Chapter XXIV

MADDUX BUTTONED THE TOP button on his shirt and pulled it taut. He stared at the unfamiliar insignia on his sleeves then tugged on the cuffs. Wearing the enemy’s uniform felt foreign to him, almost as if he were betraying his country. It felt almost as strange as the disguise he was sporting. Maddux smoothed his fake mustache as he went over a few more phrases in Serbian.

“You’re getting the hang of the language,” Dex said. “Don’t be afraid to talk tonight. Be confident. If you mess something up, I’ll cover for you.”

Maddux nodded and looked back down at his shirt.

“Something about this doesn’t seem right,” Maddux said to Dex, who had also donned a uniform.

“First time going this undercover?” Dex asked.

“First time I’ve had to wear a uniform, if that’s what you mean.”

“It’s all about confidence. If you look the part and act the part, no one is going to question you, especially at night. We just file in with all the rest of the guards during the shift change, and we’ll be fine.”

“And if something goes wrong?”

“We run like hell and pray neither of us gets shot in the back.”

Maddux arched his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side. “That doesn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence, now does it?”

“You got any better ideas at the moment?”

Maddux shook his head. “I just want to grab Pritchett and get out of here. Something’s not right about this prison camp.”

“Everyone does seem very compliant, don’t they?”

“It’s like the prisoners aren’t even really there.”

“Being in an environment like this will do that to you.”

Maddux wagged his finger. “No, there’s something different about this place. And I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t like it.”

“Well, hopefully we’ll never have to come back after tonight.”

* * *

AT THE GATE, Maddux and Dex joined in with the security detail entering the prison for the late night shift. Maddux gave his hat one final tug down low across his brow before falling in line. The guard on duty hardly seemed interested in checking anyone’s credentials until Maddux and Dex prepared to pass by.

“Wait,” the guard said in Serbian. “Identification?”

They held up their badges. Maddux swallowed hard, hoping nothing raised suspicion. The guard inspected it closely before releasing it and waving them inside.

Once they were in, a guard in front of them turned around.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before. Who are you?”

“We’re here on assignment from Belgrade, just a routine checkup from headquarters,” Dex said. “You should have nothing to worry about if you’re doing your job.”

The guard nodded. “Let me know if you need any assistance. I’ll be happy to show you around.”

“Why don’t you show us the cells first?” Dex said. “We want to see how you’re housing these criminals.”

The guard grinned and offered his hand. “Happy to help. I am Braco Milovic. And you’re in luck because I’m working in that building tonight. Just follow me.”

He led them toward a nearby structure. When the guard at the door asked for their credentials, Milovic waved the man off. “They’re from Belgrade on a routine inspection. I’m sure you don’t want to trouble them.”

The guard eyed Dex and Maddux.

“No need to worry,” Dex said. “You followed protocol, but we would rather spend our time inspecting the facility rather than evaluating you.”

The guard nodded and pushed a button, resulting in a loud buzz as the door unlocked.

Maddux estimated half of the men were asleep on their cots, while the other half sat still.

“As you can see, most of the men are well adjusted,” Milovic said. “The program seems to be working.”

“Indeed it does,” Dex said.

“Do you have any new prisoners?” Maddux asked.

“You mean ones that haven’t been programed yet?” Milovic responded.

“Of course,” Maddux said.

“Right this way,” Milovic said before turning down another corridor. “We have been waiting the prescribed number of days mandated by the KGB and taking note of any changes. But three days of rebellious behavior can seem like a long time when we’re used to prisoners who are much more obedient.”

“When are these soldiers scheduled to be programmed?” Dex asked.

“They will receive their first shots tonight, and then we’ll complete the process tomorrow afternoon. I’m sure you know Dr. Stravinsky will be here to administer everything.”

“Of course,” Dex said. “Part of the reason we wanted to inspect tonight was to see how these prisoners acted before you began the programming.”

“Well, they may be asleep,” Milovic said. “There’s no guarantees. But knowing how much trouble we had with one of these men last night, I would guess that he’ll be all for making trouble now.”

“What was he doing?” Maddux asked.

“I don’t know, but I know he angered General Jankovic,” Milovic said. “We were instructed to keep an eye on him, which is quite funny, if you ask me.”

“Funny? How?” Maddux asked.

“Well, this prisoner only has one eye,” Milovic said as a grin spread across his face. “So, it is only necessary to keep one eye on him.”

“Never underestimate what a non-programmed prisoner can do,” Dex said.

Milovic stopped in front of an empty cell. “Well, that’s strange. He’s not here.”

“Did they transfer him?” Maddux asked.

“He wasn’t scheduled to be transferred. Perhaps he’s getting his shots.”

A flashlight down the hall arrested their attention.

“Milovic,” called a fellow guard. “If you’re looking for this prisoner, he’s been moved to solitary confinement.”

“What did he do?” Milovic asked.

“General disobedience. Talking when he wasn’t supposed to be.”

“And the other new guy?”

“He’s in the other wing. Want me to take these men to him? I heard they’re visiting from Belgrade.”

“Yes, they are, but I can handle it,” Milovic said. “Thank you for the update.”

“Any time,” the guard said as he turned and walked away.

“This way,” Milovic said, motioning for Dex and Maddux to follow. “It’s a little bit of a walk to the other wing, but we’ll go there first before going to solitary.”

Maddux shot a knowing look at Dex. Neither of them were interested in the other new prisoner. All they wanted was Pritchett.

By the time they arrived in the other wing, Maddux was itching to leave. Their window for snatching Pritchett was shrinking. It was only a matter of time before someone higher up in the chain of authority learned about the presence of the two inspectors from Belgrade and questioned them more thoroughly.

The prisoner lunged at them when Milovic shined a light in his eyes.

“See,” Milovic said. “He’ll act very differently tomorrow night. We only have to endure this behavior a little while longer.”

Neither Maddux nor Dex recognized the man.

“And the other prisoner?” Maddux asked.

“Let me take you to him.”

A three-minute walk through down various hallways led them to solitary confinement. Maddux thought how eerie it was to be in a place so quiet all alone yet surrounded by armed guards on the other side of the walls.

Milovic flashed his light as they entered the hallway leading to the cell. “This particular area is lit only by natural light. We find that the darkness keeps the prisoners calmer.”

He lit up a man sitting on his cot.

“See,” Milovic said. “Very calm, though he wasn’t earlier today, which is obviously why he’s here.”

“Can we speak with him?” Dex asked. “We have a few questions.”

“Be my guest,” Milovic said.

“No, inside. I want to go inside and speak with him.”

Maddux watched Pritchett, who used his forearm to shield against the light. Maddux figured Pritchett still couldn’t tell who they were.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Milovic said.

“He’s got one arm and one eye,” Dex said. “How difficult could he be to handle?”

Milovic sighed and pulled out his keys. “Fine. But if something happens to him, it’s on you. Here. Hold my flashlight on the lock.”

Dex nodded at Maddux, who took up a position to Milovic’s right. Dex waited until he heard the lock click before springing into action.

Maddux grabbed the door, bracing it for impact. A half second later, Milovic’s head bounced against it, complements of Dex. Knocked out cold, Milovic crumpled to the floor.

“We’ve got to move,” Dex said to Pritchett.

“I hope you have a plan to get Cordell out of here too.”

“Harvey Cordell? He’s in here?” Dex asked.

Pritchett nodded as he watched Dex and Maddux strip the guard. “I ran into him yesterday.”

“Just start getting undressed,” Dex said. “We can talk about this later.”

Pritchett started unbuttoning his shirt but was resistant to the idea of tabling the conversation. “We can’t just leave Cordell. They’re doing some crazy stuff in here.”

“We know,” Dex said. “They’re programming people.”

“I knew,” Pritchett said, snapping his fingers. “This place is experimenting on prisoners.”

“You were going to begin the process tonight,” Maddux began, “which is why we need to hustle and get out of here.”

“So, we’re just going to walk out the front gate and leave him behind?” Pritchett asked as he pulled on the guard’s pants.

“We never planned on rescuing Cordell. That would put everything else in jeopardy if we did,” Dex said.

“Besides, it would be too risky to take Cordell since he’s already been programmed,” Maddux added.

“What are you talking about? Cordell is fine. They haven’t done anything to him yet.”

“Are you sure about that?” Dex asked.

“Yeah, I spoke with him earlier today,” Pritchett said. “In fact, it’s why I’m in solitary. I was talking to him after I was warned to stop talking.”

Maddux handed Pritchett the guard’s jacket. “That’s not our understanding. The little tour we just took thanks to our napping guard here said that there were only two prisoners who hadn’t been programmed. We met the other one, and he wasn’t Cordell.”

“Then Cordell must be the mole,” Dex said. “That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“No, I’ve known Cordell forever. He wouldn’t do something like that,” Pritchett said.

Dex shook his head. “You’ve been in this business far longer than I have, yet you couldn’t concede that Cordell might be the man who’s been sharing all our secrets with the KGB? You never really know about people, especially your fellow spies.”

“I trained Cordell myself. I don’t care what you say; I know it’s not him,” Pritchett said as he finished getting dressed. “And I’m not leaving without him.”

“You are tonight if you want to leave with us,” Dex said. “This is not up for debate.”

Pritchett grunted. “You’re making a big mistake.”

“If you can prove that Cordell isn’t the mole, we’ll come back tomorrow. Otherwise, we’re out of here,” Dex said.

“Well, how the hell am I going to do that right now?” Pritchett asked.

“I’ve got an idea,” Maddux said to Pritchett. “But first, you might want to throw your jacket over your arm and remove your patch. We’re going to look suspicious enough as it is.”

Pritchett took Maddux’s suggestion. “I may only have one hand, but with my hook, I’m fully armed.”

“Stay close,” Dex said. “I hope we don’t need it, but you never know.”

Dex snatched the rest of Milovic’s keys off his belt and chained him to the cot. They locked the cell door and then secured the door to the solitary confinement cell. No one would know Milovic was missing until someone delivered a meal in the morning.

They hustled down the hallway and exited through the other wing. The guard posted near the door was reading a magazine and barely glanced up to see them. Once they reached the courtyard, Maddux explained his plan and headed toward the main office.

“Hold up just a minute,” Maddux said. “I need to do something.”

He hustled over to a nearby transport vehicle and slipped the bomb Rose had given him beneath the carriage.

“What was that for?” Dex asked. “We don’t really want to make a scene.”

“Not unless we have to,” Maddux said. “Now let’s keep moving.”

Once they reached the office, Maddux volunteered to go inside.

“Why don’t you two take a smoke break while I handle this one on my own?” he asked.

Dex and Pritchett didn’t protest, settling onto a bench adjacent to the door, while Maddux went inside.

Behind a counter stood a guard who sported wisps of gray hair protruding from beneath his cap.

“Can I help you?” he asked. “Wait, who are you? Are you one of the new trainees?”

Maddux shook his head. “I’m from the main office in Belgrade. Just here doing a routine inspection tonight.”

“Nobody told me anything about that.”

Maddux leaned onto the counter and leaked a wry smile before speaking in a whisper. “That’s because if someone told you we were coming, you wouldn’t be carrying on as usual. You’d be on your best behavior, putting your best foot forward, all in an effort to impress me. This way I just know how you operate under normal circumstances.”

The guard nodded. “I see. Well, in that case, what can I do for you?”

“I need to see the file of a prisoner named Harvey Cordell.”

“Let me see what I can find,” the guard said before turning around and rifling through the filing cabinet behind him.

Maddux drummed his fingers on the counter while he waited. Half a minute later, the guard spun around and slid a folder to Maddux.

“That’s all we’ve got on him right there,” the guard said.

Maddux opened up the file and froze, stymied by the daunting task of reading everything written in Serbian. Speaking the language was one thing, but reading it presented a different challenge, a far more difficult challenge.

“How long has Cordell been here?” Maddux asked.

The guard stood and leaned over the counter, pointing toward the date box. “He came in a couple weeks ago.”

Maddux started doing the math in his head. If Cordell had been there two weeks before, it would coincide with the time of his disappearance. Yet if Cordell was a double agent, what was he doing in an SDB prison?

“Do you know why he was brought in?” Maddux asked.

The guard sighed. “You really need to learn how to read one of these reports.” He stood again and pointed to another box. “Right there. It says a man named Kensington brought him in.”

Maddux tried not to let his surprise show.