Donovans 01 - Amber Beach

situation,” Mather said crisply. “Some nationalisms and religions took the remains of their soviet wealth and went to war. They took a big step backward fiscally. They became, or are fast becoming, Third World economies. Are you following me?”
    “Tanks, bombs, and bullets alone aren’t the kind of foundation you build a new society on,” Honor said, putting the can of soda on the counter with an impatient movement. “Civilian infrastructure is the first lesson of noncommunist economies. Some of the folks over there are still learning it. The longer they wait, the farther back they slide into the swamp of soft currency, poverty, and anarchy.”
    Mather looked relieved. “Good. You understand. It will save us all a lot of trouble.”
    Honor doubted it. Instead of saying so, she took a bite out of her sandwich and concentrated on chewing and swallowing.
    “You wouldn’t know it from reading American newspapers,” Mather said, “but there are literally dozens of groups competing for power in the former Soviet Union. We only hear about the most obvious ones or the ones that—”
    “We’re on a short clock,” Ellen interrupted. “The point is simple: the new Russian Federation is a collection of nuclear bombs with their fuses lit. If the wrong people end up with the Amber Room, there’s going to be a nasty war. We’ll all be downwind of the fallout.”
    Mather’s disappointed expression almost made Honor smile; he looked the way she had felt when Jake wouldn’t let her rhapsodize to the Coast Guard about the SeaSport’s big engine. Apparently the emerging former E-Bloc economies were Mather’s passion.
    “Um, yes,” Mather said. “Marju Uskhopchik-Mikniskes is a Lithuanian separatist.”
    “Kyle’s Marju?” Honor asked.
    “Yes. Ms. Uskhopchik-Mik—”
    “Call her Jones,” Honor interrupted dryly.
    Mather hesitated. “She is, or was, part of a plot to sell the Amber Room for money to use fighting Russia.”
    “Tanks, bombs, and bullets?” Honor said.
    “Exactly,” Ellen said. “But Marju’s playmates are out of the running now. We think they stole the Amber Room, or at least a panel of it, from the Kaliningrad mafiya . You’ve heard of them?”
    “According to Archer, they have all the class of the Colombian cartel and twice the brutality,” Honor said. “The bad news is that they have more international connections and a broader ‘tax base’ than Yeltsin.”
    “If Archer knows that, why is he holding us at arm’s length?” Mather asked impatiently. “He must know they’re after Kyle.”
    Both agents looked at Honor.
    “Ask Archer,” she said. “He just gives me orders, not explanations.”
    “No wonder you have a smart mouth,” Ellen said. “Older brothers will do it every time.”
    Smiling slightly, Honor decided that maybe she wouldn’t throw Ellen over a big cliff after all. Just a little one. Just enough to muss up her sleek hair.
    “You want some salmon salad?” Honor asked.
    Ellen smiled and shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m on a diet.”
    Honor cheered up even more. “That’s worse than having an older brother. How about you, Mather?”
    “I’m an older brother.”
    “Why am I not surprised?”
    “Oh, he’s not too bad,” Ellen said, giving Mather the kind of sideways look that was guaranteed to make a man feel one hundred percent healthy. “He’s trainable.”
    “So are gorillas,” Honor said. She took another bite of her sandwich, sighed, and reached for the salt.
    “Has Jake told you that the Organizatsiya could be involved?” Ellen asked.
    “With gorillas?” Honor asked, startled.
    Mather looked at the ceiling like he expected to find God there. “No, with the Amber Room.”
    “Jake mentioned the mafiya .”
    “They aren’t the same,” Ellen said. “The Organizatsiya is an export. They prey on the Russian emigrants in various countries. The mafiya stays home. The Organizatsiya is pretty much independent of the Old World, although they take people who are shit-listed in Russia and give them a safe place to be until the folks back home forget or are paid off. The mafiya repays the favor by finding work in Russia for Organizatsiya thugs who are wanted in the United States or other countries.”
    “Cozy,” Honor said. “How is the United States doing on extradition treaties with the Russian Federation?”
    “We’re working on it,” Ellen said. “But the Organizatsiya and the mafiya aren’t the only players to be reckoned