Chapter 33

They had a delicious lunch of fresh local seafood out in the beautiful Italian Garden Restaurant attached to the hotel, during which Julia related to them in detail how she managed to convince Nadia’s father to help her and security at Mayak to foil the most recent attempt to steal some nuclear material. And that, unfortunately, Mikhail Glinov was injured in the action and was now recovering in hospital.

“We’ll have to tell Nadia, but gently,” Anne commented over coffee.

“You’re right,” Julia agreed.

“We’ll also need to see how many of these poor girls need counseling. Not just now, but longer term,” Anne cautioned. “They have been through so much. And no doubt they’ll want to get back to their parents as soon as possible.” Then, looking at Labrecque, she added: “Of course, once you’ve had a chance to question them.”

“I was thinking that maybe we could use some of the money we found in Polyakov’s apartment to pay for any treatment or counseling they may need.” Greg had been giving the matter some thought. “And of course, to get them home.”

“Excellent idea! I am sure we can justify that as long as we account properly for it all,” Radomir agreed.

“Beyond that, maybe once we have it all tallied, we should also think of giving the families some of it,” Szekely added. “Restitution payments from the criminals to the victims.”

“Perhaps we can create a foundation of sorts, to help these girls and other victims of human trafficking,” Greg mused. “Of course, depending on how much money there is.”

“Not a bad idea,” Anne agreed. “Like we did with the money Adam was paid by the terrorists when we defeated their attempt to steal HEU from Mayak earlier.” And for the others’ benefit, she added, “We created a foundation to help the victims of nuclear contamination from the Soviet program.”

“We could also sell the diamonds and add in the proceeds,” Greg said, taking it one step further. “That would certainly make for a tidy sum, I’m sure.”

“Before you get too far along with your foundation idea, we may need a little to get Hetzel back to Vienna,” Labrecque said. “We will definitely want to extradite him and try him there.”

“On that point, I was thinking,” Greg interjected, “what about sending him--and Polyakov and Brother Peter if we ever catch them--to stand for trial at the International Court of Justice? After all, if I remember correctly, rape and torture are clearly considered to be crimes against humanity, and it could be argued that it would be within their mandate.”

“Hmm. You’re full of ideas, Greg. And that certainly is an interesting one. We need to look into it. Indeed, I’ve seen that there have also been some moves recently to try arms merchants in the ICJ,” Szekely pointed out.

“By the way, do we have a read on how Hetzel is doing?” Anne asked. “He was in a pretty bad way when the ambulance took him.”

“Yes, just before lunch, I talked to the officer in charge of the detail that went to guard him at the General Hospital in Melijne where the ambulance took him,” Radomir answered. “The patient was resting after a major operation, he said. Ahem...they were working on reconstituting as much of whatever was left of what he had down there, poor bugger. But he is still heavily sedated, and will be for a while.”

“He had it coming, the bastard,” Anne said. “So don’t feel sorry for him.”

“He won’t be going anywhere soon,” Szekely commented. “That’s for sure.”

“But back to the girls,” Anne announced, bringing them back to her main concern. “We will need to interview each of them individually with a psychologist present to assess the damage.”

“We’re already on that,” Radomir said. “I have sent one of my colleagues along with a psychologist to start questioning the girls we housed in the nunnery.”

“And then I think it would be good if we accompanied them to Russia and helped them ease back into life there,” Anne continued. “It may be difficult for some of them to face their families and friends with what they have been through.”

“Yes, you are right,” Julia agreed. “I will be there to help. But it would be good if Anne, you and Greg would come too.”

“The problem is the visa again,” Greg said. “And the laissez-passer to get to Ozersk.”

“I disagree. I am not so sure it’s such a good idea for you two to go,” Labrecque said, concern etched on his face. “Even if you had a visa. Polyakov will definitely be on the warpath against you, since this is the second time you helped foil his plans. And with his brother the Deputy Director of the FSB, I would not want to see you set foot in Russia for now. Too dangerous.”

“But surely, Julia is in the same boat!” Greg protested. “And she has been through so much already.”

“Yes, you are right. But she is Russian, and she was--unfortunate as it is--a victim of their actions, is the way they would see it. Plus, she works for the IAEA. Even the Polyakov brothers would be less inclined to go after someone who works for an international agency like that. So, Julia, if you think you can handle it, it would be best if you go alone. And we will mobilize our colleagues in Russia to stand by, as before.”

“Of course, Nicholas,” Julia answered. But Greg was not all together sure that he did not detect the slightest hint of fear in her voice. “Certainly, for Nadia and her friends, it makes sense that I go,” Julia continued. “For the others, since I don’t know them at all, it may be better to send a psychologist, don’t you think?”

***

After lunch, while Radomir went off to join his colleague who was questioning the girls freed at the compound on the outskirts of Porto Montenegro, and Labrecque and Szekely went to interrogate the thugs they had arrested on the boat and in the derelict building, Julia, Anne and Greg decided they should visit Nadia and her friends who were still holed up in their hotel rooms.

“How much do you think I should tell Nadia about her father?” Julia asked Anne as they made their way back into the hotel lobby. “Should I tell her about the video? That these crooks filmed the horrible things that they were putting her through to send to her father so that they could blackmail him into helping them pull off a heist? And as you told me, that they were making a second video since the first heist attempt failed?”

“Hmm. Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” Anne answered. “That might cause her a lot of stress. It could really do some psychological damage for Nadia to know that her father saw a film of the horrible ordeal she went through. I certainly don’t think that would help.”

“Yes, I think you’re right, Anne,” Greg acquiesced. “I guess I would just tell Nadia that her father was a hero trying to help you stop a heist, and that, unfortunately, he was wounded in the process, but is now recovering.”

“God! It is unimaginable to me how close these criminals came to abusing these poor girls again in the boat to make more videos to use with their fathers,” Anne commented. “And even more scary, for stealing some more uranium.”

“Yes, I was just thinking that Nadia’s friend, Sasha, may have been next in line to be used for blackmail,” Julia said. “Her father was also a guard at Mayak. Mikhail Glinkov’s partner.”

“Or, they could have just tried with Glinkov again,” Greg pointed out. “If we had not rescued Nadia as you had promised him, he would never have trusted you--us again.”

“Yes, thanks to you, now they can’t do that,” Julia said, appreciation for her friends shinning in her eyes. “At least for now.”

***

Greg knocked on the door of Room Twenty-Two. It was Sasha who opened the door, but just a crack.

“How are you girls doing?” Anne asked them, as the Russian teenager ushered them inside, leading the way to the terrace, and apologizing for what she was wearing. She had been reclining outside on a lounge chair in just her panties, and had grabbed a T-shirt to pull on top on the way.

“Thanks. This is just so great here,” Greg heard Sasha answer, followed by something in Russian, which he vaguely deciphered as “Cover Up,” since, as they approached, Nadia and Magda, who were also outside sunning themselves, were just grabbing the hotel dressing gowns lying on the ground beside their recliners.

But the Russian girls were happy to see them. All three had come to trust and look up to them. After all, it was they who had rescued them from their terrible ordeal. And Nadia had witnessed the cool manner in which Anne had dealt with her tormentor on the yacht and admired her for it.

“Nadia,” Anne started after they pulled up chairs to join the girls outside, “Julia was just in Ozersk, because we managed to get her away earlier, and, despite what she went through with you at the compound in Hungary, she had some very important things to do there. She works for the International Atomic Energy Agency and these criminals were about to steal some nuclear material and sell it to terrorists.”

“Yes,” Julia said, taking over. “Your father happened to be on duty just then, and he helped stop it. Unfortunately, though, he was shot and injured. Your father, too, Sasha.”

“Oh no,” Nadia whispered, as she sat up, on the verge of tears.

Sasha covered her face with her hands.

“They are both all right,” Anne said. “As far as we know. They are in the hospital, and in good spirits. And really looking forward to seeing you both.”

“I am too,” came Nadia’s reply through the sobs.

“You are sure he is okay, my father?” Sasha wanted more reassurance.

“Yes.”

“Well, we’ll get you back there as soon as we can,” Greg joined in. “But first, to help us catch these gangsters, is there anything more you can tell us about them? Especially anything that would help us understand who they are and how and where they operate from. Did they give any names away that you might remember, for example? Please, please think hard, and later today or tomorrow, if you’re up to it, we would like you to talk to Anne’s former colleagues at Interpol.”

“We are making arrangements for you to go home, that is, if you are ready to see your families,” Anne continued. “It will probably be the day after tomorrow. Julia will go with you to help explain everything and to make sure that you have what you need.”

“Thank you,” came the chorus of gratitude.

***

“Julia, I am sure you are keen to see your mother, as soon as possible,” Anne said on the way down in the elevator. “So here is what I propose. I don’t think we can do anything more here in Porto Montenegro--my former Interpol colleagues are better equipped than we are, for sure, to handle all the interrogation. And really, it is their job to clean all this up. The three of us can fly back to Vienna--maybe even this evening--and you can link up with Nadia and the other girls in Moscow the day after to fly to Chelyabinsk with them.”

“That sounds great.”

“Yes, that makes a lot of sense,” Greg agreed. “I will see what flights are available, Anne, if you can notify Nicholas and Radomir and then pack up.”