Chapter 1-14 here … Chapter 1-16 here
I
At 12:33, the last drinks had been ordered.
Dima Storchaus, Paul Jacobson, Ksenia and Natalia Kurbatova were seated in the bar, with something a little stronger than milk cocktails in front of them.
Their conversation reflected the changing general mood on the boat which now held that the official explanation was rubbish, that if the truth had been told, the others would have panicked and that something else was going to happen happen before long – maybe even this night.
The interviews had long finished and the majority had turned in for the night – only a few of the younger folk were braving the fresh night breeze on the upper deck to the thump, thump, thump of the disco beat. The events of earlier in the evening had put a dampener on things.
.o0o.
At 01:52, Ksenia had failed to find Valentina Alexandrova anywhere, five other people were not in their cabins either and she went out and leaned over the back of the boat, in time to see a pretty woman silently thrown overboard from the lower deck.
It was Ksenia who pointed her pistol and shouted first and in the next instant another pistol was clapped to her head and Viktor Bukovsky ordered her to put down her weapon, which he pocketed, he then marched her down the starboard deck from where Valentina Alexandrova marched her straight to her own cabin.
Dima and Hugh rushed round from the port deck to the stern of the boat but they could see nothing through the murky night, they still knew to go straight to Alexandrova’s cabin. It was fairly crowded inside.
Ksusha was seated by the window but out of view of the outside, Valentina seated on the other side, the pistol on the table between them.
‘What on earth -‘ started Dima.
Ksusha was bemused. ‘I threw a woman off the lower deck, without the slightest sound, with a gun in one hand, while I was on the upper deck.’
‘Who did it then?’ snapped back Alexandrova. ‘There was a woman and a man, the woman seemed mightily like you, the man was taller but not large and had a dark cap and black, three-quarter, light leather jacket.’
‘Who on the boat looks so like me that she could be mistaken for me?’
Hugh murmured, ‘Not Sveta Levina?’
‘If you two have finished,’ interrupted Alexandrova, ‘may I do this my own way?’
‘While we sit here,’ commented Ksenia, ‘the culprits are fading back into the woodwork.’
‘You don’t believe that for one moment, do you? Of course Levina and Jacobson were observed.’
‘So why are we all sitting here?’
‘Waiting for notification that Natalia has been fished out of the water and is alive and kicking. Well, not exactly kicking – she’d had a pretty heavy sedative administered.’
‘And her cash stash?’
‘That’s the key, isn’t it?’
.o0o.
At 02:15, a call came through on the mobile. Valentina Alexandrova listened impassively, shut off the mobile and announced, ‘She’ll be OK. They got her – she was face up, thank goodness.’
‘So if you have it all taped, why the pistol to my head?’ demanded Ksusha.
‘Can’t you guess?’ returned the other.
‘Someone had to see that you suspected me?’
The other smiled and the penny dropped. ‘Ksusha, you can close my blind now. No one need observe us any more. But drop your voice, all the same.’
Ksenia reached round and pulled down the blind, then pulled the curtains as well. She asked Valentina, ‘Where’s the cash now?’
‘Same place. No need to shift it yet, with Natalia Kurbatova dead and gone, as far as they know. Think for one moment – who knew of the stash?’
Ksenia went red. ‘You’re accusing me again?’
‘Ksusha, think more clearly. And keep your voice down. Who?’
‘Bukovsky.’
‘And the Levina woman. No great mystery.’
‘My money was on Jacobson,’ murmured Dima.
‘Stick to business affairs,’ retorted Ksenia and Dima smiled. It was all getting very chummy.
There was a knock on the door and Bukovsky poked his head in. ‘Any progress?’
‘I think so,’ replied Alexandrova. ‘Viktor, we’re going to shut this down for the night. We can pick up Jacobson in the morning and I’m going to keep Ksenia Vladimirovna here overnight – sorry Mr. Jensen. Why don’t you turn in, Viktor? You look done in, we all are. I need bed.’
Ksenia asked for an explanation the moment they were gone.
‘Promise I’ll tell you in the morning.’
‘I still have a loaded gun.’
‘Yes.’
‘You’re quite a woman, Valentina Vitalyevna. Tell me one thing though – do you think it’s over now?’
‘Do you?’
‘It’s like one of those stories where people die off one by one and then there are two left at the end. Only the villain is neither.’
‘I think you know that one of the villains is still at large. As I said just now, I’ll tell you in the morning. Now let’s get some sleep.’
She went to check on the children.
II
Hugh stretched out on the narrow bunk and reflected in a way he hadn’t since the first train had pulled out of Moscow on the way to Shadzhara, all those years ago.
In his eyes, it didn’t much matter, until you got too old, where you were, where you lived. The essential thing was to be somewhere you were appreciated in your work and in your relationship. All the rest followed.
He placed his hands behind his head and reflected some more. Here he had respect and love and out there? Back in his own land? He’d have to start over again and your own country was where you had least respect accorded you.
He needed her in his arms now.
.o0o.
Ksenia was uneasy about him being in his cabin alone. He wasn’t a baby but she suspected he might be one of the main targets, after her.
The realization came back again, impinged on her brain, that it was not just for his protection she was uneasy.
She actually needed his arms now.
III
The doctor looked in on Marc, checked the chart, stroked his chin and departed.
About an hour and a quarter later, two men in overcoats came through the door and perched on the two wooden chairs. One spoke English. They showed their badges and then asked him about what he remembered, which wasn’t much.
During a lull in the questions, he asked a question of his own: ‘Why the police?’
‘The chicken was impregnated, at one end, with a derivative of strychnine, sir.’
‘Ah.’
‘No idea who came near your table while you were at the drinks bar?’
‘Plenty of ideas, actually. I take it you know my profession by now and why I’m here?’ They nodded. ‘And so you’d know I could name three or four, for starters, who’d want me incapacitated. Maybe they wouldn’t want to kill me but they’d certainly prefer me not to have been there in that hotel.’
‘You’ll supply those names, of course?’
‘Of course.’
‘I need to tell you, M. Lacour, that the dose you imbibed is considered near-fatal in a male of your body weight. The swift action by the hotel staff is what saved you.’
‘I’ll have to thank them.’
‘We’ll leave you to rest now – we’ll return this evening, if you don’t mind.’
IV
At breakfast the next morning on the boat, there’d been some changes – gone were Viktor Bukovsky, Mikhail Kubashov, Svetlana Levina and Elena Usmanova.
A small group were seated around three tables they’d pulled together, in the officially closed bar on the upper level. The ship’s captain had kindly allowed them access – the time was 07:22. All had been provided with sandwiches and coffee.
Present were Valentina Vitalyevna, Paul Jacobson, the resurrected Natalia Kurbatova, Dima Storchaus, Anastasia Storchaus, Jane Kuznyetsova, Ksenia and Hugh – an interesting selection, a strange collection.
Alexandrova opened proceedings:
‘Svetlana Levina brought up those placemats on Deputatov’s instructions. It was not likely Jane would use them, as they weren’t the current crop. The second mat was impregnated with a toxin whose name I’m not even going to try to pronounce, but not by Deputatov himself. Kubashov was the guilty party, when he slipped into the bar with a message for Jane.
Jane, what was your reaction when Svetlana brought up the old mats?’
‘I asked why, when we had plenty of the new ones. Sveta then nodded her head at the pile of new mats and there were two or three left. I was sure I’d brought some up but then realised that Sveta had said she would – that was earlier in the day. She must have forgotten, so when she did bring the old ones up, I knew she’d remembered. I put the old ones to one side and asked if there were any more of the new down below.’
‘And?’
‘I was told that Elena had accidentally spilled soup on the opened box and they’d use the old style for now, they’d salvage what they could and bring them up.’
‘And of course, there was no reason to question that. You’d never wonder how the mats had just disappeared.’
‘Well – yes.’
Mr. Jensen, if you were taking two drinks over to a table, how would you do it? Describe it to me.’
‘I’d probably take the two glasses, see there were no coasters, no mats and tell my companion that I’d be back in a moment.’
‘Now tell us exactly how you’d take the mats, in detail.’
‘In detail. Right, I’d probably lift one by the edge, lift a second and take both by the edge. I’d walk over and put one in front of him and one in front of me.’
‘In that order. Having handled only the edges.’
‘Yes but that was a hell of a risk, all the same.’
‘Not if you knew exactly what was happening and where the toxin was on the second mat. Because you’d put the second mat down first, in front of Kuzmin. You’d not expect that Kubashov had been careless and that the toxin had seeped into the first mat as well – the rest is history.’
‘Why?’ was Ksenia’s only question.
‘It all comes down to alliances. Deputatov was Seymour’s Russian partner in his business venture and it has to be admitted that the Russian certainly smoothed the way for him in a very difficult business climate for a foreigner. In the same way, Mr. Jacobson here came on this trip, among other reasons, to negotiate a partnership with Mr. Storchaus. Yes gentlemen?’
‘No deal has been agreed as yet,’ commented Jacobson, dryly. Dima was non-committal.
‘This deal, if it goes through, would put a company which had been ailing since the death of Mikhail Safin – forgive me, Mr. Storchaus – into a very strong position in the market – far too strong for Deputatov to deal with. Ronald Seymour is not a bad man – he’s just been a bit naughty in the west – and his operation over here is fairly straightforward.
He’d long suspected Deputatov of cooking the books and raking off a percentage and had set Kuzmin to watch him. Kuzmin had found the goods and we think he was doing a little chantage on Deputatov – a stupid thing to try on such a man.
So far, that’s all clear.
Kubashov, Usmanova, Bukovsky and Levina were in his pocket. Therefore, when my deputy put a pistol to her head, Miss Sharova was in very real danger of her life but then again, he knew I was right behind him. Now, suppose Natalia tells you her own story.’
Natalia Kurbatova stirred herself, drained her coffee, cleared her throat and began in a low, honeyed voice which had Hugh entranced, a point not lost on Ksenia. ‘Ksenia Sharova didn’t know me because I’m Nizhny Novgorod based and work on corporate crime in a low level capacity in that city. Deputatov had just ‘bought’ me and assigned me to watch Paul Jacobson’s movements.
He’d given me the payroll to mind as well, afraid of the presence of Dmitri Storchaus and Ksenia Sharova on board. He knew of the impending deal with Paul and Mr. Storchaus and wanted it stopped by any means. Svetlana Levina and Viktor Bukovsky were greedy and with Deputatov and myself out of the way, they planned to go to my cabin and collect.’
Valentina took over again. ‘The impending deal between Mr Storchaus and Mr. Jacobson was even more interesting because Mr. Jacobson already had a Russian partner – and I don’t think I’m breaking confidences here – Timur Iskanderovich Shaidullin. But Natalia here had the goods on him as well and had warned Paul Jacobson.’
Ksenia chipped in. ‘Uncle Misha always had the operational ability and Uncle Dima played the political game, as Deputatov did. If you put Mr. Jacobson’s business sense and financial backing with Uncle Dima’s street cred, it’s a pretty strong outfit.’
‘Perhaps Mr. Jacobson and I could just go for a walk and let you handle it, Ksusha?’
Paul added, ‘Seems to me, Dima Evgenyevich, that things augur well for our little deal – we certainly seem to have the right people onside.’
‘Sorry to spoil the party, ladies and gentlemen,’ cut in Valentina Alexandrova, ‘but I think you must consider three other things. Firstly, Miss Sharova here. Shall you tell them or shall I, Ksenia?’
Ksusha plunged in, in her usual fashion. ‘I’m working for Ronald Edward Seymour.’
Dima’s eyes almost popped out. ‘Chor!’
‘Wait, Uncle Dima, it was only to support and protect Vitaly Kuzmin in his job on Deputatov, so there was no real conflict of interest.’
‘But still –’ Dima trailed off. He considered for a moment. ‘Anyway, you didn’t do a very good job, did you?’
‘A point that’s been mentioned to me a number of times, by a number of people.’
‘You always were a deep one, Ksusha, malyenkaya.’
‘The second point to consider is that Mr. Jacobson’s erstwhile partner is not going to take this news terribly well. In fact, he’s well aware of this deal and he’s on this boat. I’m going to ask both you gentlemen, plus Anastasia Syergeyevna here, not to take the Nizhny Novgorod excursion in an hour, when we dock. I’d prefer you to stay on board, in this bar, in fact.’
‘But,’ began Ksusha. Dima shooshed her.
‘The third point which needs to be considered is that we think there were two more operatives in Deputatov’s pocket – one based in Shadzhara and one free lance – an Indonesian I believe.’
Ksusha nodded and Hugh almost choked but said nothing. Alexandrova observed him with interest, then asked, ‘Any more questions?’
‘I have one,’ Ksusha asked. ‘It’s your mother, yes. who looks after your children when you’re on these missions? She eats in the room.’
‘Cabin 312, down the corridor from me. And now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s go to breakfast.’
V
Ludmilla Petrova phoned Anya at work and asked if there were any indications that Timur Shaidullin was heading for Samara as well.
‘Leave it with me,’ said Anya.
About twenty minutes later she phoned back with the answer: ‘Yes. He’s booked partly with us and his comings and ongoings are Nizhny Novgorod-Moscow, Moscow-Sochi, Sochi-Shadzhara and of course Shadzhara-Samara.’
‘Is the Shadzharan leg a necessity because of the airline flight paths or due to his personal choice?’
‘Could be that it’s also his choice but yes, it is the only logical way to complete that trip. I phoned my colleague in Nizhny Novgorod and she says a girl came in to book it for him and didn’t want the Shadzharan sector but then said it didn’t matter. The man had business there too.’
‘The girl – any description?’
‘Medium height, athletic, fair hair, had some Shadzharan intonation on some words.’
‘Anya, that’s invaluable. May I call you again?’
‘Always a pleasure, Ludmilla Valerievna.’
‘If there are any cancellations by any of those parties, would you phone me about those too?’
‘Of course.’
Khorosho, thought Anya. That cooks Ksenia’s goose. She wasn’t sure, mind but she thought Ludmilla Valerievna might draw the same conclusions that she had. She was looking out for Hugh, half from love but the other half from the keen sense she felt of right and wrong and … well … love.
VI
Later, in the cabin, preparing for the Nizhny excursion, Hugh asked Ksenia the question which had been on his mind. ‘Was Deputatov behind the attacks on me over the last few years? If so, why?’
‘Hugh, there are things I wish I knew but the answer is largely – yes. There were certain people in his pocket.’
‘Sorry to say it – Zhenya?’
‘And another one I know too. I had good reason to be against this Deputatov.’
‘And Frederika Djamato?’
‘Of course. She’d been his lover. By the way, Hugh – she’s in Russia now, in Moscow.’
Hugh was silent. Ksusha asked, curiously, ‘You still have something for her?’
Hugh considered for a minute, then replied, ‘No – no, I don’t think so now.’
‘She’ll contact you sooner or later.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Meet her only in a very public place.’
‘You mean the nightmare still isn’t over?’
‘Perhaps not. We’re –’
‘I know – you’re watching. But let’s come back one more time to the original, the all-consuming and never-ending question – why me?’
‘Can’t you see it, Hugh? We were using you, as I’ve already admitted to you, and Deputatov knew full well the connections between Zhenya, myself, Uncle Misha and so on. You were seen as a courier who was either assisting Uncle Misha’s business or else assisting security to hamper him or whatever.
Deputatov didn’t know exactly, which annoyed him; you were an insect in his eyes and therefore could just be swatted. Didn’t turn out that way, of course, so he developed a bit of a thing about you. The bottom line is that no one really knows what you’re up to beneath that demure exterior and no one really knows how you survive.’
‘Don’t jinx it.’
‘Well, that’s my conjecture. How can I know exactly?’
The boat docked at the port facility on the long, sloping, green grassed bank of Nizhny Novgorod and most of the passengers went off for their excursion.
VII
Carly was at Marc’s bedside and he was looking better than had been described to her by phone.
‘Lucky break, Marc. I have no jurisdiction with the local authorities but I’ve done a bit of independent checking with hotel staff. They’ve all been quizzed and were reticent to speak but one of the girls bringing the food to the bains marie mentioned her own colleague hovering a bit longer near that table.
I’ve no way of confirming whether she’s a pathological liar or an honest girl, whether she is jumping on the bandwagon or whether she genuinely saw this. It seems to me the chances of pinning this on anyone are small and as you seem to be recovering anyway, the police will be loathe to pursue it unless you press charges.’
‘I won’t be doing that.’
‘I’ve deputized in a way for you since you went down but you understand I have my own programme. The trouble is that we have a surfeit of villains, all concentrated in the one hotel. I sometimes think that one bomb … well.’
‘Oui, Marie, we’ll have to put that one down to experience, I suppose.’
‘Will you go back to the hotel or back home?’
‘To the hotel. I’ll finish the assignment.’
VIII
Timur Shaidullin spent the bulk of the afternoon planning the demise of Paul Jacobson, whilst everyone was roaming the market and sights of Nizhny Novgorod. Yekaterina Shaidullina and baby Guzel were shopping.
Shaidullin turned to the woman who had somehow escaped Valentina Alexandrova’s net and asked, ‘So they haven’t signed yet, you say?’
‘They plan to do it in St Petersburg, where Jacobson can contact his backers in a conference call.’
‘I see.’
‘What do you propose?’
‘It must be an accident, for sure. Sliding down a greased step or something like that.’
‘He won’t go anywhere alone, with you knowing he knows you know.’
‘It wouldn’t matter. They can all break their necks as far as I’m concerned.’
‘I have some acid spray.’
‘Won’t do the job.’
‘It will, if he’s coming down the stairs after me and I turn around and spray.’
‘Why would he go with you anyway?’
‘I’m his protector, aren’t I? That’s why I came on this trip in the first place. When he himself wants to do something – go up top, go to dinner, anything, I’ll have to go before him, for safety.’
‘It might work, Natalia.’
IX
Carly looked in the mirror and was pleased with the effect. The hotel room in Prague had those low energy bulbs which didn’t allow you to see yourself properly but from what she could see, it was up to scratch.
She pulled her door to and went downstairs.
The table was in the corner and the four men were already there. One was a Frenchman, Pierre le Roux, just into his forties, suave, handsome and an absolute bastard by the look of him. One was Artur Zhutkov, an older specimen, well fed, medium height, balding and clearly accustomed to people doing his bidding. He was a reticent sittee at this table.
The third man was a Czech, tall, gaunt, with swept back, greying hair which put him in his late fifties. The fourth was the pick of the crop, Miles Harper, mid-forties and a self-made man, with an icy stare which fixed you in its grip.
They stood up as she approached and Harper helped her to her seat.
She started straight in. ‘Gentlemen, all of you are involved in the purchase of clinics across Europe, two of you are the principals and two are representing other interests. We need not go into the purpose of these clinics, as it involves the security forces of the western nations and I believe you’ve had overtures from the east as well.’
No one commented.
‘I’m just a humble functionary, a security service head but I also represent a group of people who have an interest in your clinics. You already know who they are and the fact that I’m even able to sit with you four here this evening shows that you well know the influence of my people.’
‘What percentage are you looking at?’ asked Zhutkov.
‘No percentage. We don’t want open warfare, we don’t need a cut. We need to know that we’re not being infiltrated by your graduates. That’s all. All of you know where Europe is headed, America is onside with this as well but we must be sure our agents are our own.’
‘That’s all?’
‘That’s all. Need I detail to you what might occur if you don’t comply? Does the name Jacques de Molay ring a bell? The principals and the operation will not be touched if you comply, those already turned and who are known will be left in place but no new infiltrations, no more sleepers please.’
‘Sounds reasonable,’ said Harper.
‘No it doesn’t, it’s outrageous,’ growled the Czech.
Harper swung round to him. ‘No, it sounds eminently reasonable.’ He looked into the other man’s eyes, then back at Latour. ‘I think we can accommodate that request.’
The other two nodded, Marie stood up, the men stood up and she went back upstairs. Three of the men sat down but the Czech buttoned up his jacket and walked out. The others looked at each other and le Roux spoke.
‘She has the backing. Believe me.’
‘I took that as read,’ muttered Zhutkov. ‘It doesn’t alter the structure any. We just lay off their sphere of influence.’
‘Really?’ asked le Roux.
‘No, not really,’ smiled Zhutkov. ‘The question now is who will deal with our Czech friend?’
The voice at the end of the encrypted line asked Marie, ‘Did they see reason?’
‘They said they did. It buys you time, at least.’
X
Valentina Alexandrova switched off the equipment and looked around at the assembled group in her cabin. Dmitri wasn’t satisfied. ‘What if he’s suspicious of why we let Natalia go ashore?’
‘Oh, I think he will be,’ she replied.
‘Well?’
‘He’ll let it proceed but he’ll tip someone off and she’ll be caught red handed.’
‘And what does that achieve for him?’
‘Removes Mr. Jacobson’s protection and before someone else can fill that role, he’ll strike.’
‘How?’
‘Greased step, perhaps? We have the cassette – we only need to prove the other and that should be sufficient for the court.’
‘I don’t like it,’ chipped in Ksenia. ‘It leaves Paul exposed.’
‘I’ll take that risk,’ he replied.
‘No.’ Hugh entered the discussion. ‘Valentina Vitalyevna, Natalia Vitalievna, may I have a word in private?’
They stepped over to one side and conversed earnestly.
Alexandrova indicated to her offsider, who’d just come on board, to come across to them. The man understood what she told him, went away and then returned, handing Hugh a cassette.
Hugh then spoke up, within the hearing of the others: ‘I’ll go ashore now – make sure you can hear the conversation. Make sure you bug the Shaidullin room too and do it subtly. They’ll be back soon.’
‘What are you going to do?’ asked Ksenia.
‘You’ll hear it on the receiver.’
Fifteen minutes later, Hugh was stepping down the gangplank, in the direction of the market he’d been once before with his former love. He found Katya in a boutique and suggested a coffee.
Seated at an outdoor table, opposite Mrs. Shaidullin and the baby, he did a terrible but necessary thing – he let her in on the whole story. When Katya jumped up in anger, he insisted she sit down again and, shocked by his sudden change in mood, she did so.
Hugh presented it that he wanted to prevent a tragedy – not arrest someone – which was true really. He begged her to dissuade her husband. Choking back tears, she sobbed, ‘You have no proof; it’s all surmise.’
Hugh then handed her his PS and asked her to press the play button. She did so, muttering, ‘Nyet, nyet,’ at intervals, tore the headphones off, threw the PS on the table, stood up with her child and left.
Hugh said to no one in particular, ‘Well, Valentina Alexandrova and company – I hope that cabin is bugged.’
Then he had a coffee.
Both Hugh’s and Natalia’s wired conversation had boomed through the closed bar at sufficient volume to ensure an excellent cassette copy. Valentina Alexandrova had then hastily written up transcripts in freehand, on A4, and eight people in the bar had signed to the effect that it was an unexpurgated and true copy of what they’d heard.
It was still not enough, of course. Drinks were ordered from the kitchen, the toilet was visited by some but hurriedly, as no one wished to miss the next part and the waiting game began.
The dull hiss through the speakers now erupted into angry conversation.
Man: What? What?
Now followed a woman’s voice, clearly Katya’s, haranguing him with Hugh’s story, he telling her to be quiet and then:
Man: Katya, shut it. The place could be bugged.
Katya: How could you? You promised you’d left Deputatov. You said there wasn’t going to be any more killing. You’re a liar and a … killer.
Man: Katya, this is all a set up by people who want to see me dead. That was an innocent conversation with Natalia.
Katya: Then how do you explain: ‘It might work, Natalia?’
Man: I was going along with her. She was the one who organized it all with Deputatov. I was trying to find out her plan and I was then going to step in and prevent it.
Katya: You’re a liar, Timur. You’ve always been a liar – [muffled voice now, as if she was being prevented from speaking, then she becomes clear again] – get your hands off me, you beast. You were going to kill that man.
Shaidullin: You’re talking rubbish. I was going along with her, I told you. Keep your voice down.
Katya: Then what about: ‘It must be an accident, for sure. Sliding down a greased step or something like that’?
Shaidullin: I told you, I was going along with her, to see what she did, what she wanted.
Katya: For whom were you going along with her? Who were you working for?
Shaidullin: For security. Ksenia Sharova, if you must know.
Katya: You’ve been seeing her?
Shaidullin: Yes.
Katya: You told me you were finished with her.
Shaidullin: I was doing this job, that’s all. [sound of someone leaving the cabin and then tears].
XI
Marie flew to Paris and met with Geneviève’s superiors in an apartment overlooking Bois de Vincennes.
‘The clinics will remain independent for now but I fear they’ll be swamped in the coming years. Market forces. There’s a strong protectionist instinct in France and Russia which will see them survive but it hampers the expansionary vision of Europe. I think pressure will be brought to bear on you if my people decided to swap horses midstream.’
‘What of the investigation by Section 32?’
‘It can’t discover any more than it knows already. It knows they exist and some of the players but that’s about all. It’s brief is basically to expose men with their pants down so their work will be cut out for them in the coming years.’
XII
Valentina Alexandrova’s and all other eyes turned to Ksenia who gathered herself and then spoke.
‘I saw him when I was last in St Petersburg and no, we didn’t make love, not for Katya Vitelievna but for Hugh. Hugh had no claim on me then but still I didn’t want. I don’t have married men anyway, after what my father did. He pushed me though.
What you need is proof that I wasn’t colluding with him. I don’t have that. Hugh and my superior in the Section can vouch for my movements since St Petersburg.
Both my home phone and mobile have records and I can save you the time now – there’s no call to Shaidullin on them. I could have used another phone, the phone of a friend. Yes, that is possible.
But look at my motivation.
I was employed by Seymour to protect Kuzmin. Seymour was acting in this against Deputatov. That puts Timur and me on opposite sides. I was employed by my Section to nail Timur. Valentina Vitalyievna, phone my chief and confirm this. I’m even going to a meeting with him next week which she knows of, as she ordered it.’
Alexandrova left the bar, only to return a few minutes later with a nod towards Ksenia. ‘Da, it’s so.’
Hugh had been whispering to Dima Storchaus, who now spoke up. ‘It seems to me we have much circumstantial evidence here but a good lawyer will still get him released. Valentina Vitalyievna, put the wire on me, I’ll find him and have a few words.’
Dima found Shaidullin at the starboard railing of the boat and, leaning over, explained a few home truths about unfortunate accidents which sometimes befell wives and daughters of nasty people in this country, should anything nasty happen to any one special.
Shaidullin did not protest but kept his silence.
Then Dima dropped into a kindly voice and suggested the man just leave it – branch into something else less fatal. Did Shaidullin comprehend?
The only recording of Shaidullin’s voice was a grunt. Dima estimated Hugh would get about two years protection out of it all.
The man was brought in, Valentina Alexandrova now went through the whole story, played all the recordings and showed the countersigned documents. Naturally, she hadn’t been able to get Shaidullin to countersign but it was the best that could have been hoped for, short of prosecution.
XIII
Prague is a beautiful city and Marc’s home was there but he’d had to stay at the hotel to keep Dilya out of it.
Geneviève got him on a secure line and told him to make for Frankfurt in eight days, then Shadzhara, to join her. She’d arrange the tickets.
There are a number of things we’re looking into just now and they won’t be compromised as long as you and I don’t meet until Shadzhara.’
.o0o.
Timur Shaidullin was kept in a separate cabin until he and his wife departed at Nizhny Novgorod.
XIV
The boat finally made it to St Petersburg, everyone except the miscreants and the now homebound Mrs. Shaidullina went every which way, down Nevsky propekt, the usual, Hugh and Ksenia took a car straight to Peterhof.
Hugh read to her in the car from the little guide book: ‘Peter the Great had no vain ambition to overcome nature but he did make use of it. [Ivan Golikov, 1788]’
What a place, Peterhof, with its summer palace, cascades, fountains, golden statues and that magnificent canal linking the palace to the sea itself. He was gazing at the Great Cascade with a strange lady whose fair hair seemed to complement and even rise from the scene. The more he glanced across at her, the more she resembled one of these nereids, returned finally to her true home.
When she asked him about his thoughts, he told her and she cleft the mood in twain, ‘Galatea? She’s not that beautiful – I don’t know that I’d want to be compared to her.’
‘The ego of the girl – the Medici Venus then.’
‘Well, that’s better but still -’
‘I could clothe you in gold and stand you on a pedestal over there, so the world could share your beauty for eternity.’
‘Hugh, you’re sick, you know that?’ But she was stifling a smile.
They walked that pathway beside the canal and strolled over to Monplaisir, Peter’s seashore palace, looking out over the Gulf of Finland. Standing by the seaside balustrade, they gazed out over the gulf and at the angry little wavelets in the twelve knot breeze blowing spray their way.
She didn’t bat an eyelid but let it blow into her face, he was watching her. ‘It’s very pleasant, Hugh. It’s different.’
‘Different for you maybe but for me, this is my métier, I’m a sailor, and this scene is everything I’ve ever been, here I feel I’ve come home.’
She looked at him sharply. ‘What’s it called again?’ she asked. ‘French, isn’t it?’
‘It’s called my pleasure. Monplaisir. Moyor udovoilstviye.’
‘Is it really?’ She was wistful. ‘You know I was kidding about Galatea and Venus don’t you?’
‘Only you know that, Ksusha.’
XV
It was only one day in terms of hours, spread over the two days and soon it was over, the ship turned, went back through the canals, across the Rubinski inland sea where they’d stopped off at Valaam, the monastery island, past the Golden Circle towns – things on board finally became convivial, Paul Jacobson at the dinner table finally came out with what English speakers were thinking – how on earth does anyone remember all those names in Russian or Shadzharan? He’d even had one explained to him – Shaihullislamova – made the Germans seem amateurs.
‘It’s designed to confuse foreigners,’ put in Ksenia, and Dima wished she hadn’t.
.o0o.
There was plenty of time for long one-on-one discussions and one of the things Hugh brought up with Ksenia was why Alina had even put that dagger into his shoulder, not into his back? Why knife him at all?
‘Ah,;’ said Ksenia, ‘I really haven’t opened up on my family. That was Oleg … the Beast … he was blackmailing both my sisters but in Alina’s case, he had told her and shown her bogus documents which said you and Olesya were making a play for the family firm. Not the brightest, Alina and she’s back in Shadzhara now.’
‘Meaning it’s still not over?’
‘Hugh, a person can be a catalyst through connections, blood ties, friendships, without actually being a miscreant. A miscreant can have no ties but uses people. Oleg was not family, he was firm, it made the difference. Unfortunately, there are some balniye members of our family – Zhenya was one, Sergei is another, still in town back there -‘
‘Are you the one preventing them being taken out?’
‘That’s a dangerous question, even for you. Let’s just say that I don’t ‘take out’ random members of my family, whatever I may think of them. As for your question you haven’t asked yet – must we live under that cloud forever – no, because I have reason to think it will come to a head once we’re back and they will take each other out. I’m very slow in that way, Hugh, there has to be an actual reason. Most men would be proactive on the matter. You would. I told you and told you that executions are not my thing.
But I’ll do it, as you know, I’ll do it if our family is under threat, or the firm, which really is our lifeblood, or if I’m under threat and that includes you now. That’s me, Hugh, at all times you have to weigh up whether you can stand me any more or not.’
‘But you think there’ll be further attempts?’
‘Sure of it – we know there will be, we know who, we don’t know exactly how. We’ll need everyone’s help for that and then it will be over. The factor which we can’t count on though is residual resentment. I think Uncle Dima was optimistic, I’d say Timur will already be plotting his revenge.’
‘It’s impossible.’
‘Yes and I don’t expect you to accept this but look at my job – despite my missions, I do believe in justice and even a Timur or Sergei must have his day in court.’
‘Even if people are being killed or ruined?’
‘No, then we move – once they can be nailed. Or if it’s murderous intent, that plays into our hands if we can prove that. The wheels grind slowly but they do grind. Eventually.’
Masquerade 