The Orchestration

Chapter Seven

The Cave was located inside one of the large bumps in the earth’s crust that formed the Appalachian Mountain Range as it passed through Virginia. A small, decaying factory was situated across a two-lane highway from this particular bump. In reality, the facility manufactured nothing, but it wasn’t deserted. It was an observation post that provided visual security of, and controlled access into, the mountain on the other side of the highway. The hollow mountain effectively housed and concealed the organization’s capabilities within.

As Penny, Bill, and Darque entered the facility, those already inside knew the workload was about to pick up. It was not like the agency’s director to return early from a vacation.

While Bill followed Darque to the laboratory, Penny headed to her office to start putting a team together to handle the investigation of Davis.

“Welcome back, Shadow,” said the supervisor. “I thought things were going to be quiet around here for another week or so.”

Few people used Darque’s nickname, and fewer still knew his real nickname was a homonym spelled Chadeaux. Chadeaux didn’t mean anything, but the person who gave him the name thought it went well with his last name to form Darque (dark) Chadeaux. Darque was saddened by the fact that most of those who knew why he had the nickname were now dead.

“Doc,” he said, “I need you to find out everything you can about this stuff, and give me the results as soon as possible.”

He then told the lab’s head about the package, and that Davis was implicated. Darque advised the lab supervisor that it was up to him and his staff to make sense out of the contents.

“We’ll get right on it,” he said.

Darque went to his office and found two folders lying on the desk. The first folder he picked up was the one he received every day, whether in hard copy or verbally if he was at the cabin. It contained all the information developed, received, or intercepted during the previous day. The only thing in the folder that really caught his eye was the surveillance report about the incident that involved Kostchenko and Michaels earlier that day. The other folder contained information developed concerning Michaels.

“I don’t like it, Bill,” he said.

Darque often discussed his concerns with Bill, but as usual, the dog just raised his head enough to find out if there was something he should be doing.

“I received a box of items from KGB files, sent by a now likely deceased KGB agent, which indicated that a KGB handler might be involved in an incident involving the next President of the U.S. One day later, the name of a KGB handler pops up in a document on my desk, and it’s not just any handler, it’s Kostchenko.”

Darque knew who Kostchenko was, and although they had never met face to face, there had been an incident in their past that would forever link the two of them.

“I don’t like it,” Darque repeated. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

He picked up the folder labeled: MICHAELS, Albert, which contained data pertaining to the man. The folder contained one report and the results of several checks that had been conducted to obtain further information about Michaels. Unfortunately, neither folder contained information that indicated any collusion between Kostchenko, Michaels, and Davis. Maybe the drop was only an interesting incident that proved the KGB, under a new name, was still alive and well, but Darque already knew that. Darque picked up the two folders and headed for Yoda’s office.

The surveillance chief was busy working on a report, but looked up when Darque entered the office.

“I heard you were back,” said Yoda. “What’s on your mind?”

“Tell me about your surveillance this morning,” Darque said.

“Not much to tell. Kostchenko loaded a drop on the Mall, and some guy named Michaels serviced it, but I don’t know what he got. We followed him to his residence, and he’s still there, but I have a team in place ready to follow him when he leaves.

“Anything else you can tell me about the drop?”

“Nothing of operational importance, but Kostchenko sure is a smug bastard when he’s near the Vietnam Memorial. I’ve observed him there before, and I truly believe he’s responsible for some of the names being engraved on it.”

Darque didn’t respond, but he knew Yoda’s observation was correct.

“I believe there will be a day of reckoning for Colonel Kostchenko,” said Darque.

Maybe it was the way he said it rather than what he said, but Yoda suddenly knew that Kostchenko would pay a price for his actions, and Darque would be the debt collector.

Darque picked up the two folders as he prepared to leave, but turned to Yoda before departing.

“I don’t have enough evidence right now to know what’s going on, but I want you to have someone keep an eye on Senator Davis.”

“The next President?” Yoda asked.

“That’s the one,” said Darque. “I have reason to believe he’s a Russian mole, but not much proof. If he is, he will have contacts, and I want to know who they are.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Yoda said.

“I knew you would,” Darque said as he left the office.

A few hours had passed since Darque arrived at work, so he made his way to the lab to find out if anything had been determined about the items in the box.

“Have you been able to take a look at any of the stuff in the box yet?” Darque asked.

Doc hovered over a microscope, but as soon as the white-coated scientist recognized his visitor, he seemed to be anxious to discuss his findings.

“The documents are being translated, and we reviewed the data on the thumb drive, but we’re trying to enhance it to see if that will help to develop anything further. Once that’s done, I’ll take the drive to the computer nerd, Glitch, to see what he can do with it. Tests have also been started on everything else you provided. It doesn’t look very good for Mr. Davis, but it may take a while before we can get any usable results. My initial report on the vial is that the object in the bottle is a .22 caliber slug with brain tissue imbedded in it. We’re trying to get some DNA from the tissue so we can try for a match in known databases. We’re also doing a microscopic check of the round in case we get the opportunity to trace it to a specific weapon. It appears that the slug was removed from someone’s head with a pair of grooved, needle-nosed pliers.”

Something Doc said created a spark in a recessed corner of Darque’s mind, but he couldn’t focus on what it was.

“I’ll let you get back to work, Doc,” he said, “but let me know as soon as you come up with something definitive.”

Darque left the lab and went to the department where archived material was kept. He walked to one of the file cabinets lining the walls, located the drawer he wanted, and removed a folder. It pertained to the man Davis had succeeded in the Senate. According to an article in the folder, the Senator had committed suicide. However, according to his friends, the Senator was not a person who would have contemplated taking his own life for any reason, let alone carry out the act.

Although Darque was aware that nobody knew the capabilities of another person under certain circumstances, the article was pretty damning. The cause of death was listed as a self-inflicted, 9mm bullet wound to the head. Tests confirmed the bullet was fired from a pistol found clenched in the Senator’s hand, and that the weapon was registered to him. This evidence convinced the medical examiner that suicide was the cause of death.

Darque took the article and returned to the lab where he handed it to Doc, then waited until the man finished reading it.

“A DNA match could be critical,” Darque said.

“Why do you think so?” Doc asked.

“I don’t like coincidences,” Darque said. “The odds of some things happening the way they do occasionally strike me as being astronomical. At those times, another explanation may make more sense.”

“How do you mean?”

“For instance,” he said, “I received a vial from a dead KGB agent that you tell me contains a .22 caliber bullet with brain tissue attached to it. It’s in a box of stuff that implicates an individual who finished out the term of a person who allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a 9mm handgun. Coincidence? I wonder.”

“What about the difference in bullet calibers?” he asked.

“That’s one of the things you’re going to find an explanation for,” Darque said. “For starters, the first shot may have been a .22 round fired by an unidentified person who removed the bullet on site, and then shot the Senator with his own 9mm. If that could be proven, Mr. Davis, in addition to being a traitor, is also probably involved in a murder conspiracy.”