Page 27 of Shadow of Doubt

“It’s along the Volga River. Halfway between Moscow and Idokopas.”

“Were you able to see what was inside the second trailer?”

“Only partially,” she said, advancing to the next images. “They backed it up so tight, it was practically touching the stable door. Where we do catch a glimpse of the second horse being loaded, the animal’s been covered in a full Lycra body wrap, right down to what I’ve learned is called a tail bag.”

“How do you know that’s Lycra?”

“Because of how tightly the material hugs the musculature of the horse, and because by isolating the pattern, we were able to source the product manufacturer.”

“Why would you wrap a horse in Lycra?”

“It’s normally used pre-event to keep braids in place or dust and bedding out of the horse’s coat.”

“Is it possible that it’s also used to keep flies and other biting insects away?” Conroy asked.

“Lycra doesn’t work for that. You’d use a mosquito mesh or a ripstop nylon.”

She had done her research. He had to hand it to her. “So what’s the point of all this? Why the decoy?”

“That’s the thread we keep tugging on. Valentina has been spotted back in Moscow, so we know she didn’t head south with the horse.”

“Do we have confirmation that the ultimate destination was Peshkov’s palace in Idokopas?”

“No,” Maggie admitted. “The satellite window closed before we could get confirmation.”

“And nothing from subsequent passes over Idokopas?”

She shook her head. “The Russians know when our satellites are coming. Pretty simple to only let the horse out of the stables when it’s safe to do so.”

Conroy swiped through the photos once more. As he did, he asked, “Worst case, whatmightwe be looking at?”

“You don’t want my worst case. Like I said, just let me pull on this thread a little longer and see what we come up with.”

“You can keep pulling, but I want to know what you’re thinking.”

Maggie paused for a moment before responding. “Okay. Here’s what I’m thinking. I think Peshkov knows his mistress loves that horse more than anything. I think that if he and Valentina needed to get out of Moscow in a hurry and get to someplace safe, say Idokopas, they could hop on a helicopter or a jet at a moment’s notice. Moving humans in a time of crisis is one thing. But a horse? That takes advance work. Andthat’swhat I think we could be seeing here.”

Conroy handed back her iPad. “Nuclear weapons have only been used twice in war. Both times, it was by the United States—Hiroshima and then Nagasaki. That was almost eighty years ago. If Russia is preparing to do the unthinkable, we need to know, so we can stop it. And to dothat, the intel has to be something we can actually take to POTUS and the National Security Council. A horse wrapped in Lycra isn’t going to cut it. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Get back to work and find me something.”

“Yes, boss,” she responded as she gathered her things and headed for the door.

“And Maggie,” Conroy called after her. “Do it fast.”

CHAPTER 12

OSLO

The exploding drones had drawn first responders from across the city. Emergency service vehicles, their light bars flashing, were parked and double-parked everywhere. With only two small bridges, both of which Norwegian police had already closed, no one was getting on or off of the island of thieves. At least not via land.

Once Harvath was in place, he sent Sølvi a final text. It contained just one word.Now.

Positioned at the water’s edge, it was not unusual to see guests from the Thief Hotel’s spa, wrapped in thick terry-cloth robes, venture out for a plunge in the Oslofjord. When Sølvi and Grechko exited, that’s exactly what they looked like.

Sølvi’s long blond hair was wrapped in a towel and Grechko had slung one over his head like a hoodie, so as to help disguise themselves. They wore rubber spa slippers and had rolled their pant legs up under their robes. Other than that they were fully dressed. Sølvi carried their socks, shoes, and the gear she had predeployed in the hotel room, in a backpack slung over her shoulder.

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