watching. Sitting opposite him was a slim woman with short auburn
hair, fair skin and green eyes. She wore a gun holstered under her shoulder,
and from the way the others waited for her to speak, Craig realized she was in
charge.
“I am Valentina Petrovna,” she
said. “I trust you weren’t hurt?”
“Not much,” Craig said in a tone
suggesting more force was used than necessary.
“You were being watched, and the
location of this house must remain a secret.”
“Watched by who?”
Valentina glanced at Fenenko who
shook his head. “He never saw them. They must have followed him from the
airport.”
“Who followed me?” Craig
demanded, genuinely surprised.
“The British Police,” Valentina
said. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
“I’m a lawyer, not a secret agent.”
“Did you bring the document?”
“Don’t you think you should tell
me what’s going on?” Craig asked suspiciously.
“I work for Sledstevenny Komitet
– SK – it means Investigations Committee. It’s like your FBI. I am a member of
the Criminal Investigations Department, currently an investigator, although one
day I will be a prosecutor.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
She smiled. “Does that surprise
you?” She was a graduate of the centuries old St Petersburg State University
Law School.
He shrugged and motioned towards
her gun. “Strange job for a lawyer.”
“Not so strange. My unit
specializes in crimes against the state, particularly crimes that damage Russia’s
economy.”
“Russia? It that what this is? A
criminal investigation?”
“It’s much more than that. It’s high
treason.”
“Treason?” Craig said, genuinely
surprised.
“Give me the document,” she said
in a tone that showed she was in no mood for small talk.
“Show me what you’ve got to trade
first.”
She nodded to the men standing
behind Craig. Several pinned his arms while Fenenko searched his pockets,
retrieving an envelope which he tossed onto the table. The men released Craig while
Valentina opened the envelope and studied its contents.
“You don’t know what this means,”
she said with relief.
“Sure I do. It means you cheated
me, and you’re now the richest woman on the planet.”
“Not a cent is for me!” she
snapped. “All of it will be returned to the millions of people it was stolen
from.” She leaned toward him, eyes flashing with a deep hatred. “The Communist
Party siphoned off the wealth of the old Soviet Union for decades, stealing
from people living close to starvation, and hid the money in western banks.
This is the crime my unit has been investigating for years now.”
“Why did they hide it, rather
than spend it?”
“The only thing they want is
power. This money was meant to help them get that power back.”
“Did Goldstein and the others know?”
“No, they were just pawns.”
Craig felt a twinge of sorrow for
the three men he’d worked for. They’d been decent men, who’d been pulled into
something they’d never understood. “So, what will you do with it?”
“Steal it all back, of course.”
She held up the page containing the master list.
“That’s going to seriously piss
someone off.”
“By the time they find out, it
will be too late.”
“Are you going to tell me what
happened to my father?”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” Valentina
said, “but you may not like what you hear.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Valentina folded the master list
and placed it back in the envelope. “Colonel Jack Balard survived the crash of
his plane in Serbia and was taken prisoner. You knew that from the photo Yegor gave
you.”
Craig nodded. “Did they execute
him for dropping bombs on them?”
Valentina shook her head. “No,
you don’t understand. A high ranking American Air Force officer flying a top
secret stealth plane would never be killed. Never.”
Craig looked surprised. “What
then?”
* * * *
May 17, 1999
Colonel Jack Balard lay on a
cot in
hair, fair skin and green eyes. She wore a gun holstered under her shoulder,
and from the way the others waited for her to speak, Craig realized she was in
charge.
“I am Valentina Petrovna,” she
said. “I trust you weren’t hurt?”
“Not much,” Craig said in a tone
suggesting more force was used than necessary.
“You were being watched, and the
location of this house must remain a secret.”
“Watched by who?”
Valentina glanced at Fenenko who
shook his head. “He never saw them. They must have followed him from the
airport.”
“Who followed me?” Craig
demanded, genuinely surprised.
“The British Police,” Valentina
said. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
“I’m a lawyer, not a secret agent.”
“Did you bring the document?”
“Don’t you think you should tell
me what’s going on?” Craig asked suspiciously.
“I work for Sledstevenny Komitet
– SK – it means Investigations Committee. It’s like your FBI. I am a member of
the Criminal Investigations Department, currently an investigator, although one
day I will be a prosecutor.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
She smiled. “Does that surprise
you?” She was a graduate of the centuries old St Petersburg State University
Law School.
He shrugged and motioned towards
her gun. “Strange job for a lawyer.”
“Not so strange. My unit
specializes in crimes against the state, particularly crimes that damage Russia’s
economy.”
“Russia? It that what this is? A
criminal investigation?”
“It’s much more than that. It’s high
treason.”
“Treason?” Craig said, genuinely
surprised.
“Give me the document,” she said
in a tone that showed she was in no mood for small talk.
“Show me what you’ve got to trade
first.”
She nodded to the men standing
behind Craig. Several pinned his arms while Fenenko searched his pockets,
retrieving an envelope which he tossed onto the table. The men released Craig while
Valentina opened the envelope and studied its contents.
“You don’t know what this means,”
she said with relief.
“Sure I do. It means you cheated
me, and you’re now the richest woman on the planet.”
“Not a cent is for me!” she
snapped. “All of it will be returned to the millions of people it was stolen
from.” She leaned toward him, eyes flashing with a deep hatred. “The Communist
Party siphoned off the wealth of the old Soviet Union for decades, stealing
from people living close to starvation, and hid the money in western banks.
This is the crime my unit has been investigating for years now.”
“Why did they hide it, rather
than spend it?”
“The only thing they want is
power. This money was meant to help them get that power back.”
“Did Goldstein and the others know?”
“No, they were just pawns.”
Craig felt a twinge of sorrow for
the three men he’d worked for. They’d been decent men, who’d been pulled into
something they’d never understood. “So, what will you do with it?”
“Steal it all back, of course.”
She held up the page containing the master list.
“That’s going to seriously piss
someone off.”
“By the time they find out, it
will be too late.”
“Are you going to tell me what
happened to my father?”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” Valentina
said, “but you may not like what you hear.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Valentina folded the master list
and placed it back in the envelope. “Colonel Jack Balard survived the crash of
his plane in Serbia and was taken prisoner. You knew that from the photo Yegor gave
you.”
Craig nodded. “Did they execute
him for dropping bombs on them?”
Valentina shook her head. “No,
you don’t understand. A high ranking American Air Force officer flying a top
secret stealth plane would never be killed. Never.”
Craig looked surprised. “What
then?”
* * * *
May 17, 1999
Colonel Jack Balard lay on a
cot in
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