Vincent plucked up every ounce of strength as he walked from the room housing Sean to the room watching Sean. It was the who’s who of law enforcement bosses right up to the Attorney General. Jesus, he thought. Jane and Sean had really pulled something off. He could hardly get these guys in the same room after 9/11 and certainly not in universal agreement.
It took just over thirty minutes of begging and promising before Sean would be released into his custody. With the express guarantee that if Sean were not produced after his mission, Vincent himself would accept all of Sean’s charges and simply plead guilty. As utterly ridiculous as it sounded, it seemed they were deadly serious and were not budging unless Vincent accepted.
As he walked Sean out by the arm, still in his cuffs, Sean couldn’t help but notice how much Vincent was using Sean’s arm to stay upright. Mike joined them as they walked out and seeing Vincent struggle, took his other side and helped him into the waiting car.
Sean waited for another tongue-lashing but it never came.
“Sorry about that in there!” offered Vincent, catching his breath.
“Not at all, I knew you had to,” replied Sean and received a look from Vincent that reminded Sean who he was trying to bullshit.
No one in the world could read Sean as well as Vincent and no other man on earth could put the fear of God into him.
“OK. OK. I thought you were being legit,” accepted Sean, embarrassed.
“I knew I had you going, I haven’t seen you that worried since you crashed my car! I even thought your lip started to quiver!” teased Vincent. He was getting his strength back and the lighthearted banter was helping.
“It is going to be a problem though. They are seriously pissed off with you and have decided that you,” he looked at Sean, “are going to take the blame.”
“You can sort it out!” replied Sean confidently.
“To be completely honest, I’m not sure I can Sean. This is way beyond my pay grade!”
“So I manage to go to the top of both the government and the bad guys’ hit list on the same day, go figure?!” asked Sean in frustration.
With no traffic on the road it took less than ten minutes to pull into Langley. Jane was waiting nervously for them as they stopped in the executive car park. She had a wheel chair for Vincent, something he had initially refused but realized he needed. As they exited onto the top floor, a nurse and doctor were on station and a bed was in place, within Vincent’s office. She couldn’t keep him in hospital but she’d make sure he was still under their care. After a quick check of his condition, Vincent dismissed his carers and called the meeting to order.
“Mike, do you want to bring Sean up to speed, starting with Mengele’s protege, Dr Boris Surkov!”
“What I am about to play you is a translated transcript of a secret recording of Dr Boris Surkov, from a lecture he gave to the KGB before the fall of the wall!”
Mike pressed play and waited for the gasps.
Chapter 65
Katherine had spent the early evening re-arranging the governor’s schedule to take account of Nicole’s death and issuing thank-you letters for condolences received by the Governor. By the time she realized what time it was, it was almost midnight. The governor had long since retired to bed and left her to it. He was a little brighter but was going to take every ounce of Katherine’s wiles to ensure he was on the plane to Moscow. That, however, was tomorrow’s task. As she shut down the computer and gathered up her things, for the first time in hours, she noticed Surkov’s phone. More importantly she noted a new message awaited her. How had she missed it? It had to have been when she had received the parcel at the door she thought; that was the only time she had been out of earshot of the device.
She opened the message and quickly deciphered it. The name Sean Fox hit her like a freight train. She knew that name and thought back to the same parcel that had meant she missed the message. She was tempted to rush up and ask the Governor there and then who this Sean Fox was and why was he on his list but that would expose her. However, it was more than just Sean Fox. Surkov wanted Katie Fox dealt with as well. She checked the time, late but not too late.
She picked up the phone and dialed the Chief of Police in Laredo.
“Hi, my name is Katherine and I’m the Governor’s Chief of Staff. I was wondering if you could help?”
“Of course, terrible news today, please pass on my condolences,” offered the Chief. “Just saw the Governor this morning as well!”
“That’s why I’m phoning. Sean Fox?”
“Rings a bell, that name,” replied the Chief.
“Did the Governor not meet him this morning?” she prompted.
“I don’t know who he met, some secret agent type fella, big guy, knew how to hold himself.”
“That’s him,” assumed Katherine, nothing else made sense. “Anyway I’m trying to track him down or his wife?” she asked. “The governor needs to update his travel plans.”
“Not sure I’ve got any details, what was her name?” he asked.
“Katie, Katie Fox,” she replied.
“I’ll call you back,” he announced.
Katherine sat impatiently waiting for him to ring back. After five minutes, the phone rang.
“Well it’s a strange one alright. I recognized the name because a Sean Fox was murdered 3 months ago here in Laredo. That same Sean Fox changed from being a corpse to being alive yesterday morning. I remember that case and that boy wasn’t coming back to life even with divine intervention.”
Katherine let him ramble on.
“Anyway, the wife lived in Laredo but looks like she’s moving up your way. US Marshalls just picked her up and are relocating her to Austin. No address listed, I’d imagine they’ll stop in a hotel and find her somewhere in the next couple of days,” he concluded.
“That’s very helpful, thank you Chief and I know the Governor will be very grateful for you assistance.” Not so sure Katie Fox will, but that’s another matter, she thought.
Katherine replaced the handset. She knew a young and impressionable US Marshall and quite frankly that was exactly what she needed.
Two hours later, the two were naked and soaked in sweat and the Marshall was begging for more, offering anything for more of Katherine. That anything just happened to be the hotel the local US Marshalls used for people under their protection. After another thirty minutes of passion, the young Marshall fell asleep before he collapsed from exhaustion. Katherine slipped into her clothes and made her way back to the mansion. She had a busy day ahead of her and needed to get some sleep. She had a lot to organize before they left for Moscow. She sent a message to Surkov, confirming he was correct in his suspicions and assured him she would deal with the matter, before turning out her light and dropping into a deep and restful sleep.
Chapter 66
Surkov was barking orders from 6.00 a.m. He hadn’t slept at all that night. He was like a child eagerly expecting Santa Claus, unable to contain his excitement. However, having waited all his adult life for this moment, it was hardly surprising that he was worked up.
As the President’s helicopter came in to land on the lawn, Surkov waited patiently for the blades to stop before walking forward and greeting President Alexey Gagarin, son of the famous cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, born just days after his father’s tragic death. Surkov greeted him warmly and guided him towards Grebnevo, a secret that the young president had been keen to uncover since his inauguration some two years earlier.
His presidency was more akin to a coronation. His name, handed down by his hero father, lived on in the hearts of every Russian and it was, when he began to show an interest in politics, more a case when and not if he would become President. Even after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Gagarins had benefited from financial support and through various anonymous benefactors, the young Alexey wanted for nothing and received fully funded scholarships to the best schools around the world. Little did he know that Surkov and his benefactors had been behind his education, that he’d been chosen from a select few and that the chance meetings that had directed his life had been engineered to perfection. From the day he was born, the young Alexey’s life was plotted and planned precisely. Right up until the moment he stepped off the helicopter and accompanied Dr Boris Surkov into his office. Surkov instructing his bodyguards to wait outside.