Private Moscow (Private 15)

“No, I’m not,” she replied. “Leave me alone, Leonid Boykov.”

She turned away from him and marched toward the security barriers. She pulled a pass from her pocket and was about to scan it, when Leonid spoke up.

“What if I could give you a Black Hundreds recruiter?”

Anna stopped and looked at him skeptically. The offer had even managed to get the duty officer’s attention, but he quickly went back to the paperwork he was doing at the front desk.

Anna slowly retraced her steps. “How?” she asked.

“He’s got his chapter running a sideline,” Leonid revealed when he and Anna were toe to toe. “Selling narcotics.”

She whistled. “Even Black Hundreds’ supporters within the force won’t try to protect him if that’s true.”

“Exactly,” Leonid said. “It’s an easy win. You can arrest the entire ring, put away some rotten apples and do it without fear of political interference. The Black Hundreds might try to kill the man, but they certainly won’t protect him.”

“Who’s the recruiter?” Anna asked.

Leonid smiled, and Anna backed away, exasperated.

“And here’s me thinking this was payback for sabotaging my career,” she remarked.

“What’s one thing got to do with the other?” Leonid asked. “This is a new favor, and a new favor deserves a new reward.”

“What do you want?”

“Your assignment to the Interior Ministry gives you access to information beyond the reach of a normal police officer,” Leonid replied. “I need you to find out what Boltino Army Base was used for.”

“Tell me who the recruiter is,” Anna replied.

Leonid slipped a card into her hand. “Here’s my number,” he said. “Call me when you’ve got answers.”

He backed toward the exit.

“I should have you arrested,” she said.

“But you won’t,” he responded. “Find out what was happening at Boltino, and I’ll give you a name that will put you back on the command fast track.”

CHAPTER 74

I WAS IN the library with Dinara when Leonid returned to the Residence. We were checking through the photographs Justine had sent us of Karl Parker as a child. Victoria had taken his album of childhood pictures to Private New York, and Justine had had them scanned and sent to Dinara’s secure email.

There were baby photos, pictures of Karl as a young child, then there was a gap that started when he was around seven years old, the same time as his parents’ accident. The pictures resumed when he was a teenager, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. I wondered what had happened to my friend in those intervening years, and kept returning to the image of him, Elizabeth Connor and Ernie Fisher in the Novoko Bar in Volkovo.

“I made the offer,” Leonid said, taking a seat at the neighboring table. “Then I checked on the surveillance team watching Erik Utkin. They say he’s definitely supplying the dealers. He has eight teams selling drugs throughout Kapotnya.”

“They documenting it?” I asked.

“Of course,” Leonid replied. “Gathering everything they can on camera.”

“And will Anna Bolshova get us what we need?” Dinara asked.

“I think so,” Leonid replied. “She needs a win to get out of trouble with her superiors.” He looked at his watch. “Anyone hungry?” he asked. “Lunch finishes soon. Or do you just live on clues and paperwork?”

Dinara smiled and got to her feet. I was about to follow when my phone rang. It was Justine.

“Go ahead,” I told them. “I’ll catch up.”

They left the library as I answered.