“We’re catching the two o’clock to Moscow. We have some business to take care of there.” Del replied.
I was startled to hear that they were leaving and feared that they may not be coming back.
“Peter, what is wrong?” Els asked me, “and don’t lie to me!”
“Is it that obvious?” I asked with ashamed eyes.
“You can’t fool this one, Peter. She can read everybody like a book,” Del conceded.
“Are you coming back?” I asked with concern in my voice.
“We’ll be back next Thursday. We just have a few meetings over the next week with different people,” Del informed me. “Heard that you have had some troubles since the weekend.”
“You aren’t leaving because Misha and I were followed and you all had the apartment broken into and all?” I asked a bit relieved.
“Kid, let’s step inside where we can have a private word,” Del said as he turned to pay the waiting taxi driver. “It’s not good to speak about such things where everybody can hear us.”
I helped carry their bags into the train station and the three of us found a table in corner of the station restaurant where we spoke in quiet tones. Del sat with his back to the wall so he could keep a full view of the people in the restaurant.
“Kid, since our chat on Friday night we have been able to uncover a bit of information that you should probably know about.” Del spoke to me but never looked me in the face, his eyes scanning the dining room and the door. “It turns out that in fact Mr. P’s plans are real and he is planning to officially submit his application for a building permit during the May holidays so that nobody from the steering committee is around to prepare any resistance. Technically, the mayor’s office is open these weeks even though all of his staff will be on holiday. Citizens are therefore able to submit requests per legal procedures. The mayor, of course, will stay in the city for the Victory Day ceremonies so business can be done ‘legally’ but under the radar.”
“Who told you this? How did you find out?” I was puzzled.
“Everybody has a price, kid. Problem is that I can’t act on it without jeopardizing my information source for the future. Past info has also proven to be correct, so I believe it’s very credible,” he avoided answering my direct question.
“Why does this concern me?” I protested, not wanting to hear Mr. P. ’s name again that day.
“Because he is at a critical phase of planning and it would be a good idea if you stopped stirring the pot for a while. The word is out that Mr. P. is having somebody followed to make sure that they don’t cause any further trouble for him. I can only guess that what he told you was not meant to be in the open before the tenth of May,” Del speculated.
“What’s so important about the tenth of May?” I asked.
“He has an appointment with the mayor that afternoon when he will submit the application for what we understand will be a quick approval process with different witnesses to the process.” he answered.
“But what about your project?” I protested, “they can’t just set your project aside.”
“Listen kid, it gets better. You know our little side hustle of searching for apartments for expats? Well, a councilman, also on the city’s steering committee evidently had the same idea. So, we have some competition,” Del confided.
“Well, I wish them all the luck in the world. They won’t find the types of apartments that will fill the bill,” I puffed with resentment.
“They are going about it all a bit differently. He and his ‘investors’ have bought up a small apartment building in the old town and are, as we speak, renovating the entire building up to standard. There will be a compound with full security and full lock down capabilities. They will provide car and drivers for the residents, one driver and car for each three apartments. It sounds like they’ve got the right idea. Just don’t know from where they are getting the financing,” Del speculated
“Del, there is so much black money flowing under this city, I’m surprised it hasn’t come up through the toilets and the plumbing yet,” I hissed emphatically over the table.
“Keep your shirt on, kid, keep your shirt on.” Del didn’t want our conversation to look too secret. He scanned the hall for people standing about looking our direction. Not finding any his eyes came back to me. “It’s important that you and Misha stop looking for any further apartments until I get back from Moscow next Thursday night. If you are being followed, somebody will get word that the two of you, known to be associated with me, are searching for apartments. It could set off alarm bells. Until I know who is financing those apartments we had better keep our heads down. Get it?”
“Is it time for me to get out of town, Del?” I asked concerned.
“Not unless you want to. Just be a student having fun during the holidays and don’t give anybody a reason to think you’re researching anything further from your interview with Mr. P. It could be real trouble for you if you do. It goes deeper than you think,” he warned.
“Yes, I figured that out with the FSB showed up on Sunday night at my door,” I offered.
“What? Did you say KGB at your door? Why? What did they want?” Del was taken off guard by this revelation. He gave Els a concerned look. She looked at me.
“They said they wanted my landlord for questioning. Tax evasion,” I replied.
“That’s bullshit, kid. That was a recon visit. They were establishing that you were still living in that apartment and you can bet that they are watching your every move. Do you think you were followed here?” Del’s eyes starting darting around the train station again and he sat up straight in his chair startled at this news.
“No, I lost my tag in the old city by sneaking out of the faculty through the basement. They have an idiot following me in white sneakers. He’s an idiot.” I brushed off the idea that I had been followed to the station.
“No kid, that’s Mr. P.’s goon. Counter intelligence in this country doesn’t work like that. They have radios and people all over town watching in traffic check points and whatnot. You lose one and they will see you seven minutes later at a different location. Never the same person for more than five minutes. You’ll never know you’re being watched if they don’t want you to know it. They’re really good! It’s just about as good as a helicopter in the sky,” he chided me for my ignorance.
“Either way, they think I’m still in lectures as I left by a completely different entrance and nobody knows I am on the move.” I tried to sound smart but knew I was in over my head.
“Not so sure about that, kid,” Del said looking over my shoulder again, “but I think it’s time for me and Els to be on a train.
“Should Peter not come with us now to Moscow?” Els suggested. Del chewed on this question for a few moments, shifting his jaw back and forth.
“We would need a good cover story if we did that. We aren’t prepared for it. It would create a dangerous situation for everybody, especially if he is being watched by two groups. Somebody will sound the alarm that he is gone,” Del concluded.
“Kid, you need to start getting real obvious. Do very obvious things that make it look like you are preparing to leave. Pack up your apartment real slow so that anybody watching or letting themselves in on a regular basis can see you are slowly, deliberately getting ready to leave. Go to the Aeroflot office in town and book a ticket back to the States. Make sure everybody knows about it. Don’t do anything too fast or somebody will swoop in and grab you. Understood? Don’t do anything dumb and don’t try to lose your tag again. Keep everything you do visible. You need to make sure everybody stays bored by you being very predictable.