Chapter Thirteen

 

 

December 17

ECS Stockholm Station

Sweden

 

Justin’s phone call with Flavio lasted only a couple of minutes. Carrie had already briefed their boss about the team’s progress, so all Justin needed to do was inform Flavio about the CIA’s involvement, and the need for the team to get their hands on some relevant intelligence. Flavio made no promises, but said he would call in a few favors.

Justin spent the next thirty minutes helping Carrie and Vale with their analysis. There were still big gaps about al-Nueimi’s associates in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. By now, al-Nueimi could be anywhere in Sweden, or he could have left the country. Without any concrete leads, the team was hitting dead ends at every turn.

Then Flavio called with very promising news. The CIA station chief in Rome had agreed to have one of his agents, Angelo Bianchi, meet with Justin alone and brief him on the CIA’s Mosul operation. Bianchi had been one of the CIA’s liaisons in Iraq at the time and had extensive knowledge of the operation in question. Justin was to board the first plane to Rome and meet with Bianchi.

Before leaving, Justin downloaded a copy of Carrie’s and Vale’s analysis. The latest update would enable him to have all the intelligence the team had gathered. He planned to study it during the flight to Rome, so he would be fully prepared for his meeting with Bianchi.

Justin drove his Volkswagen to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, wondering when and how he should give Arkady the bad news. The Russian agent, as expected, would take it as a personal insult not being included in the meeting with Bianchi. But the CIA liaison had demanded only one CIS agent. The presence of Arkady as the representative of the Russian foreign service had the potential of throwing the meeting into disarray, that is, if Bianchi would even agree to disclose the CIA’s intelligence to the SVR.

Of course, Justin could keep the truth hidden from Arkady, who would probably never learn about it. But Justin thought about it from the other point of view: If Arkady was meeting with Mossad or another intelligence service about this operation, Justin would want to be present, and, if that was not possible, at the very least know about it in advance and receive a full briefing afterwards. Even though Justin had some reservations about Arkady, they were both on the same team, fighting against their common enemy.

When Justin was about halfway to the airport, he picked up his phone. It was already connected to the car’s hands-free system, so he pressed a button on the dashboard and dialed Arkady’s number. He replied after the first ring, “Yes, Justin. How are you?”

“All right. What’s new with you?”

“I’ve been analyzing the files related to al-Nueimi and his family. He never took his family to Baghdad, but left them behind in Mosul.”

“How certain are you?”

“Not a hundred percent, since that doesn’t exist in our profession. But very close.”

“Okay, so if his family was killed in Mosul, do we know who did that?”

“I’m still checking. It was not the Russian Army or Spetsnaz, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No, I’m not thinking that, but thanks for clarifying it.” Justin shook his head. Arkady and the Russians. Always paranoid. “So then who ran that op?”

“I don’t have the answer yet. It could be either SAS or CIA, since they both were and are operational in that part of Iraq.”

Justin nodded. Yes, the CIA. But the British Special Air Service? Carrie and Vale found nothing about any SAS activity in the area. “That’s very good, Arkady. Keep me posted.”

“What’s the team doing, and when are we meeting up?”

“We’re waiting to hear from SAPO, as we don’t have any leads about al-Nueimi’s whereabouts in Sweden. And we’re still trying to figure out who was involved in his family’s massacre.”

“Yes, I’m coming up with nothing too. None of our informants know what happened. It’s as if al-Nueimi fell off the face of the earth.”

Justin kept silent for a moment, wondering whether he should keep Arkady in the dark about the trip to Rome. But it was neither right nor fair. Justin sighed, then said, “Maybe there’s a breakthrough. I’m meeting with a contact tonight. He may have useful intel.”

“Local contact?”

“No.”

“In the country?”

“No.”

Arkady sighed. “Come on, Justin. Give me more than one-word answers.”

“It’s a CIA op I’m meeting in Italy. That’s all that I can—”

“And you’re going alone, I assume?”

“That’s a correct assumption.”

“Justin, how are we to work as a team if you—”

“Look, Arkady, I didn’t set the rules. You know how this works. I’m told a contact wants to meet, and that I should go alone. What would you do?”

Arkady did not answer right away. He drew in a deep breath. “I would also go alone, but only after I’ve made sure there was no way to bring in the rest of my team.”

Justin shook his head. “The CIA has eyes everywhere. I don’t want to mess up the meeting when the CIA surveillance notices I have a tail.”

”Well, if you’ve made your decision, all I can say is that I hope it goes well and it’s not a waste of time,” Arkady’s voice still carried a hint of disappointment.

“Yes, I hope the same, Arkady.”

“Have a safe trip.”

“Yes, take care.”

Justin hung up, but did not feel any relief as he had expected. Instead, a wave of anxiety invaded his body and his mind. Arkady didn’t protest too much. Was he expecting me to meet with the CIA? Well, he was probing about CIA’s ops in Mosul when he talked to Claudia. So this news shouldn’t have come to him as a complete surprise. He glanced nervously at the rearview mirror. No suspicious cars behind him. Relax, Justin. You gave Arkady only the country you’re going to. If they’re not following you right now, there’s no way they can track you down in Italy. Even the SVR isn’t that good.

He took in a deep breath and stepped on the gas.