Debut for a Spy (36 page)

“You see, David? I was right. I knew you would be success on this cruise. I am grateful. Now you can have holiday for remainder of cruise. I see you are become close friend with Marijke. This is good. She will make sure you have wonderful time. I am sorry I am so busy for two days. But after tomorrow we will find time for talks, yes? Now I must see that my guests have what they wish. You will excuse me?”

“
Of course, Volodya.” We shook hands.

I looked around for Marijke. The captain was still talking to her, naturally. This was my night. I walked over.

“Ah, Mr. Baird. I think you wery lucky man. Marijke tell me no time for me. Only for you. We change place. I sing, you be captain. I have Marijke. Okay?” He laughed loudly. His vodkas were showing.

“
Maybe next trip,” I said pleasantly. “I hope you'll excuse us, captain. I'm a little tired.”

Without waiting for a reply I took Marijke's arm and we made our way out, saying good night to people as we passed. We walked down to A deck, and straight to my stateroom.

“I've got to see the band, darling, but I'll hurry.”

“
It's fine. I bring in some things to your cabin. Don't be long time. We have three hours only.”

I kissed her, left, and headed back up to the Empress room. The band was packing up. We grabbed a table which had been vacated and went into a huddle over a drink. It looked good – six musicians having a post-performance recap.

“What's the latest, chaps?” I asked softly.

“
I managed to borrow a sextant with some charts and tables from Yuri,” said Choppy. “I'll get a fix about 02:30. That's even better than trying to guess.”

“
He won't be suspicious?”

“
Not a chance. He knows I was a deck officer aboard a cruiser, so he thinks I just want to keep my hand in.”

“
That's great. Now, there's something I need from cabin A14. Does anyone have a contact with a master key?”

“
What do you need, David?” asked Dusty.

“
In Vladimir Nalishkin's suitcase, in a pocket, there's a gun with a suppressor. I'm going to need it. If you've got a way to get me in, I've got to take the chance.”

“
I've got a complete set of keys. One of me mates from the British crew said we'd better 'ave a set along. Figured with all these Russkies about we should 'ave some way of keepin' our eye on things. Leave it to us. We'll get the artillery.”

“
You sure?” A nod. “Thanks again. You'd better do it soon. Nalishkin is at the captain's reception, but I don't know for how long. Now, here's how I see it. We'll meet in the library at 0245. Lofty, you're going to pretend to be drunk, and fiddle with the door out to the tourist promenade deck. The rest of you be at the rear of the cinema. Lofty – make a big fuss and play it up – act stupid when they try to send you away. This'll give me time to get up from the lower deck. When I've got the guards under control, in you come.”

“
What're you going to do with 'em, Guv?”

“
Whatever I have to. Now, can you get hold of some ladies' nylons? You should each pull one over your head just as you come out on the deck. If anyone sees you, you won't be recognized.”

“
We can pinch some from the crew's laundry room,” said Ben. “Anything else?”

“
Just make sure we've got some heavy tape – like duct tape. If we have to tie anybody up it's the quickest way.”

“
Got it already, Mate.”

“
That's it, then. See you at 0245. And by the way, thanks for the accompaniment. It was exceptional. We'll do it again some time, under slightly less demanding circumstances.”

“
We enjoyed it, Guv,” said Ben. “Let's 'ope the second 'alf goes as well.”

I went back to my stateroom. I felt sure we had a chance to pull it off. I knew the band would give it everything they had. I hoped none of them would get hurt. Oh, damn! I'd meant to ask them to keep my music with theirs, and I could get it in London from them. I hurried back to the Empress room, but I'd missed them, so I went on down to the crew quarters and Ben's cabin. He was just arriving himself.

“What's up, Guv?”

“
My music. Can you keep it with yours? Otherwise it'll be gone – I'll never see it again.”

“
Already sorted that one out, Guv,” he smiled.

“
I should have known. I'll see you later.”

Ben gave me a stage wink, and I turned to leave – too hastily. I bumped into someone, looked up at a shock of red hair, and nearly lost my composure right there. Stavic!

“Sorry,” I stammered, “my fault,” and stepped aside.

He said nothing, but looked at me strangely and kept going. Just my luck, I thought. But he didn't know me, and I hoped he hadn't seen me at Dunsfold. Still, it was nerve-wracking.

Marijke was starting to get worried when I arrived.

“
I am afraid something goes wrong.”

“
No. So far so good. We're going to meet at 02:45. We've done everything we can. Now we have to get lucky. I just saw the American pilot, Stavic. Bumped into him in the crew's quarters. I don't think he knows who I am, but I can't be sure.”

Marijke seemed very depressed.

“This plan will work, David?”

“
We have a chance.”

“
If you get away with the plane, where do you go?”

“
Spain, Portugal, France. It depends on our exact position when I get off. I might make it to the Channel Islands, but that's not very likely.”

“
Where will you land? Isn't it dangerous? You might crash.”

“
This aircraft can land in a parking lot. All I need is a small open space with no trees or wires around, and I'll be fine.”

It was my turn to be pensive.
“When will I see you again?”

“
I don't know. I try to come back to London, but I don't think they let me. You can come to Soviet Union?”

“
I thought about that. After tonight I don't think they're going to be very pleased with me. If I apply for a visa, they'll probably turn it down. I'm sure the KGB will have me on a list of undesirables. What will we do?”

“
What we must, my darling. Maybe in one year or two something happens. It matters much, and I can wait. In Soviet Union we must wait for everything. We learn to be patient.”

“
I have little patience, so I hope it isn't long. What about letters? Can I write to you?”

“
This is dangerous. Foreign letters they open very much. If they see letter from England for someone in KGB, they open.”

“
There must be a way, Marijke. I can't believe we might never see or hear from each other again! What kind of country is this?”

“
It is wonderful country, David, full of ordinary people who want to sing and dance and have happy life. What is wrong is not country, it is not people, it is communist system and leaders. Someday we change it. Many people in USSR try. They get arrested, sent to labor camp or Gulag. Sometimes they have trial, sometimes no. Sometimes they are shot by firing squad, sometimes murdered in torture cells. Some survive and come back to tell us. We keep these stories, and we tell them. We grow stronger, and some day we change our country.”

We sat, just looking at each other. I had known Marijke for only nine days, yet she had affected my life more than any person had ever done. Losing her was intolerable, but we were seated in separate roller coasters about to careen in different directions, and there was no getting off 'til the ride was over.

“David, we have little time. Please hold me.”

I took her hand and led her to the bed. I took off my tux, shirt, and the rest, and I watched Marijke as she did the same. She was so beautiful. We slid under the sheets and held and caressed and kissed. We made love with a feeling of immense longing, as though we were already apart. Then she slept fitfully. I stayed awake, holding her and trying to comfort her, counting down the minutes. All too soon it was time to go.

I eased out of bed and got ready in the bathroom. I had no idea where or when I'd see a toilet next. I dressed in my dark track suit and running shoes, then thought I'd better take a jacket – it might be pretty cold up there. I had my penlight, put a pen and pad in my pocket, then had a bit of inspiration and wrote down the engine start sequence on the pad. I didn't want to be in the aircraft and unable to recall the steps in my panic. I was ready to go. Reluctantly, I awakened Marijke.

“
Oh, no, I sleep?” I nodded as she continued. “I don't want to sleep. I want to be awake with you.”

“
It's all right. I have to say goodbye, darling.”

“
David, I think about this, I mean to tell you. You must tie me. If you don't, they think I know and help you.”

“
Marijke…!”

“
You must. Please. I have adhesive. Put on my mouth. I take strong sedative first, tell them you drug me, when I wake up I am tied, I cannot call for help, and you are gone.”

“
But you might be like this for hours!”

“
No! When plane flies they come here for me. Please! Hurry!”

I hated to do it, but I saw the wisdom. It took a few minutes, but I used two belts and fastened her feet and her hands securely and placed her on the bed. Before I put the plaster on I kissed her gently.

“I'll always love you, Marijke, no matter what happens, and I will never forget you.”

“
Somehow, we meet again. Be careful, my darling.”

I kissed her once again and started to place the tape, but she spoke again, with a tiny smile.

“I hope your pants fall down.”

I placed the tape, not too tightly, looked briefly but deeply into her eyes, caressed her cheek, and left quickly. I couldn't look back and see her like that.

Halfway to the library I had an almost uncontrollable urge to run back, free her – and then what? I knew there was no answer. Now I had to shake loose this depression and my thoughts of Marijke or I wouldn't carry this off. I took a deep breath, opened the library door, and there was my team, waiting for me.

“
Well, gentlemen, are we ready for this gig?”

There were a few chuckles then Choppy spoke up.

“We've even got a name for it, David. Operation Anacrusis, because this is going to be one hell of a 'pick-up'.”

I laughed along with them. I needed that. Dusty spoke up.
“Here's your cannon, David. There was an extra clip and a box of cartridges. I pinched the lot.”

I examined it. A 9mm Makarov, very similar to the Walther PP. I screwed the suppressor on, checked the clip, chambered a round, put on the safety and shoved it inside my jacket, with the spare clip in one pocket and the box of cartridges in the other.

“Are we ready?”

“
We've got the tools, tape, and we've each got a torch and a nylon stocking. We're set.”

“
Now, listen. As soon as your job is done, get out. Either back along the promenade deck or go over the rail and drop to the tourist promenade aft on A deck.”

“
We're ahead of you, Guv. We dropped two rope ladders from the boat deck. They're 'idden behind the lifeboats. We're goin' up when it's done. We can stay behind the lifeboats until the coast is clear. Less chance of being spotted.”

“
That's great! Now remember, as soon as you're out, get rid of anything incriminating – tools, torches, nylons – everything.”

Choppy's turn.
“I took a bearing about 20 minutes ago.” He showed me a chart of the European Atlantic Seaboard. “We're just about here, or will be in 20 minutes. That's as close as I can come. Unfortunately we've increased speed to 20 knots – once we'd got clear of Ushant and away from the heavy shipping lanes.”

“
What's the bad news, Choppy?”

“You're 700 miles from Southampton. What's the kite's range?”

“600 miles at best, depending on the take-off fuel burn. It uses a lot more going up vertically. What are my options?”

“Rather limited, I'm afraid. If you travel 050 degrees northeast you'll cross the Bay of Biscay and hit the coast of Brittany in about 400 miles. If you can last another 200 miles on the same heading you'll make the Channel Islands. Other than that you'd have to head for Cape Finisterre in Spain, heading 110 degrees southeast, and that's about 175 miles. I've put all this down for you, and you can take the chart. What do you think?”

“
I'll have to make a final decision in the air when I see the state of the fuel after I'm airborne, but my first preference is Brittany or the Channel Islands. Choppy, thanks. At least I know I've got a chance. Anything else?”

“
Yeah, Guv, this,” said Ben, producing a small packet. “It's an inflatable life jacket – the sort o' thing they use on passenger planes. Just in case you come down in the drink, we wanted you to 'ave a chance to stay afloat 'til 'elp arrives.”