Kaganovich noticed the unease amongst his guards and waved them into relaxation with casual gestures.
“I cannot say, for I too am excluded from many things, Tatiana. As I told you, I do know that Raduga’s progress continues, but its concept has changed… whether it is for war or for the future protection of the Motherland is unclear to me.”
“What could be clearer than one of our submarines transporting biological material… or worse… to Allied territories?”
“We don’t know that, Tatiana Sergievna. I’m trying to find out.”
“And what if the Allies know?”
“How could they know? If the submarine’s sunk, then it lies at the bottom of the Baltic, together with whatever it carried.”
“And were you going to tell me any of this, eh?”
“In honesty, no. I wouldn’t have involved you, Comrade.”
“Well now I’m involved. I can only see one way forward.”
“Tread lightly, Tatiana Sergievna.”
“I will ask.”
“That may not be wise, Comrade.”
“It’s very wise, Comrade, regardless of how I am answered, I will know the truth with the question alone.”
“You may well place yourself on dangerous ground.”
“We all serve the Motherland, Comrade.”
“That we do, but in different ways and guided by different ideals.”
Nazarbayeva frowned sufficiently for it to be noticed by those watching.
“Enough for now, Comrade Leytenant General.”
Kaganovich clearly signalled an end to the familiarity and stood, stamping his feet as a signal to his men that he was preparing to move off.
“I advise caution. Comrade Nazarbayeva. Above all, be careful.”
They hugged and went their separate ways.
Rufin closed up on Nazarbayeva’s shoulder and asked the burning question.
“Yes is the short answer, Comrade. There’s something going on and I mean to get to the bottom of it tomorrow morning.”
Blowing into his cold hands, he floated the obvious riposte.
“And how will you do that, Comrade General?”
“I’ll ask Stalin himself.”
2143 hrs, Thursday, 6th March 1947, Colonel General Kaganovich’s office, the Kremlin, Moscow, USSR.
The Marshal collapsed heavily into the third chair by the roaring fire.
“Na Zdorovie!”
The three men raised their glasses and drank.
“So, why am I summoned here at this stupid hour, Comrade?”
“I met with Nazarbayeva as planned. She has discovered about nine-two-two-six from a routing on the naval communications.”
“She was bound to find out sooner or later… I wish it had been later of course.”
The other man in the room held out his glass for a refill before speaking.
“What’s she planning to do, Comrade Kaganovich?”
“In front of me, she worked out that Raduga’s probably running as an offensive mission prior to renewed conflict, and that it’s likely the missing submarine was undertaking one of the planned missions to deliver certain… err… items to the German mainland.”
“And?”
Khrushchev was not renowned for his patience.
“She intends to ask the General Secretary tomorrow.”
Both the other men protested immediately and Kaganovich found himself holding out his hands as if to protect himself from their words.
“Comrades, please. I could do nothing. We know her quality and steel… it is to be expected that we cannot control it, simply try to channel it. My question is simple. Are we ready?”
He and Khrushchev looked directly at the Marshal.
“No… we’re not ready.”
“Fuck… so if it blows up tomorrow we’ll have wasted all our good work… all will have been for nothing.”
“True, Comrade Khrushchev, but we’ll live to fight another day. However, there’s another possibility here.”
They both leaned forward, better to catch the Marshal’s words.
“There may be opportunity here for us… the General Secretary may do all we need done for us. It may simply require a light push for our new keystone to be put in place. It all depends on what’s said when she asks.”
Khrushchev nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes… I can see that… but if we’re not ready then…”
“I didn’t say we couldn’t be ready soon, Comrade. Not tomorrow for certain, but all could be in place by Sunday, although there will be holes in the scenarios we have discussed.”
Kaganovich chimed in.
“Yes, but we’d have to act if she inadvertently started something.”
“Yes, we would, so… I think we really do need to make sure she doesn’t.”
Again, the Marshal became the focus of attention.
“I have an idea.”
They listened as the Marshal outlined his plan to prevent Nazarbayeva acting precipitously, and agreed wholeheartedly with the proposal.
They left separately.
Khrushchev first, the Marshal second, and finally Kaganovich, who locked up his office and went to his apartment greatly troubled by the events that had been and those that might well still come to pass.
0403 hrs, Friday, 7th March 1947, senior officer’s guest bedroom, the Kremlin Armoury, Moscow, USSR.
The knocking disturbed Nazarbayeva eventually and she grabbed enough clothing to protect her modesty before allowing entry.
A Kremlin Guard Captain reluctantly delivered his report.
“Comrade Leytenant General. I’ve been ordered to wake you immediately. My apologies but there’s a report from your headquarters. There’s been a severe fire and several of your staff have been injured. We’ve woken your officer, Mayor Rufin, and he’ll be trying to get more information.”
She processed the facts slowly, inadvertently giving the Guard an eyeful of an ample breast before acknowledging and ordering him to arrange for a car and contact the transport office for the first flight home.
In the car on the way to Vnukovo, Rufin gave her the additional information he had gleaned.
An accidental fire had started in the records office. Two members of her staff had been inside at the time and they were both confirmed as dead. Seven others had been badly burned trying to prevent further destruction to the records, even though most were backed up by other copies at a secondary location.
Orlov had taken charge but GRU [West] was badly hurt by the incident.
Rufin and she were on the aircraft back to Brest Litovsk before her mind started to ponder other possibilities.
Such as… non-accidental fires…
Such as… distractions that took her away from Moscow…
Such as… now not being able to confront Stalin…
Such as… what was Kaganovich’s part in matters?…
Such as… was she being played for a fool?…
“I wonder why they woke you before me?”
“Comrade General?”
“The Guards woke you before me, so I was told. They didn’t wake me until you ordered it.”
“I didn’t order you woken up, Comrade General. The officer that woke me said you were being informed at the same time.”
“Hmm.”
“And it wasn’t a Guards officer that woke me. He was regular army… a signals podpolkovnik.”
“Obviously a misunderstanding, Comrade Mayor.”
Rufin nodded and went back to trying to catch up on his lost sleep, despite the buffeting that the aircraft was taking.
Nazarbayeva simply closed her eyes, knowing that sleep would not come as her mind worked over all the events of the last twenty-four hours.