Foreign Agent

CHAPTER 32

There were two parts of Harvath’s plan that he regretted. If he had been able to find a better way, he would have taken it. But time was against him.

Alexandra’s texts had been sporadic. Everyone at the estate appeared to believe her story. Kumarin had been drinking and had tried to rape her. They had found his body outside, at the bottom of the stone steps.

Whether he had hit his head or had broken his neck, it didn’t matter. He was dead. They had decided not to call the police, and had gotten rid of the body themselves. Malevsky’s bosses had called him back to Russia for a full accounting of what had happened.

There was concern over an internecine conflict in the organization. Malevsky was not well liked. Kumarin’s people were likely going to want revenge. The crime family was trying to stop things before they could get started.

Had it been anyone other than Alexandra on the inside, Harvath wouldn’t be getting this kind of intel. Even though her assignment was potentially in turmoil, she kept gathering information and feeding it out to him.

What he had told her about Malevsky, the GRU, and the operative named Sacha Baseyev was very serious. Too often, Russia’s military ambitions extended far beyond what was best for the rest of the country.

Alexandra was willing to help Harvath, but only to a point. It needed to be a two-way street. As long as he continued to cooperate, so would she.

With Alexandra having committed to the story of Kumarin attacking her, Harvath couldn’t return to the estate and snatch Malevsky. They would immediately suspect she had played a hand in both situations. It was too dangerous.

Herman hadn’t seen another option. Harvath, though, had.

He didn’t have a problem with lightning hitting the same bad guy twice, just not in the same place. They would have to get to Malevsky outside his estate.

Alexandra had confirmed that Malevsky’s security detail were former Russian Special Forces. Harvath had been right not to underestimate them. These were not guys he wanted to go head-to-head with unless he absolutely had to. It would be better to outmaneuver than to outgun them. Which brought Harvath to the two most regrettable parts of his plan.

The first involved Anna Strobl. If she had said no, he would have understood. He knew, though, that there was a part of her that wanted to right the wrongs her husband had committed — even if that meant putting herself in further jeopardy. Within twenty minutes of receiving Harvath’s call, she was on the road.

The next element was the wild card. It was the riskiest step in his plan and the one he disliked most. Unlike Anna, the participants in this phase weren’t being given a choice.

They found a Bavarian State Police vehicle twenty minutes outside Berchtesgaden. Two young officers were clearing a dead deer from the road.

Harvath took their duty belts and radios at gunpoint. Then he marched them into the forest and had them handcuff themselves around a large tree.

He left them with a couple bottles of water and returned to the road. Herman had already departed with their vehicle.

Removing his balaclava, Harvath hopped in his car, dropped a pin in the GPS app on his phone, and followed. He wanted to make sure they sent the authorities to the right location.

Back at the barn, Anna inspected the vehicle. “I probably shouldn’t ask where this came from.”

“Probably a good idea,” Harvath replied.

“I’d also keep your gloves on,” said Herman.

“You’re aware that the Landespolizei use a tracking system for all of their patrol cars, correct?”

Harvath held up a pair of wire cutters. “Not this patrol car.”

“Where’s Eichel?”

“In my trunk,” Herman replied. “We don’t go anywhere without him.”

“Is he still alive?” Anna said. “Or is that also something I shouldn’t ask?”

“He’s still alive,” Harvath stated.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“That depends on what happens with Malevsky.”

“So, in other words, you don’t have a plan at this point.”

Harvath smiled, then nodded at Anna and Herman. “Everything is going to depend on you two.”

Taking over, Herman led them through the next steps.

Harvath felt his phone vibrate and removed it from his pocket. It was a text from Alexandra.

He read it and then said, “Malevsky is getting ready to move. Let’s get going.”

Anna got behind the wheel of the State Police car. She was wearing her Bundespolizei uniform, but the name tape had been removed. Herman climbed into the passenger seat next to her. Harvath exited the barn and slid inside Herman’s BMW.

There was really only one route to the Salzburg airport. And while Malevsky’s team might conduct a surveillance detection route to make sure they weren’t being followed, Harvath wasn’t afraid of losing them. He was more concerned with where they were going to spring their trap.

They had to do it before the border with Austria, and Harvath wanted it in an area with no witnesses. And on top of those two parameters, the State Police would soon be out looking for their two missing officers and their patrol vehicle. The sooner they could get this over with, the better.

They picked up Malevsky’s Rolls-Royce halfway through Berchtesgaden and followed it out of the village. There was a stretch of farmland that the road passed through before it came to the next village. That was where they were going to take them.

Harvath had hung back so as not to arouse suspicion. He was also acting as a screen, blocking any potential view of the police vehicle.

A few kilometers out from the takedown location, Harvath slowed and Anna passed him. She was now in the lead.

She trailed the Rolls-Royce for a bit before beginning to close the distance. Then, once she was ready, she activated the light bar on the roof of her vehicle and pulled them over.

Harvath had hung way back and now pulled over to the side of the road as well. He could see the flashing lights ahead, but that was it.

They had decided that it wasn’t worth running the risk that one of the men with Malevsky might have been on duty when Harvath toured the estate. If he was recognized, that would ruin everything. They wanted this to go as smoothly as possible.

Herman had promised to keep his microphone open. Harvath would have to be content to listen in as everything went down.

Harvath knew enough cops to know that in police work, there was never such a thing as a “routine” traffic stop. And what they were doing right now was highly dangerous.

The unknown was whether or not Malevsky’s men were armed. His diplomatic passport all but guaranteed that the transition across the border would be a non-event.

They had to assume there were guns in the car. Not only that, they had to assume the guns would be close at hand and Malevsky’s men would be ready to use them if they had to.

But Malevsky’s men were professionals. They were smart enough to know that the officer would call in their license plate before getting out of the patrol vehicle. They were also headed toward Salzburg and the border. If they got in a shootout and killed a police officer, they were going to have a hell of a time getting across.

They would play it cool — at least, until it was time not to play it cool. Harvath was sure about that. They would figure out why the cop had pulled them over and then make their decision on what to do.

“We’re making our approach,” said Herman over the radio.

The plan was for Anna to move up along the driver’s side and for Herman to move up on the passenger’s side.

Harvath could hear wind and the rustling of clothing over his earpiece as Herman moved forward. Moments later, Anna identified herself as Bundespolizei. Herman, who was in plainclothes was identified as a member of “Kripo,” short for Kriminalpolizei, the detective branch of the Landespolizei.

There were plenty of joint task force operations in Germany. It would also explain, if necessary, why a uniformed federal police officer was in a State Police vehicle.

The Rolls-Royce’s driver asked why they had been pulled over. Anna replied by requesting everyone’s documents. Malevsky immediately produced his diplomatic passport and started trying to take control of the situation.

There was something else Harvath knew from having friends who were cops. The first test in any encounter with law enforcement was the attitude test. If you failed that test, things only got worse for you.

As Anna collected their documents, she continued to question the driver. Where were they coming from? Where were they going? How long had they been in Germany? What was their business? Who owned the vehicle? What were they transporting?

Malevsky grew impatient and began to tell Anna off. She was solid as a rock, though. With her game face on, she locked eyes with him and told him to get out of the car.

When he refused to, she pulled open his door, put her right hand on her pistol, and asked him again.

One of Malevsky’s men made a move Herman didn’t like. Sweeping his coat back, he drew his own weapon halfway out of its holster. “Everyone,” he said, “get your hands where I can see them. Do it now.”

“Out of the car,” Anna repeated to Malevsky.

“Do you know who I am?” he demanded. “Who my family is?”

Anna drew her weapon. “Now,” she commanded. Her authoritative tone left no doubt as to who was in charge.

“I will own you after this. Do you understand me, girl?” he said as he complied and exited the vehicle.

“Place your hands on the rear of the vehicle and spread your legs.”

“This is an outrage. I am a diplomat. You have no right to do this.”

“According to the laws of Germany, I have every right to do this. Now place your hands on the rear of the vehicle and spread your legs.”

Malevsky began speaking rapid-fire Russian into the car. One of the men inside lowered his hands.

Herman pulled his weapon fully from the holster and pointed it into the Rolls-Royce. “I shoot the next person who moves. Are we clear?”

Everyone in the vehicle froze.

Harvath’s voice crackled over Herman’s earpiece. “There’s a car coming. You need to wrap this up.”

Herman looked at Anna and said, “I think we should continue this discussion at headquarters.”

“Headquarters?” Malevsky protested. “I have a flight to catch.”

“You can catch the next one,” Anna replied as she snapped a set of handcuffs on him. “Your men are free to follow us in their vehicle. We’ll settle all of this there.”

Malevsky was pissed off, yelling to his men in Russian as Anna led him back to the police car.

Herman waited until she had gotten him in the backseat, then he backed toward her, his eyes glued on the men inside the Rolls.

Getting into the seat next to her, he shut his door and looked behind them. Harvath was already gone. “Make a U-turn and start heading back.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Herman nodded. “They’ll never make it.”