of the year in Switzerland but owned apartments in Paris and New York, his millions carefully managed by Goldman Sachs.
Gray finished reading over the file report obtained from the meeting with Tupikov. “So Lesya and Rayfield Solomon
The director nodded. “According to what Gregori remembered and found out from old colleagues, they apparently made their way first to Poland, then to France and from there to Greenland. Was Lesya Jewish, by the way?”
“I don’t know. Solomon was, although he wasn’t a practicing Jew. The spy business oftentimes put a cramp in one’s religious obligations.”
“I make it to the Presbyterian church every Sunday,” the director said.
“Congratulations. If Gregori knew that much back then, why didn’t he do something about it?” Gray answered his own question. “He assumed she was still working for the Soviets.”
“Well, wasn’t she?” the director said in a puzzled tone.
“Of course,” Gray said casually. “And after Greenland?”
“Unfortunately, there the trail turns cold. And it might well remain cold. It was a long time ago, after all.”
“It
“Where exactly was Solomon found dead? That part of the file is missing too.”
Gray looked up from the documents he was studying, pretending to recall the details. They were actually seared into his mind. “Brazil. Sa?o Paulo.”
“What was he doing in Sa?o Paulo?”
“Not sure. He wasn’t working for us then, of course. Lesya had turned him.”
“And he died there?”
Gray nodded. “We were alerted by our contacts in South America. We did an investigation. But it was clear he’d killed himself.”
The director looked at Gray and Gray looked at the director.
“Of course,” the director said. “And Lesya was left on her own?”
“Looks that way. Anything else?”
“Perhaps.”
Gray glanced up to see the director smiling smugly. He recalled that as a young case agent the current CIA director had possessed the worst poker face of any man he’d ever trained, and also a vastly annoying air of superiority, most of it undeserved. Gray believed he had shamed these weaknesses out of the man. Yet as head of the CIA it was clear his insufferable qualities had risen once more.
“Tell me.”
“Gregori must’ve been in a good mood. As you suggested when our man met him in Paris, he fed him lobsters by the ton.”
“And Moskovskaya vodka? That’s his favorite.”
“By the gallon. And we scrounged up a redhead or two.”
“And?”
“And he said that he recalled a rumor that Lesya
“
The director made a motion with his hand in front of his stomach.
“She was pregnant?” Gray said immediately.
“That’s evidently what Gregori believes.”
Gray sat back.
The director nodded. “But I highly doubt that the kid’s last name is Solomon.”
“But if Lesya and Solomon married in Russia while she was pregnant, and showing, where was the child born? If they left Russia immediately after the wedding the birth could have been in Poland, France, Greenland, or of course Canada.”
“Canada? The last known stop of theirs was in Greenland. Where does Canada come in?”
Gray studied the man who headed up the nation’s premier intelligence agency. He had started out at the CIA, then gone into politics, and there he had stayed until a president of dubious judgment had tossed his friend a political bone and made him CIA director.
“Why does one go westward to Greenland except on the way to Canada? Even back then there were numerous direct flights to the U.S. And it was a favorite stopping place for spies. When I was in the field I often stopped in Greenland before coming home. You could always spot someone following you in Greenland. Humanity damn well stuck out in the frozen tundra!”
“Okay, but maybe they came to
“I don’t think so, not for the birth. And less complicated for her to sneak into Canada and have the baby there than in the U.S. The records could always be falsified later.”
“Even with all that, it doesn’t leave us much to go on.”
“I disagree. From Greenland to Canada the ports of entry are limited, and were even more so back then. Montreal? Toronto? Ottawa? Perhaps Nova Scotia and Newfoundland? We can start there.”
“Start there doing what exactly?”
“We’ll limit it to a single twelve-month period.” Gray named the year. “And we will search the records of births in those places. Just boys for now.”
“Why not girls too?”
“Just boys for now,” Gray repeated.
“That’s still an enormous search. And we have that disaster readiness drill on Capitol Hill coming up that DHS demanded and left us to do the lion’s share of the work. It’s requiring an inordinate amount of our time.”
“The birth records should be computerized now. That should simplify things greatly.”
“Yes, but still. The resources required to-”
Gray leaned forward and silenced the man with one of his most intimidating stares. “The consequences of
CHAPTER 56
ANNABELLE WAITED OUTSIDE until her father returned from the nearby grocery store with Caleb. Without a word of explanation she told Paddy to follow her back to her hotel in his truck. When they got there she led her father up to her room.
Annabelle’s mind was racing. She’d been counting on Stone to help her. And now the man had simply abandoned her, literally closing the door in her face. She should never have trusted him. She should’ve learned by now that you could only count on yourself.
“Annie?” Paddy finally said. “Talk to me, girl, what the hell’s going on?”
She looked over at her father as though she’d forgotten he was even there. “What’s going on is we just got screwed. The help I thought we were going to get with Bagger isn’t coming.”
“No cavalry?”
“No cavalry.”
“The guy named Oliver. Reuben told me a bit about him. Is he the guy who was going to help us do it?”
“Yes, but he’s not going to anymore. He apparently has more pressing business.”
He slapped the arm of his chair. “Now what?”
“Now we run. Bagger will have the airports and train station watched, but he doesn’t have enough manpower to cover the roads. We’ll need to dump your truck. Then we’ll be on our way.”
“On our way where?”
“Does it matter? So long as it’s not here?”
