Dark Spies (30 page)

THIRTY-EIGHT

D
ickie Mountjoy grumbled under his breath as his front doorbell rang. No doubt it was the postman again, who’d come with some soddin’ special delivery or whatever else it was these days that that was no better than a good old stamp with the queen’s image on it, stuck like it should be on a bit of paper and shoved through a red pillar box. Military men, he’d long ago decided, understand change just fine: new weapons, tactics, wars, blundering politicians telling them what to do and them doing it anyway because soldiers know duty even when it means supporting a blithering stack of spineless ignorance. But civvies like change because it keeps their boring lives on their toes. New this, new that; special or recorded deliveries; change for the ruddy sake of change.

As he reached for the door, he decided he was going to tell the postman that, no, he wasn’t going to put his signature on some cruddy electronic screen just so that he could be given a package that belonged to him, because the screen didn’t work and nobody seemed to care that his signature never came out looking like it was supposed to.

He pulled open the door, ready to give the postman a dressing down as if he were a young Guardsman who had a hair out of place while standing to attention in Wellington Barracks.

But the man before him wasn’t the postman.

It was Will Cochrane.

Wearing a suit and overcoat.

No hair out of place.

He was smiling. Looked thinner than when Dickie had last seen him.

Dickie’s bottom lip trembled as he stood ramrod straight, his hands clasped behind his back, his immaculate civilian clothes pressed to the standards of an off-duty major partaking of a glass of port in the officers’ mess. “You . . . you got here then.”

“It took me a while.”

“And I suppose you’re here to flog me some of your dodgy life insurance?”

Will’s smile broadened. “Something like that.”

“Except, everyone knows your cover as a salesman was all a big fib.” Dickie pointed at the ceiling. “Been to your home?”

“I have.”

“Like what you see?”

“I called Phoebe on my way over here. She told me my place had been trashed. You didn’t need to . . .”

“Do you like what you see, or not?”

Will was overwhelmed with gratitude. “I like what I see.”

Dickie held out his hand, keeping his expression gruff to suppress the true emotions that were searing within him. “Good to have you back, soldier.”

Will shook his hand.

No embraces for Englishmen like these.

Just a brief eye contact to recognize that both men knew exactly what the other was thinking and feeling, and that no fuss needed to be made of those sensations.

Will said, “Phoebe also told me that you’d only let me take you to a doctor. I’ve pulled some strings and fast-tracked an appointment.”

“When do we go?”

“Grab your coat. You’re on parade in ten minutes.”

They left the apartment block, neither man speaking, their breath steaming in the cold London air, walking side by side over snow-covered ground, passing trees that had Christmas lights draped over them. Minutes later they entered the Princess Street healthcare clinic.

They were inside for an hour. Sitting in the waiting room while ignoring each other and reading back issues of
National Geographic
magazine; sitting in a doctor’s consulting room while tests were made on Dickie; back in the waiting room to read about volcano eruptions and indigenous tribes in Botswana; and back in the consulting room.

That’s when Dickie was given the news.

They left in silence.

Despite his arthritis, Dickie marched alongside Will with the vigor and precision of a commanding officer who was determined that his last-ever inspection of his troops should be one of his best.

As they entered West Square and headed toward their apartment house, music was playing from one of the nearby houses.

Dean Martin’s “Let it Snow.”

The song that had played in a loop in Will’s head as he’d staggered through treacherous weather in Greenland, thinking that soon he would be dead.

The communal front door to the apartment house opened. Phoebe and David were there, Phoebe wearing clothes that wouldn’t have looked out of place at a strip club, David wearing a food-stained apron over jeans and a sweater that had a reindeer stitched on it. They were holding each other, looks of concern on their faces.

Dickie placed a hand on Will’s arm and stopped.

Will stayed with him.

They were surrounded by the gorgeous Edwardian square.

Ten yards away from Phoebe and David.

Dickie looked at Will. “You gonna tell ’em, or should I?”

Will placed his hand on top of Dickie’s hand. “Major Mountjoy, you’re the highest-ranking officer here.”

Dickie nodded, took a step forward, stood to attention, and smiled. “False alarm. Just a poncey bronchial infection. Antibiotics will sort it. This old boy ain’t heading for the heavens just yet.”

Phoebe had tears of joy running down her face as she ran as fast as her heels would let her and gave the major a hug.

Dickie looked flummoxed, then smiled with genuine warmth as he tenderly put his arms around her and patted her back. “There, there, my dear. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She rushed to Will, leapt into his arms, wrapped her legs around him, and exclaimed, “Will, Will!”

Will laughed as he lowered her to the ground. “And it’s good to see you too, Phoebe.” He kissed her on the cheek.

“None of that nonsense!” Phoebe seized the back of Will’s head and planted a big kiss on his lips. She grabbed his hand and Dickie’s. “Come on, you two: David’s cooked some mince pies and we’ve got some mulled wine on the go.” She walked with them toward David, who was now her bona fide boyfriend and had a huge smile on his face.

It was a smile matched by those on Will’s and Dickie’s faces.

They were all together.

Home.

And this was just what Will wanted more than anything else in the world.

THIRTY-NINE

T
he Russian man stood outside the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

He knew that if he entered the J. Edgar Hoover Building there’d be no turning back. He would be a traitor to the motherland, give America an enormous tactical advantage on all matters of West versus East espionage, and would change the rest of his life forever because he would live it in the States.

A new identity.

An American salary that would be given to him in return for every Russian secret he knew. Protection if it was needed. A nice house, hopefully one that was in the countryside and overlooking water. A place where he could live peacefully while doing his studies and writing.

None of those things meant his life in America would be better. But there was something else here that would make a world of difference to him.

The thing that Will Cochrane’s message had told him he could have if he came to the States.

At face value, the message was proof that Cochrane had not only beaten him, but also had the guile to deliver something very special to the West. But the Russian knew that wasn’t the real reason why Cochrane had crafted the secret communication. Once, the MI6 officer had inadvertently taken something utterly dear away from the Russian. Now he was making amends.

He entered the building, approached the security desk, and spoke to one of the Bureau guards. “Agent Marsha Gage should be expecting me. I’m here to betray my country and collect my daughter.”

The guard frowned. “Name?”

“My real name’s of no use to anyone.” He smiled. “Tell Agent Gage that there’s a Russian intelligence officer in the FBI lobby, and he calls himself Antaeus.”

GLOSSARY

11e Brigade Parachutiste—
An airborne unit containing most of the parachute units in the French army. The brigade numbers around 8,500 personnel and includes eight regiments. It is under command of a
général de brigade
(brigadier general). French paratroopers wear a red beret, except for the 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, which wears the French Foreign Legion beret (light green).

Agency—
An abbreviation that refers to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna—
Italy’s domestic intelligence agency.

AK-47
—
A selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62 × 39 mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov.

Army Ranger Wing—
The Special Forces unit of the Irish Defense Forces. It is Ireland’s premier hostage rescue unit.

Attorney General (U.S.)—
As head of the Department of Justice, the attorney general is the top law enforcement officer and lawyer for the federal government of the United States.

Bureau—
An abbreviation that refers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Centro Nacional de Inteligencia—
The intelligence agency of Spain.

CIA—
The United States’ Central Intelligence Agency. One of only a handful of agencies worldwide that have global reach and presence, the CIA primarily obtains secret intelligence by recruiting and running foreign spies, though it is also active in a range of other espionage activities including covert paramilitary direct actions.

Coldstream Guards—
The oldest regiment in the British army.

Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG)—
A division of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the FBI.

Delta Force—
Alongside DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6), the United States’ premier tier-1 special operations unit. Correctly termed 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), the organization is usually referred to by its members as “The Unit” or “Delta.” It is modeled on Great Britain’s SAS.

DGSE—
Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. France’s premier overseas intelligence agency, comparable to the CIA and MI6.

Directorate of Intelligence (CIA)—
The division within the Agency that has responsibility for the recruitment and running of foreign spies with a view to obtaining intelligence from them.

DLB—
Dead-letter box. A covert means of communication whereby two persons can pass information or items to each other without having to meet.

DO—
Duty Officer. Typically a high-ranking intelligence officer who is required to man the headquarters of an intelligence agency at night or during holiday periods, in case urgent matters are communicated to the agency during those periods by one of its overseas stations.

Dragoons—
The light cavalry units contained within most European armies.

FBI—
Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States’ domestic criminal investigation and counterintelligence agency.

French Foreign Legion—
The part of the French army that comprises foreign volunteers who are commanded by French officers. Established in 1831, the Legion is renowned for its harsh training, deployment to some of the harshest and most dangerous parts of the world, and successful combat history.

French Foreign Legion 2e Régiment
É
tranger de Parachutistes—
The elite airborne regiment within the Legion. All members of the regiment are parachute qualified.

FSB—
Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Broadly equivalent to the U.S. FBI.

G7—
A group consisting of the finance ministers of seven developed nations: the U.S., Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., and Canada (the seven wealthiest developed nations on earth by national net wealth).

GCHQ—
The Government Communications Headquarters is the British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence to the British government and army. It is directly comparable to the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA).

Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes (GCP)—
An elite pathfinder commando parachute unit in the 11e Brigade Parachutiste of the French army.

GRU—
Glavnoye Razvedyvatel’noye Upravleniye, or Main Intelligence Directorate. The primary military foreign intelligence service of the Russian Federation.

Heckler & Koch HK416 rifle—
An assault rifle designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch.

Heckler & Koch MP5/10A3 submachine gun—
A selective-fire submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch.

Horse Guards Parade—
A large parade ground in Whitehall, central London. It is the site of the annual ceremony of Trooping the Color, which commemorates the British monarch’s official birthday.

HRT
—
Hostage Rescue Team. The counterterrorism and hostage rescue unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. HRT is trained to rescue American citizens and allies who are held by hostile forces, usually terrorist and/or criminal.

Hussars—
The light cavalry unit that originated in Hungary during the fifteenth century. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen was subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European and other armies. A number of armored or ceremonial mounted units in modern armies retain the designation of hussars.

Intelligence Star—
The award given by the Central Intelligence Agency for a “voluntary act or acts of courage performed under hazardous conditions or for outstanding achievements or services rendered with distinction under conditions of grave risk.” The citation is the second-highest award for valor in the Central Intelligence Agency, after the Distinguished Intelligence Cross.

IO—
Intelligence Officer.

ISI—
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (more commonly known as Inter-Services Intelligence or simply by its initials ISI), is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for providing critical national security and intelligence assessment to the government of Pakistan.

Kevlar—
The registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high-strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Kevlar has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armor, because of its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio; by this measure it is five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.

Lancers—
A type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. The weapon was widely used in Asia and Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by armored cavalry, before being adopted by light cavalry, particularly in eastern Europe. In a modern context, a lancer regiment usually denotes an armored regiment.

Langley—
Located in Virginia, it is a suburb of Washington, D.C. Because the headquarters of the CIA is located here, “Langley” is also a shorthand reference to the Agency.

Light Brigade—
The nineteenth British light cavalry force. It mounted light, fast horses that were unarmored and equipped with lances and sabers. Optimized for maximum mobility and speed, they were intended for reconnaissance and skirmishing. They were also ideal for cutting down retreating infantry and artillery units.

M40A1 sniper rifle—
A 7.62-caliber rifle, favored by the United States Marine Corps due to its high accuracy up to a range of one thousand yards.

Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK)—
The Norwegian maritime special operations force. MJK is employed in many kinds of operations, such as unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, recovery or protection of ships and oil installations, various counterterrorism missions, hostage rescue, and direct action.

MD
530 Little Bird helicopter—
A light helicopter used for special operations by the United States army and elite law enforcement units.

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD)
—
Commonly referred to as the D.C. Police or Metropolitan Police, MPD is the municipal police force of Washington, D.C. Formed in 1861, it is one of the ten largest police forces in the United States.

Metro Transit Police Department—
The policing agency of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Created in 1976, the Metro Transit Police Department is unique in American law enforcement, as it is the only U.S. police agency that has full local police authority in three different jurisdictions (Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.)

MI6 Controller—
A high-ranking MI6 officer with responsibility for running a strategic clandestine division within MI6.

National Clandestine Service—
The CIA directorate for clandestine activities, including the recruitment and running of foreign spies.

NSA—
National Security Agency. The United States’ intelligence agency with responsibility for collecting signals intelligence.

NYC—
New York City.

NYPD—
New York Police Department.

Overseas Station—
An intelligence agency’s unit within a foreign country. An overseas agency can employ from one to upward of twenty intelligence officers. Stations can be either “declared” to their host countries or “undeclared,” depending on the station’s activities.

Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste—
The Norwegian Police Security Service.

Quantico—
A town in Prince William County, Virginia, Quantico is the site of one of the largest U.S. Marine Corps bases in the world: MCB Quantico. The base is the site of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and HMX-1 (the presidential helicopter squadron). The United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s training academy, the FBI Academy, the FBI Laboratory, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service headquarters are on the base.

Remington 870 shotgun—
A pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.

Rigspolitiet—
The state national police force of Denmark, with responsibility for policing all regions governed by Denmark, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
—The national police force of Canada.

Sä
kerhetspolisen—
The security service of Sweden.

SCAR H 7.62 mm battle rifle—
A modular rifle made by FN Herstal (FNH) for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Scotland Yard—
The headquarters for Great Britain’s Metropolitan Police Service.

SEALs—
The United States Navy’s Sea, Air, Land teams, commonly known as the Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy’s principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and United States Special Operations Command.

SEAL Team 6—
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), or DEVGRU, is a U.S. Navy component of Joint Special Operations Command. It is often referred to as SEAL Team Six, the name of its predecessor organization, which was officially disbanded in 1987. DEVGRU is administratively supported by Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by the Joint Special Operations Command.

Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)—
Commonly referred to as MI6 (see
“MI6”
).

SF—
Special Forces. In the United States, the term “Special Forces” is specific to a special operations organization within the U.S. Army that carries that name and is colloquially known as the Green Berets. Elsewhere in the world, the term is more generally used to describe elite military commando units.

Special Activities Division—
A division of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations, such as tactical paramilitary operations and covert political action.

Special Air Service (SAS)—
The inspiration for all special operations military units around the world, Great Britain’s SAS is the most experienced and arguably—alongside its maritime sister, the Special Boat Service—the best Special Forces unit in the world.

Special Branch—
The term used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces. A Special Branch unit acquires and develops intelligence, usually of a political nature, and conducts investigations to protect the state from perceived threats of terrorism and other extremist activity.

Special Operations Group (SOG)—
The department within the CIA’s Special Activities Division responsible for operations that include the collection of intelligence in hostile countries, and high-threat military or intelligence operations with which the U.S. government does not wish to be overtly associated.

Springfield Armory’s M1911A1 Professional handgun –
A reliable, high-quality pistol used by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, regional SWAT teams, and many other federal and local special operations units.

SSCI—
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. An organization created in 1976 after Congress had investigated CIA operations on U.S. soil and established that some had been illegal. The SSCI comprises fifteen senators who are drawn from both major political parties and whose remit includes oversight of U.S. intelligence activities and ensuring transparency between the intelligence community and Congress.