BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

The system would now allow him to leave a secure recording that would be categorized and saved according to the information he’d just provided.

There was a click and then a recorded voice said, “Please record at the tone.”

The tone sounded and Igor suddenly found himself lost for words. “Igor Aralov,” he said, even though that was unnecessary. “On orders from Direktor Timokhin, I allowed my agent, Tatyana Aleksandrova, to meet with a member of the CIA. Aleksandrova was leaking information to the Americans and our purpose in allowing the meeting was to find out who on the American side she was meeting.”

He waited. Nothing happened. There were no further prompts. Just a tape recorder somewhere deep in a vault beneath the city, listening to his confession.

Igor felt scattered. He wasn’t sure of himself. He didn’t know if what he’d said was enough to justify what he’d done to Tatyana. It certainly didn’t feel that way.

“For the record,” he added, “Tatyana Aleksandrova was killed for selling secrets and possibly defecting to the Americans.”

He stopped talking. He was rambling now. His hands were shaking. He could barely hold the receiver. He didn’t know if there was anything more to say. Technically, the recording was for his protection, an explanation of his actions leading to the death of one of his agents. But he didn’t know where the recording was kept, how it was filed, or who might be listening.

He cleared his throat again and added one final sentence. “Leaked information related to bioweapons program at Sverdlovsk Military Compound 19.”

He hung up the phone and sat back. He opened his top collar button and pulled the shirt from his skin. He was tacky with sweat. His hand was shaking.

He opened his humidor and took a King of Denmark cigar from the top shelf. It had been a gift from the president on his fiftieth birthday. As he cut it, he wasn’t sure if he was rewarding himself, or compensating himself.

Igor knew there was more to this than Timokhin had let him in on. They were preparing for war. The bioweapon was part of that. But that wasn’t the only angle Timokhin was working.

Igor had been sent Goldin’s recording of the meeting between Tatyana and her American contact. The contact was a woman. They were still trying to get a read on who she worked for.

He couldn’t believe Tatyana had allowed herself to be totally exposed, even though she knew she was being followed.

It was an inexplicable error in judgment, and it had cost her dearly.

He watched the footage over and over, trying to make sense of it, but he couldn’t.