Chapter 58 Chapter fifty-six
Yakov took a deep breath, dialed a fixed number in his cell phone, and waited impatiently for the connection.
"He ran away," he told Semian Dworkin.
"You've disappointed me so much," Dworkin replied. "Maybe I should do it myself."
"No need. I've never failed a mission, and neither did this time."
Yakov sat against the wall, trying to predict Jon Stephenson's next move.He was nearby, and Yakov seemed to be able to hear his breathing, but he didn't want the Icelander to appear so soon, because the surrounding streets and waterways were still full of police forces.
As night fell, Jon Stephenson finally moved.The basement of the seminary next to the Church of Our Lady of Ankang was flooded with water, and Jon, who was still in despair and depression, slowly walked out of it.The church sits in the delta at the confluence of the Grand and Giudecca canals in Venice, not far from the scene of his escape.
The narrow, dark sidewalk cut across the deserted church grounds, and he darted from the shadow of one doorway to the next, making steady progress toward bushes and woods, with no definite plan in mind other than to get out of here as quickly as possible.
With the clearing only a few feet away from the relative safety of the woods, he charged forward.Someone flipped a switch somewhere, and a large floodlight immediately lit up, exposing him to all eyes.He froze in place, looking up at his surroundings.
"do not move!"
Only then did he slowly realize that he had fallen into a trap.Armed AISE agents emerged from the woods in front of and behind him.
"Put down your weapon, and your backpack, and put your hands behind your head slowly."
How could he let this happen?He considered running away while no one was looking, but then realized that would be tantamount to suicide.He put the gun on the ground, then put down the backpack, and put his hands behind his head.
"Move forward."
He only took two steps forward, and then there was a gunshot—Jon stood for a while, knelt down slowly, and fell to the ground without a sound.
As soon as the first rays of the morning sun came out, Nick was back at AISE headquarters for a briefing on the progress of the hunt for O'Callaghan and O'Bore. "They can't get far. I guess they're hiding in a safe house somewhere in the city. The IRA has always had a safe house, and O'Callaghan would never have come to Venice without a backup plan. These are the guys mode of action, I bet he still has guns and explosives," Nick said. Paul Conte didn't like what he heard. "We transferred some people from the gendarmerie and the garrison to assist in the work, and we have transferred all that can be transferred." As the sun rose over the lagoon, Nick walked to the window and gazed at the city.Venice has too many places to hide, too many escape routes, and too many tourists to provide cover.And despite Conte's assurances, there are still not enough staff to handle the burgeoning case, given the magnitude of the incident the city has experienced in the past week. "I don't envy your work," Nick turned to Conte, "although I would like to, but I don't think I can give you any further assistance. The boss in London has stopped the operation, and I hope I can get there as soon as possible in the short term." Go back. Wherever O'Callaghan is, he's no longer a threat." "A fugitive is always a threat," Conte said.
Lindsay was searching for background information on Icelanders in front of the computer, but found nothing.So she gave up this idea, stretched her arms, turned on the kettle, and planned to make another cup of coffee for herself. While waiting for the water to boil, she checked her email, but nothing particularly caught her attention.She made the coffee and started working on the article again.She should use a bit of journalistic skill to finish this piece before handing it over to the editor-in-chief in Dublin. "The Hunt for the Icelanders Ends in Terror and Mystery" She liked the title and wondered if Frank would take it. The Church of Our Lady of Ankang is located on a narrow strip of land between the Grand Canal of Venice and the San Marco area on the lagoon. It is one of the most prestigious ancient churches in Venice.An elite Italian spy team launched an operation here late at night, and the terrorists, known as Icelanders, were cornered and killed by the police. According to the head of the Italian Foreign Intelligence and Security Service (AISE), Jon Stephenson was trapped there earlier this evening and was at close range with police. It is understood that AISE agents believed that Jon was hiding in the church based on intuition, and after surrounding the church heavily, he lurked for several hours. However, the killer who fired the fatal shot at the Icelander has yet to be identified.According to sources, AISE intends to capture the target alive so that he can be interrogated for various horrific crimes committed in Venice.Not only was he the murderer of two Norwegian government officials, but he was also involved in the suicide bombing that nearly killed the president of Pakistan. Sources have suggested the shooter may have been a professional killer who had been on the hunt for the Icelanders since they shot at Norwegian officials, but that has not been confirmed.After interviewing several local civilians and tourists, we believe that Icelanders are avoiding the mysterious man in addition to avoiding AISE agents. So far, no one from AISE or Italian government agencies has commented on the incident, and the bullets removed from the Icelander's body have been sent to forensic authorities for examination. Meanwhile, the search continues for missing Irish lady and former IRA terrorist Seamus O'Callaghan.Seamus O'Callaghan is said to be part of a group of Icelanders who were trapped in the Governor-General's Palace for days last week after the woman disappeared while in a psychiatric hospital after aborting her attempt to blow up the plane. Lindsay re-read it, checked for typos, thought it a masterpiece, and emailed the article back to Dublin. When she was done, she washed up, made a few phone calls, and set off from the hotel to meet Nick.
As soon as the first rays of the morning sun came out, Nick was back at AISE headquarters for a briefing on the progress of the hunt for O'Callaghan and O'Bore. "They can't get far. I guess they're hiding in a safe house somewhere in the city. The IRA has always had a safe house, and O'Callaghan would never have come to Venice without a backup plan. These are the guys mode of action, I bet he still has guns and explosives," Nick said. Paul Conte didn't like what he heard. "We transferred some people from the gendarmerie and the garrison to assist in the work, and we have transferred all that can be transferred." As the sun rose over the lagoon, Nick walked to the window and gazed at the city.Venice has too many places to hide, too many escape routes, and too many tourists to provide cover.And despite Conte's assurances, there are still not enough staff to handle the burgeoning case, given the magnitude of the incident the city has experienced in the past week. "I don't envy your work," Nick turned to Conte, "although I would like to, but I don't think I can give you any further assistance. The boss in London has stopped the operation, and I hope I can get there as soon as possible in the short term." Go back. Wherever O'Callaghan is, he's no longer a threat." "A fugitive is always a threat," Conte said.
Lindsay was searching for background information on Icelanders in front of the computer, but found nothing.So she gave up this idea, stretched her arms, turned on the kettle, and planned to make another cup of coffee for herself. While waiting for the water to boil, she checked her email, but nothing particularly caught her attention.She made the coffee and started working on the article again.She should use a bit of journalistic skill to finish this piece before handing it over to the editor-in-chief in Dublin. "The Hunt for the Icelanders Ends in Terror and Mystery" She liked the title and wondered if Frank would take it. The Church of Our Lady of Ankang is located on a narrow strip of land between the Grand Canal of Venice and the San Marco area on the lagoon. It is one of the most prestigious ancient churches in Venice.An elite Italian spy team launched an operation here late at night, and the terrorists, known as Icelanders, were cornered and killed by the police. According to the head of the Italian Foreign Intelligence and Security Service (AISE), Jon Stephenson was trapped there earlier this evening and was at close range with police. It is understood that AISE agents believed that Jon was hiding in the church based on intuition, and after surrounding the church heavily, he lurked for several hours. However, the killer who fired the fatal shot at the Icelander has yet to be identified.According to sources, AISE intends to capture the target alive so that he can be interrogated for various horrific crimes committed in Venice.Not only was he the murderer of two Norwegian government officials, but he was also involved in the suicide bombing that nearly killed the president of Pakistan. Sources have suggested the shooter may have been a professional killer who had been on the hunt for the Icelanders since they shot at Norwegian officials, but that has not been confirmed.After interviewing several local civilians and tourists, we believe that Icelanders are avoiding the mysterious man in addition to avoiding AISE agents. So far, no one from AISE or Italian government agencies has commented on the incident, and the bullets removed from the Icelander's body have been sent to forensic authorities for examination. Meanwhile, the search continues for missing Irish lady and former IRA terrorist Seamus O'Callaghan.Seamus O'Callaghan is said to be part of a group of Icelanders who were trapped in the Governor-General's Palace for days last week after the woman disappeared while in a psychiatric hospital after aborting her attempt to blow up the plane. Lindsay re-read it, checked for typos, thought it a masterpiece, and emailed the article back to Dublin. When she was done, she washed up, made a few phone calls, and set off from the hotel to meet Nick.