The Outer Circle (The Counterpoint Trilogy Book 3) by D. R. Bell Page A

I were in Dallas, following Schulmann’s trail. His friend John Platt guided us; we would have never found the file without him. Platt got help from the head of local FBI office, Jim Brobak. We thought of trying to find Jim again, we’re just not sure how.”
    “Why not ask that Platt guy?”
    “John Platt was killed a few days after meeting with us.”
    “Yes, helping you can be dangerous,” nodded Alejandro. “I’ll see if we can find a way to Mr. Brobak, assuming he is still alive. But even if we do, how do you get to the President?”
    “Well, that’s where things get interesting,” jumped in Oleg, who’d been listening quietly until now. “When I was a teenager in St. Petersburg, every year on June 22 nd my uncle would take me and his son to the Museum of Breaking the Leningrad Blockade.”
    “Why June 22 nd ?”
    “That’s the day that Nazi Germany attacked Russia. The four of us – my uncle, his father, his son, and me – would get into his car and drive to Shlisselburg, where the museum is located. That one year, in 2006, it was crowded because we had another passenger, Pavel Rostin. I remember because Rostin was a subject of conversations between my uncle and his father for a few years afterwards.”
    “OK, who is Pavel Rostin and why does it matter?”
    “Pavel Rostin was married to Karen Baker, the daughter of Sam Baker. One of the longest serving U.S. congressmen, head of powerful committees.”
    “So you want to contact Pavel Rostin and through him get to Sam Baker?” asked Alejandro.
    “Pavel Rostin died – or, likely, was killed – a few days after I met him. He left behind a wife and two children, a boy and a girl.”
    “I am completely lost,” Alejandro shook his head.
    “You heard of Jeff Kron? Yes, that Jeff Kron, the presidential candidate. Jeff’s wife Jennifer’s maiden name is Rostin.”
    “So you want to contact Jennifer Kron in order to convince her grandfather to take the information to Maxwell? Or you want Jeff Kron to go after Dimon?”
    “Yeah, whichever one works.”
    “Why do you think Jennifer Kron would even talk to you?”
    “I don’t know if she will. The fact that I’ve met her father, who died under suspicious circumstances soon thereafter, might help to get her interest. And her husband is Dimon’s political rival. Kron hates what Dimon stands for. He called Dimon a ‘dangerous demagogue.’ Jennifer must feel the same way. If we convince her that we are who we are and the information is genuine, perhaps she’ll help us. To be believed, David, Maggie and I have to do this in person.”
    Alejandro sat quietly for a minute, a frown creasing his handsome face. He then looked up:
    “It makes some sense but overall I’d say it’s crazy. Too many dependencies, too many things must fall into place. Too risky. I am sorry, but I think you are better off going back to Mexico.”
    He got up to walk away. Maggie stood up and grabbed his arm:
    “Alejandro, please, help us. Please. I know we’ll need some luck to make this happen. We’ve earned that luck. You helped us two years ago – do it again, I beg you.”
    Alejandro hesitated, looked at her through narrowed eyes for a minute:
    “All right, I guess we can give it a try. Worse comes to worst, she won’t talk to you. The Krons are now public figures; I am sure they are being followed. We’ll have to be careful and creative. Is this it or do you have other insane ideas up your sleeve?”
    “Well, there is one more possibility, but it’s a really long shot,” admitted Oleg sheepishly.
    “Given how realistic your other approaches are, I wonder what a ‘long shot’ would look like. What is it?”
    “I mentioned my uncle and his son. Their family has been in militzia , the Russian term for police, for many generations. The uncle, Ivan Mershov, now heads the SBOR, Special Rapid Response Unit within the Russian Interior Ministry. He just might be high enough to help us get these SOFI transactions