A Strange Business: A Tale of Intrigue

By Maury Berthon

Benjamin Godfrey is a CIA officer assigned to monitor Russian intelligence in Greece, a country that has always stirred souls. Eleven years after the former attorney was recruited into the CIA, now he must focus on talking someone into becoming a traitor to their country.

To meet his goal, he decides to orchestrate a meeting to befriend the beautiful young bride of an SVR officer recently transferred to the Russian Embassy in Athens. But what begins as a normal operation to compromise a Russian intelligence officer is about to take a turn no one anticipated. As a result, Godfrey finds he must join forces with his adversaries and a mysterious man in Russia to save an innocent life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665701211

Maury Berthon

Maury Berthon spent twenty-five years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation working all over the world. He is a licensed attorney and proud Marine who currently lives with his wife Beth, in the New Orleans area. This is his third novel.

Book preview

Chapter 1

EVENTS AT A FOUNTAIN

H ow did Greece, a small southern European country sticking out from the continent of Europe into the Mediterranean, become the cradle of civilization? The answer is as complex as the country itself. Ancient trade routes ran through the land. The Greeks took the best from travelers from other nations using these routes and added it to their culture to create their national heritage.

From northern Greece—referred to as Macedonia, the land that gave rise to Alexander the Great and beckoned St. Paul—to central Greece, home of the gods on Mount Olympus and Eastern Orthodox monasteries hanging from the rock columns of Meteora, to the Greek isles, whose beauty could challenge any island in the world, this country has always stirred people’s souls.

Its largest city, Athens, has come to symbolize the entire country of Greece. At its start, it was a small Mycenaean community, but as it grew, it announced to the world the best of Greek virtues. Athens had such prestige the Spartans spared it from destruction after its defeat in the Peloponnesian War—a tradition carried on by subsequent conquering armies.

The Syntagma Square Fountain in Athens is known by most tour guides, but due to its location and lack of splendor, few tourist groups see it. But it has always been a favorite meeting place for those who, for whatever reason, find its solitude appealing. Benjamin Godfrey had been in Athens long enough to know the advantages of meeting at such a place.

Godfrey, sitting on a bench away from the fountain, arrived early to the planned meeting so he could observe the young ladies walking toward the fountain. He tried to remember the photograph he had seen that morning. It was a picture of a pretty young woman with a smile that revealed her dimples. Having researched her background, he knew her name was Angela Agapov and that she had turned twenty-seven in July. He knew besides speaking her native Russian, she could carry on a conversation in English, she had done some modeling in her early twenties, and she was hoping to find some work while in Athens.

Godfrey had seen the small message with her name and phone number she had left on the wall in the Central Market and reached out to her. He spoke to her in English, and she sounded eager to meet and didn’t ask a lot of questions about what the meeting was about.

Several ladies were standing around the fountain, and a group of men were off to the side, watching them. Finally, Godfrey saw her as she turned a corner and walked toward the fountain. She was dressed in a white skirt with a yellow top, which she had described on the phone to set up the meet. Her dark hair was pulled back, and she had a purse that hung off her shoulder. Godfrey stood up from the bench and stepped back into the shadows.

She was looking around for him when one of the men suddenly bolted toward her, brandishing a knife. She saw him, but before she could get away, he was on her and cut the strap of her purse. The purse fell away from her and was caught by the man. She screamed, drawing everyone’s attention. The man ran around the fountain and down a side street. Godfrey noticed no one who saw what happened attempted to go after the thief.

Godfrey waited a few seconds and then approached her. He was not sure she spoke Greek, so he asked her in English, Are you all right?

She seemed relieved when she heard English being spoken. I’ve just been robbed. A man just stole my purse. I don’t know what to do. My wallet with all my money, my cell phone, my passport—all were in my purse.

A breeze came up and blew mist from the fountain on them. Godfrey smiled and tried to console her as they walked to the bench where he had been sitting.

Collecting herself, she looked around and said, I’m supposed to meet someone here.

What’s your name? he asked.

Angela.

He smiled and said, I’m the man you’re looking for.

Angela offered a quick smile but still appeared shaken by what had just happened. As they sat on the bench, a police officer walked up and asked her in Greek, Are you okay?

Do you speak English? Godfrey asked the policeman, who nodded and then repeated himself in English.

She nodded and asked, Did you catch the man who robbed me?

Not yet. He probably won’t be caught. Purse snatching is very common here in Athens. We don’t have much success in catching the thieves. The best I can do at this point is to try to recover the purse. I know where the thieves in this area usually discard stolen purses after they have gone through them and taken what they want. I’ll take a look and see if I can find anything.

The police officer asked her questions to get the information needed to fill out his report. Godfrey noticed the policeman did not pause when she informed him she was married and her husband was a diplomat working at the Russian Embassy. The officer asked a few other questions, including her phone number. Since she no longer had her cell phone, she gave him the number to her apartment. The officer told her again he would look for her purse.

Godfrey remained quiet while she talked to the officer. This gave him a chance to observe her more closely. She was even more attractive than her photo. She wore very little makeup. As with most Russian women, she had a natural beauty, making cosmetics unnecessary. This beauty gave her confidence and strength, which Godfrey noticed as she talked with the officer.

The officer finished his questions and said, I think I have everything I need. Do you have any questions for me?

I guess not.

Then I will be on my way. He handed her a small card with some numbers on it. The first number is the identification number for this incident. You can call the other number to have them mail you a copy of my report. I am sorry this happened to you.

After the officer left, Godfrey asked, Do you need anything?

Well, since my money was in my purse, I don’t have any taxi or bus fare, so I don’t know how I will get to my apartment. And my phone. I can’t call my husband. Could I please use your phone?

I’m probably the only man in Athens who doesn’t always carry a cell phone. Let me give you my number, though. Godfrey scribbled his number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. Let me get a taxi for you.

Thank you. That’s very kind.

They walked past the fountain toward the main street, where there was a line of taxis. Godfrey asked, How long have you been in Athens?

I have only been here a few weeks. My husband was transferred to the Russian Embassy earlier this year.

Do you like it?

She laughed and said, I did until today.

Try not to let what happened today color your opinion of this magnificent city.

I’ll try, Angela said. It’s not like we have no muggings in Russia.

Well, I know you want to get home. Can we plan to meet again?

Yes. That will be fine. I will call you later.

Good. I will be looking forward to it. Godfrey picked out a taxi, and as she got in, he gave the driver fifty euros and told him to take her where she wanted to go.

Do you want to share the ride? she asked.

No, I have another meeting near here later. Take care of yourself. He waved goodbye as the taxi drove off.

He watched the taxi until it was lost in the evening traffic, then he turned and walked back toward the fountain and took a seat at the same bench. He sat there and watched people coming and going. After about forty-five minutes, he started walking toward the main avenue, then he turned down a side street and walked a few blocks. He stopped at a small coffee shop and walked in. In the corner sitting together around a table he saw the thief, the taxi driver, and the police officer drinking coffee. He walked to the table and sat down.

Chapter 2

NOT AS THEY SEEM

A rty om Agapov was finishing up with his paperwork and looked at the clock on the wall. He found himself wondering how his wife’s meeting went. She had seemed excited about it that morning. He knew she was lonely in Athens, and he believed she’d be happier if she found some work. It was her first time away from Russia, and not surprisingly, she was homesick. She never really complained, but he knew her days were lonely with nothing to do but sightsee.

His cell phone rang, but it was a number he didn’t recognize. After he said, Hello, he heard his wife’s voice on the other end.

Artyom, a man stole my purse.

He could tell she was crying. Angela, are you all right?

I guess I’m okay. Artyom, the man came out of nowhere.

I am just glad you were not hurt. What number is this?

I am calling from a pay phone in the market near our apartment.

Go home. I will finish up here and see you there.

The Russian Embassy in Athens, located at 28 Nikiforou Litra Street, was about forty-five minutes from their apartment. Artyom’s supervisor, Esfir Balakin, was a woman of forty-five who had been in the SVR, the Russian equivalent of the CIA, for fifteen years. Artyom went to her to tell her what had happened.

My wife just called to tell me she got mugged this afternoon and her purse was stolen.

Is she okay? Balakin asked.

She seemed pretty shook up.

Leave, go. Go home and be with your wife. On your way out, stick your head in the security office and tell them what happened.

Under Balakin’s watchful eye, Artyom put the papers he’d been working on in the safe located in the back of the room and left.

As he had been told, Artyom went by the embassy security office and spoke with the officer; he had seen him in the embassy cafeteria but did not know his name.

Excuse me. My name is Artyom Agapov.

We know who you are, Artyom. What can I do for you? the officer asked.

My wife, Angela, had her purse stolen by a mugger this afternoon, and my supervisor, Ms. Balakin, told me to let your office know. I am on my way home now to check on her.

Then we won’t keep you. Please have her come by soon so we can get the details of what happened. And let us know if there is anything we can do.

As he walked out of the building, Artyom thought about his wife; he could not wait to see her. When they were married in St. Petersburg, she thought she was going to spend her life with a career diplomat. She didn’t expect to get mugged in Athens, married to a member of the Russian intelligence service.

After sitting down at the table in the coffee shop, Godfrey asked the three men, Did everything go as smoothly as it appeared?

The thief, who was a former member of the US Army’s Delta Force, now a member of the CIA’s Special Activities Division (SAD), said, From my end, everything went fine. Is the girl okay? I was a little rough with her.

Godfrey said, She’s fine.

Good. That was my first mugging.

The police officer, whose name was Sebastian, was actually an operative with EYP, the Greek National Intelligence Service. He looked around and put the things he had retrieved from the girl’s purse on the table.

The cab driver, who was also an EYP operative, said, I dropped the girl off at a market near the apartment where she lived. I tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she wasn’t having it. About halfway to her apartment, she started to cry pretty hard. I gave her a tissue. I watched her enter the market, waited around for a few minutes, and then pulled away.

Godfrey looked through the items on the table, finding the wallet, cell phone, and passport the girl had mentioned. There were other items usually found in a woman’s purse. A small address book caught his eye; he thumbed through it. His Russian was not good enough to tell if there was anything of value in the book. He put the items back in her purse except for the cell phone, which he handed to Sebastian.

Could you have your people scrub the numbers off the phone? It will take too long to have them do it in Washington.

Okay, I’ll get our tech guys right on it, Sebastian said.

I’ll overnight the passport to our forgery unit at Langley, Godfrey said. They love playing with foreign passports. I’ll get it back as quickly as possible. We’ll keep the purse and whatever is left in it here in Athens. Are we missing anything?

Sebastian said, I expect the Russian Embassy to look into the robbery, so I’ll make sure there is a report on the entire incident making it appear to be a legitimate robbery, in case anyone checks.

That sounds good. As soon as your group finishes with the cell phone, call the girl and tell her you found it. Then hopefully she’ll give me a call.

What are the chances of that? the thief asked.

Well, if she still needs a job, I would say pretty good. It makes it easier if the person being worked initiates the second contact, Godfrey added.

The men got up to leave, and Godfrey told the two EYP operatives he would be in touch. He asked David Taylor, the thief, to check with the SAD surveillance team that was watching the girl’s husband to see how things were going.

Taylor was enjoying this latest operation. He was on TDY, short for temporary duty, in Athens and hoped it would be extended. This sort of operation was what he was looking for when he left the Army. He certainly missed his friends at Delta but didn’t miss the tip-of-the-spear action he encountered while on the team.

Taylor had been on Delta for four years, having come over from Special Forces. He was a West Point graduate and had risen to the rank of captain before leaving the Army. He had not gone looking for the CIA. Everyone with Delta was familiar with SAD and their mission, but he never gave it much thought until the day they came calling for him. What they offered interested him. He liked the idea of using the skill set he had learned while with the Special Forces and Delta. With SAD, he still was subject to missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and who knew where else, but he could also take part in cloak-and-dagger assignments like the one he was on now in Greece.

Responding to Godfrey’s request, Taylor reached out to the head of the surveillance team that was covering Angela’s husband. Scotti was a Navy SEAL before coming over to SAD.

Hey, Scotti, what’s the latest there?

Our boy left the embassy, Scotti answered, and we took him to his apartment. He is still in there.

I guess his wife is in there with him, Taylor said.

If she is, she went in before we got here.

Okay, Taylor said. Hang there for a few minutes, then you can break off before traffic gets bad. Thank the team for me. I’ll get with you tomorrow.

Roger that, Scotti answered.

Taylor reached out to Godfrey and filled him in on the surveillance.

Chapter 3

A DIFFICULT LIFE

G odfrey was back at his desk in the embassy when he got the call from Taylor. They discussed a few things and agreed to meet the next morning. He put Angela’s passport, along with instructions, in a diplomatic pouch that was going to Washington later that evening.

The CIA’s Athens station was located on the top floor of the US Embassy, with a private elevator to reach it. Godfrey’s cover at the embassy was an analyst with the Foreign Agricultural Service, which represented the US Department of Agriculture in Greece. He had attended classes dealing with US agriculture and had a working knowledge of what the Foreign Agricultural Service was trying to achieve in Greece.

Godfrey liked Athens. His half-portion of Greek blood helped him feel somewhat at home. He wished he had learned more Greek from his paternal grandparents, who spoke it every day in their home. He remembered his mother always assumed they were talking about her and never encouraged him to learn the language.

Not knowing a lot of Greek wasn’t a real disadvantage in Athens, as almost everyone in the city spoke English. He picked up more of the language in the cafés while discussing life and history with the people of Athens. The running conversation in most Athens cafés was the government and what should be done about it. You also heard the constant comparison of Athens with other European cities, particularly Rome. It was not with a little pride the people of Athens loved to tell anyone who would listen how the Acropolis was thousands of years older than the practically modern Roman Colosseum. Yes, Godfrey was happy in Athens, realizing where he could have been stationed in the vast world of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Godfrey had been with the CIA for eleven years. He had first been contacted by the Agency during his final year at the University of Florida Law School. He received a note in his mailbox one day that a Ms. Jones, a representative of the United States government, was in Gainesville for a few days, staying at the Embassy Suites, and would like to meet him. The note went on to say if he was interested, he could contact her at the hotel to set up an interview. Curious more than interested, Godfrey contacted Ms. Jones and met with her. The meeting lasted about fifteen minutes.

The whole time, Ms. Jones never mentioned the CIA, but her description of who she represented left no doubt in Godfrey’s mind that she was there for the CIA. She was very relaxed and seemed eager to make Godfrey feel the same way. She was vague in answering most of his questions, particularly the one about how she got his name. Godfrey later learned the CIA had unofficial sources in the faculties of colleges all over the world who fed them names and characteristics of certain students they might be interested in.

Ms. Jones gave no commitment to Godfrey, nor did she ask him for one. She gave him an address to a post office box in New York City if he wanted to contact her in the future.

Godfrey kept the address and was always intrigued by the meeting. He went on to graduate law school; after passing the Florida Bar, he was hired by a Miami law firm that did mostly insurance work. He spent most of his time suing uninsured motorists involved in accidents with policyholders. It was dry legal work, but it paid his bills, and Miami was not the worst place to be a single lawyer.

He was never really religious growing up but went to church occasionally with his family. He started attending a church near his apartment and became friends with the young pastor who had recently come there. They would talk, and one day, the pastor jokingly said, I see a lot of potential in you.

He stayed with his law firm another six months. He still sued the same people but started to look into their situations more. It was obvious most of their issues were brought on by poor decisions, but he did not enjoy adding to their difficulties.

One evening after work, he wrote a letter and mailed it to the New York address Ms. Jones had given him. He received a return letter with a lengthy and daunting application. He spent the next two weeks trying to contact friends and relatives he had not spoken to in years to obtain their current addresses. In the letter, he was told to be as vague as