CHAPTER 71
“You okay?” Stephanie asked.
“All is good. Ivan is gone and the codex is safe.”
“We have to finish this,” Stephanie said.
And he listened as they brought him up to speed.
“We have Sandra under watch,” Koger said. “She’s making her way here.”
Cassiopeia still had said nothing. So he decided to preempt the problem. “I know I did wrong. But you would have done the same thing.” She opened her mouth, and he raised a finger to stop her. “Before you chew me out, tell me I’m wrong.”
She hesitated.
He waited.
Then she said, “You’re not.”
“So can we let it go? I’m here. In one piece.”
“It was still reckless.”
“I would say it was a controlled risk.”
“Now that peace has come in our lifetime,” Koger said, “can we work on the problem at hand.”
“That was actually kind of important,” Cotton said. “How’s Kristin?”
Kristin Jeanne worked for the Eidgenossische Finanzmarktaufsicht, Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority. She’d been helpful recently, and they’d all learned that she and Koger had an interesting past.
“Actually,” Koger said, “she’s doing just fine. Thank you for asking. Now we need to focus.”
John checked his watch. 6:15 p.m.
Monica had done as Aleks asked and contacted her source, who’d chosen another public place for meeting.
The Vasa Museum. Open from 10:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. It sat on Djurg?rden Island, inside Stockholm, home to the Vasa, an awe-inspiring relic of seventeenth-century naval engineering.
Commissioned by King Gustav Adolph to bolster Sweden’s maritime supremacy, it met an untimely fate in 1628 on its maiden voyage, capsizing and sinking just a few nautical miles from where it had sailed out of Stockholm harbor.
Over three centuries later the ship was rediscovered and meticulously salvaged, emerging from the Baltic in an unprecedented feat of maritime archaeology.
He’d visited the museum before. Several times.
Once during an official function with the king, one of the rare times during the past decade they’d been in the same room.
He and Monica had arrived ten minutes ago, parked in a lot with about twenty other cars and one large tourist bus. Aleks had provided them a vehicle.
“You stay here,” she said. “I’ll make the introductions, then get out of there and let Aleks do whatever it is he intends on doing.”
“How bad is this going to get? Would he kill her, right here?”
“He could. They want to send a message to the Americans. Get at least one win. It is all part of the SVR’s institutional mentality.”
“If I practiced that in business, I would be broke. Seems a reckless and unnecessary action. Much smarter to take your losses and walk away.”
“Like we are doing?”
“Precisely.”
“The SVR is not noted for walking away.”
“And you? Will they leave you alone?”
“I am sure they would love to end me too. But that will be far more difficult. And Aleks knows that.”
Cassiopeia recognized that whatever irritation she possessed with Cotton had to wait until later. They needed to finish this. He’d taken a huge chance going up into the air. That flight may or may not have been compromised. Only one way to find out, and he’d done that like a pro.
Now it was her turn.
They’d retreated to the building’s security office, and she took a moment to study the bank of wall monitors.
The good news? Everyone was required to pass through a metal detector before entering, which reasonably assured there would be no weapons.
Visitors milled about admiring the ship, its grandeur towering above them.
There were three more levels that rose upward, wrapping the ship at varying heights, offering closer views.
The museum’s dimly lit interior enhanced the mysterious aura of the vessel, almost daring visitors not to stare.
The whole thing was so odd. A ship inside a building, balanced atop a steel cradle, seemingly ready to set sail.
There were also a wealth of exhibits that showcased the construction, sinking, recovery, and conservation, along with detailed insights into life aboard during the seventeenth century.
None of which interested her today.
“I want you two out there,” Stephanie said. “Stay back, out of sight. The third level should give you the best vantage point.”
“Stephanie and I will be here. Thankfully, the place is loaded with cameras. We’ll communicate through these,” Koger said, handing over two small walkie-talkies with ear fobs.
“And you’ll also need these.” Koger produced two 9mm pistols, handing one to each of them, along with a spare magazine. “Time to arm up.”
“You expecting trouble?” Stephanie asked.
“I was an Eagle Scout. Always prepared.”
“I want Monica Butler-White alive,” Stephanie made clear. “That’s really important. We still have a dead princess and a missing British billionaire who may be in this up to his eyeballs. Somebody has to be held accountable, and Monica is the most likely suspect.”
“Understood,” Cotton said. “We’ll get her.”
“And Sandra Koss?” Cassiopeia asked.
“I want her,” Koger said, “alive. We need to know how much damage she’s done.”