Tom Clancy's op-centre_ mirror image - Tom Clancy [67]
"Please tell me you've got photos of the nude swimmin' hole back in Renova," he said into the speakerphone.
"I'm sure the foliage is still covering it up," Viens said. "What I've got is a plane whose heat signature we've been following for DEA. It went from Colombia to Mexico City to Honolulu, then on to Japan and Vladivostok."
"The drug cartels are dealing in Russia," Herbert said. "That isn't news."
"No," said Viens, "but when it landed in Vladivostok, we had a satellite in position to eyeball it. This is the first time I've ever seen a plane being unloaded by spetsnaz troops."
Herbert sat up straight. "How many?"
"Less than a dozen, all in camouflage whites," Viens said. "What's more, the crates were quickly loaded onto trucks from the Pacific Fleet. We may be looking at multi-service drug dealing."
Herbert thought back to the meeting between Shovich, General Kosigan, and Minister Dogin. "It could be more than just the military consortin' with gangsters," he said. "Are the trucks still there?"
"Yes," said Viens. "They're off-loading crates by the dozens. One truck is almost completely full."
"Do the crates look like they're evenly balanced?"
"Perfectly," said Viens. "They're oblong. But both ends seem equally heavy."
"Give a listen with the AIM," Herbert said. "Let me know if there's anything rattling around in there."
"Will do," Viens said.
"And Steve, let me know where the trucks go," Herbert said, signing off and buzzing Mike Rodgers.
Rodgers was out of his office and stopped by when he got the page.
When Herbert was finished briefing him, Rodgers said, "So the Russians are openly consorting with the drug lords. Well, they have to get hard currency from somewhere. I'm just wondering--"
"Excuse me," Herbert said as his phone beeped. He punched the speaker button set in his wheelchair armrest. "Yes?"
"Bob, it's Darrell. The FBI lost their guy in Tokyo."
"What happened?"
"Gunned down by the crew of the Gulfstream," McCaskey said grimly. "The Japanese lost their Self-Defense Force guy in the cross fire."
"Darrell, it's Mike," said Rodgers. "Anyone hurt on the plane?"
"Not that we can tell, though the ground crew didn't say much. They're scared."
"Or bribed," Herbert said. "Sorry about this, Dar. Did he have any family?"
"A father," McCaskey said. "I'll see if there's anything we can do for him."
"Right," said Herbert.
"I guess that cements the link between the plane and the Russian drug dealers," said McCaskey. "Even the Colombians aren't insane enough to have a firefight at an international airport."
"No," Herbert said. "They shoot the guys who are supposed to try the cases. They all stink deeply, and I'd love to turn Striker loose on the lot of them."
Herbert hung up and took a second to collect himself. These things always made the Intelligence Officer queasy, the more so when there was any kind of family involved.
He looked at Rodgers. "What was it that you were wondering a minute ago, General?"
Rodgers was more somber than before. "If this connects with what Matt found out. Our boy genius just conferenced with Paul and me," Rodgers said. "He hacked the Kremlin payroll through the bank in Riyadh that holds about ten billion dollars in IOUs. He found out they've been employing some very expensive executives at the new TV studio in the Hermitage and in the Ministry of the Interior-- people with no prior records anywhere."
"Meaning that someone may have created names and identities for payroll purposes," Herbert said, "to pay people who are working secretly in St. Petersburg."
"Correct," Rodgers said, "as well as to buy a lot of hi-tech stuff from Japan, Germany, and the U.S.-- components which were sent to the Ministry of the Interior. It's beginning to smell a lot like Dogin put together a very sophisticated intelligence operation up there. Maybe Orlov is there to help with any orbital hardware they're using."
Herbert tapped