“You got any comms on this bird, Agent Hudson?” Jack asked.
“Mr. Hudson,” the suited man replied, “‘Agent’ would involve me confirming or denying my employment by a government agency, and in truth I prefer plain old John. But, to answer your question, we’ve got whatever you need.”
“I think Karl Parker saw someone he recognized — a Bright Star agent,” Jack revealed. “You remember what you said to me?” he asked, turning to Dinara. “About never being able to hide who you really are? These kids were brainwashed into thinking they were doing right by Russia, but I think Karl Parker was fundamentally a good man. I think he asked me to New York to tell me the truth.”
“Why not go to the FBI or CIA?” Dinara asked.
“Maybe he was worried they’d been infiltrated by Bright Star operatives? Maybe he even knew they were? He knew he could trust me. And Private has resources and connections,” Jack replied. “I might not have known the truth about his background, but maybe you’re right. Maybe I really did know the man. You can’t hide good, and the man I knew as Karl Parker was good. I think that’s why he left a trail for me. He was trying to expose this without putting his family in jeopardy. I think he loved them and I have to believe he had grown to love America. I think he was going to give me the identity of Minerva.”
“The identification of the Russian agent known as Minerva has become a strategic priority,” Hudson remarked.
“Who’s overseeing it?” Jack asked. “Whoever it is, how do you know they’re not Bright Star?”
Hudson said nothing.
“Karl left a trail only I could follow. He led me to the basement that revealed he was a spy. I’ve got to believe he wants me to know the truth. If he knew Minerva’s identity, he would have left a clue, something I could use, something only I would recognize,” Jack said.
“We’ve got people working on this,” Hudson assured him.
“I don’t know who they are or who they report to,” Jack replied. “But I do know my team and I trust them with my life. I’d like two phones and a couple of computers please. Miss Orlova and I need to get to work.”
Chapter 98
Mainstream media outlets all over America had run the story of me fleeing Moscow as a murder suspect. Russian authorities had given interviews portraying themselves as the victims of a coordinated conspiracy, and painting me as the villain. The Russian ambassador to Washington had lodged a formal protest demanding my immediate return to Moscow to face justice. Justine had emailed me the worst articles, so I could gauge the threat to Private, and they were currently open on the laptop John Hudson had given me.
“It’s not good, Jack,” Justine said over the speakerphone. “We lost TradeBank.”
TradeBank was a big client. Jessie Fleming had been leading a team out of Private’s New York office, investigating a possible financial fraud by organized criminals making use of the bank’s overseas branches.
“They said they can’t afford more scandal,” Justine revealed.
I sighed. “I’m going to have to quit Private,” I said. “At least until—”
“Don’t you say another word,” Mo-bot cut in.
She and Justine were in the New York office, poring over the huge data dump they’d shared with us. Everything we could pull on Karl Parker.
“You quit and everyone will think you have something to hide,” Mo-bot said. “And predators never go easy on a wounded animal.”
“I’m gambling everything,” I replied. “I’m putting all your livelihoods at risk.”
“Do the right thing for the right reasons, Jack Morgan,” Mo-bot said. “And we’ll back you all the way.”
I looked at Dinara, who sat across the aisle, studying files on the laptop Hudson had given her. She glanced up and nodded.
“Don’t let them win,” she said.
“OK,” I responded reluctantly. “But this can’t go on much longer.”
“Did you check the diary?” Dinara asked.
She turned the computer to reveal one of the crime-scene photos taken of Karl’s basement, which had been shared with Private by the NYPD before they’d stopped cooperating. I recalled the blank desk diary that had been lying beside the false passports and stacks of foreign currency.
“Yes,” I replied. “It was blank.”
I was struck by a thought. What if we weren’t supposed to look in the diary? What if the diary itself was a message?
“Have you been through his appointments?” I asked.
“We’ve checked his schedule for the past three years, and everything going forward,” Justine replied. “It’s in the folder marked ‘Admin.’”
Dinara went through the zip files we’d been sent via the high-speed satellite link and found Karl Parker’s digital calendar in the admin folder. She started flicking through the daily planner, and I saw something that made me lean forward suddenly.
“Go back,” I said.
“What is it?” Mo-bot asked.
John Hudson stood up and came round the table to peer at the screen.
“What have you seen?” Dinara asked.
I pointed at a diary entry. A midday lunch with Ann Kavanagh, the CEO of a company called Enterprise Web Services. The meal was scheduled to take place tomorrow.
“It’s the lunch with Ann Kavanagh,” I told Justine and Mo-bot.
“We checked it out. Enterprise Web Services took over the tech platform of Karl Parker’s company, Silverlink International, about a month ago,” Mo-bot replied.
“So Karl Parker would probably have met Ann Kavanagh only recently,” I remarked.
“Ann Kavanagh?” Justine said. “Would the Russians really go to such lengths to protect the CEO of a tech company?”
“That’s her,” I said. “That’s Minerva.”
“How can you be sure?” Dinara asked.
“The name of the restaurant where they’re supposed to meet, DC Legitum,” I replied. “‘DC’ is a military acronym for ‘danger close’ and ‘legitum’ is shorthand for a legitimate military target.”
Chapter 99
“Enterprise web services is a massive data provider. It competes with Amazon for enterprise-level data management,” Mo-bot explained. “Banks, video streamers, the military...” She trailed off, and I felt the familiar thrill of a lead.
“Jack, there was no way Ann Kavanagh was ever going to make that lunch date,” she revealed. “Tomorrow at midday, the Pentagon will activate its real-time cloud network, linking battlefield operations with live intelligence. It’s designed to give America the strategic advantage, but guess which company is providing the tech behind it?”
“Enterprise Web Services,” I replied.
“Bingo,” Mo-bot said. “It’s called the Field Operations Resource and Communications Engine, otherwise known as the FORCE System. The date for the activation ceremony was fixed months ago. Ann Kavanagh will be there. That’s what Karl Parker’s calendar entry must signify. I’ve sent you a link to an article in Jane’s Defence Weekly.”
I checked my email and found Mo-bot’s message. When I clicked on the link, a window opened, revealing an in-depth feature about the Pentagon’s state-of-the-art battlefield solution, and a profile of Ann Kavanagh, the technical genius behind it.
“If she is Minerva, the Russians will be able to see our every move. Every troop deployment, every base, all our military and intelligence secrets will be open to them,” I concluded with a sinking feeling as the scale of the threat became clear. Technology, not politics, not conventional espionage, was going to give the Russians the keys to the republic.
“She fits the profile,” Justine advised. “I’m sending you what I’ve been able to get on her, Jack. Raised in Ryegate, Montana, she was another small-town orphan who became a ward of the foster system. She enlisted in the Navy aged eighteen, and served with distinction. She started Enterprise Web Services after a short career at IBM, using investment funds provided by a syndicate of European banks and financiers.”