“The keychain of Mr. Yusim that Mr. Yusim’s lawyer, Jerome A. Kulikov, vowed had “sentimental value” has yielded our greatest breakthrough in the case…. The keychain, like something out of a Robert Ludlum novel, was in the shape of a shark. My first thought: someone has a sense of humor, as “akula” is the Russian word for shark.”
-- From DIG: The Official Prequel, Inspired by USA Network’s Television Event Series
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To: RuthRidell@USconsulate.com
From: LynnMonahan@USconsulate.com
Subject: Special Envoy Barnette Reception
Date: August 30, 2014
The security vetting process of any and all contracted employees for the Consulate is proceeding smoothly. I am personally overseeing the process so that there should be no hiccups for the upcoming arrival of Special Envoy Barnette.
There is no new information regarding Yussef Khalid. I will apprise you if there are any new updates.
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PETER CONNELLY: FIELD NOTES - AKULA FILES
September 1, 2014 – 11:00am Israeli time (4:00am EST)
Last night I went to the weekly poker game at Phil’s house. A bunch of FBI agents sitting around the table drinking beer. Everybody looking for tells using their spidey senses and FBI training in an attempt to win other people’s cash. Not exactly relaxing. Of course, Lynn cleaned up. There is no question she is the smartest one of us in the bunch.
Meanwhile, we are moving forward regarding the insulin pump that Liat and I saw in the security footage of Dasha Petrova during her many airport visits. I asked Liat to get me information on everyone who purchased a wireless insulin pump and/or insulin refills within a 50-mile radius of Jerusalem, along with the patients’ doctors. After I consulted a diabetes specialist, I have come to the conclusion that Dasha Petrova’s condition is severe enough that she would need regular refills of insulin to keep her blood sugar stable. Thus Dasha Petrova is sourcing her insulin from somewhere in the vicinity. I am looking into tracing the pump in order to track its wireless signal. We can get cybersecurity support from D.C. if we have to.
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POLICE REPORT
Detective Golan Cohen, Jerusalem Police
September 1, 2014
Believe it or not, police incompetence might have brought forth our biggest break yet. The keychain of Mr. Yusim that Mr. Yusim’s lawyer, Jerome A. Kulikov, vowed had “sentimental value” has yielded our greatest breakthrough in the case. Once Mr. Yusim and his lawyer left the precinct, the infamous keychain reappeared. This detective immediately took possession of the keychain in order return it, stave off a lawsuit, and reinstitute good will between the police and the slimy mob lawyer. Or, at least, try. The keychain, like something out of a Robert Ludlum novel, was in the shape of a shark. My first thought: someone has a sense of humor, as “akula” is the Russian word for shark.
As this detective does not believe in coincidences, I attempted to open the plastic shark head and lo and behold, a flash drive was imbedded inside. Sentimental value, my ass. After my discovery, I took the flash drive to the lab and we discovered encrypted files that included usernames, passwords combinations, and email addresses for over 100,000 individuals in Greece and Singapore. Perhaps we averted another cyber hacking incident as we are in the process of notifying all the individuals that their security has been breached. The real question is why would Mr. Yusim be holding this sensitive information when he is meeting Jonathan Frank. Was Mr. Yusim delivering this illegal intel as part of Jonathan’s payment for services rendered at the bank?
I don’t care what Detective Versluis says about being circumspect. I know that Odessa is a location that Mr. Yusim frequently patronized, and so there must be a connection between this store and Akula. Assuming the 100,000 logins is payment for what Jonathan Frank did at the bank, our interception of this transaction will have consequences. Maybe Jonathan Frank will seek other payment from Akula, or make some sort of effort to track him down. Nobody does anything for free.
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FBI MEMORANDUM
From: Deputy Director Hefner
To: Lynn Monahan
CC: Peter Connelly
Subject: Cyber-Hacking Breach
Date: September 2, 2014
Due to the most recent hacking attack on U.S. companies and their websites, our cybercrime unit has been closely monitoring all Internet activity originating from Russia. We’ve picked up a suspicious chat message that falls under your jurisdiction. The chat message mentions a possible exchange of intelligence for political asylum. Whoever sent the message clearly forgot to use a proxy server, and we can confirm it was picked up within a one-mile radius of the Katamon neighborhood in south-central Jerusalem. We are monitoring this and will advise of any further activity that we pick up.
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POLICE REPORT
Detective Golan Cohen, Jerusalem Police
September 2, 2014
I went to Odessa grocery store and showed Yusim’s picture to the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Berozashvili, who pretended not to know him and had the nerve to act as if they only spoke in Russian. I may or may not have threatened them with deportation. In the end, the only information I got out of them was that they are irate with the government and think the power company is inflating their usage numbers. They also hate Putin. As I was leaving, I ran into FBI Agent Connelly. I told him I was shopping for bublik and headed back to my car. I am definitely not on his Christmas card list.
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PETER CONNELLY: FIELD NOTES - AKULA FILES
September 3, 2014 – 6:45pm Israeli time (11:45am EST)
Liat has heard from her friend in Shin Bet that Katamon is a hotbed of Russian mob activity. I focused my investigation on the local businesses in the area for any suspicious goings-on. Upon arrival, I ran into that snake Detective Cohen exiting a small grocery store. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Luckily he seemed aggravated so hopefully he hit a wall. I still have Dasha Petrova in my back pocket.
Meanwhile, the bank manager called me several times telling me he had more information. Apparently, a bank employee has come forward regarding information on Orit Peleg. He states that he saw her commuting by bus on numerous occasions. Wow. That is exciting intel. Call off the dogs, the hunt is over, she takes the bus. Another dead end.
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TEXT EXCHANGE – September 4, 2014, 1:00AM
Peter: Are you up?
Lynn: Always.
Peter: Do I get points for behaving at dinner?
Lynn: Yes.
Peter: Do you still want me to?
Lynn: Do I still want you to what?
Peter: Behave.
Lynn: Ask me again tomorrow ;-)
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Thanks for reading Chapter 7 of DIG: The Official Prequel. What do you think is going on between Peter and Lynn? Purely professional? Just friends? Or something more?
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DIG: The Official Prequel
Mystery / ThrillerPeter Connelly, a highly decorated FBI agent, has just arrived in Jerusalem for a new assignment—there’s been a major cyber heist and it’s up to him to track the missing millions and whoever’s responsible. While the FBI believes this to be the work...
