The next morning Kathy heard a breaking news story and called in the others. The big screen TV was tuned to the Fox News Channel. The Maryland State Police were investigating the deaths of three men found in a wooded area near the Fisherman’s Inn. The restaurant was across the road from a popular entrance to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Park. According to the police briefing, the three unidentified men had been dead for more than a week. Two firearms had been recovered. More information would be forthcoming as the investigation progressed. The TV coverage then switched to a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

Jack said, “The ballistics work on those rifles will almost certainly match a weapon used in some of the recent sniper killings. Their fingerprints and DNA will probably not be on file. The van and motorcycle are long gone, stolen off the street in Anacostia. Cars stolen down there are stolen for good and may become part of an illegal car rental business owning nothing and with no overhead.

“But if the Feds find out those weapons were used in cross-state border killings, they will leave no stones unturned. A task force will be turned loose. If any weapons in the Tilghman Island house survived the fire, they will be sent to ballistics. If they find a match, a top forensic team will rework the house, visitor lists from the hotels, visiting boats in marinas, and all the police and fire reports associated with the fire.”

Anita said, “If the Feds get hot on this terrorist network, it may make it easier to give them leads and watch what happens. While I want Yuri’s entire network, I don’t mind some help from the Feds. After all, they do have a license for this sort of action. The Tilghman Island cell could have killed many more people before they were caught, if ever. While we’re on a roll, what’s next?”

Kathy said, “I’ve something to add from studying Yuri’s list of assets and assigned missions. Five cells, located in Tilghman Island, Maryland, Yulee, Florida, San Francisco, Charleston and New York. I believe the Tilghman cell is responsible for the deaths of Representative Cohen and the mayors of Leesburg and Richmond.”

Kathy went on to say, “Yuri’s mission assignments were at times very specific, as with Representative Cohen and the Secretary of Commerce. Mostly his assignments were generic, leaving a lot of initiative to the doers. He instructed Jason to kill four mayors in a 30-day period, preferably with only a five-day gap between kills. With the death of Jason and his cell, I don’t believe we have to worry about the local mayors. I think the New York City cell is now the biggest danger. Yuri tasked them to set two car bombs anywhere in the downtown metropolitan area between May first and the 15th.”

Jack asked what she knew about the capabilities of the New York cell. Kathy thought for a moment and said, “According to Yuri’s records four people belong in this cell. One is a trained bomber, according to the DVD. This same man is also Yuri’s primary contact, code named Primus. His real name or, more accurately, his permanent alias, is Joseph David Olsen. He is 64 years old.

“Yuri’s files indicate he co-opted original KGB sleeper agents who recruited others over the years. According to Yuri’s files, all of these original sleeper or illegal KGB agents still believe they are working for the Russian intelligence service. We have Olsen’s description, personality traits, family status and address. As long as Yuri’s files are up to date, we should be able to set up this cell for an FBI bust.”

Focusing on Kathy’s response, Jack had to wonder why this very attractive woman was without a significant other. She was never moody or defensive in the give and take during operational discussions. When he looked into her eyes, he could tell someone very bright and full of sparkle lives in there. Kathy could jump from one subject to the next and never miss a beat. Her dress code seemed to favor the fewer garments, the better. Left to her own devices, Jack was sure she would be on some warm beach in a bikini, sporting a stunning tan and holding a gin and tonic in a frosted glass. Jack knew from Frank she needed money. She had a sick mother in a very expensive care facility. Jack’s musing was brought to an end when Kathy told him she wanted to keep digging through Yuri’s DVDs and computer for any more information on the New York cell.

***

Buy “Justice Beyond Law” on Amazon, as well as the rest of the Jack Brandon series and other books by Barry Kelly, a former CIA agent and adviser to President Reagan.