Chapter 87

Scorpio Ranch, Australia

The text message shone on the display of Vincent's phone. It said: Heard from Siberia?

Sitting in a tan leather recliner with plush cushions that nearly swallowed his lanky frame, Vincent typed in: No. How long has it been cold?

Robin closed the zipper of her backpack. She moved to peer behind Vincent's shoulder. "Who's in Siberia?"

"It's the code name for my aunt Ava. Mama is Bengal."

"Like the tigers?"

"Uh, huh. It was my father's idea."

"What's your code name?" asked Robin.

Vincent did not respond right away. When he did reply, he said, "I will tell you but you must not reveal it to anyone else."

"Okay. I promise."

He leaned back in his chair and whispered into Robin's ear.

"That's so cute," said Robin.

"Aunt Ava has missed her weekly call with Mama for some weeks now. Mama is worried," explained Vincent. "I am Aunt Ava's second point of contact in an emergency."

"And she can't call her at home I suppose." Robin walked to her bedroom door to shut it but not before Andrew streaked by in the hallway carrying a duffle bag in each arm. She'd lost count how many times he'd gone past her door. She closed the door then sat on the armrest of the recliner with her legs over Vincent's lap.

"No. Every kind of communication - phones, email, Internet - is monitored. She cannot risk it."

"So you wait?"

"For now, yes." Vincent began to scan the day's online newspapers for any news of significance in Russia. "There is nothing in the news. Nothing obvious but …"

"But what?"

"Mama's visitors have been describing some disturbing information."

"Such as?"

"Ah, no shop talk with you."

"Why not?"

Vincent sighed. "Because you should be enjoying your recovery period. Stress is not included in that. Are you not supposed to be packing?"

Robin pointed to the large backpack on her bed. A hat lay on top of it. "I'm done."

"That's all you're bringing?"

"It's only a few days in the bush not a safari into deepest, darkest Africa," said Robin. "Fine. No shop talk but I want to know the story behind your code name. C'mon, spill it, Winnie."

Vincent frowned in mock ferocity. "Do not call me that!"

Robin studied his face. "I see no resemblance at all in your face." Her eyes drifted leisurely across his broad chest and flat stomach. "Or anywhere else for that matter."

"I sincerely hope not."

"Well?"

Vincent gave in. "When I was growing up I was … chubby. I related to Winnie the Pooh because of it and because we both loved sugary treats. His size did not matter to him. Despite it, he had adventures and friends. He was content."

Robin stroked his hair gently. "You didn't have friends?"

"I was not very outgoing and I was clumsy. I had Ivan and my other cousins when they visited," said Vincent. "From what you've told me, you were not without friends."

Robin smiled. "There was Mom and my grandmother Filomena. I had lots of playmates."

"It sounds the idyllic childhood." Vincent tapped another text message on his phone.

"Mostly but it got better once we moved to Port Charles and I found out who my parents really were. We had the best parties, too," said Robin. "If we'd never come there, I think my life would have been very different. So, things worked out for the best."

Vincent showed his screen to Robin. "Ivan is Edmund named after the C.S. Lewis character who liked Turkish Delight which is Ivan's favorite candy."

"That's very creative."

"Ivan hates it but it was Aunt Ava's choice. Let's see if he has heard from her." Vincent realized the time difference. "It's late over there. I forgot. He's probably in bed."

Robin wrapped her arms about his neck. She wiggled a little. "Speaking of bed …"

"Stop that, minx," warned Vincent.

"I'll settle for a goodbye kiss."

"That's all?"

"You know what I want but you won't unbend even a little," said Robin. "I'd rather stay here with you than go with-"

"Robert wants to give his daughter what she wants - open skies and clear starry nights."

Robin sighed. "That's why I have to go. I don't want to disappoint him. We always had the best times when I came here to visit as a child. I do wish you were coming along."

"I have much work to do here," said Vincent. He looked at his phone. His voice softened. "And I AM concerned about Siberia. It does not feel right to me."

Vincent's phone chimed. There was an incoming message. It was from Edmund. It said: This week - no. Worried. Will u help?

Vincent did not hesitate to reply with: Yes. Don't worry.

"Her own son can't contact her?"

"That is troublesome."

"What are you going to do?" asked Robin.

"Help."

"Details please?"

"I'll let you know when I think of something." Vincent rose with Robin in his arms. They kissed playfully at first. Vincent ended the kiss before it could become too lustful much to Robin's disappointment. He put her down on to her feet. He hefted the backpack as Robin opened the door.

Andrew dragged a very large duffel bag down the hallway from his bedroom and towards the stairs.

"Andrew, what are you doing?" asked Robin.

"Packing essential supplies for our trip," said Andrew. "I like to be prepared."

"We're only going to be out there for three days. Maybe four days." Robin eyed the bag. "How many essentials do you need?"

"Unforeseen variables may occur," said Andrew. "I have to account for as many scenarios as I can."

Robin arched a brow. "Andrew, have you heard of the word overkill?"

The Haunted Star

The bartender Dan knocked then entered Luke's office. Reclined in his chair, Luke opened his eyes at the knock.

"Luke, someone came by and left a message for you," said Dan.

"Let's hear it," said Luke.

"He said that the package was on its way and not to worry about the postage," said Dan. "He said you'd know what that means."

"Thanks, Dan." Luke got to his feet. "Why don't you finish up and get out of here. You've been closing for me this week and I appreciate it. Take a few days off with pay."

Dan grinned. "You mean it?"

"Of'course I do," said Luke. "Go spend some time with the family. Your kids are young aren't they?"

"Yeah, Oscar is four and Sara is seven," said Dan.

It was Luke's turn to smile at a distant memory of his own kids at the same age. "They are a handful at that age but you can't get mad at them for very long, can you?"

"I'm a cream puff to my kids, Luke. My wife is the one that keeps them in line. I don't know how she does it with the kids, me and going to school part-time," said Dan. "I call her Superwoman sometimes."

"When you have a good thing, you should take care of it," said Luke.

"No need to tell me twice. I'll close the front doors when I leave. 'Night!" said Dan as he closed the door.

Luke walked over to a port hole and stared through it. The river was calm tonight. The casino was pulling in more and more people on the weekday. That would be good for the books. Thinking about the books brought his mind to Tracy.

"Oh, Tracy, I've tried running away from my past. It always catches up," said Luke under his breath. "I'm tired of trying."

Villa Scorpio - Command and Control

Lars, Giles, Raine, Dani and Alys listened intently to the snatches of audio that their discreet surveillance bug was acquiring in Vandenberg's hotel room at the Metro Court. Lars leaned on the main console as the other three sat behind terminals. Shane was off at the side table examining the miniature surveillance drones disguised as toy planes that had flown into the property and been disabled.

"Is he truly paranoid?" asked Giles. "He's using two styles of jammers. We're getting every other word or so."

"Paranoid and knows his business," said Lars. "It's what I would do."

"His Internet connection is through a virtual private network. I'd say he knew he could be under scrutiny," said Alys tapping on her keyboard. "I'm able to trace the network to Milton Keynes UK but that's all. If we could only hear both ends of the conversation."

"What about the size of the data packets? Big or small?" asked Lars.

"Rather large and non-stop," replied Alys.

"Streaming video conferencing then," said Lars.

Dani looked up from her terminal. "There's no WSB office or department based in Milton Keynes. With all of his security measures, I don't think that's a personal call."

Giles glanced at the snapshot displayed on a monitor of Arn's basic WSB record that SIMON had found earlier. "I find no mention of Vandenberg in current WSB personnel records. Would it be possible that he's no longer with the Bureau?"

"That's possible. We need to look at all the angles," said Lars. He spoke to Raine. "Check your personal network. Has MI5 or MI6 heard of this man?"

"Will do," said Raine. She had one earpiece of a headphone pressed against one ear. Ocassionally, she jotted notes on a notepad.

"Has anyone found out why he's in the area in the first place? Other than surveillance on this place I mean," said Shane as he carefully dissected a drone into even smaller parts. "This drone is not your run of the mill product. It's has some specializations I'm not familiar with."

"He's been to the library, various coffee houses, Zeckers, taverns and the usual gathering places on the waterfront," said Alys. "We haven't seen him meeting with anyone in particular. He has a coffee or a sandwich. Chats with other patrons. He typically seems to be a businessman on his lunch hour or coming home after work. One thing though. He does read all the papers local, national and international. That's why he goes to the library every other day."

"And he reads every page?" asked Dani.

"Oh, yes. He doesn't just skim either. Khamchatta observed and timed how long he stays on individual pages. Vandenberg reads everything."

"Not the actions of someone on a field operation," said Shane.

"He's either a high level handler or an analyst," said Raine.

Dani asked, "Can he be both?"

"He thinks like a field operative though," said Lars. "He takes the same precautions. He knows how to spot a tail."

"Has he spotted our watchers?" asked Dani.

"No but I am nearly certain that he knows he's being watched," said Lars. "I suspect that he knows the Villa is not the rustic farm it tries to appear to be."

A small chime sounded. Edgar's face appeared on a monitor display.

"Hello, all. Sorry I'm late," said Edgar.

"The subject initiated his call only a few minutes ago," reported Lars. "But we are receiving only a few words at a time due to jamming. I've stopped close physical surveillance. I do not want him to become suspicious."

"Agreed," said Edgar. "How long is he staying in town?"

"His airline ticket indicate that he will on his way to the UK by tomorrow afternoon," said GIles.

"Has he tried accessing the Villa again?"

"Negative. I think he got the message."

Alys repeated the observations made by the field team. Edgar's frown increased.

"That's good old fashioned spycraft," said Edgar.

"What information could he get from the locals?" asked Lars.

"Details and nuance that wouldn't be in the usual sources. Our man is collecting information in bits and from different sources. He puts them together to make a better picture than what he's had before," said Edgar.

"A quick Web and database search would have been more efficient and faster," said Giles.

"Faster maybe but doing the legwork works just as well if not better, especially if the real subject of interest is local," said Edgar. "Sometimes it's the little things that fill in the picture best."

"Little things?" asked Dani.

"Gossip, hearsay, superstition, local prejudices, opinions, small town papers. Just because such items are not formally reported or entirely verifiable, does not mean that they lack merit. An analyst is supposed to be able to see patterns and connections even when they are invisible."

"I'll remember that. Thanks!"

"He sounds a natural at it. I don't like it. Not at all," said Edgar. "But we have little to go on as far as actual cause. Heightened suspicion is insufficient reason."

Dani looked at Giles. "Can we have surveillance continued in Milton Keynes? Does Andre have the resources for it? Or Salim's people?"

Giles deflected the question to Edgar, the senior officer. "Is that necessary at this point?"

Edgar shook his head. "I will consult with Salim first. The most pressing need is something for which we have little to no expertise on - local knowledge."

Lars said, "We do have someone local - Captain Wells. She gave us the name of a private investigation firm. I can't remember the name."

Alys fingers flew over her keyboard. "Sinclair and Lewis. Remi Sinclair is the contact." Her lips moved as she read silently. "Ah, she was a former police officer during Robert's tenure."

"Wonderful. An old hand," said Edgar. "Lars, please assign someone to work with this firm. Give them an assignment to discover what kinds of information Vandenberg was in search of. If she has worked with Robert, then our … requirements for extreme discretion should be made plain. She is to gather information and report. That is all.

Lars nodded at Alys. "Take this one. I leave it to your discretion to decide what to tell them."

"A pleasure and understood," said Alys with a smile.

"We may have a problem," said Shane. He came towards the terminals holding several small parts with wires sticking out of it.

"More than we have already?" asked Edgar. "What?"

"If Vandenberg is WSB, what is his drone doing with DVX components? Not copied vintage ones either. This gyroscope is about a year old," said Shane. "This self-destruct detonator that didn't work is a decade old design. It was originally used in the Balkan theater for remote landmine detonation. Filthy stuff!"

"Scans did not report any explosives. How did we miss it?" asked Lars.

"No explosives per se," Shane held one part aloft so they could all see a small bubble protrusion on the casing. "That's probably a solid propellant embedded on the side. The failed detonator is supposed to generate a spark around the propellant to begin fire ignition. The rest is fire physics. At the least, it would have burned the critical components. In Serbia, I know these were used to 'hide' the identity of landmine makers. You'd get to a field and not really be certain who planted the mines because the markers would be gone even if you manage to do a controlled detonation. Filthy and sneaky."

"What's a WSB-trained operative doing with DVX equipment?" asked Dani.

"I will have a talk with Ivan," said Lars. "Edgar, should we not consult with Anna and Robert? This is entering troubling waters."

Edgar was lost in thought for a moment. "No. There are other matters that require their attention. This stays with us for now."

Raine put her headphones down and announced. "He's ended the call. I have some possible leads for the group." She looked at her pad. "As I was listening, I was writing down words. Then I tallied the frequency of those words. Frequency analysis is a useful technique when surveillance is incomplete."

"Damn, I have so much to learn," marveled Dani.

Alys smiled kindly at the younger woman. "You're doing just fine, Dani. Keep on with it."

"What did you find, Raine?" asked Edgar.

"These words were mentioned five or more times. To me, this indicates that they're proper names for people, projects, locations and similar things. They could also have some significant importance unknown to us," explained Raine. "The words Vandenberg repeated are: hunter, chase and minerva. One phrase was unusual because it seemed to be said with some respect on Vandenberg's part. The phrase was 'our founder'. He said this twice near the end of the call. I can only think that it may be a code name."

"Chase, Hunter, Minerva? They could all be actual names," said Dani.

"Perhaps others in their organization," said Giles.

"He could just as easily have said something like 'the hunter began to chase his wounded prey'," said Alys. "Context can make all the difference."

"Speaking of context, put the recording we have of tonight's call through SIMON. Have it mark areas of high emotion based on tone and cadence. That may help in our analysis of the words if we had a clue on emotional texture," said Raine. "There was some sort of heated discussion on the call. Vandenberg held himself in check but his tone of voice changed near the middle of the call. He sounded more strained."

"Trouble in the organization?" asked Giles.

"Raine has all good points to follow up on. Also, we need to reverse engineer the drones and possibly trace its components to the supplier level. Intelligence organizations often use the same suppliers. I do not want our initial reaction to be one of panic in regards to the DVX angle," said Edgar. He looked away to something on his notes. A sound off screen made him look away. "Um, I have to cut my call short." He looked away again. "Lars, I will call in at nine hundred hours your local time." With that, Edgar ended the connection and his image faded to black.

"What's going on there?" asked Alys.

"It can't be more exciting than Vienna," muttered Shane.

"Why wasn't Salim on the call with Edgar? They're both senior officers," noted Dani.

Giles busied himself on his terminal. "I'm signing off on this shift. I've got to put in an appearance at the store tomorrow. Who's taking over my shift?"

"I will," said Shane. "Lars, I can do overnight monitoring of the bug."

"Yes, fine," said Lars. "Start work on backtracking the component supplier. Raine, do the voice analysis on the recording. Dani, assist on that, please," said Lars. "How is Therese Curic's medical staff?"

"I've made arrangements for around the clock staff for her," said Dani. "I've completed background checks on three licensed nurses. Neal, is setting up recorded surveillance on Therese. We'll be able to monitor her from here as Robert instructed."

"I've requested that Captain Wells post an alert for Therese's brother, Franjo Curic."

"How likely would it be that he's around here?"

"The postcard he sent is a good reason to be watchful. Robert missed the meeting. What will Curic do next?" said Lars. "Having his sister is our insurance policy for his good behavior."

"You sound quite cold saying that. He needs to know about his sister," pressed Dani.

"When and where is up to Robert not us," Lars stretched his arms out. "I have had a long day. I'll see everyone in six hours." He began to climb the stairs up to the Barn when Shane called him back.

"Lars, incoming call from the WSB," said Shane. "Must be an insider if they have this number."

Lars trotted back and positioned himself in front of the main display screen. Connie's picture appeared on the main screen.

"Hello? I was expecting Robert or Edgar," said Connie.

"They are unavailable. My name is Lars. Perhaps I can help," said Lars taking note of the WSB director's face and expressions.

"Lars SIggurdsen?"

At the mention of his full name, Lars stood straighter. "Yes, Director Townley."

"I am contacting you to personally inform you of three things. First, Martin Ross is no longer WSB Director. I am the interim Director for all WSB bureaus until a successor can be formally selected. Secondly, we have established beyond any doubt that Ross was the internal mole. Thank you for your team's help in uncovering his duplicity. Your analysis of trends and patterns was a crucial piece information. I'd give you all commendations if I could. Please let Sean, Robert and Anna know that Ross is dead. I believe they worked with him in the past."

Raine, Alys, Dani and Shane looked at each other sharing their curiosity and shock at the news.

Connie continued, "Lastly, as part of our internal review, all projects, um, outsourced must be discontinued. All documentation and related materials that Frisco and Dianara gave to you for further analysis need to be returned to WSB HQ and put to my attention. This includes data files, physical documentation, media and such that were used in the analysis. Also, purge same from all your systems." Connie smiled tightly. "I'd think Robert would be grateful for the reduction of your workload."

"It was no problem, Ms. Townley," said Lars. "We like putting our skills to their proper use."

Connie ended the call after some additional pleasantries.

"The good guys do win sometimes," said Shane.

Lars turned to everyone and beamed. "And THAT is why we do what we do."

Scorpio Ranch, Australia

Anna's expression in the hall mirror rotated between exasperation, amusement and panic. A floppy hat landed on her head. She had barely blinked before it was replaced by another hat - fedora style but with an Australian twist.

"Robert, we NEED to talk about this," said Anna. "Enough with the hats. I've tried nearly a dozen."

Robert scrutinized Anna's image in the mirror. He changed the angle on the hat a few times. "You need a wider brim to shade your face."

"We don't have to leave here and-" She paused as Robert caressed her cheek. Her annoyance evaporated at his unexpected gentleness.

"I know you don't like too much sun on your face or your neck." He nuzzled the back of her neck. "I love how soft your skin is. Do you know something else I love about you?"

"What's that?"

Perhaps unconsciously, Robert's hand skimmed down Anna's body from waist to hip. 'I noticed it when we first danced. Remember that?"

"It was the first time we got truly up close and personal," said Anna letting her head fall against Robert's shoulder.

"Hmm, yes it was," admitted Robert.

"Are you going to tell me or shall I guess?" asked Anna. "A round of charades our way perhaps? The last time we played was a long time ago."

Robert fairly growled. "I was heartily grateful that Thanksgiving."

"You lost spectacularly as I recall," Anna smiled seductively.

Robert whispered into her ear. "You were ruthless in the exercise of your considerable feminine wiles. I also remember being promised a rematch at New Years."

"If we stay here tonight, maybe we could have that rematch."

Robert chuckled. "You are so good at this back and forth stuff especially when you want something. It's quite the turn on."

Anna laughed out loud. "I don't believe you."

"Just another thing I love about you."

"What's the other thing?"

"Curious are we?"

"You do this to me all the time, Robert!" exclaimed Anna.

"Do what?"

"Dangle a carrot and then tease me with it."

Robert laughed. "Oh, that. I can't help myself."

Anna touched the edge of the hat on her head. "Tell me or I'll choose this one. It's hideous on me."

"The other thing is this." He dropped a kiss on her neck just below her right ear. "I love how you smell. Right here." He rubbed his cheek against the back of her neck. "And here. It's not your cologne, shampoo or soap. It's just you."

She sighed. "You can be so … so …"

"I know."

Anna locked eyes with Robert's image in the mirror. They said nothing. They didn't need to. For a minute, they simply savored the moment of connection and understanding.

Robert removed her hat and replaced it with a tan Outback style hat. He stood back and set the hat to a rakish angle. "We have a winner!"

"Good choice." Anna turned her face left and right. She approved. The hat was practical yet flattering. "Robert, I know I agreed to this vacation but we need to get back to the Villa. There's so much we need to stay on top of. Who knows what's happening in our absence?"

"We have good people on the team, Anna. I'm not worried." Robert stood behind her with hands on hips. "We'll get back to work but for now family comes first."

Anna turned and faced him. Her expression was serious. "Charlotte knew where we were. She had the gall to call. Doesn't that bother you a little bit?"

"Of course it does. I don't mean to ignore it."

"But you are."

"Is that what it seems like?"

Anna's eyes narrowed. "What am I missing here? Are you doing something behind the scenes?"

Robert leaned in close and said in a low voice. "The Club can operate independently of us. That's the way Jacques and I designed it."

"You're keeping secrets from me now?"

Robert grinned. "Not me."

"Then why not tell me?"

"Just dangling the carrot, dear."

"I repeat. I hate it when you do this to me."

"When our vacation is over, I'll open the kimono all the way. Give you all the answers you want." Robert took a hat off the hat rack that stood next to the mirror. He placed it on his head. He looked quite dashing. "Now that we have our hats picked out, we can have brunch."

"I thought we were leaving right away."

"We will as soon as Andrew finishes his packing," said Robert. "Until then, let's eat. Hat picking is hungry work."

New York Times Press Room

The senior pressman pored over the galleys for the morning edition. Each page of the newspaper were printed on sheets large enough to be proofread by the naked eye. Publishing technology had done away with the need for galley proofing but the pressman was a stickler for keeping to the old ways on the days when he was on duty. He manually printed out proof sheets and was now reading the headlines and general copy.

One headline caught his eye: Heritage Foundation Targeted By Covert Ops Team.

The article included two grainy black and white pictures. One showed a man running down a hallway pointing a gun ahead of him. The other picture was of a physical fight that clearly showed Foundation security staff being overpowered by black-garbed figures. A sidebar story profiled Elena Cosgrove and Roger Barrett as ex-intelligence officers who turned their backs on their shadowy pasts and sought redemption by founding the Foundation to help others.

"These nutcases see conspiracies in everything," muttered the pressman as he moved to proof another sheet.

(SLD-87-b2c27)