The next morning after a run on the game trails around the hunting cabin, Jack watched the morning news while he cleaned up the breakfast dishes. There was a lead story on the hillside shooting at Fisherman’s Inn. The bodies had been identified as one Chester Allan Morgan and his son, William Morgan of Tilghman Island on the eastern shore. Chester Morgan was the sole owner of a small marina that recently burned killing his common law wife, Maria Stanton, and her brother Earl, and nephew Joshua Stanton. The reporter, speaking from the parking lot of the Inn, said, “The police have no evidence the hillside shooting and the burning of the marina are tied together. The most important discovery is ballistics analysis found one of the rifles recovered from the bodies on the hillside had been used to kill Representative Cohen and wound two others on the C&O Canal last year.
“Two rifles found in the fire at the marina on Tilghman’s Island are believed to be the same rifles used to kill the mayor of Richmond and the mayor of Leesburg. Ballistic analysis was difficult because of the condition of the weapons.”
The reporter repeated, “The police and FBI have no theories they are willing to share as to the motivation for the killing of Mr. Morgan and his son. The fire at the marina is still listed as an accidental fire set off by one of the occupants smoking while working around a leaking propane tank.
“Our sister channel in Jacksonville, Florida, WKMY is reporting one of the persons killed in a trailer explosion and fire, a Mr. Stanley Jones, a Vietnam veteran, was clutching a shotgun when his body was found under the burned trailer in Yulee, Florida. The other body, Mrs. Norma Carlson, was in the trailer when it exploded and burned. It appears, according to WKMY, the pair of them had manufactured a huge bomb based on a fertilizer and kerosene formula. This bomb was found in a stolen panel truck. The two front tires of the panel truck had been deliberately cut.
“Now, the bizarre part of the WKMY story is that the burned man found outside the trailer in Yulee was clutching a shotgun. Mr. Joshua Stanton was also found with a shotgun near him outside the burned house on Tilghman’s Island. The police have not yet commented on the strange similarity. In fact, our sources tell us the authorities have not connected the two burned bodies clutching shotguns.
“We will bring you more information on this case as it develops. Let us hope the deaths of the Morgans on the hillside behind the restaurant and the people at the marina will end the sniper killings in our region. Who killed them nobody knows. Nor does anyone know why they were killed. A police source said it is possible some third party or competitor is out there settling a personal or business score.” With that the news signed off.
“Well.” Kathy said with a feigned look of concern. “What do you stalwarts think? How many steps away from jail are we?”
Jack couldn’t help laughing at Kathy’s play acting. “Don’t worry, Kathy. We are still very much okay. If the police want to speculate, it’s okay, as long as we are very careful about not leaving a trail of evidence behind us. I’ll tell you one thing: our next letter to the Maryland State Police will be treated with respect.”
Later in the afternoon Kathy and Jack searched Yuri’s computer and DVDs again for anything on the New York cell. After several hours of searching, they found no new hidden drives and no new information on the DVDs. They already had detailed instructions for contacting the New York cell leader. The challenge was to decide which of the possible listed meeting sites would allow an ambush yet seem normal to Olsen. The terse reports of the last ten contacts with Olsen were particularly helpful.
That evening after supper Anita broke out the scotch and asked Jack and Kathy what they had learned. Jack said, “We know what Olsen looks like. He often wears disguises to the meetings, which are nearly all short contacts on the street. His favorite disguises are clerics, street persons and women. He is very punctual, never late for a meeting. From our reading, Olsen is a fanatical Russian communist with a deep hatred for America. He is highly skilled with hand guns and knives. He is not afraid to kill. Yuri’s records show Olsen is one of his best agents. Kathy, please go over the contact plan we worked out. I’ll refresh your drink while you tell us about the world of espionage.”
Kathy said, “Since the FBI has circulated his picture to the media, he will have developed an entirely new persona and appearance. He may even pay some innocent person to go to the meeting site ahead of him to smoke out any traps. Olsen would not care a bit about using innocent bystanders for a shield or even to kill a few of them to create a diversion. We picked a meeting site that has been used before but not in the last year. The site is on the edge of Central Park, right across the street from the old Plaza Hotel.
“The contact plan works like this. We place a personal ad in the New York Times, including what we believe is the proper code word for the meeting site. A date and time are mentioned. Olsen, when he sees the ad, will add five days to the date and subtract three hours from the time. He will expect to see Yuri sitting on one of the benches across from the Plaza Hotel. No signals are used. If either sees surveillance or unfavorable circumstances, he’ll simply abort the meeting and wait for new instructions. They have been doing this for more than two decades, so no need for exchanging bona fides.”
Jack said, “Kathy will dress me up as Yuri. With clothes and a hat like he always wore, I’m sure I can pass for Yuri until Olsen gets right next to me. That’s as far as we have taken this operation. It needs more work. Make no mistake, this guy won’t be taken alive, so don’t hesitate. Olsen won’t.”
Anita said, “I won’t feel comfortable until the bastard is dead. He is a very dangerous person with no concern for anyone or anything not benefiting him.”
Facts and Fictions 