VORTEX: BERLIN: AN ATCHO INTERNATIONAL SPY THRILLER by Lee Jackson

Author:Lee Jackson [Jackson, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stonewall Publishers, LLC
Published: 2019-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

“No.”

21

While Atcho and Sofia conferred with Burly at brigade headquarters, Tony Collins called from the Azores to Jakes in DC prior to boarding a plane for his return trip to Berlin. “I hate to say we were right, but that seems to be the case. This is going to fall under national security considerations.”

“Tell me as much as you can.”

“I stayed another day after interviewing the family. The son took me to talk with several people who claimed to have seen a man with a hurt leg. They said he was an American, but he fit Yermolov’s description.”

“Did they say how he hurt his leg? As I recall, Atcho shot Yermolov in the thigh.”

“No one seemed to know. The man didn’t offer an explanation. That’s not unusual. Strangers don’t normally ask why someone limps.”

“Did the authorities follow up?”

“A little. They didn’t believe João. There’s not much of a murder rate here. They don’t have top-notch homicide investigators, and no one wanted to upset the widow. They attributed the blood to fishing, and since the limping man was believed to be an American, they thought João had found the Soviet jacket somewhere and rationalized the story. They pointed out that no recent Soviet accidents had occurred. Just American. They thought he couldn’t accept that his dad had made a fatal mistake.”

“But you believe him.” The editor’s voice betrayed skepticism.

“Jakes, Yermolov spied as Paul Clary—an American—for nearly thirty years. If he decides to play American again, no one meeting him for the first time will think he’s anything else. He was presumed dead. No one was looking for him.”

Jakes sounded unconvinced. “The Marines sent out a rescue/recovery team. No bodies were found.”

“Yeah, but a storm blew in and delayed the search. In fact, that storm is what the police say caused Gonçalo’s death.

“Also, a boat that leaves from Vila Nova and goes out just a few miles northeast would be under the approach pattern for Lajes. Gonçalo could have seen the crash. A helicopter departing the airfield for a ship over the horizon would be below commercial routes. That’s the area where Gonçalo was and where the helicopter went down.

“He seems to have been a very nice man. If Yermolov survived and Gonçalo rescued him…” He paused to let the thought sink in. “The other factors add up. Yermolov could have hitched a ride on a private aircraft to Lisbon. From there he’s a hop, skip and jump from Berlin. If the guy has proven anything, it’s that he’s resourceful. Napoleon escaped from Elba, and he didn’t have airplanes.”

“OK, one last question. Why would Yermolov kill his rescuer?”

Collins scoffed. “You know the answer. Yermolov killed Gonçalo because he was the only person who could say that a man survived the crash.”

“I had to ask. All right. I’m not sure I’m totally on board, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. What do we do with this information? Is it something we can print?”

“Not yet. It’s explosive, but we don’t have to worry about anyone scooping us.

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