| UC Donovan - The Hunt By LMVT |
| Part 2 Moscow, Russia Sheremetyevo II International Airport was on the northeast side of Moscow and the main trafficker of flights from the Unites States and other countries. Frank, Jake, Alex, Monica and Cody arrived late Tuesday night. It had only been since the Saturday after Thanksgiving when Donovan got word of Marisca’s disappearance and now the leader and his team had traveled beyond their jurisdiction on what was probably a wild goose chase. It was a chase none-the-less and one against time to find the woman all of them hated except for Frank Donovan. He had Monica get falsified passports and visas for his group because of their jobs with the Justice Department and the highly sensitive nature of their mission so they would now be undercover. “You’ve obviously been here before”, stated Cody in his usual dry manner to Frank. Frank did not reply as he led the group to the luggage area. He had said little during the trip, as he was not one for small talk like the others. Nor was it safe to discuss in public their plans when they did arrive in Moscow. His mind was on Marisca and where she was and how she was. Frank rehashed all the events from the time they met to their last conversation and kiss. He tried to figure out the defining moment when he had fallen in love with her, but could not. It was a culmination of all that had transpired between them. From the subtle looks and touches to their talks and walks. From their red, hot sex to their lingering lovemaking. He had gone over the edge and now Frank did not know what he would do if he did not see her again. They got their luggage and had their passports and visa checked then headed for the exit of the terminal. “Shouldn’t we rent a car?” asked Alex as they made quick time through the empty terminal well past eleven in the evening. “Do you see a rental place?” quipped Cody as he was behind her. “You either take taxis or the metro”, stated Frank as they got to the door and went out. “Yeah, he’s definitely been here”, remarked Monica under her breath to Cody. Frank raised his hand to hail a taxi and one stopped and they got in while the driver put the bags in the trunk. No one knew what Frank had in mind but they knew enough to keep their mouths shut until they had some privacy. They had no equipment only their cellular phones, one laptop and clothes. Cody asked about this before leaving and Frank told him they would get what they needed in Moscow. It reinforced to everyone that Donovan was very familiar with the territory. “Marriott Royal” Frank barked to the driver who looked at him in the rear view mirror then drove off towards the city. Everyone sat back and looked out the taxi windows at the city that approached fast. It was a city very meticulously built with large boulevards that encircled it like wheels and fourteen major access roads that shot out from its center like spokes. The forty-five minute journey came to an end after they crossed over Moscow Ring Road just a kilometer north of Red Square where the hotel was. Tourists needed money to stay comfortably in Moscow and the Marriott Royal Hotel with its five star rating was one of the few nice places available. “Who’s paying for this?” questioned Jake as they entered the luxury hotel and crossed over the lobby. Frank was getting used to the comments his team members made when he did something. It had bothered him at first when they would question his orders and make their little cutting remarks behind his back. In fact, they did not even bother to go behind his back as he often heard Cody, in particular making his little quips about his behavior. Now he understood it was their way of breaking the tension they felt because of the job and because of him. “I am” replied Frank in his usual abrupt manner as he went up to the reception desk. “Reservations for Dr. John Talbot. Three rooms on the same floor” he stated to the older man who looked him up and down. “Da” (Yes) the clerk replied as he looked at the computer. “I need your passports and visas, please.” “Give me your passports” Frank said to his companions. “I’m hungry so I’ll have the bags taken up. I heard there’s a good place a few blocks from here.” “I’ll have them taken up Professor. It is Professor, correct?” asked the Clerk. “Harvard?” “Yeah” replied Frank as his cover was a history professor from that college traveling with his assistants to do some research. Jake and Alex thought Donovan was too stiff and clearly they were in too dangerous a situation, to have the man behind the desk get overly curious. Jake and Alex came up behind Frank feigning jovial moods. Frank knew there was no necessity to elaborate with the clerk but he was still amused by his ambitious undercover agents, so he said nothing as the two went in to their little routine. “Yeah, we’re in to Russian History”, stated Alex. “The period when Moscow was built.” “Do you happen to know when the tours start at the Kremlin in the morning?” questioned Jake now. “Da. I mean yes, of course! Moscow has a wonderful history!” replied the clerk in a friendlier manner. “The Kremlin is the best place to start your visit. The tours begin at nine in the morning.” “Great! Thanks” responded Alex as the man handed over the security cards for their rooms. “I’ll keep these for safety! I know how you guys are!” Alex stated grabbing them. “Ok, come on!” remarked Frank as he took off for the front entrance and out in to the cold air. “We’ll walk!” “I think we had the last cab, anyway”, Monica said as they looked around at the deserted road. “You know, I thought I was used to Chicago winters! Jesus, it’s like eighty below!” responded Jake as they walked quickly down Krosenko Boulevard. The weather was harsh and there was snow on the ground piled by the sides of the roads. Frank led his team down the Boulevard, one of the fourteen access roads heading towards the center of the city a few blocks away. At the center was Red Square surrounding the Kremlin and on the eastern side was the Kitay-gorod, the commercial district that had shops and restaurants. “So what exactly is the plan?” asked Jake as he walked behind Frank. “We’re going to find my contact. He’ll get your equipment, Cody. Then we’re going to go over and check the area where Marisca hopefully is” Frank replied as they still walked briskly. “It’s on the south side so we’ll take the metro to Gorkiy Park then walk from there. The size of the building on the satellite grid was large so if she’s there she’s probably in a housing project.” “Yeah, I heard there’s nothing but those old soviet apartment buildings to live in”, remarked Alex. “My Russian’s up to speed, Donovan. Why don’t I go in and make some inquiries when we get there?” “Too many people at night. They’re all home” he stated. “We’ll survey it first. Then Cody, I want you to pin point where the homing device is. Then we’ll go in.” “Ok, but is this guy you know going to have a scanner with CIA tracking capability?” questioned Cody and Frank stopped and turned around. “Listen. Just tell him what you need. No questions and no chit-chat” ordered Donovan and at that Cody shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, sure” he replied then Frank resumed walking and Cody looked at Monica. “CIA” she whispered in the young techno-geeks ears and he nodded. “Just to point out again, Mr. Donovan”, exclaimed Jake. “This place she might be at could be her own residence.” “Yeah, could be” Frank replied. “They must have mailboxes with names at the entrance. I’ll check them against her alias. I’d remember if I saw one of them”, stated Alex as they got to Red Square. “God! It’s beautiful!” Red Square was all lit up even though it was well past midnight. At the center was the Kremlin with its fortress walls surrounding all the key government buildings in Moscow, the Cathedral, the main theatre and the Presidential residence. There were a few cars out as they made their way to the east side of the Square passing several armed guards at their posts. There were more people out who looked mostly like Moscovites, walking the streets going from restaurant to restaurant and bar to bar. The area was chic and trendy and from the dress of its inhabitants, very wealthy. At the middle was a busy restaurant named The Tartar and when they got to the front Frank turned to give a final look at his team before they went in. David Mayer alias Peitro Svenkomitz was an Israeli agent that owned the well- known restaurant. He opened it in ninety-two, the year after the USSR collapsed when he was sent in undercover. David was primarily an information gatherer and quite successful at it as he had a very prominent clientele. He saw Frank Donovan walk in and did a double take to make sure. The Israeli had not seen Donovan in almost ten years when he had been doing a small job in that city. They had met before and became fast friends on a holiday in England, neither of them realizing they were working for intelligence agencies. Frank was with the State Department at that time and David was a freelancer for both the Israeli’s and the British. Their paths had not crossed that often nor did they ever have the opportunity to keep up their friendship but they were still friends. David knew from Frank’s steely gaze at him that this was no social visit so he gave the slightest of nods just for acknowledgment. “Do you speak English?” Frank asked David as he stood at the maitre de’s podium. “Yes, very well, Sir. Did you have a reservation?” he asked looking down at the list of tables to see what was open. “No, we just arrived in Moscow. A friend suggested this place. There’s five of us” Frank exclaimed as he took out some money and handed David a tip for show. “One by the window.” No one had a clue that the maitre de was Donovan’s contact as he crossed the busy room and got them seated. David handed them menus curious as to why Donovan was there. “You are all from America?” he asked in a very heavy and put on Russian accent. “Yeah, from Massachusetts. This is out first time here” Frank remarked as he looked at the menu. “Business or pleasure?” asked his friend. “Both. We’re here to do some research for our University and to find an old friend of mine that’s in Moscow” Frank spoke. “What’s your friend’s name? I know everyone in Moscow” David questioned knowing the main purpose of Frank’s visit was to find this friend who was no doubt an agent. And he knew of most of their names. “Here, write it down for me” he said handing Frank his order pad. Frank wrote her name down. “She lives near Gorkiy” he said giving the pad to Cody who took his cue to write down the equipment he needed. There were just too many people around and most of them were probably in the government. “I’ve heard the name before, Sir. That is a good area she lives in. Have you been there yet?” he asked quite surprised that Donovan was involved with her. “We’re going after dinner” Frank replied as his other agents listened and took note of his conversation. “I hope you have a pleasant visit. By the way, where are you staying in my city?” asked the Israeli. “Thank you. We’re at The Marriott Royal”, responded Frank. “I think we’ll start with a bottle of your best vodka, chilled.” David went to get the vodka and glasses and when he returned they ordered their meals. Frank knew that by the morning the equipment would arrive at the hotel and if his friend had any information on Marisca he would communicate it as soon as possible. Now they took their time enjoying the good Mongolian food and vodka trying to play their parts and look less conspicuous. The team was even more intrigued by Donovan. They all knew Russia was a hot bed for spies so Donovan’s discretion in the matter was of utmost importance. The less they dealt with David the better and the more likely they would not be caught. The metro ran twenty-four hours a day so they walked to the station nearby and took it heading south to Gorkiy Park. It was after two in the morning and snowing hard as they got to the most famous of the parks in the city. It was a higher- class area and it was reflected by the remodeled apartment buildings that surrounded it. During Soviet rule the apartments had been run by the state and because of the economy sometimes two or three families would occupy one dwelling. Now things were better and the apartments were sold like they were in New York or London with an association that would maintain its upkeep. The building the satellite image had shown was easy enough to find once Cody had zoomed in to clarify it. Current technology made everything possible but now good old-fashioned surveillance was in order for that night. Gorkiy Boulevard held five nine-story buildings and the group walked first to its end then back again to the middle complex. Frank ordered Jake and Monica to check for other entrances around it, while Cody unlocked the security door to get him and Alex in. Once in, Alex had been correct, as there were mailboxes with names listed. “Do you see anything that looks familiar?” Frank questioned as he read the names one by one desperately trying to make a connection. “God! These names all look familiar!” Alex responded. “Ivanovitz, Michovitz, Petrikovitz! Russian’s are so original! Sorry Donovan! I know you were hoping she just lived here.” “Yeah, I’d be mad if I found out she just took off. But at least I’d know she was safe” he finally admitted. “There’s like no security except for the locked door”, reported Cody as he returned from looking around. “No cameras! Nothing! I can’t believe if someone took her that they’d hold her here, Sir.” “Unless it’s at gunpoint” Frank replied as they walked out of the front doors to meet Jake and Monica. “How many other entrances?” “One service entrance at the back, an entrance to the underground garage and two fire exits on the sides. All of them are locked with fairly new security equipment. Nothing out of the ordinary though and definitely not that high tech” reported Jake. “Did you find any names?” he asked Alex. “Plenty of them. Unfortunately that’s the problem. They’re all too similar” Alex reiterated. “You’ve already stated that” Donovan said curtly. “You need to tell me something I don’t know!” They were all used to his abrupt behavior and now they knew he was under an added strain because of his own emotions. If it was ever a time to cut someone some slack it was this time, so no one gave their usual witty retort under their breath. They had all watched their team leader drink a little too much on the plane and at dinner. It was obvious in his overly stern manner that he was upset and in anguish. “I did notice that five of the names were single men. Maybe she knows one of them” Alex remarked. “We’ll go back to the hotel. The equipment should arrive in the morning. Then we’ll see if she’s even here now” Frank retorted as he walked off angered thinking about Marisca with another man. “Shit” Jake stated. “First that Ivan guy than Donovan. Do you think there’s someone else?” “Could be. But I wish I didn’t have to mention it. The look on his face! Gees!” Alex remarked. “Well, I hope that woman is suffering too. I just can’t understand why he’d fall for that one!” Jake exclaimed. “But then again he’s a piece of work himself.” “He’s a lot more together than you are!” responded Alex as they followed Donovan. “Hey, you two” stated Cody under his breath. “Shut up. He’s not deaf.” Paul Bloom got to his office before six a.m. that Tuesday in Chicago. He had been trying to contact Donovan and the others of his team since the night before. There was a case that was coming to fruition that week and he needed to give some final orders. He tried Donovan once again that morning then drove over to the building they used on the south side of the city on and waited for someone to arrive. By nine no one had, so Bloom went in to Donovan’s offices and snooped around. Little did he know that Terence Barry the CIA operative was also watching, at first Ivan than Donovan and now Bloom. He had followed Donovan and his team to the airport and now he put his attention to Paul Bloom. Barry had to get the man off Donovan’s back so he could go to Russia and find his friend. He decided he would wait until it became absolutely necessary then he would make a move and stop Bloom from interfering. Now he watched from a safe distance the noted, overly ambitious Justice Department supervisor enter the warehouse. He decided at that point he needed to act so he got his cellular out and e-mailed Bloom a message directly to the private address on the man’s own cellular that no one accessed except the user and his family. Bloom heard the familiar tone of his cell and took it out to check the message. He read it at first quickly then again with more deliberation. Leave Donovan alone. I will see you get your promotion if you do. If not someone dear to you will pay. Talk to no one. Bloom was stunned. He had only just decided to go after the position as Supervisor in charge of the entire Mid-west region for the department driving home Monday from the office. His wife was the only one he had spoken to and now he knew someone was doing surveillance on him and his family. Donovan’s background and experience was top notch but most of it classified none-the-less and it just was not worth it to Bloom to investigate this disappearance of his team. Instead, he ran out to his car and drove home to see if his wife and four children where all right. Marsica, who was as far away as one could get from Moscow had stayed in the airplane that she had found for two days falling in and out of consciousness. Her leg was broken and having taken her pants off to brace it had left her only dressed from the waist up. Now her legs were ripped to shreds from crawling through the jungle. She had finished all the Chinese beer she had found and by the third day her wounds were healed enough and her mind clear. It was a gruesome undertaking but Marisca took the clothes off the least decayed of the dead pilots and put his pants, boots and jacket on. Then she got his backpack and put the remainder of the uncooked rice, what was left of a canteen of water, and two flares. With the compass from the plane around her neck on a rope she took off hoping the rain would be less that day as Monsoon season was coming to an end. Fortunately it did not rain but the humidity and the heat was staggering. She walked slowly for hours with the help of two metal pools that were fashioned as crutches. She saw more orangutans and remembered now a documentary on PBS she had seen. They were not from Southeast Asia as she had thought at first but from Indonesia, which was a worse scenario. She recalled the woman who she had seen on TV that lived with the animals on Borneo, an island. Marisca knew now that if she went in any direction she would eventually get to the coast and perhaps along the way come across a village. But for some reason she remembered the woman in the show lived to the south so for no other reason Marisca went in that direction. She had not thought of Frank during her sober hours but when she had drank too much beer her mind wandered back to him. Marisca had convinced herself that he was searching for her and she cried thinking about the hopelessness of the situation and her love for him. When she was in her booze-induced state she would think of being in his strong arms and the way his full lips kissed her. When she was fully a wake Marisca knew she would have to break things off with him to keep him safe. That she would do when she got out of her current dilemma. And she was ever more determined to get out of that jungle and at least see Frank one more time. Frank had no sleep that night having arrived back at the Marriott by four a.m. They had gotten back just before the snow turned in to a nasty blizzard. The night clerk scrutinized the five as they entered the lobby so Jake and Alex feigned drunkenness and by the time the reached the elevators he was laughing at the ridiculous Americans. Frank’s only thoughts were getting the equipment and hopefully some weapons from his friend. He lay on his bed with his eyes shut devising a plan to get Marisca out if she was in the building. Get her not only out of there, but the country. Frank knew the lay of the land better now so he went over several scenarios in his mind for escape. He had checked his messages from his cell and read each of Blooms then a final one that said, “take your time”. It was obvious to him that Bloom had in some way been made aware of his leaving Chicago and was told to back off. Who warned Bloom was another question that Frank was sure would be answered soon enough. Well before dawn, which, came late in the very northern city a single knock came at Donovan’s door and he jumped up and ran over to answer it. He opened the door quickly and looked from side to side down the hall and saw no one. Several shopping bags from GUM, the popular department store in Moscow were left for him with clothes peaking out from their tops. Frank brought them in and could now feel the weight of their real contents as he put them on his bed. Another knock came at the door and Frank looked up. “Hey, Professor. Let me in”, said Cody from the other side of the door. “I heard the guy at your door, Sir”, he reported when Frank answered to let him in. “Is the stuff here?” asked Jake now as he came from the room across the hall where he was staying with Cody. “Yes, get Monica and Alex, please” Donovan ordered and Jake nodded and went over to their room. Jake smirked to himself thinking if nothing else Donovan was always extremely polite. And despite the fact Frank had asked them to call him Frank, and not Sir or Mr. Donovan no one ever felt quite comfortable doing that. Jake got Alex and Monica up while Cody set up the tracking device and Frank checked the handguns David had sent along. “This is a better piece of equipment than I’ve got back at the nest”, stated Cody as he put in the coordinates for the apartment building and Marisca’s homing code. “There! The homer is in the building on the second floor, east end.” “Any movement?” questioned Donovan as he came over to look. “No. Could be she’s in bed still”, replied Cody. “Too bad I can’t track any heat sources from here. She could have dozen armed guerillas watching her.” “Well, at least we have these” Frank remarked referring to the guns. “Go get dressed. Tell the others we leave in half an hour.” “Ok, Sir” Cody replied then left quickly to change noticing Frank was heading over to the mini bar. “Did you find her?” asked Alex as Cody came to their door to give them their orders. “Yeah, the device is there. I just hope she is”, responded Cody. “Let’s hope he’s going to give us a clue what his plan is”, retorted Alex. “If he’s got one!” interjected Jake ever the pessimist. “Donovan has a brilliant, methodical mind”, replied Monica who had profiled him for her own benefit. “He’s thought up a half dozen scenarios. He also has patience which you don’t Jake. He’ll decide when the right time comes which plan to implement.” “Times a ticking” said Cody under his breath and at that they disbursed to get ready. Frank was not a drinker perse but he had consumed a lot of vodka during the past twenty-four hours and now he needed what was so aptly called the hair of the dog. He went to the mini bar and got out a small bottle of whiskey, opened it and drank it straight as he went to take a quick shower and change. The hot water felt good against his cold skin and the heavier, clean clothes gave him added warmth from the extreme cold. He took his essentials knowing that they would probably have to leave everything and so he had ordered the rest of his team to do the same. Alex and Jake were savvy enough in undercover work but not on the international level of which the scope was far greater and far more dangerous. It was eight in the morning when they gathered to leave and at that point Frank handed out the guns. It was the winter now and still dark out when they got to the lobby and made their exit. There were several taxi waiting and from one of them a heavy set man got out quickly and drew Donovan’s attention. “Shalom!” the man shouted giving Frank the signal he had often used with David. “We’ll take that taxi” Frank said curtly to his group then headed over to get in to it. “Shalom?” remarked Cody and Jake laughed slightly. “Could you get more obvious?” “He’s Jewish?” Alex questioned in a whisper in to Monica’s ear. “Israeli, in fact” Monica stated as they got to the very old and beat up taxicab. “I’m surprised being the fabulous linguist you are you haven’t noticed he covers up his accent.” “Are you making fun of me, girlfriend?” Alex replied in her best ‘black sister’ accent, which, they both laughed at. Frank got in the front while the other took to the back seat, settling down for the ride. “I will drive you and wait” the man stated and at that Frank nodded. “I have orders to take you to a safe house after if needed.” “Take us to Gorkiy Boulevard” ordered Donovan then sat back for the ride through the very turbulent snowstorm. It was extremely turbulent and the roads were just being plowed of the snow that had fallen over night. Fortunately Moscow was not Chicago and it did not have the wind but it was still well below any temperature any of them had experienced, except for Donovan. It took well over an hour to get to the apartment building and after they did Frank had their driver pull behind where the garage entrance was. The five got out and as their leader had suspected, almost all the cars were gone with their owners to work for the day. Cody broke the code of the security panel in record time and they all then paced down the ramp in to the garage its self and over to the elevator. Cody then took out the portable tracker, which led them exactly where he had said to the second floor and down the hallway to the east end. Alex had the heat sensor out detecting little, if any movement as they approached the apartment. She held up one finger to Donovan to indicate just one person in the dwelling and showed him there was movement while Cody showed him the homing device’s signature that remained stationary. Frank motioned to the others to stand back then he knocked on the door and waited with his gun in hand. An older woman opened the door quickly and looked at him. “Are you the police?” she asked in Russian. “I phoned yesterday and now you are here finally?” Frank was momentarily caught off guard by her statement then he decided to take advantage of the situation she was creating for him. “Yes. We got your report this morning. May my officers and I come in?” he inquired in Russian and she nodded. The group was stunned that he knew Russian and spoke it fluently having spoken English at the hotel and with his friend. But then again, Donovan always had a purpose in mind and he never ever volunteered any personal information. The woman let them in and they began to look around while Frank spoke pretending to take her report again. Frank followed her in to the living room where he saw several photos of Marisca and Ivan, one of which was from their fictitious wedding. He knew then that he was standing in the middle of the place they used as a cover. “So you were saying the man that lives here was suppose to be home last week?” he inquired. “Does he travel often? And what about his wife?” “They both travel. He is a pilot and she is a stewardess. But he always comes when he says he is going return. I phoned the airlines but I couldn’t get any information” she stated very worried. “Madame Michovitz is gone all the time, months on end because she has a sick Mother in St. Petersburg but he is always here when he is not flying. I am just concerned that something terrible has happened to him.” “I’ll look in to it. Why don’t you go home now before the weather gets worse?” Frank suggested and she left to gather her things. He waited until the housekeeper left then joined the others who were standing around a desk that was in a room that was used as an office. They were all opening the mail that had piled up for at least two months. “What are you doing?” Donovan asked as he came over to observe. “It’s in one of these”, stated Cody as he tossed a letter to the side and picked up another one. “Here it is” exclaimed Jake as he let the minuet device fall to the desk as he read the letter. “It looks like Chinese”, he stated passing it to Alex who was fluent in several dialects. “Mandarin” Alex remarked as she read its contents. “I love the way these Chinese put things. God! Anyway, it says the year of the Dragon as proven to be bad luck for the owner of this.” “That’s all? Here let me see?” exclaimed Donovan and Alex passed him the letter. “Let me see the envelope, please.” “Where’s the postmark from?” questioned Jake. “Singapore. Alex, could you go to the kitchen and see if there’s a baggie or something I can put this in?” asked Frank. “We need to check this for fingerprints.” “I don’t understand why they’d send this to Ivan. And where is Ivan, anyway?” remarked Monica. “Obviously delayed somewhere. The housekeeper wouldn’t have called the police otherwise”, replied Donovan. “I want this place searched quickly then we need to get out of here before the real police come. Cody, I want you to hack in to their PC and see what you can find.” “I’ll bet he went back to Afghanistan”, responded Jake as he rifled through the bookshelves. “And didn’t have any idea her device was mailed here.” “He’s not important. We need to go to Singapore and find out who sent this. It’s the Chinese Triad but I want the man that gave the orders” Donovan stated the obvious as Alex came in with a piece of plastic wrap. “This should do”, she said holding it out while Frank put the letter and envelope on it and Alex secured it around. “You know my experience with the Chinese is that they just don’t kill their enemies. They often are weirdly poetic in their justice. I’ll bet they cooked up something really bizarre for Marisca. Sorry.” “Never be sorry for being honest with me, Alex” Frank said somberly as he went over to a photo of Marisca. He picked the gold colored frame up with the three by five picture and took it carefully out, looked at it then put it safely in his jacket. He had been taken aback when he heard Marisca and Ivan had been cohabiting even if it was just for cover purposes. There was more to their relationship than Ivan had led on and that disturbed Donovan. He went around the apartment looking at all the traces of the woman he loved. Frank could smell her scent in the pillow he picked up from her bed and he could feel her presence in all the rooms that were as lovely as she was. Alex, Monica, Jake and Cody watched him stroll around as if he was trying to memorize everything he saw or touched of Marisca’s. They all wanted to console him because they, like Donovan knew that the woman was probably dead. “Sir” exclaimed Cody finally as he looked at the personal computer. “It’s obvious this Ivan’s gay. He’s got more than a dozen gay porn sites as personal bookmarks.” “I didn’t think they had that kind of thing over here” remarked Jake as Frank went over and looked at the computer monitor. “Yeah, they do but it’s more in the closet” Frank replied somewhat relieved about the Russian. “We’d better get out of here” he said abruptly. “I’ll make reservations for China when we get back to the hotel” stated Monica and Frank shook his head as they left the apartment. “No, I’m going alone now. I want you four to go back to Chicago” Donovan responded. “I’ve asked you to go beyond duty to help me find Marisca. I can’t ask you to help me find her killer.” “So you think she’s dead?” asked Jake as they got to the elevator. “Whoever did it sent her tracking device as a final statement. They probably sent it to Ivan because they knew he was close to her” he stated. “But to answer your question. Yes, I think she’s dead.” “I’m sorry, Sir. But why didn’t they send you her homer? You’re a lot closer than Ivan was and I’m sure they knew about you two” asked Cody. “All of us figured it out.” “Very simple, Cody. If they had sent it to me I would have gone after and killed the man responsible” he answered. “They didn’t count on Ivan coming to me. And now they’re not counting on me coming to Singapore.” “Well, I guess they’re not going to count on us coming, too” remarked Alex as she gently touched his arm and squeezed it. “I’m in to sweet revenge.” “Sweet? No, Alex! Just plain old revenge” replied Donovan as his broken heart was quickly overcome with hatred. Barry liked Chicago and he was enjoying his stay there reporting in to Henning, his and Marisca’s boss in Langley. He kept a close watch on Paul Bloom while he reported in daily that Donovan and his group were still in the city working. Barry risked everything lying to Henning but it was worth it to the older agent. He liked Marisca and now he liked Frank Donovan even if it had been from a distance. Barry was relying on the man who had captured his friend’s heart to find her. Henning however no longer believed his man in the field and by Wednesday he had another operative assigned to watch Barry and find out about Donovan. Henning had become bitter and resentful that Marisca had gained so much through the years now he sold her out to the Chinese. He also wanted to sell Frank Donovan out to the highest bidder. When he received word from his new operative that the Justice Agent and his team were gone he got on the phone immediately to make a call he had wanted to avoid. “This is Henning. Is Mr. Hong there?” asked Henning, wanting to speak directly to the head of the Triad. “Is he back from his holiday yet?” “Yes, I will see if he wishes to speak to you”, said the male secretary. “One moment please.” Zizi Hong was a man of about sixty and the head of the Chinese Triad worldwide. He had been in London on holiday with his wife and had just returned that day. He was surprised that the CIA man was calling him so early in the morning but he decided to take it none-the-less and see if he was finally going to accept his offer. The offer to hand over Marisca Vanius and all the money she had taken from the bank in Singapore and in return a good bounty. Needless to say he was surprised when the American stated he already did, having arranged it with Hong’s only son. Hong got off the telephone quickly and ordered his secretary to get his son, which he did, dragging him out of bed and away from one of his mistresses. “Welcome back, Father” greeted Zenzu to his Father who looked angered. “You have heard then?” “Yes, that you went over my authority. Where is the woman and my money?” asked Zizi. “I wanted to give you an early birthday gift. I had her thrown from my helicopter in to the forests of Borneo” the young man laughed. “I thought it would be fun to have her die trying to get out.” “You are as stupid as you look!” shouted his Father. “You underestimate her! What of my money?” he asked and then his son looked down at the ground. “I see that you avoid my eyes! You did not even get the money, did you?” “I got the money from the CIA but not hers. The accounts my men found in her possession were decoys, Father. And by the time I sent my men to look for her again she was gone” Zensu replied humbly and with great fear. “I am sorry, Father.” “It was the money she took for herself that I was interested in! You have shamed me too often and now I have just been informed that this Frank Donovan is searching for her” the older man stated. “He is as clever and dangerous as the woman! Get out of my sight now! I must deal with this situation myself!” “There is one more thing I did, Father. I sent the tracking device she wore to her home in Moscow. To her good friend with a note” he stated. “A note you mailed from here? You are a fool! If all the reports on this Donovan are correct he is probably in Moscow now” Hong remarked. “Then Singapore, soon enough!” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Hunt - Part 3 |