that Katie found from Dmitri to his wife, it sounds like he at least knew about the flyover.”

  “Oleg Volkov must have ties to Engel. There’s no shortage of lackeys when it comes to organized crime.”

  “Would you check him out with your former co-workers?” Jake suggested.

  “Sure,” Bill assured him.

  “There’s another name, Walter Holtz. One of the American guys I ran into at the museum said that name. I suspect he’s their boss.”

  “What about your two lady friends?” Bill asked. “It doesn’t sound like it’s safe for them to stay here any longer.”

  “Are there any diplomatic strings you can pull, like covert transportation out of the country? I’m sure the SVR would have no problem stopping a couple of innocent women at passport control. And knowing Wade, I’m pretty sure my passport records show that I’m some place fairly unique today, Timbuktu or Addis Ababa.”

  “Paris actually.”

  “Then Wade’s getting soft in his old age,” Jake smiled.

  “I’ll call the ambassador’s office,” Bill replied. “I’ll see what can be arranged to get the three of you out of the country. Have any preferences?”

  “Sweet home Alabama comes to mind,” Jake said. “Oh, and if it’s still salvageable, I’d like to get this film developed before I leave town. It’s been out there so long, I doubt it’s still good, but I would really like to know what’s on it.”

  Bill thought for a moment. “There’s an old photo lab in the basement. If it’s like the rest of the clutter around this place, there are probably still chemicals down there for developing film. I can check on it for you. There used to be some really good film guys around before the digital age. Some of them may still be working.”

  “Thanks, Bill,” Jake said sincerely. “Must have been fun working here back in the day.”