The Defector (36 page)

“Curious how a sophisticated man of his intelligence could react like a primitive,” Grant remarked.

“It just proves how deeply superstitious the Russian character is.”

“Not just the Russians,” Kidson said.

“Propitiating the gods is common to all human beings. The pagan comes out in different ways in different people.”

“I can’t quite see it in myself,” Grant retorted.

“Or in you…” James White said, “And who’d have thought Davina Graham could’have such an effect on a man? I never imagined Sasanov cared a damn about her. Do you understand it’ John

“No, I never thought she was attractive,” Kidson said.

“But then I never really knew her, did I? None of us did. But the fact is there is a man who doesn’t want to live without her. Obviously, Chief, we’ll have to change our plans regarding the escape route. Thanks to Harrington every move we’ve made is known. The KGB are just waiting to scoop up Irina Sasanova and Davina Graham. How Harrington plays it remains to be seen. The point at issue is this: if anything happens to those two women, Sasanov is going to give himself up and commit suicide. Which leaves us with the most important political situation since the Berlin Wall went up: Soviet plans for oil dominance in the Gulf, and ultimately a nuclear strike against the United States. And nobody to monitor and interpret for us from the inside. We’ve got to have Sasanov going every step of the way with us. And that means we’ve got to make sure of at least one of those women getting back here. What do you suggest, Grant? This is really your department. “

“I suggest,” Grant said slowly, ‘that we halve the risk. We don’t proceed with the original plan for escape via the Crimea. We get the Daughter out via Poland, for instance, and then through East Germany. We’ve an excellent network in East Berlin itself. That’ll have to be disbanded immediately afterwards. In the meantime we allow Miss. Graham and Harrington to think the original scheme is going ahead. They wait in Livadia, and Volkov waits for the girl to arrive there and for Harrington to make his move. By which time, she should be on her way to the West. The Embassy can fix her up with the necessary papers, and they won’t be looking for her because she’s expected to take the other route. “

“And how do you think Volkov will react when she doesn’t turn up in Livadia?” the Brigadier asked. Grant pursed his thin lips.

“That depends on whether he decides to arrest Miss. Graham and blow Harrington’s cover by doing so. Personally I don’t think he’ll do that. Once Sasanov’s got his daughter, holding Miss. Graham isn’t going to count for all that much. But one has to take that chance. What do you think, Chief?”

“I think we should do as you say; halve the risk. Make sure of one, anyway. Go ahead with the new arrangements, Humphrey, will you? And you reassure Sasanov, John. We’ve got an afternoon session and our Langley cousin will be breathing down our necks fairly soon.” White paused and said, “I suppose we’ll have to tell them we’ve got a leak? It’ll cause a terrible fuss about our security again, but we dare not withhold the truth in case everything blows up in our faces and we have to lose Sasanov. We don’t have to tell them it’s a homebred traitor. Besides, we’ve got a little bone to pick with them ourselves, when their man comes over tomorrow night. Grant, send a telex through to Langley, will you?”

“How brave is she?” Poliakov didn’t hesitate.

“I think she’s very brave. Only a brave girl would have asked for a pass for me. And got one from Volkov.”

“Good enough,” Spencer-Barr said.

“You’re sure she’ll go through with this?”

“I think she would be glad to,” the tutor said. He drew himself up slightly.

“But it won’t be necessary. I’ve made my own plans for Volkov. He placed a hand on his pocket. Spencer-Barr’s surprise only made him look supercilious.

“You’ve made plans? What are you talking about and what’s in that pocket?”

“A knife,” Poliakov said.

“I am not going to Livadia; I am going to Volkov’s office this afternoon and I will kill him. Then Irina will be able to get away. She has her pass;

she can take the plane tonight. After I’ve killed him, I will stab myself. “

“I see,” Jeremy said.

“You’ve got it all planned. A grand heroic gesture?” Poliakov reddened at the mockery.

“You can sneer if you like. But I shall do it.”

“I’m sure you would,” Spencer-Barr said.

“Except that you’d be searched before you got within a mile of Volkov’s office, and nobody sees him alone. He has a bodyguard with him. It was a brave idea, but I assure you, this kind of thing is better left to the professionals. You give this to Irina and tell her to get Volkov round-just before she leaves. She must tell him it’s very urgent, make any excuse but get him to the apartment. And he must be out of there before an hour at the latest after he’s taken the stuff. ” He passed a twist of paper to Alexei.

“Put that in your wallet,” he said.

“And for God’s sake be careful. It’s tasteless and colourless; it dissolves in about two seconds. And it takes effect about an hour later. The symptoms make it look like heart-failure. ” Alexei put the paper twist in his pocket book.

“I understand,” he said.

“Now you’ve got the rest of the plan clear, haven’t you?” Spencer-Ban- sounded impatient.

“There’s a shuttle to Sim feropol at seven this evening. You meet Irina at the airport and you fly out. You can spend the night there and get the morning bus to Livadia. When you’re in Livadia you contact Heinz Fleischer at the Livadia Castle Intourist Hotel. You go there in the morning as soon as you arrive. He is there with a woman, they’re supposed to be East Germans, but he speaks Russian. They’re expecting Irina, so she’d better make the call. She must use the name Trudi. Is that all clear?”

“Perfectly,” Alexei said.

“I remember everything. And when we make contact with these two people, I give your message.”

“That’s right,” Jeremy said grimly.

“Tell them the departure plans and what I’ve told you. You can trust them.

I can’t do more to help you than that there isn’t time. Your one chance is to get away over the weekend before the KGB start collating Volkov’s information. They’ll be busy covering up his death for the first twenty-four hours. They don’t like people to know the KGB is mortal. Especially at his rank. You’ve got a good chance,” he said harshly, ‘but not if you bungle anything!”

“We won’t bungle it,” Poliakov said.

“I know what we have to do and we’ll do it.” Right, “Jeremy said briskly.

“Be at the airport and ready to go. After that it’s up to you. Good luck.” They didn’t shake hands, although they were the only people in the science room of the Museum of Soviet Science. Poliakov watched the Englishman walk down the long hall, his steps echoing on the marble floor, and turn out of the exit. He had a purposeful walk and a swinging, athletic step. Alexei thought how much he hated him. He made the tutor feel inadequate just by looking at him. He was not strong enough or clever enough to know how to kill Irina’s tormentor. He was to sneak to the airport and wait for her like a little dog. He could only be trusted with messages. That was one part of his instructions he was going to ignore. He left the building a few minutes later. The American observer from the CIA at Langley arrived at Heathrow and was driven straight to Hampshire. Humphrey Grant was waiting to meet him. He entertained him to dinner with the rest of the team debriefing Sasanov, and afterwards took him aside in private. The American was a quiet-spoken Southerner in his mid-fifties; he had worked under Bush but had been retired during the purge of the early seventies. He had been brought back when the effects of a demoralized Intelligence Service, hampered by legislation, resulted in the debacle in Iran.

“I’m looking forward to sitting-in tomorrow,” he said.

“We start at nine-thirty,” Grant said.

“You’ve got a detailed report to refer to, haven’t you? How has your service analysed the information so far?”

“We think it’s primary information,” came the answer.

“We’re treating it at Presidential level. I’m glad to have the opportunity to absorb it at first hand. We are naturally very concerned about this leak.” There was a hint of rebuke which Grant had been expecting. He was ready for it. He said frostily, “Besides Ivan Sasanov, there’s another matter my Chief wanted me to discuss with you… before you sit in on tomorrow’s session.”

“My pleasure,” the CIA official said courteously. He was on guard like a fencer, his charming manners the foil on the rapier. Grant assumed his infuriating schoolmaster attitude, head poked a little forward, hands clasped behind his back.

“I would like to discuss one of our operatives with you,” he said.

“In strictest confidence, of course. He spent some time in the United States… A Mrjeremy Spencer Barr Does the name mean anything to you?” Antonyii Volkov smiled at Irina when she opened the door. He saw her expression alter as his driver stepped forward to come into the flat with him.

“You don’t mind Yuri, do you?” he inquired. He went past her into the little sitting-room. Irina hurried after him; the big bodyguard loomed behind her.

“We’re in the kitchen,” she murmured to Volkov.

“I’ve got the samovar nice and hot for some tea.” He went on smiling at her.

“Thank you,” he said.

“And where is your little tutor in the kitchen too?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes, he’s there. Waiting for you…” Volkov took off his cap and the driver stepped forward and took it from him.

“Before we sit down at the table together,” he said pleasantly “I want you to tell me something. Yuri - go into the kitchen. I shall come in a minute. Now, Irina, why this urgent message? Why did you want to see me today so badly?” He caught her chin between his fingers and raised her face; the fingers pinched tighter and tighter until she winced.

“Because he doesn’t believe you’ll let him go,” she said.

“He won’t come with me unless you tell him to.”

“What a stupid young idiot,” Volkov said mildly.

“Any man in his right mind would want to go to Livadia with you… And then to England. Because you are going to England. Did-you read your mother’s letter? ” He saw the hatred glimmer in her eyes, like sheet-lightning before the first thunderclap.

“Yes, I read it.”

“And how do you think your father will feel when he reads it?”

“He’ll come home,” she said.

“He’ll come home to get her released.”

“And you’ll be able to convince him that it’s a genuine letter, won’t you after all, you’ve seen your mother in prison, haven’t you? He’ll know that everything she’s written is the truth. And of course you’ll do your best to persuade him.” He was waiting for an answer. Courage blazed up in Irina Sasanova.

“I won’t have to; my father won’t let my mother suffer on his account. He’ll come back because he’ll want to kill you! ” To her amazement Volkov burst out laughing.

“You’re a real little firebrand what a pity I have to lose you! Come along, I want to see this poor rabbit of a tutor; you’ll eat him alive, my dear. What you need is a strong man like myself.” She saw the desire in his eyes and cursed herself for showing spirit. Resistance from her aroused him more now than when she was cowed and frightened. He mustn’t stay, Alexei had warned. He must leave the flat within an hour after he had drunk the tea. She turned away from him and hurried to the door.

“You won’t say that when you meet him,” she challenged. Poliakov got up when they came in. The samovar stood in the middle of the kitchen table. There was a bottle of vodka, salt, lemon, sweet cakes to be eaten with the tea, and dishes of pickles to neutralize the vodka. The driver lurked in a corner, arms at his sides, staring inwards towards them. For a moment Volkov and the tutor faced each other. Volkov calmly examined him.

“You are just a boy,” he said.

“No wonder my Irina wants to protect you. Let’s sit down, shall we?” Poliakov pulled out a seat and managed to knock over a glass. He apologized, and wiped the sweat from his pale face with his shirt-sleeve. Volkov watched him with a slight smile; he pointed to a place next to him and said to Irina! “You come beside me.”

“What would you like?” she asked him.

“Tea or vodka?”

“You have prepared a feast for me,” he remarked.

“I think I will have a cigarette first. But you help yourselves.” Irina poured tea for herself and handed a cup to Poliakov. She didn’t dare to look at him.

“I understand that you’re hesitating about going to Livadia,” Volkov said to Alexei.

“After all the trouble Irina took to get you a pass,” he chided.

“Why don’t you Vvant to go with her? Aren’t you being very ungracious?” Alexei sipped his hot tea, and coughed, turning red as it burnt his mouth. It was a moment or two before he could answer.

“Excuse me, Comrade General, I burnt myself. No, please, don’t think I don’t want to go to Livadia; it’s a wonderful change to have a holiday and to get a pass to go with Irina… I don’t know how to thank you.” He was running the words together in his nervousness.

“Then why am I here?” Volkov inquired.

“I was told you were afraid to go. Afraid I’d go back on my promise to let you take a little trip together. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes,” Poliakov admitted.

“Yes, I was worried about it. Irina tried to convince me, but I couldn’t believe…” He hesitated.

“Go on,” Volkov prompted.

“Nothing annoys me except when I’m told lies. Tell the truth my boy. Always tell me the truth.”

“I thought you’d have me arrested,” the tutor mumbled.

“I didn’t see why you should let me go.” Irina had poured a glass of tea for him, a slice of lemon floated in it. It came to rest in front of him and Volkov glanced sideways at her. The tea was clear as the glass containing it. The powder had dissolved instantly.

“The cakes are good,” she said.

“I made them.”

“They look good,” Volkov remarked.

“Did you know, they tried to poison Rasputin with cakes? They put enough cyanide in them to kill ten men. He ate them all and nothing happened. Why don’t you have a cake, my dear? “