Polar Shift (NUMA Files 6)

"There will be confusion on a massive scale. People will be unable to communicate or navigate. Power will be out temporarily. Once communications are reestablished at great expense, we will broadcast a message to the world's leaders demanding an international conference to dismantle the instruments of globalization. For starters, we will call for immediate steps to disband the World Bank and the WTO."

"And if they don't do what we ask?"

"I don't think that will be a problem," Gant said. "We will point out the fragility of the global infrastructure and suggest that even if they rebuild it will be a simple matter to destroy it again. We can play topsy-turvy with the magnetic poles for as long as they like."

Margrave grinned. "How does it feel to be one of the gods on Mount Olympus?"

Gant took a sip of his drink. "Intoxicating. But even the gods have housecleaning matters they have to deal with. There's the matter of the woman, Karla Janos."

"The last I heard, we had a team on its way to Siberia to take care of her."

Gant rose from his chair and went over to the French doors. He gazed at the rolling lawns, lost in thought, then turned to Margrave.

"There's something going on and I'm not sure what it is. The assassination team never got any farther than Fairbanks, Alaska. They were all murdered in their hotel rooms."

Margrave set his drink aside. "Murdered?"

"That's right. They were all shot in the head. The killings were done quite professionally. These were crack members of our security company. There was no effort to dispose of the bodies. The executions were bold, even reckless, which makes me think that whoever put the plan together did it in a hurry."

"Who knew about the team?"

"You. Me. And the Russian Mafia, of course."

"You think the Russians are responsible?"

"They're capable of anything. But it doesn't fit. They knew a team was on its way, but had no idea who they were or where they were staying. They were passing themselves off as a television production crew and were due to leave for Siberia within hours when they were killed."

"Do the police have any leads?" Margrave asked.

"One. The charter pilot who was hired to transport the team said he talked to someone who may have been the last one to see them. In fact, he took their place on a charter flight to Siberia. He was an older man, probably in his seventies."

"Your original contact on Karla Janos, the one who killed two security men, wasn't he an older man as well?"

"Yes," Gant said. "My guess is that they are one and the same."

"Who is this guy? We go looking for Karla Janos and we turn up a killer old enough to collect Social Security."

"When my men broke into his house, they found letters written to Janos on his computer and replies from the woman. He referred to himself as 'Uncle Karl.' "

Margrave frowned. "The dossier we compiled on the Kovacs

family never said anything about any uncle."

"I wouldn't worry too much about him. When I let the Russians know that the team wasn't coming for Ms. Janos, they asked what they should do with her. I told them to kill her, and the old man, if they should come across him, as I expect they will."

Margrave nodded. "You've been busy."

"I don't like loose ends, like Kurt Austin, the NUMA man. I think he should be taken out."

"I thought we were going to watch and wait on Austin to see if he developed into a threat."

"When Austin first came into the picture, I looked into his background. He's a marine engineer and salvage expert with NUMA who has been involved in some high-profile missions. He saw the apparatus on Barrett's boat. He's in a position to cause us a great deal of trouble."

"It has the potential for trouble, but it's nothing we can't deal with."

"Are you saying that Austin could torpedo our project?"

"Not if he's dead. As Joseph Stalin said, '… no man, no problem.' Doyle was making plans to take care of Austin. Unfortunately, Mr. Austin left his house suddenly for an unknown destination."