New Details Emerge about the Plan

     As was confirmed to me many years later by a former CIA administrative staffer that I reported to while working at BAE Systems in Washington DC, a lot of CIA guys go around the world paying people money for things they do.  In fact, that former boss of mine told me a couple of stories of being handed a bag of cash, a plane ticket, a meeting place and time, and a name with a picture to give the money to.  That cash can be for services rendered or CIA...CASH IN ADVANCE.  As I look back now, I seemed to be on a "services rendered" basis while, others were "cash in advance". 

***

     Toshek and Yuri broke it to me on the train that my mission had changed and they had new documents from Embassy Joe. They'd met him in Almaty, Kazakhstan where he had suddenly shown up with bags of money for them to distribute and new instructions for me...without money. While the finer details were convoluted, the thrust of the change was that Yuri and Toshek would be with me to Chelyabinsk, get off the train there, and then we would meet up when I came back that way with Dima...if Dima was, in fact, with me. Toshek would be in charge of all "arrangement making" to get me to the debris sites safely. Maybe that faraway look I described earlier with Toshek came from his having more money than he had ever seen to use for bribes and "arrangements"...and probably a hefty portion for himself.  

     Neither Yuri nor Toshek mentioned Vlad in the plans and, from what I could quickly gather from the amended instructions I'd gotten from them, Vlad was absent from the discussion. So, I asked, "What about Vlad? You said something earlier that he was finishing his last job and you hoped he would be leaving us soon." Toshek's unchanging grin slightly altered but could still be called a grin or a smirk. He said to me, "Vlad the Impaler might have to do something for money for us."  

     "Vlad the Impaler!?  The original Count Dracula I think.  You said, do something for money?"

     "Maybe better to say he should be available to do something for money if needed." Yuri corrected.  I wasn't completely in the dark by this time that Vlad was the "hatchet man" for the group. (Using the old US NAVY Underwater Demolition Team terminology for the one guy that carried a lethal weapon to quietly neutralize someone if required while carrying out their mission.)  He certainly looked the role. 

     "Yuri went on, "These places you are going with Dima are not picnic places. Money talks there and also there are strong eyes from Moscow everywhere. Eyes sometimes want money too and these eyes can only respect similar strength. Your Dima is not strong and his small money would only insult them. Our job changed when Joe came to Almaty. Now we are spending a little time with you and we are watching for some more important people that might be around Chelyabinsk.  Vlad will be needed for you to be successful with your photos and dirt collection and disassembly of Soyuz.  We need to get used to his dirty looks."

     "So, can I ask you how much money Joe gave you for this job?"

     "NO...it would be very rude question. But I will say that it was a lot more than the $5000 you were given."