Quiller Meridian

There was also the risk of Tanya Rusakova's brother losing patience. I'm no good at waiting, doing nothing, he'd said on the telephone. If I'm not there — at the rendezvous — it will mean I changed my mind.

He could wreck everything I was trying to do.

'If there were any deadlines to be set,' Colonel Belyak was saying,' I would set them myself.'

'Of course.'

He was touchy and I'd have to watch it. I had begun paying out a thread so fine that one wrong word could break it.

'Tell me what you know,' the Colonel said, 'about the assassination of General Velichko.'

There was the sound of snow-chains locking across concrete outside the building and the slamming of doors, so I took a chance and left the question unanswered, turning my head as the tramping of boots loudened and voices began echoing along the passage and Chief Investigator Gromov came in, shouldering his way between the guards and nodding briefly to the Colonel and staring down at me with his hands dug into the pockets of his coat.

'So we have you.'

Cold air was still coming in from the passage, laced with exhaust gas.

'Not quite that,' I said.

'What, then?'

I missed the patience in his caramel-brown eyes that I'd seen on the Rossiya. He'd had all the time he needed, then, but now he was more energized: he'd thrown a net across the city of Novosibirsk and here suddenly was the minnow, squirming, and he wanted facts and he wanted them fast.

'I decided to come here of my own free will,' I told him, 'to obtain the immediate release of Tanya Rusakova. She did nothing wrong, intentionally, and I want her out of here.' I spoke carefully, articulating; it wasn't a time for misunderstandings. 'I will then deliver into your hands — if it's not too late — the man who shot Zymyanin on board the Rossiya the night before last, who also set a bomb in one of the compartments with the intention of killing General Velichko, General Chudin and General Kovalenko, and — having failed — shot General Velichko to death last night in the street'

The cell was very quiet. There were telephones ringing in the offices along the passage, and boots sounded constantly over the bare boards.

'Shut that door,' Colonel Belyak told one of the militiamen, 'and stay on guard outside.' He swung his head to look at Gromov, wanting to tap into his thinking, but Gromov had his eyes on me.

'In the case of Zymyanin,' he said, 'you had witnesses against you on the train.'

'They were lying. But please remember that I just told you I can deliver the actual perpetrator if there is time.' I gave it a beat. 'When I last talked to him — ' I checked my watch — ' forty-two minutes ago, he was making plans to set another bomb.'

Colonel Belyak was first. 'Where?'

'I can't tell you. He thinks he knows where the other two generals are, and he still means to kill them.'

'Do you know where they are?' Gromov asked quickly.

'No. I asked him but he refused to tell me.'

Belyak: 'Who is this man?'

I looked at my watch again. 'With respect, gentlemen, you will have to use your heads. I can't give you this man if we stay here talking. Nor can you hope to stop another tragedy like the one on the Rossiya, with further loss of innocent lives. The responsibility is yours.'

Silence came in again. It was warm in here with so many bodies, and the sweat was beginning to run on me. The thread was still intact, but I'd have to go on playing it out in the hope of drawing them with me, and there'd be a lot of strain.

'Why should we release this woman?' the Colonel asked.

'Because she's done nothing. She — '

'That's beside the point. Why do you want her released?'

'She's been traumatized by the whole thing and — '

'The "whole thing"?'

'Velichko's death.' He was right: I'd stopped choosing my words and we couldn't afford misunderstandings. 'You may consider it beside the point that you're holding an innocent person here and putting her through further suffering but I do not. The release of Tanya Rusakova is my only condition, but if you don't meet it I won't deliver the agent into your hands. But of course he could have left his base by now.'

They didn't react, wouldn't be hurried. If I finally got them with me, one of them would look at his watch. It hadn't happened yet.

'Are you in love with this woman?' Gromov asked me.

'No.'

'She's remarkably attractive.'

'Yes. I wish I had time in my life to fall in love with every attractive woman I meet'

I'd been listening for her voice in the building: she couldn't be far from here because she'd be in a cell too and this was the detention area. All other things being equal, a woman's voice carries more clearly than a man's. I'd heard nothing.

Gromov looked at the Colonel. 'Is this man your prisoner or mine?'

'He's mine at this point but I'm willing to hand him over. I don't want him.'

Wasting time.

'Yes,' I told Belyak, 'you do.'

He watched me with his black polished stones.

'Explain.'

'The agent is a former militia officer, major's rank. He was sacked for persistent drunkenness and killing three men on the firing range by culpable negligence. Since then he's been taking on clandestine operations, one of which has so far included the death of Zymyanin on board the Rossiya and the bombing of the train and the shooting of General Velichko here in Novosibirsk. If you don't pull him in as soon as you can, your head's going to be on the block and the people of Russia are going to lose a great deal of faith in their militia, whose job it is to protect the peace. The people of Russia are in a touchy mood these days.'

Another vehicle pulled up in the forecourt of the building and I felt the thread in my hand grow taut as the door banged open and boots clattered along the passage. I'm here to demand the release of my sister, Tanya Amelia Rusakova, and to make a foil confession in the death of General Gennadi Velichko.

I waited.

'Why have you decided to betray this agent?' Colonel Belyak asked.

'I've been considering it ever since he bombed the train. He took innocent lives. It's not my way. He needs stopping now, or God knows what he'll do.'

Boots tramping. I'm no good at waiting, doing nothing.

The gallant Captain Rusakov.

'All right,' Gromov said. 'Tell us where we can pick up this man.'

'I'll have to take you to him.'

'Why?'

'He's violent. If you put him in a trap he'll try to shoot his way out.'

Boots tramping, passing the door, not stopping.

'Others have tried that too,' the Colonel said.

'Look,' I told him, 'you can go in there with as many men as you like but you'll end up with a messy operation and get half of them killed unnecessarily. Or you can take me with you and I'll talk to him first and set him up for you and there'll be no bloodshed; I can promise an elegant, copybook operation, which I would think is more your style.'

I waited again, watching the Colonel and the Chief Investigator in turn, seeing first one and then the other start looking at his watch, seeing it again and again in my mind, but only there.

A cell door slammed shut along the passage and the boots sounded again.

Belyak opened his mouth but Gromov was first — 'What is your connection with this agent?'