Matthew Dunn - Spycatcher

“But how would the DGSE person then be able to put a name to the Iranian’s target without following her and thereby risking being compromised to the Iranians?”

“Again, receipts. The Iranian team is holed up in the Hotel Dubrovnik. So how come they’ve got so many of their receipts for mineral water purchased from the Regent Esplanade’s 1925 Lounge? The DGSE person can’t shortcut this process and just go straight there rather than spotting team and target on the street, because a single person in such a small bar, unlike a rotating team, would risk compromise.” Roger seemed certain. “But with a face for the target and without the Iranians around, there are then any number of options. Maybe there’s an on-site Regent concierge to talk to or a loose-lipped after-hours bartender. The DGSE person shows a photograph taken covertly from a bag camera during his street surveillance. Or if not, he just asks about an Arab-looking woman-there’ll be very few in Zagreb compared to Sarajevo, and certainly very few in the Regent. Then it’s not that difficult to put a name to a room, no matter how strict the hotel is about its security procedures.”

“And then they discover that woman in question is a resident of France.”

Roger folded his arms. “And the French intelligence officer therefore decides to put a four-man DGSE surveillance team onto both her and the Iranians to find out what’s going on.”

Will looked around the cathedral and then back at Roger. He felt his heart rate increase. “We’ve got to pray that the DGSE team is still hidden from the Iranians, but we have to stop them before they’re spotted, or else the Iranians may panic and attack Lana. If that happens, everything will be ruined.” He felt his stomach tighten into knots. “Everything.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Will checked his watch. “She doesn’t know it yet, but in three hours’ time Lana needs to be boarding a plane to take her out of here.”

“Where do you want her to go?”

“Anywhere. . Anywhere outside the Balkans, but not too far. I need her to be in Sarajevo tomorrow evening, because the day after that she’s meeting Megiddo.”

Roger checked his own watch and said, “There’s a five-forty P.M. Croatia Airlines flight to Prague. Will that do?”

Will nodded. “She’ll be on that flight. So will Laith, Ben, Julian, and no doubt certain members of the Iranian and French teams.”

Roger said, “If I’m correct in my assessment of what you plan to do, then Laith, Ben, and Julian won’t be enough for the job.”

“I know. I can’t be on the same flight as your men, because the Iranians will recognize me. And I can’t have you with them either, because it would be foolhardy to put all four of you on the same flight. You and I will get the next available flight out after your men’s flight, and then we’ll join them when we arrive in the Czech Republic.”

Roger reached for his cell phone. Will, too, pulled out his phone to call Lana and tell her to pack her bags.

The Iranians could spot the DGSE team at any moment. And Will was going to do something very drastic to stop that from happening.

It was the first time that Will had seen the four-man CIA team together. They sat with him in a room within the small Savic Hotel in Prague’s Old Town. Smoke from Laith’s cigarette lingered over them and mingled with the steam from the mugs of coffee each man held. It was nearly 1:00 A.M., but all the Americans looked edgy and energetic.

“Why are we not on Lana?” Laith’s voice sounded hostile.

“Will and I are taking a risk leaving her alone right now, but we have vital reasons for doing so.” Roger spoke slowly, glancing at Will before returning his gaze to his men. “Which hotel is she in?”

“She’s in the Clarion.” Ben took a swig of his coffee and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s about one kilometer away from here on the other side of the Old Town.”

“And the DGSE team?” Roger again.

“All four of them have arrived.” Laith blew smoke while speaking. “Like us, they’ve taken one room to use as their base. They’re staying in the Hotel Josef.”

“What’s their drill?”

Laith smiled a little. “Last time we looked, all four of them were watching Lana’s hotel. But that was before you called us here, so right now I’ve no idea.”

“Do they have weapons?”

Julian shook his head. “Very unlikely. No time to get any, plus why would they feel the need to arm themselves?”

Roger nodded. “All right. How do they look?”

“Highly professional.” Laith extinguished his cigarette. “Their movements are slick, they barely talk to each other, meaning they don’t have to, and they’re using creative surveillance maneuvers.”

“Do they look like they could handle themselves in a confrontation?”

Ben frowned. “They look and move like Special Forces. They’ll be able to take care of themselves if the Iranians do spot and assault them.”

Roger wordlessly ceded the floor to Will.

Will breathed in and spoke. “In one hour’s time, Lana will leave her hotel to take a walk through the Old Town. This will come as a surprise to her Iranian and French watchers, but I doubt they’ll view it as suspicious, as Prague is at its most beautiful at night, when its streets and alleys are empty. I think all four of the DGSE men will be on her, because this is their first night of observing her. Unlike the Iranian team, they’ve not yet had the chance to define a pattern of her behavior that could allow them to decide whether they can scale back coverage of her at particular points of the day. But the Iranians will most likely have only one or two people on her, as they’re far more familiar with Lana’s movements and they know that she’s never before left her hotel after midnight. Nevertheless, when they see her taking her walk, they’ll alert at least two of their colleagues to join them, and within thirty minutes of that alert they’ll number three or four men.” Will looked at each of the men in turn as he spoke. “That thirty-minute gap is crucial, because during that time we’re going to kill the DGSE team.”

The CIA men were silent for a while, and Will wondered who would speak first.

Roger looked at his men. “Do any of you have a problem with this task?”

Julian looked directly at Will. “As long as we’re authorized to do this, I’ve got no problem. But how are we going to do it without being seen by the one or two Iranian specialists?”

Will nodded at Roger, who then spoke. “The Old Town is a labyrinth. A team of two Iranians won’t be able to do much more than follow Lana wherever she goes and stay pretty close to her for fear of losing her position. But the DGSE team of four will be able to box her position from a greater distance, given their higher numbers. That means we can attack their perimeter without being seen by the Iranians.”

“What about the bodies?” Laith took out another cigarette and held it unlit.

“We don’t have the time or the resources to get rid of them,” Will replied. “But it is essential that the Iranians know nothing about the assault. When it’s done, Lana will take a route back to her hotel that will draw her Iranian watchers and any of their colleagues away from the scene. She’ll then check out of her hotel, head to the airport, and travel on to Sarajevo.”

“Does she know anything about our plans?”

“She suspects that Megiddo has put someone, or even several people, around her, but she doesn’t know about our team or the DGSE team, and she certainly doesn’t know anything about what we’re going to do. She has of course asked me why she needed to come to Prague and why she needs to make this specific walk, and I’ve told her she’ll have her answers when I next see her.” He shook his head. “I will, however, give her no such answers.”