The Defector (39 page)

“Yes,” she said hurriedly.

“He’s here. His wife just came in; she’s gone through to the restaurant. Table nine.” Irina nudged him.

“We’ll go through,” she said.

“If that’s all right.”

“Perfectly all right,” the woman said sullenly. She turned away from them. Peter Harrington came down the stairs as they walked into the dining-room. They came to the table where Davina was sitting.

“Frau Fleischer?” Alexei Poliakov said softly. Harrington saw them and stooped in mid-stride. He was staring at the girl. The blonde daughter of Ivan Sasanov. With an unscheduled man. The pause was only for a second. He reached the table just as Davina was taking the girl by the hand.

“We weren’t expecting you,” Peter Harrington said.

“I don’t know how this will affect our plans.” He didn’t see Irina Sasanova stiffen angrily. He was talking to Poliakov as they walked along the beach. They had drunk coffee and made conversation in the dining-room of the hotel; Harrington had suggested a walk in the open air where they could speak freely. Alexei Poliakov couldn’t help turning red.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I was told I could come with Irina.”

“I wasn’t leaving without him,” she said. She spoke poor German out of courtesy to Davina. Harrington rattled on in Russian. He looked tense and irritable;

the arrival of the young man seemed to have disturbed him out of all proportion.

“We are still waiting for the final details of our escape plan,” he said.

“I hope they confirm your story. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay behind!” Irina put her hand on Davina’s arm, to slow her down. They dropped behind the two men. She had felt immediate sympathy with the older woman from the moment they came face to face in the hotel. Harrington’s open hostility to Alexei had put her on her guard at once.

“Is he in charge of the escape?” she murmured to Davina.

“Yes, he is,” she answered.

“Why is he so suspicious of Alexei? Of course the British know he is going with us! Why is this man making so much trouble about it?”

“Probably because he wasn’t told,” Davina said.

“And I think he’s rather on edge till we’re safely on our way. Don’t take any notice;

it’ll be all right. I just wish we had the final instructions. ” Irina slowed her steps to increase the gap between them and the two in front.

“We have them,” she said quietly. Davina stopped.

“You do? But why didn’t you say so?”

“Alexei was going to,” she said.

“But this man is being so hostile with him I can tell you, can’t I? Do you understand me? My German isn’t very good” I can understand perfectly,” Davina said quickly.

“Don’t worry about mistakes. Just tell me what we’ve got to do.”

“We take tickets for the Alexander Nevsky cruise this afternoon,” Irina said in a low voice.

“It goes round the coast and stops at Sebastopol this evening. There is a dinner and a dance on board for the passengers. We have to slip away and get to the marina where the sailing-boats are; a sailing-boat with the Polish flag flying, and three men on board, will be anchored just outside. They will send a boat to take us on board. I have to wave a coloured handkerchief at them as the signal.”

“Oh God,” Davina said, ‘it sounds desperately chancy. What happens if they’re not there or we’re late? Why couldn’t we go to Sebastopol by road? “

“Because we don’t have passes,” Irina explained.

“You can’t travel freely in Russia. You have to get permission to leave the holiday resort. The cruise ship is the only way.”

“Well, we’ll just have to get it right,” Davina said. She looked at the girl and said gently, “You’re very like your father.”

“You know him?”

“Yes,” Davina said.

“I know him… Any news of your mother? He’s been so anxious for you both Irina hung her head.

“I have a letter from her,” she said.

“She was made to write it. I don’t know whether to give it to him or not.”

“Think about it when you get there,” Davina said. Harrington turned round, frowning.

“Come on, catch up. What are you dawdling about for?” Irina caught hold of Davina’s arm.

“There’s something else,” she whispered quickly.

“We have to warn you that the KGB have an informer. They know why we’re here. They know my father sent for me. ” Davina felt as if the ground had dropped away under her feet. She turned to the Russian girl in horror, every vestige of colour draining away till she was sickly grey under the tan. What? You mean they know? “

“Yes,” Irina whispered.

“The man at the Embassy told Alexei to warn you. They don’t know who it is; but he can’t have told them about the cruise ship because only Alexei and me and the Embassy man know we’re going that way.” Davina made herself walk on; Harrington was slowing down to let them catch up with him. Spencer-Barr was the man at the Embassy. Spencer Barr whom Peter Harrington had never trusted. And he had warned about a spy, a spy keeping the KGB posted on the whole plan. She felt as if she might be physically sick.

“He’s dead,” Irina whispered. She gave Davina a triumphant look.

“Alexei killed him.”

“Killed who?” Davina stared at her.

“Who’s dead?”

“Volkov,” the girl answered.

“General Volkov of the KGB. He was my father’s boss. He had my mother arrested and he made me sleep with him. He is letting me escape so I can persuade my father to come back and give himself up in exchange for my mother. Alexei stabbed him. He was so brave,” she said, and her face glowed.

“I never thought he could do such a thing. He poisoned the bodyguard too.

“That man is not going to leave him behind,” she added fiercely.

“Oh God,” Davina said, ‘what a dreadful thing did you see it? Did you see him do it? “

“I was in bed with Volkov,” the girl said.

“Alexei came into the bedroom and stabbed him. He was very sadistic;

he liked to hurt people. He always hurt me when we went to bed. They won’t be found for a day or two; he went to his dacha at the weekends. He’ll be missed on Monday, and by then we’ll be away. ” Davina disengaged her arm.

“I’ve got to talk to him.” She nodded towards Peter Harrington.

“You go and wander round with Alexei;

there’s a cafe near the Livadia Palace it has a green canopy and tables outside. Meet us there in half an hour. Peter! Wait a minute, will you? ” She reached the two men and Irina spoke rapidly to Poliakov in Russian. They turned and walked away. Harrington swung round to Davina.

“What’s all this about? Why did you send them off on their own? They’re not supposed to go out of our sight! What are you playing at? What was that girl saying to you, back there where I couldn’t hear? ” It was as if she were face to face with a stranger. He loomed over her, his face contorted with anger.

“I don’t know what those bloody fools in London are playing at,” he said furiously.

“They lumber us with this boyfriend of hers, just on Spencer-Barr’s authority; how do we know he’s genuine? He could be a bloody plant, for all we know and they use him to pass the details of our exit! Why not communicate direct with us?”

“He’s told you then,” Davina said slowly.

“Yes,” Harrington sounded impatient.

“We catch the cruise ship, go to Sebastopol and then get ourselves in place for a pick-up by yacht. Exactly as I said this morning. We’re going out by sea. There’ll be a sub waiting to take us on board. Personally I think it’s a bloody chancy operation. Too much margin for error. What was she saying to you? “

“Much the same,” Davina answered.

“Her German’s very bad.” They began to walk slowly onward. It was becoming very hot, and the sands shimmered like diamond-dust under their feet. The beach was filling up with sunbathers;

children played on the fringe of the sea, and a group of young men were playing ball, laughing and falling about in the water. She walked on beside him, and he said casually, “They shouldn’t have gone off alone. We should keep them in sight till we get on that ship.”

“And that was all?” She asked the question without looking at him.

“Just the plans for getting away from here?”

“What else?” he countered.

“I just hope he’s got it right. We’d better make our way to that cafe. I don’t want to lose them.”

“We won’t lose them,” she said.

“They’ll be there.” He slipped his hand through her arm.

“Sorry I shouted,” he said.

“I just don’t like surprises when the operation is as tight as this one.

“

“That’s all right,” Davina murmured. They walked on slowly.

“Well’ - he sounded as if he were making an effort to be cheerful’we’ll be on our way by this evening. I wonder how many yachts we’ll find flying the Polish flag?”

“You don’t think we’re going to get away, do you?” Dav ina asked suddenly. He doesn’t want to frighten me, she said to herself. That’s why he’s not telling me about the KGB informer; of course that’s the reason.

“The one thing that worries me is Poliakov,” he said.

“Why should we believe he’s genuine? All we’ve got is his word for it and Spencer-Barr, poking his nose in. I never trusted that little bastard.”

“I know,” Davina said.

“You said so before. Tell me, truthfully, Peter do you suspect him of working for the Russians? Is that what you think?”

“He could be,” he muttered.

“And so could that boy. Sent along to keep an eye on us and give the signal when we’re nicely compromised, boarding that Polish yacht.” She didn’t answer; she walked with her head down, wanting to pull her arm away from him.

“That’s terrifying,” she said slowly.

“Is that what can happen?”

“That’s how they’ll do it,” he answered grimly.

“Set a trap and catch us red-handed escaping. I don’t want to frighten you, but it’s better to face facts.”

“Yes,” she said.

“It is. I’m glad you told me. What time is it?” He looked at his watch.

“Twelve-ten,” he said.

“Time to meet them.” She managed to free herself from him; he had quickened his pace and she was able to glance sideways at him. Peter Harrington, the colleague of fifteen years, the cheery, rather pathetic figure who wandered round the office corridors and propped up the bar in the local pub. A funny man, rather like a naughty boy surprised by middle age; always good for a laugh and able to enlist sympathy at the same time. Likable and trustworthy; even his half-hearted attempts to sleep with her were endearing. He hadn’t withheld the truth because he didn’t want to frighten her. He had frightened her with a lie instead. She felt herself begin to shake; panic threatened her as it had never done in her life, so that she wanted to turn and run, blindly. But there was nowhere to run to; only the golden beach and the sunshine and the crowds of Russians and tourists enjoying themselves. And Peter Harrington striding on beside her. He was trying. to throw suspicion on the young man; on Spencer-Barr, who had sent the warning. He didn’t know that Poliakov had killed the KGB general; he was lying about him to Davina to discredit anything he said or did. He was lying about everything. She saw them sitting at a table in the cafe, shaded by the green canopy. They were close together holding hands.

“You stick close to her,” Harrington said suddenly.

“I want to take him off and have a private talk before we get on that ship together. After lunch; okay? “

“What time does the cruise ship leave?” Davina asked him. She had to clear her throat before she could speak naturally.

“Five o’clock,” he said.

“I think we should go back to the hotel for lunch. I’ll book the tickets for the cruise.”

“All right,” Davina said. She came to the table where Alexei and Irina were sitting. She pulled out a chair and sat down very quickly because her legs were weak. She managed to smile at them both and say to Irina in German! “Have you had a nice walk?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“It’s so beautiful here. My mother and father used to come for holidays.” Then Peter Harrington leaned close to her and said, his voice full of concern, “Tell me what news of your mother?” Davina sat back, guessing at the conversation; seeing Irina’s eyes swim with tears. In the middle of it, she turned to Davina and explained in German.

“We talk of my mother. I have this letter from her.” Davina saw Harrington take the letter and slip it into his jacket pocket. He explained in a whisper, “Safer for me to carry it. If anything goes wrong, it mustn’t be found on her.” She saw him reach out and squeeze the girl’s hand; Poliakov was listening to them and nodding. He gazed at the girl with adoration. He had killed the loathsome Volkov; he looked like a poet. At his whisper Irina wiped her wet eyes and made herself smile. Though she didn’t understand their words, there was a tenderness between them that moved Davina profoundly. And the sincerity of Irina Sasanova and Alexei Poliakov pointed up the falsity of the man sitting opposite them. The false kindness, the false sympathy; she was watching a performance as calculated as the assumption of his East German identity. He had taken off one mask and donned another; she felt sick as she watched him. The KGB had an informer; everything they planned was known, except the means of their escape. And now Harrington knew the plan; Harrington had the compromising letter from Sasanov’s wife; Harrington was -going to book the tickets for the cruise ship. Harrington, who had made the tiny slip of saying’they’ when he talked about his own operation. Harrington who had lied to her, whose nerve was fraying while they waited because he had no information to pass on. He was hostile to the young man because he had reckoned on dealing with two women both of whom trusted him completely. And he was going to take the tutor away, to have a private talk. Predictably, he wouldn’t come back, and they would have to board the ship without him. She shivered;

cold sweat broke out on her body and the panic threatened her again.

“You all right?” He was bending towards her, kind, fond old Peter Harrington; his hand came to rest on her arm.

“You look a bit seedy. ” She managed to smile at him, a tight little smile that hurt her dry lips.