Tom tilted his head slightly. “I have no idea. Probably stuffing?”
Dick angled his body over his desk and whispered, “The canister you brought back from the moon is inside here.”
“Really? Why?”
Dick wiggled his eyebrows. “Your son is going to pass this over to a Soviet boy. That’s how we’re going to pull off the transfer.”
Tom had assumed he was done with the covert operation. Now his son was going to be involved. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“I have officially assigned you as the backup commander for the U.S.-USSR mission. There’s a big public relations event next week at Disneyland to kick off the project and officially announce the crews. One of the cosmonauts will have his family with him. He has a little boy around the same age as Peter. The plan is for your son to pass this Mickey Mouse over to that boy. Pretty ingenious, huh?”
Tom would rather Peter not be involved in the transaction. “How about I just give it directly to the cosmonaut myself?”
“That might look suspicious. Sorry, the plan is for Peter to do it. It’s all set up. It will come across as a kind gesture by an innocent little boy passing over a welcome gift. I’m sure it won’t be any big deal.”
Tom remembered Viktor had a boy Peter’s age. “Do you know who the cosmonaut is?”
Searching on his desk, Dick found what he was looking for. He pulled out a file and opened it. He ran a finger slowly down a piece of paper inside. “Umm, Viktor Alexandrov, and his boy is… Dmitri.”
“That’s the same guy I passed the material to in Geneva.”
Dick looked up. “Oh, that’s right. Interesting.”
“Is he on the prime crew?”
“Yup, looks like it.”
Tom was happy to hear the cosmonaut was finally going to get a space mission. “Good to hear. All right, so how is this all going to take place?”
“There is no real plan. It’s up to you how you pull this off. You may want to wrap this up like a present. I also suggest you have Peter pass it over when the families are first introduced. You don’t want to carry this thing around Disneyland worrying about it the whole time.” Dick picked up the toy and placed it across from Tom. “I want you to take this now and store it at home. I’m positive you won’t have any problem getting it off the grounds. Of course, hide it in a safe place.”
Thinking of Dino, Tom smiled, knowing the mutt would probably tear the doll to shreds if he got the chance. “I’ll come up with a good spot.”
“Great. I’ll get you all the details and tickets sometime early next week.” Dick lifted his hands. “Hey, you and the family are going to have a great time.”
Reaching for the stuffed toy, Tom hoped there wouldn’t be any surprises. “You would think.”
THE COSMONAUT CONFERENCE room was silent when Viktor entered. The only person in the room was the KGB agent, and Viktor had a good idea why the man was there. Viktor had been recently informed of a PR event he was to attend for the joint mission with the Americans that was to take place at an amusement park in the United States. He was told that during the trip, he would be a part of another secret transfer of lunar material, and it was imperative he bring along his family. With Maria just over eight months pregnant, Viktor was worried about his wife flying overseas and asked if she could stay behind. Viktor assumed he was going to get an answer to this request.
“Have a seat.”
Viktor sat at the table directly across from the man.
The KGB agent got right to the point. “I have been instructed your family must go to America, including Maria. They are needed in the plot to receive the Apollo 16 soil sample.”
Viktor had been informed the lunar material would be in a stuffed toy that would be given to his son. “Sir, can’t I just take Dmitri, since he is the one getting the gift?”
The agent looked sternly at Viktor as he said, “No, Maria must go. Since Dmitri will be the only Soviet child on the trip, it would look odd if you took him without his mother. We want it to look like a family enjoying a vacation.”
“She will almost be nine months pregnant, possibly giving birth during the trip. Do we really want that to happen? Besides, it will be dangerous for her to travel.”
“I have confirmed there will be fully qualified doctors accompanying the Soviet delegation throughout the trip. They will be able to take care of any medical emergency.” The man stood, signaling that the meeting was over. “Either Maria goes, or we will find another cosmonaut to fill your slot.”
Viktor lowered his head, thinking furiously. Even though Maria had already agreed to go on the trip privately to him, he was still apprehensive. Hearing that doctors would be with them at all times did make him feel more comfortable. He lifted his head. “Okay, I will bring the family.”
“Good.” Without shaking hands, the man left.
Viktor stared across the empty room, hoping he had made the right call.
30
DISNEYLAND
The Happiest Place on Earth was hopping with excitement outside the Flight to the Moon attraction, but all Tom could think about was getting rid of the stuffed Mickey Mouse. Ever since leaving Dick’s office, Tom couldn’t wait to get rid of the toy. The fact that lunar soil was hidden inside weighed heavily on his mind, keeping him up at night worrying about its safety. He was pleased to finally be at Disneyland and soon be rid of the stolen material. Tom’s son was to pass over the wrapped gift to Viktor’s boy. With introductions to the Soviets about to take place, Tom would soon be free of the burden.
The crews for the Apollo-Soyuz mission and their families were in an area cordoned off from the other Disneyland guests. Tom led his family closely behind the local mayor and his wife as the American entourage started to pass through a make-shift reception line filled with the visiting Soviets. Tom saw Viktor and his family about midway down the line. Along with the Disney officials escorting the group, the overall entourage consisted of personnel from both space agencies. Tom suspected some of the Soviets were probably government agents, there to keep a close eye on the cosmonauts and their families, making sure no one attempted to defect.
After reaching the first Soviet at the front of the line, Tom shifted to the side to allow his family to move up next to him to be introduced. Tom’s heart stopped at the sight of Peter standing empty-handed. The man said something in Russian, which Tom ignored. He instead directed an angry glare in his son’s direction and said sharply, “Peter, I told you not to set the present down. Where is it?”
Surprised by Tom’s outburst, Anne put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Calm down, dear. Peter simply left it over on the bench. I’ll go get it.”
Tom nervously looked over to where they had been sitting and saw an old man next to the glimmering wrapped package, tying his shoe. Tom rocked on his feet until Anne had the gift in her grasp. As his wife came back, Tom let out a deep sigh, then turned back to the Soviet, apologized for his rudeness, and introduced his family.
After meeting a few other men, Tom saw a Disney employee walk by carrying a pair of Mickey Mouse dolls and hats. One of the black hats had Dmitri’s name stitched on the back. Since the boys were the only children among the group, Tom assumed the gifts were for them. Tom was concerned there could be a mix up between those Mickeys and the one Peter was going to give Dmitri. While a translator was helping Anne talk to one of the cosmonauts, Tom took advantage of the break in introductions to get his boss’s attention. Once Tom had eye contact with Dick, he motioned toward the Disney employee, who was passing the gifts over to a photographer. Dick seemed to understand the problem.