Page 120 of Shadow of Doubt

“I promised that he gets to keep breathing.”

The Russian smiled again. “At a minimum, I would expect the same.”

“If you prove helpful to me, I might be able to arrange that.”

“What if I could prove helpful not just to you, but also to your government?”

“Are you looking for some sort of an overall deal with the United States?”

The military attaché nodded.

The man definitely had Harvath’s attention. But Harvath had his own agenda. “To work out a deal, we’d need a station chief. And all things considered, I don’t think Powell is in a position to help anyone. Why don’t we start with why I’m here. We’ll call it a mutual gesture of good faith. You tell me where Kapralov is, and I’ll agree to let you keep breathing. Fair enough?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Harvath couldn’t have been more serious as he looked at the man and replied, “No.”

“Colonel Kapralov and his men are in Norway.”

“Where in Norway?” Harvath asked, working to conceal his surprise.

He had entertained the possibility that the assassination unit might be on an assignment and that he’d either have to wait for their return, or chase after them. What he hadn’t foreseen was that they would be in Norway.

“Near Oslo,” Elovik answered.

“Why? What are they doing there?”

“Several days ago, a high-level Russian intelligence official, named Grechko, defected. A team was sent to kill him. They failed. Kapralov and his men were dispatched to finish the job.”

“And you know precisely where I can find them?” Harvath asked.

“Of course. I helped set up their safehouse.”

“That’s helpful,” said Harvath, who, knowing what he had in the palm of his hand, began pressing for more information. “I’ve got to imagine, though, that the Norwegians have this guy Grechko locked down tight. They’re not going to leave a high-value defector sitting on a park bench somewhere. How is Kapralov supposed to find him?”

“We have someone inside Norwegian Intelligence. An asset I developed myself,” the Russian responded proudly, before shifting gears and adding, “But something’s wrong. The Norwegians have misplaced him.”

“Misplaced?”

“After the first team tried to kill him and were all wiped out, Grechko and the agent debriefing him disappeared. They’re assumed to still be in Norway. No one, however, knows where. Kapralov and his team are on hold until the location is uncovered.”

“Interesting,” Harvath replied, feigning indifference. Switching gears, he posed a new question, a plan forming in his mind. “Why don’t you run me through what intel you have that you think my country might be interested in.”

“I assume since Powell is no longer viable, that you have another station chief in mind we could speak with?”

Harvath nodded, itching to get outside and place the call. “I think I have someone who will be very interested.”

CHAPTER 69

Brunelle had gone to see the Bois de Boulogne crime scene for herself and had been standing next to Gibert when word came in of another gunfight. This time in the 13th arrondissement.

According to the dispatch officer, there were two dead Russian Embassy employees in a car near the Café Apate and a dozen more inside a medical building across the street.

Having seen enough in the Bois de Boulogne, she hopped in Gibert’s car and they rolled, lights and sirens, to the 13th.

The two Russians shot to death in the front seat of their embassy car were shocking to behold. The brazenness of it reminded her of mafia killings in Italy. Barriers, to shield the scene from view, were only just being erected when they arrived.

Inside the building was even worse.Muchworse. It looked like a war zone—especially the victims of what appeared to be some sort of homemade, shrapnel-laden bomb. Brunelle couldn’t even begin to imagine how painful it would have been to die that way. One of the men had not only absorbed a ton of shrapnel, but also appeared to have been shot multiple times before retreating down the stairs and succumbing to his wounds.

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