17.2 Domino Effect

According to the KGB report, Jaco Ferre was a barber from Badalona who started this profession at his age of 16. He always carried a lunchbox bag of chocolate brown leather with hairdressing tools in them, strapped on his shoulder and rode on a bike from house to house on his daily routine. He also maintained his small barber shop on Passeig Maritim facing the water. Jair and Jaco grew up together in the neighbourhood but years passed without seeing each other. Then one day, Jair Sivils called his childhood friend asking for a huge sum of money, in 1961. Jair had to clear some debt, pay office rent, salaries and overheads, since his company was going broke. Jair had borrowed from others even in the past and returned none. He was losing friends for cheating on them. He was known for making excuses, apologies and living on lies. In his usual method, he’d delay paying back by appearing with small amounts of money and soon the lender would get so annoyed eventually to forget about it.

On this day he came in his Porsche 356 Carrera convertible to pick Jaco and drove to the marina to show his new boat – a 2-cabin Belliure sailing yacht finished in wood and built in Spain. Jair promised that he would give 35% share of Catai Tours to Jaco Ferre if he would finance him with his saving of 500,000 pesetas; equivalent of US$ 125,000.

Jaco agreed after listening to him brag about his highly successful travel agency. Jaco also wished that he would join the firm and work for the company for a while after closing down his barbershop to try something new. Jair Sivils took Jaco Ferre to his various destinations and soon Jaco began to travel on his own as a representative of Catai Tours.

Jair knew that Jaco Ferre saved a lot of money with his profession. Besides, Jaco was a single guy, never married and without a child or a sibling. Jaco Ferre hadn’t invested his earnings in any manner, never purchased a house or a luxury or spent his life in pleasure. It started only after he joined the agency and began his travels to other parts of Europe. He enjoyed his new life and argued few times to claim back his money. Jair always managed to conciliate him by telling lies. Last time he said that his company was on the brink of bankruptcy and soon after launching a successful airline business in Macedonia, his problems would be solved, clear all his debts and register Jaco Ferre in the company for his 35% share, as promised. In the meantime, he signed a statement on his company letterhead and passed to Jaco Ferre for an assurance.

After dropping his barber case, Jaco shouldered a hunter green leather bag in which he carried his office. All his notes, memos, bills, legal papers and documents were kept in the bag. His barbershop on Passeig Maritim remained closed for three years with a signboard hanging behind the panel and curtains drawn. A moss green wall and grey curtains flapping behind the glass as he forgetfully left the ceiling fan on.

Many times, Jair Sivils would express his burden over Jaco Ferre to Alexey and often shared these troubles with Bodan Vanev. He had not paid a cent to Jaco.

Then one day in October 1964, he was shot dead in the streets of Budapest. His killers took away his bag with all his papers, everything in his pocket, every print on his fingers, every identification and any evidence left at his hotel room.

Miloš and Vanco killed him to remove that letter. According to the report, it was the KGB at the Rendörség who planted an FBI identity card in his pocket and not by Miloš who knelt beside his body and did what he did as if he was checking on his pulse. It was done at the studio hours after his death…at the printing press of Népszava, under KGB supervision.

So, it was a Russian dictation that wished to alter his identification and the reason was to blow the cover of Robert D Maxwell who stopped passing top secrets.

Colonel Ram and investigator, Levan Alexidze, were inconclusive to grip an understanding since nothing was said in the report about Robert D Maxwell, either the KGB did not know or they did not want to disclose.

Both carefully browsed through the contents of the Hungarian papers, an assortment of photographs and cuttings, praising the KGB for the meticulousness of their job. One of the papers mentioned Jaco Ferre by name and it was in Esti Hírlap with a photograph of Hotel Nyolc. It narrated that a girl was involved in a hold up in Room 21 where the Spanish tourist was staying. The KGB package even provided a photograph of Hajnal Gábris.

Levan enquired, “Who is this girl? Nothing said in the report about her! Maybe she is KGB!”

“I believe so,” agreed Ram, “My guess is that KGB knows Robert D Maxwell and they want to blow his cover to the CIA by planting an FBI identification on a man who was involved with Catai Tours in the rutile ore trade.”

“It certainly brings the subject to their focus and CIA will find out he’s been passing classified information to the Russians. But it will expose Alexey as well and blow his cover!”

“They dumped the Lexicon,” said the minister.

“Why?” asked Levan.

“Because Jaco Ferre was killed by Bodan Vanev upon a request of Jair Sivils. He could have paid him with all that money but he wants to protect the share that he promised to Ferre. I bet Sivils would have proposed a deal but Ferre objected. KGB must have decided at this point to seal off their operations.”

“Comrade Minister!” voiced Levan, “Coincidental it happened to be Slavs but anybody could hire them. Not just Bodan Vanev who is a Slav of a Bulgarian descent. I also disagree that KGB knows Maxwell. On the contrary, I believe they want the Americans to blow his cover for the Russians.”

“Speculative.”