Divide and Conquer

FIFTY-EIGHT

In most intelligence agencies it’s often difficult to tell night from day. That’s because conspiracy and espionage never rest, so the counterterrorists and spybusters also work around the clock. Most are usually fully staffed. The distinction is even less noticeable in the Russian Op-Center because the facility is below ground. There are no windows anywhere.

But General Orlov always knew when it was afternoon. He knew because that was when his devoted wife called. She always rang shortly after lunchtime to see how her Sergei’s sandwich was. She phoned even today, when she had not had time to prepare a bag lunch before he left.

Unfortunately, the call was brief. It often was. They usually had longer conversations when he was in space than they did at the Op-Center. Two minutes after Masha called, Orlov received a call from Odette. He told Masha he would have to call her back. She understood. Masha always understood.

Orlov switched lines. “Odette, how are you?” the general asked eagerly.

“I’m very well,” the woman replied. “We accomplished our mission.”

Orlov was unable to speak for a moment. He had been worried about Odette and concerned about the mission. The fact that she was safe and triumphant left him choked with pride.

“We terminated with complications,” Odette went on, “but we got away. There were no other injuries.”

“Where are you now?” Orlov asked.

“At the U.S. embassy,” she said. “Mr. Battat is getting medical care. Then I’ll be going to the police station. I had to show my badge to a hotel worker, but I think I’ll be able to work it out with my superior. The Harpooner set a fire. I can tell the captain that I went there to see if I could help.”

“So you don’t want to leave, then?” Orlov asked.

“I think there will be some interesting problems because of all this,” she said. “I’d like to stay for a while.”

“We’ll talk about it,” Orlov said. “I’m proud of you, Odette. And I know someone else would be, too.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I think Viktor was looking out for me today. So was David Battat. I’m glad you asked him to come along.”

Odette gave Orlov additional information about what had happened. They arranged to talk again in six hours. If it became necessary for Odette to leave Baku, there was an Aeroflot flight she could catch at eight P.M.

Orlov took a moment to savor the victory’s many rewards. First, having won the battle against a tenacious enemy. Second, having made the right decision to send Odette and Battat into the field together. And finally, having been able to help Paul Hood. Not only did it repay an old debt, but it hopefully opened the door to future close collaborations.

Odette said that Battat had spoken with Paul Hood. There was nothing Orlov could add to that. Orlov would call him in a few minutes. First, however, he wanted to brief the staff members who had been involved in the hunt.

He was about to send for Grosky and Kosov when the men came to his office door. Kosov was carrying a rolled-up blueprint.

“General,” said the outgoing Kosov, “we have some news.”

“Good news?” Orlov asked.

“Yes, sir,” Kosov said. “That information the Americans gave us about the Harpooner’s Russian identity has proved very useful.”

“In what way?” Orlov asked.

“It suggested to us how he has been able to come to Moscow and disappear without ever being seen,” Kosov said. He stepped forward and unrolled the blueprint on Orlov’s desk. “This is a map of the old Soviet army railroad routes,” he said. “As you know, they go underground well outside of Moscow and stop at various points beneath the city.”

“It was designed that way so troops could be moved into place clandestinely, to put down riots or even foreign attacks,” Grosky added.

“I know about these,” Orlov said. “I’ve traveled in them.”

“But what you may not know about is this one,” Kosov said.

The intelligence analyst used a pen to point to a faint red line. It led from Kievskaya metro stop to several other stations around the city. Kosov was right. Orlov did not know what it was.

“This is unmarked, as you can see, even though it links up to the main trunk,” Kosov continued. “We thought it might be a service tunnel of some kind, but we looked at an older map from the GRU files just to make certain. It was the old Stalin tunnel. If the German army had ever reached Moscow during World War II, Stalin would have been evacuated through this system. Only his closest military advisers know that it existed.” Kosov stepped back and folded his arms. “We believe, sir, that all we need to do to catch our rat is to put video cameras at the entrance and exit. Sooner or later, the Harpooner is certain to show up there.”

Orlov looked at the map for a moment, then sat back. “You may have solved a very perplexing riddle,” he said. “Excellent work.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kosov beamed.

“Fortunately,” Orlov went on, “the Harpooner was killed earlier today. The only rats that will be using the tunnel are the four-legged kind.”

Grosky’s mouth twisted slightly at one end. Kosov’s expression seemed to fall entirely.

“But we could not have taken him without you, and I will say so in my report to the president’s director of intelligence review,” Orlov promised. He rose and extended his hand to each man in turn. “I am proud of you both and deeply grateful.”

Kosov’s disappointment evaporated quickly. Grosky’s mouth remained bent. But even Grosky’s perpetual sourness couldn’t spoil the moment. An inexperienced woman, a sick man, and two former enemies had joined forces to win a big one.

It was an extraordinary feeling.