very high, and we are still pursuing leads. We will never give up.” Bar-Lev then asked Lehan, “So your monitoring breach here at the estate, you believe Grayden and Orr were involved in those?”
“Absolutely, I am sure of it. Grayden developed our entire system. He made sure it was maintained properly. He installed the bypass systems Andre and I could activate if we needed to. I am sure he installed whatever bypass you have found in the rooms on the fourth floor, for himself and Jason Orr to use, so they could discuss their schemes without being detected.
Fromer then asked, “Can I inquire what led to Grayden’s death?”
Lehan answered, “He unfortunately died in a plane crash in the South Pacific. He was on an assignment for us. He was traveling from Fiji to Sydney.”
“And how did Orr leave the Island?”
“He stole one of our helicopters, kidnapped the pilot. We don’t know if the pilot survived. The helicopter was found on the South Carolina coast. But like I said, I am certain he went to Alaska. He owns a cabin in a small village named Levelock. Local authorities have no record of him showing up there, but I believe he changed his identity. I would recommend starting any search for him in Alaska.”
“So this Jason Orr sounds ruthless. What caused him to turn so violent and vindictive toward Sarnev International?” Bar-Lev asked.
“Personally, I think it was jealousy. You see, Grayden and a young woman in our employee Sarah Mercer had been on several assignments together. Sarah was Orr’s romantic interest. Then he discovered that his best friend and the woman he loved were having an affair. I think he blamed Sarnev for sending them on assignments together. I have no proof, but I believe somehow, he arranged for the plane they were flying in together to be sabotaged, killing both Grayden, Mercer, and two pilots.”
“He sounds like a very dangerous man who is willing to do anything to achieve his goals,” Fromer said.
“Yes, he is, and I am afraid his vendetta against Sarnev International has just begun,” Lehan answered.
Bar-Lev changed the subject, “So, Mr. Lehan, you say you have security tapes of all the estate’s monitoring going back, let’s say for the past year?”
“Yes, and even farther back. I think I should bring in my own team to review all the tapes. It is a daunting process, but it would give us all peace of mind to find anyone who may have leaked, who still might be on the island working. They could still be leaking vital security information off the estate. And if we are lucky, we might find clues to help us locate our target, Mr. Orr.
“I agree, but what about our current staff? They are all well-trained and know the system.”
Bar-Lev answered, “That could be where your problem lies. I will bring in my people, and your staff can be given temporary time off. Just don’t let them leave the estate. It would probably take a week, maybe two.”
Lehan sat back down. He looked as if he was pondering a big decision. Fromer and Bar-Lev sat silently, waiting for Lehan to answer.
“I concur with your assessments and your plan to resolve these issues. I will give the proposed time off to my current team when your people have arrived on the island. How long till they can be here?”
“Give us a week. We will have to tie up some business on the coast, then bring them on board.”
“Good, but I want to emphasize, Jason Orr must be found. I will spare no expense for his capture, or,” Lehan paused, “verifiable proof of his death.”
Chapter 10
Mariya Kamanev’s cell phone buzzed. She looked at the screen. Klopov’s name appeared. She turned the phone so Viktor could see it.
“Should I answer?”
“Da!” Viktor said. “Remember the plan.”
“Matvej, where are you?” she asked when she answered.
“Moscow, I am back. I can’t reach Bogdan. Is he with you?”
“Nyet,”
“I am worried. He always answers his phone,” Klopov said.
“I am worried too. Viktor is not back. Now Bogdan is missing. I feel something is wrong. I have left my apartment in Moscow, just temporary for now. I don’t feel safe with these mysteries, Viktor and Bogdan, not hearing from them.”
“So, Mariya, where are you?”
Mariya hesitated on purpose before answering. She wanted Klopov to think she was reluctantly letting him in on where she was.
“Can I tell you in confidence?” she asked. “We have trusted each other in the past. We need to do that now more than ever, da? Matvej?”
“Da, da! You have my word.”
“I am at Pleshcheyevo Lake, at my dacha, can you come here, meet with me so we can make plans in case things have gone wrong?”
“Da, I can be there in three hours. I have to get fuel. Should I bring a go bag and weapons?”
“Da, Matvej, and make sure you are not followed. Take longer if you feel you are being tailed. I am not going anywhere.”
“I will see you soon, Mariya.”
Pleshcheyevo Lake is located in the Ozero National Park and Yaroslavi Oblast about 150 kilometers from Moscow, once a summer home to the Czars, now a tourist destination. Mariya purchased her dacha from an old woman from a once royal bloodline.
Her family had miraculously held onto the property during the revolution. The price paid for keeping this dacha in her family was not something that the aged Faina Plotnikov wanted to talk about. But old rumors in the village of Pereslavl indicated that some family members were eager to turn over the names of other family members who were still supportive of the Czar.
With these revelations, the new revolutionary regime we’re provided with “traitors” to execute and given the opportunity to make examples of those who supported the old way. In turn, the rest of the Plotnikov family and their property were left alone.
The dacha Mariya occupied had six bedrooms and three updated bathrooms, a formal dining area, a large kitchen, and a huge great room with an enormous rock fireplace. She had a private study and a large basement. There were several secret tunnels leading out of the basement. They ran hundreds of feet out from the dacha and exited in the deep forest that surrounded the five-acre estate.
She had walled off the tunnels about twenty feet out and took pride in the wine cellars she had created in the stone passages. When the outside January temperatures would dip to eleven degrees Fahrenheit, her cellar stayed at a consistent forty-two degrees, a great temperature for the dessert wines she loved to collect.
The basement also had a very large coal burning furnace located in a far corner. She planned on updating the heating system as more illicit money rolled in.
In October, it generally did not get colder that thirty-four degrees. Tonight, she had a large fire going in the great room, thanks to Viktor. He would rather deal with firewood than shovel dirty coal in the basement.
